North Korea and US politics

[mack341]

Not that big really, population is about a quarter of Germany.

In WWII they first allied with Germany before jumping ship on 23rd August 1944 to side with the Russians. Result was that at the end of the war the 0.5 Million Germans (mostly in the part of the Romania called Transylvania) were seen as the root cause why Romania allied with Hitler at the beginning of WWII and hence, the root cause of all evil.
All Germans from Romania, aged 18 - 55, were deported to Russian labor camps in Siberia. Plus, all property and houses, were confiscated by the uprising Communist government. The remaining Germans (kids and old folks) had to leave the houses with one spoon, one fork, one knife, one pot etc (you get the picture) and were "deported" inside Romania to work as unpaid laborers for Romanians.

My mother and here family (2 sisters and grandparents) lived in a chicken shed for a few years in a town 50 km away from home. Only after 1950 were they allowed to return home, where they found the house ransacked and half-demolished. Her father was KIA and her mother returned in 1952 from Russia, where she survived 7 Siberian winters in a dug-out earth-hole. She was lucky that she was a cook, hence, she didn't have to work in the mine where the death rate was 80 - 90%. If overworking and the cold was not killing the people, it was typhoid and other diseases.

"Fun" fact is that more males died than females for the simple reason that they often traded their daily bread rations for vodka and cigarettes while women were smarter and made sure they eat the little food they were getting.

oh I didn't realise you were Romanian, I was surprised it was a bigger country than all its neighbours, hungary, czech republic etc.. so your mum's grandparents looked after her and her sisters while her mother was forced by the russian communists to labour in siberia, you know in the west we felt the war was over and done with but in the east some people like your family were still terribly suffering as if the war hadn't ended.

I did read somewhere a year back or so that in romania now, people mainly young are having a terrible time, living in the sewers under a city, drug problems etc.. and the author was saying under ceausescu things, though bad in many ways, were better?

I definitely need to read up some more about europe, I've always found history fascinating. Is romania on friendly terms with russia nowadays or are they like poland in the Nato/US camp?

 

[Harry_BKK]

oh I didn't realise you were Romanian, I was surprised it was a bigger country than all its neighbours, hungary, czech republic etc.. so your mum's grandparents looked after her and her sisters while her mother was forced by the russian communists to labour in siberia, you know in the west we felt the war was over and done with but in the east some people like your family were still terribly suffering as if the war hadn't ended.

I did read somewhere a year back or so that in romania now, people mainly young are having a terrible time, living in the sewers under a city, drug problems etc.. and the author was saying under ceausescu things, though bad in many ways, were better?

I definitely need to read up some more about europe, I've always found history fascinating. Is romania on friendly terms with russia nowadays or are they like poland in the Nato/US camp?

Not exactly Romanian, I am a Transylvanian Saxon born in Romania. Funny that the Romanians called us Germans (and all associated swear names) and when I emigrated to Germany they called us Romanians (again associated with all sorts of swear names). Hence, why I say the above and I am proud to have been born as part of a minority that, sadly, will disappear within the next century. One advantage is that we can talk in our language / dialect and no one will understand us since only about 250,000 people speak it today.

Transylvania was part of the ever-changing German Empires in the middle ages and then Austria-Hungary until it was given to Romania as reparation after World War I. My ancestors were asked at the beginning of the 13th century by the German King to move to the area as they were known to be good farmers and fighters. Hence, they moved from what is today the greater Luxembourg / Rhine area to Transylvania and build up fortifications / villages etc. to defend the border against Ottomans / Turks. In return, they were given a seal by the King to be always free farmers and would never have to pay taxes. That stayed valid until the region was given to Romania.

Being Transylvanian is also the reason why we could emigrate to Germany before the end of the Cold War as it was seen as family reunion / return to the home land. (don't have a better word in English). Germany actually paid a per capita reward to Ceaucescu for every German he allowed to leave Romania.

I posted once this pics from the castle in my village where every family had its own room. It was never fully taken in countless attacks and sieges. The outer walls were demolished some 100 years ago but the inner walls still stand and are up to 8m (25 feet) thick.

My great-grandfather took me once onto a train viaduct and told me to look as far as my eyes could see. He then said, once all of that was our family's land. So they were actually rather well-off until the communists took over. He told me that at the end of WWI, the communists came and took all but one horse away from the farm, they had over 30 work horses at the time plus what they called the Sunday horses which were used for light duty only like getting the family to church or to the market.

My mum was 8 when they got deported, she worked as an unpaid baby sitter for a Hungarian family during those years which turned out to be good for her as she learned to speak Hungarian in that time. But yes, her grandparents took care of her and her sisters, while the mother was taken away for nearly 8 years. She was one of the lucky ones to return home without a serious illness or better said, coming home at all.

Romania has gone through dramatic changes since 1989, transforming the country from a communistic regime to a democratically led nation is never an easy feat. It has it good and bad sides as it always is in such cases. The pictures / stories of kids living in the sewers are from the capital Bucharest and are not really representative of the country. There will be always people saying "the good ol' time were so much better".

IMO, it has been rather positive for the the young generations as usually they are well-educated (thanks to a good school system put in place by Ceaucescu, not easy to believe but it is true), the majority speaks fluent English, leading to a large part leaving Romania to look for and actually getting better paying jobs in other countries. They are meanwhile part of the EU which increased the investment in the country and I would think they are on a good path. Nothing is perfect but they are making progress.

Relations to Russia are normal, nothing special. But the country purposely orientated itself towards the West when they joined the EU/NATO.

 

[mack341]

Not exactly Romanian, I am a Transylvanian Saxon born in Romania. Funny that the Romanians called us Germans (and all associated swear names) and when I emigrated to Germany they called us Romanians (again associated with all sorts of swear names). Hence, why I say the above and I am proud to have been born as part of a minority that, sadly, will disappear within the next century. One advantage is that we can talk in our language / dialect and no one will understand us since only about 250,000 people speak it today.

Transylvania was part of the ever-changing German Empires in the middle ages and then Austria-Hungary until it was given to Romania as reparation after World War I. My ancestors were asked at the beginning of the 13th century by the German King to move to the area as they were known to be good farmers and fighters. Hence, they moved from what is today the greater Luxembourg / Rhine area to Transylvania and build up fortifications / villages etc. to defend the border against Ottomans / Turks. In return, they were given a seal by the King to be always free farmers and would never have to pay taxes. That stayed valid until the region was given to Romania.

Being Transylvanian is also the reason why we could emigrate to Germany before the end of the Cold War as it was seen as family reunion / return to the home land. (don't have a better word in English). Germany actually paid a per capita reward to Ceaucescu for every German he allowed to leave Romania.

I posted once this pics from the castle in my village where every family had its own room. It was never fully taken in countless attacks and sieges. The outer walls were demolished some 100 years ago but the inner walls still stand and are up to 8m (25 feet) thick.

View attachment 91604

My great-grandfather took me once onto a train viaduct and told me to look as far as my eyes could see. He then said, once all of that was our family's land. So they were actually rather well-off until the communists took over. He told me that at the end of WWI, the communists came and took all but one horse away from the farm, they had over 30 work horses at the time plus what they called the Sunday horses which were used for light duty only like getting the family to church or to the market.

My mum was 8 when they got deported, she worked as an unpaid baby sitter for a Hungarian family during those years which turned out to be good for her as she learned to speak Hungarian in that time. But yes, her grandparents took care of her and her sisters, while the mother was taken away for nearly 8 years. She was one of the lucky ones to return home without a serious illness or better said, coming home at all.

Romania has gone through dramatic changes since 1989, transforming the country from a communistic regime to a democratically led nation is never an easy feat. It has it good and bad sides as it always is in such cases. The pictures / stories of kids living in the sewers are from the capital Bucharest and are not really representative of the country. There will be always people saying "the good ol' time were so much better".

IMO, it has been rather positive for the the young generations as usually they are well-educated (thanks to a good school system put in place by Ceaucescu, not easy to believe but it is true), the majority speaks fluent English, leading to a large part leaving Romania to look for and actually getting better paying jobs in other countries. They are meanwhile part of the EU which increased the investment in the country and I would think they are on a good path. Nothing is perfect but they are making progress.

Relations to Russia are normal, nothing special. But the country purposely orientated itself towards the West when they joined the EU/NATO.

Oh what amazing family history thanks for this post Harry!! I heard of the sudetenland which was the former german part of the czech republic, but I didn't know transylvania had also been part of germany all those years ago. [That versaille treaty caused a lot of problems and probably ww2 indirectly] It doesn't surprise me though that germany, because they felt your people the transylvanian saxons were kinsmen, payed romania to rescue your minority.

In England we're a bit of a mish mash, normans, romans, celts, anglo saxons, vikings etc.. must be great to have a distinct cultural heritage with history going back to old world europe.

Those times in Europe must have been fascinating with the turks and ottomans invading with their sieges like vienna, I think the mongols got as far as poland.

you're right people [myself included] do always think the good ol' times were better, no I can definitely believe the young people are well educated and speak english fluently so that should help their future prosperity. I would like to visit the translyvanian countryside, but I think I read somewhere of a football manager from the UK went on a holiday there and while walking in a forest had to fend off a pack of wolves, its still so untouched there are bears as well etc..

 

[Harry_BKK]

Oh what amazing family history thanks for this post Harry!! I heard of the sudetenland which was the former german part of the czech republic, but I didn't know transylvania had also been part of germany all those years ago. [That versaille treaty caused a lot of problems and probably ww2 indirectly] It doesn't surprise me though that germany, because they felt your people the transylvanian saxons were kinsmen, payed romania to rescue your minority.

In England we're a bit of a mish mash, normans, romans, celts, anglo saxons, vikings etc.. must be great to have a distinct cultural heritage with history going back to old world europe.

Those times in Europe must have been fascinating with the turks and ottomans invading with their sieges like vienna, I think the mongols got as far as poland.

you're right people [myself included] do always think the good ol' times were better, no I can definitely believe the young people are well educated and speak english fluently so that should help their future prosperity. I would like to visit the translyvanian countryside, but I think I read somewhere of a football manager from the UK went on a holiday there and while walking in a forest had to fend off a pack of wolves, its still so untouched there are bears as well etc..

Oh history is my favorite (politics are second ), could talk and write pages, even books. ....apologies if some of my posts seem long-winded

I was lucky enough to have my great-grandparents until the age of 8 and 14, hence, I can remember most of the stories they told me and I have to say both were outstanding storytellers.

Plenty of Germans spread around the continent.... Sudetenland, Schlesien, Preussen (Prussia) etc, they go as far as the Volga river. The Russian and German / Prussian royal houses were closely connected to counter the Austrians. Thanks to Catherine II. (she was quiet a feisty woman), who married Peter who then became the Russian Czar Peter III. and was later overthrown by his own wife, Germans were "invited" to move to the Volga area around what is today Saratov.

Until today, you have descendants from all those areas "moving back" to Germany, in more recent times more due to economic reasons but nevertheless they receive the German citizenship although many can't or never learned to speak a single word of German.

If you ever go to Romania, visit Brasov (in German Kronstadt, translated "Crown City") and then make a short stop in a village called Harman (in German Honigberg, translated "Honey Hill") and you'll see my roots as well as the reason why the German King wanted that area fortified. It is right at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains (I was the first time on skies at the age of 3 years ) and there are 2 passes where the invaders would come through first on their plundering campaigns. My village was burned to the ashes countless times but they never managed to take the fortified castle. If you want to taste once really cold and crisp water ask the locals in Harman to take you to the "Cold Well" (German - Kalter Brunnen, Romanian - Fîntîna Rece). You'll never gonna like Evian again.

Yes, there are still wolf packs and bears roaming free, wonderful, isn't it? However, wolfs are easily scared and you shouldn't have an issue if you make enough noise. The bears are brown bears which rarely attack humans, again, plenty of noise should get you out of the situation.

The area around Brasov has everything you want. Crystal clear seas where you can swim in summer, nestled small villages, beautiful landscapes and of course the mountains nearby. Some of the food is just heavenly, really miss that even now 34 years after leaving Romania.

The UK history is just as interesting since you are that mishmash of everyone who tried their luck in conquering the island. I lived in the Midlands for a few years and was able to learn quite a bit, still by far not as much as I know about Transylvania's history.

 

[TheAddict]

Plenty of noise? Probably end up playing bonanza on full volume only to walk off the edge of some cliff while walking during a teasingly long retriggered bonus round.

Nice pics n info harry. I does like me a bit of history.

 

[goatwack]

Harry was never this nice to Lockinlove

 

[mack341]

Oh history is my favorite (politics are second ), could talk and write pages, even books. ....apologies if some of my posts seem long-winded

I was lucky enough to have my great-grandparents until the age of 8 and 14, hence, I can remember most of the stories they told me and I have to say both were outstanding storytellers.

Plenty of Germans spread around the continent.... Sudetenland, Schlesien, Preussen (Prussia) etc, they go as far as the Volga river. The Russian and German / Prussian royal houses were closely connected to counter the Austrians. Thanks to Catherine II. (she was quiet a feisty woman), who married Peter who then became the Russian Czar Peter III. and was later overthrown by his own wife, Germans were "invited" to move to the Volga area around what is today Saratov.

Until today, you have descendants from all those areas "moving back" to Germany, in more recent times more due to economic reasons but nevertheless they receive the German citizenship although many can't or never learned to speak a single word of German.

If you ever go to Romania, visit Brasov (in German Kronstadt, translated "Crown City") and then make a short stop in a village called Harman (in German Honigberg, translated "Honey Hill") and you'll see my roots as well as the reason why the German King wanted that area fortified. It is right at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains (I was the first time on skies at the age of 3 years ) and there are 2 passes where the invaders would come through first on their plundering campaigns. My village was burned to the ashes countless times but they never managed to take the fortified castle. If you want to taste once really cold and crisp water ask the locals in Harman to take you to the "Cold Well" (German - Kalter Brunnen, Romanian - Fîntîna Rece). You'll never gonna like Evian again.

Yes, there are still wolf packs and bears roaming free, wonderful, isn't it? However, wolfs are easily scared and you shouldn't have an issue if you make enough noise. The bears are brown bears which rarely attack humans, again, plenty of noise should get you out of the situation.

The area around Brasov has everything you want. Crystal clear seas where you can swim in summer, nestled small villages, beautiful landscapes and of course the mountains nearby. Some of the food is just heavenly, really miss that even now 34 years after leaving Romania.

The UK history is just as interesting since you are that mishmash of everyone who tried their luck in conquering the island. I lived in the Midlands for a few years and was able to learn quite a bit, still by far not as much as I know about Transylvania's history.

This is one of the great things about this forum, you can start a debate on North korea and meander to other subjects. Amazing to have your great gran parents for that time and the stories and real history they've passed onto you.

The area around Brasov sounds idyllic, I've just had a look at some of the videos on youtube about the transylvanian saxons, brasov came up and somebody called johannes honterus was mentioned?
I can definitely see a german resemblance with the people in the videos though and your traditions carry on. I can't think of any real folk traditions in the Uk other than morris dancing.

 

[Harry_BKK]

This is one of the great things about this forum, you can start a debate on North korea and meander to other subjects. Amazing to have your great gran parents for that time and the stories and real history they've passed onto you.

The area around Brasov sounds idyllic, I've just had a look at some of the videos on youtube about the transylvanian saxons, brasov came up and somebody called johannes honterus was mentioned?
I can definitely see a german resemblance with the people in the videos though and your traditions carry on. I can't think of any real folk traditions in the Uk other than morris dancing.

LOL...yep, the topics are widespread as are the people contributing

One of the most vivid stories, which both told me separately from their own view was when my great-grandmother received a telegraph message from the army that my great-grandfather was badly wounded in 1916 or 1917 (can't remember the exact year anymore) and that he wouldn't last much longer. She set out by herself on a perilous 500km journey to find him in a town called Nyíregyháza (Hungary) and brought him home. No easy feat at that time with little public transport, proper roads or cars as we know it today. Plus he had heavy shrapnel wounds that spread from the lower legs to his back when he tripped on a mine. How do you transport someone over such a long distance without killing him due to the motion/bad roads etc? Well, she had taken some of the family gold and changed it in Nyíregyháza for a covered horse-wagon with two horses. She also padded the entire floor with hey and bought some sort of mattress and sheets so he could lay down without feeling much impact from the roads. Last but not least she "hired" a nun who was trained as a nurse to accompany them on the journey. It took them 23 days to reach home. My great-grandfather recovered successfully and lived to the ripe old age of 86.

He told me the story probably half a dozen times how he experienced it, my great-grandmother more than that as she had more to tell. Plus, I just liked to listen to it and constantly asked them to repeat it.

Johannes Honterus was one of the major figures in Transylvania in the 16th century. One of his major achievements was the first college that was later named after him. I had the honor to spent 2 years at that college.

We sure take care of our traditions. To this day, every year during the Pentecost weekend, Transylvanian Saxons assemble in Dinkelsbuehl (Germany) to celebrate their traditions and uniqueness. Surprisingly today, the very young generation of teens and early tweens keep it all going, one would think since most were born in Germany and had little to do with Transylvania that they wouldn't be interested. I attended all events from 1984 to 2008, until I left Europe and moved to Asia.

Here's a pic with people from my village during one of those gatherings. The clothing is designated for each age, young kids, adolescents, married women, widows etc. Men as usual rather simple but the women's clothing was a feat to put on. Some of those outfits have over 15 under-dresses and they had to be put on in the right order. Magnificent handcrafts which only a few select ladies in the village were able to do. The banner in the pic is some 130 years old. And no, i won't say if I am in the picture.

 

[mack341]

LOL...yep, the topics are widespread as are the people contributing

One of the most vivid stories, which both told me separately from their own view was when my great-grandmother received a telegraph message from the army that my great-grandfather was badly wounded in 1916 or 1917 (can't remember the exact year anymore) and that he wouldn't last much longer. She set out by herself on a perilous 500km journey to find him in a town called Nyíregyháza (Hungary) and brought him home. No easy feat at that time with little public transport, proper roads or cars as we know it today. Plus he had heavy shrapnel wounds that spread from the lower legs to his back when he tripped on a mine. How do you transport someone over such a long distance without killing him due to the motion/bad roads etc? Well, she had taken some of the family gold and changed it in Nyíregyháza for a covered horse-wagon with two horses. She also padded the entire floor with hey and bought some sort of mattress and sheets so he could lay down without feeling much impact from the roads. Last but not least she "hired" a nun who was trained as a nurse to accompany them on the journey. It took them 23 days to reach home. My great-grandfather recovered successfully and lived to the ripe old age of 86.

He told me the story probably half a dozen times how he experienced it, my great-grandmother more than that as she had more to tell. Plus, I just liked to listen to it and constantly asked them to repeat it.

Johannes Honterus was one of the major figures in Transylvania in the 16th century. One of his major achievements was the first college that was later named after him. I had the honor to spent 2 years at that college.

We sure take care of our traditions. To this day, every year during the Pentecost weekend, Transylvanian Saxons assemble in Dinkelsbuehl (Germany) to celebrate their traditions and uniqueness. Surprisingly today, the very young generation of teens and early tweens keep it all going, one would think since most were born in Germany and had little to do with Transylvania that they wouldn't be interested. I attended all events from 1984 to 2008, until I left Europe and moved to Asia.

Here's a pic with people from my village during one of those gatherings. The clothing is designated for each age, young kids, adolescents, married women, widows etc. Men as usual rather simple but the women's clothing was a feat to put on. Some of those outfits have over 15 under-dresses and they had to be put on in the right order. Magnificent handcrafts which only a few select ladies in the village were able to do. The banner in the pic is some 130 years old. And no, i won't say if I am in the picture.

View attachment 91613

Thanks Harry this post has really helped me today, I was feeling a lot of stress and on my way to a horrible place 'in the mind', familiar to slot players when you've had a good win but instead of withdrawing have carried on playing and lost, then got angry, redeposited and lost even more.

I've literally logged out of the casino, logged into casinomeister and read your post above and it has brought me back to earth and restored me, what a lovely touching story of your great grandmother rescuing your great grandfather, with the help of a nun as well. If you don't mind me saying that would make a great story for a film; my great grandfather died in 1917 at the somme, and I wish I had talked to my grand parents a lot more than I did.

Amazing that you went to the college, It said on the video I watched that he was one of the first people to promote [if that is the right word] humanism.

And in the pic, the man at the front in the blue cape/coat is dressed differently to the other men, does that signify something?

 

[TheAddict]

.....

 

[mack341]

.....
View attachment 91617

That's given me a right good chuckle that has

 

[Harry_BKK]

Thanks Harry this post has really helped me today, I was feeling a lot of stress and on my way to a horrible place 'in the mind', familiar to slot players when you've had a good win but instead of withdrawing have carried on playing and lost, then got angry, redeposited and lost even more.

I've literally logged out of the casino, logged into casinomeister and read your post above and it has brought me back to earth and restored me, what a lovely touching story of your great grandmother rescuing your great grandfather, with the help of a nun as well. If you don't mind me saying that would make a great story for a film; my great grandfather died in 1917 at the somme, and I wish I had talked to my grand parents a lot more than I did.

Amazing that you went to the college, It said on the video I watched that he was one of the first people to promote [if that is the right word] humanism.

And in the pic, the man at the front in the blue cape/coat is dressed differently to the other men, does that signify something?

So sorry to hear that mate, we all have been there when we mysteriously forgot where the cashout button is located. I just hope it wasn't too much.

Thought of making a movie or at least writing the script a few times throughout my life but never started properly. I even visited Nyíregyháza in 2003 and stayed for 3 days going through the archives and wandering around the area where the major front-line was at that time. My great-grandmother actually set out to bring his body home since the message she got was that he won't make it much longer. But he was a tough cookie, even at old age from what I experienced as a kid.

Oh that battle of the Somme, what a terrible waste of young men on all sides. Probably one of the worst battles ever. The major part of the battle tactics were still going back to the 18th and 19th century where armies would simply march against each other with no retreat options. So wave after wave of young soldiers or better said "cannon fodder" where sent out from the trenches only to be wounded or killed after a few yards. The entire battle was about a few km's of terrain and had some 1Mio casualties. It must have been an unimaginable horror to fight there.

The coat is the winter / cold season version for men. IIRC, they were worn from October to end of March. Rather heavy coats, I have to admit but then we had rather harsh winters with tons of snow and often -30 degrees C. They had different types of brass applications on the front, based on the seniority and the rank in the community.

 

[mack341]

I'm probably down by £180 today but I could have been £6o up which would have helped repair some of the damage my bank balance has sustained recently, however I was in that silly mood where I would have chased had I not closed the site down, at that point I was still angry enough to redeposit later on however I then read your post, and it helped me to recover my senses and think there is more to life than bloody chasing losses on slots.

I suppose with writing a script you'd want to get it perfect to do justice to your great gran parents and that would be a pressure, I'd love to see that story on screen though, even if you wrote one sentence a week, it could be great. I think the film companies always have their own scriptwriter who adapts your script to what they feel would work but you could have the last say.

Yeah the 1st world war makes me very angry, firstly I can't believe the official cause as being the assassination of franz duke, there must have been more to it than that. On wikipedia it states: "The assassination led directly to the

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when Austria-Hungary subsequently issued an

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to the

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, which was partially rejected. Austria-Hungary then declared war, triggering actions leading to war between most European states."

Have we ever seen all the private correspondence and letters etc of the top diplomats, prime ministers, generals before the outbreak? It was a sickening event, industrialized mass murder effectively organised by high ranking generals and the great and the good in government. The juxtaposition of parents at home going about their normal activities like sitting down for dinner all the while not knowing that very evening the son has been killed or is slowly dying in pain having been machine gunned and fallen in no mans land.

Then to top it all they allow a 2nd world war to develop, just watching while germany rearmed.

Oh I thought that man in the coat may have been a kind of village leader, in that part of the world do you have very hot summers and very cold winters?

 

[Harry_BKK]

Back on topic

1. North Korea

As i said earlier with regards to North Korea, we will see plenty of "great progress" statements where effectively nothing can be seen. The first line I see this morning on my news feed is from Pompeo: US Secretary of State touts 'real progress' but says he doesn't know if summit will happen. Right!

Is it just me thinking this or is Pompeo slowly transforming into a mini Mr. T?

And Mr. T chiming in: Trump said earlier that meetings with a North Korean delegation in New York had gone "very well" and that he expects the delegation to travel to Washington on Friday to deliver him "a letter from Kim Jong Un." Oh how sweet, a letter from the girlfriend he broke off with just a week ago. And "quelle surprise", the talks went of course "very well". Right!

I think it daunts on Mr. T now that NK won't just denuclearize. They see themselves in a position of power having achieved their ultimate goal to have a nuclear bomb. For Mr. T to think that Kim will just give that away because he taunts "his bigger button" repeatedly is plain naïveté.

2. Tariffs

And now to tariffs, what a turbulent time some companies will have going forward. And it shows clearly yet another few lies from Mr. T:

- In one of his speeches he said: "America First does not mean America Alone." Well, IMO, they are very well on the way to being alone.
- A few months ago: "Trade wars are good and so easy to win." Fast forward to yesterday: "Canada and Mexico are very difficult to deal with." - Who knew?

Mr. T now has "trade disputes" ( I wouldn't call them "trade wars" yet) with China, Mexico, Canada and the EU on his hands. In over one year, they couldn't push a new NAFTA deal down the throat of their direct neighbors where a fair deal should be easily agreed to if all sides are willing to give and take. So much for touting himself as the BEST deal maker.

Will be interesting to see how the Mexican, Canadian and EU retaliation will look like and how the reactions in the affected US industries will be.

 

[mack341]

Back on topic

1. North Korea

As i said earlier with regards to North Korea, we will see plenty of "great progress" statements where effectively nothing can be seen. The first line I see this morning on my news feed is from Pompeo: US Secretary of State touts 'real progress' but says he doesn't know if summit will happen. Right!

Is it just me thinking this or is Pompeo slowly transforming into a mini Mr. T?

And Mr. T chiming in: Trump said earlier that meetings with a North Korean delegation in New York had gone "very well" and that he expects the delegation to travel to Washington on Friday to deliver him "a letter from Kim Jong Un." Oh how sweet, a letter from the girlfriend he broke off with just a week ago. And "quelle surprise", the talks went of course "very well". Right!

I think it daunts on Mr. T now that NK won't just denuclearize. They see themselves in a position of power having achieved their ultimate goal to have a nuclear bomb. For Mr. T to think that Kim will just give that away because he taunts "his bigger button" repeatedly is plain naïveté.

2. Tariffs

And now to tariffs, what a turbulent time some companies will have going forward. And it shows clearly yet another few lies from Mr. T:

- In one of his speeches he said: "America First does not mean America Alone." Well, IMO, they are very well on the way to being alone.
- A few months ago: "Trade wars are good and so easy to win." Fast forward to yesterday: "Canada and Mexico are very difficult to deal with." - Who knew?

Mr. T now has "trade disputes" ( I wouldn't call them "trade wars" yet) with China, Mexico, Canada and the EU on his hands. In over one year, they couldn't push a new NAFTA deal down the throat of their direct neighbors where a fair deal should be easily agreed to if all sides are willing to give and take. So much for touting himself as the BEST deal maker.

Will be interesting to see how the Mexican, Canadian and EU retaliation will look like and how the reactions in the affected US industries will be.

I think he will find it hard to get canada, mexico etc.. to take a 'trump' deal because they're probably thinking there's at least a 50% chance he's going to be out on his ear soon and they can do a better deal with his successor.

Yeah I agree regarding Korea, Trump and Pompeo are trying to spin it however it is interesting Bolton has kept his mouth shut now, I had thought the tv channels would have had him back on sunday morning to try and ruin the talks again. I think Kim and the chinese have made it very difficult for the US to now attack militarily without looking like the out and out aggressor, ultimately I think the chinese want the US to leave south korea, they don't want the US military that close to china. Will the US remove sanctions and reduce their military presence if NK gives up its nukes ? I think Trump would take that deal but the hardline advisers in the pentagon and washington establishment will not, and they have a lot of power.

If south Korea is being overruled by the US on military issues and its people have no democratic say in whether the US forces remain in their country in their present number and form they may as well be ruled by the Chinese like hong kong.

 

[Harry_BKK]

I'm probably down by £180 today but I could have been £6o up which would have helped repair some of the damage my bank balance has sustained recently, however I was in that silly mood where I would have chased had I not closed the site down, at that point I was still angry enough to redeposit later on however I then read your post, and it helped me to recover my senses and think there is more to life than bloody chasing losses on slots.

I suppose with writing a script you'd want to get it perfect to do justice to your great gran parents and that would be a pressure, I'd love to see that story on screen though, even if you wrote one sentence a week, it could be great. I think the film companies always have their own scriptwriter who adapts your script to what they feel would work but you could have the last say.

Yeah the 1st world war makes me very angry, firstly I can't believe the official cause as being the assassination of franz duke, there must have been more to it than that. On wikipedia it states: "The assassination led directly to the

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when Austria-Hungary subsequently issued an

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to the

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, which was partially rejected. Austria-Hungary then declared war, triggering actions leading to war between most European states."

Have we ever seen all the private correspondence and letters etc of the top diplomats, prime ministers, generals before the outbreak? It was a sickening event, industrialized mass murder effectively organised by high ranking generals and the great and the good in government. The juxtaposition of parents at home going about their normal activities like sitting down for dinner all the while not knowing that very evening the son has been killed or is slowly dying in pain having been machine gunned and fallen in no mans land.

Then to top it all they allow a 2nd world war to develop, just watching while germany rearmed.

Oh I thought that man in the coat may have been a kind of village leader, in that part of the world do you have very hot summers and very cold winters?

Chasing losses is the worst part we gamblers do and we repeatedly fall into the trap only to fail 99/100. Keep a better eye on the purposely small "cashout" button next time.

The Austrians were always power hungry, hence, IMO, the assassination was just a welcome reason to start the war. They annexed years earlier what is today Bosnia-Herzegovina and that did not go down well with the Serbs. Plus you had skirmishes between Greece, Serbia and the Ottoman Empire happening all the time. Hence, the region was a hot spot for quite some time. The assassination was then what broke the "camels back". At first, it didn't look like it would develop into WWI but then the Austrians got the support from Germany. Couple that with the Triple Entente (Russia, France and Great Britain) on the other side and you can see how the Balkan conflict evolved. Russia mobilized their army because they saw their influence on the Balkans weakening, Germany asked them to step down, they didn't and instead asked the French to open a second front to keep the Germans busy from that side. The French were happy to agree as they had lost some territories to Germany in an earlier conflict. The British were keen to put the German advance in maritime warfare back into their place. Etc.Etc.

You can find in some museums some of the first moving picture recordings where you can see troops marching with smiles while excitingly singing some military songs (there is no sound but you can see how they are singing). I think it was one of the German leaders who dropped a sentence that it will be a "leisurely trip to Paris" and everyone will be home by Christmas 1914 which turned out to be totally wrong. My great-grandfather told me that most young men were actually excited to finally have a war as you had conscription at the time for 3 - 4 years and they saw now their chance to use their "skills". He wasn't happy but had no choice. Not going was not an option.

Oh yes, the senior village leader had the most intricate brass and embroidery arrangement. Here's a pic of my mum aged 14 (second row at the left) with 4 gentlemen in the background. You can see there the slight differences in those arrangements. The left one is the priest, the third from the left was at the time the senior village leader, my mother's great-uncle.

 

[mack341]

Chasing losses is the worst part we gamblers do and we repeatedly fall into the trap only to fail 99/100. Keep a better eye on the purposely small "cashout" button next time.

The Austrians were always power hungry, hence, IMO, the assassination was just a welcome reason to start the war. They annexed years earlier what is today Bosnia-Herzegovina and that did not go down well with the Serbs. Plus you had skirmishes between Greece, Serbia and the Ottoman Empire happening all the time. Hence, the region was a hot spot for quite some time. The assassination was then what broke the "camels back". At first, it didn't look like it would develop into WWI but then the Austrians got the support from Germany. Couple that with the Triple Entente (Russia, France and Great Britain) on the other side and you can see how the Balkan conflict evolved. Russia mobilized their army because they saw their influence on the Balkans weakening, Germany asked them to step down, they didn't and instead asked the French to open a second front to keep the Germans busy from that side. The French were happy to agree as they had lost some territories to Germany in an earlier conflict. The British were keen to put the German advance in maritime warfare back into their place. Etc.Etc.

You can find in some museums some of the first moving picture recordings where you can see troops marching with smiles while excitingly singing some military songs (there is no sound but you can see how they are singing). I think it was one of the German leaders who dropped a sentence that it will be a "leisurely trip to Paris" and everyone will be home by Christmas 1914 which turned out to be totally wrong. My great-grandfather told me that most young men were actually excited to finally have a war as you had conscription at the time for 3 - 4 years and they saw now their chance to use their "skills". He wasn't happy but had no choice. Not going was not an option.

Oh yes, the senior village leader had the most intricate brass and embroidery arrangement. Here's a pic of my mum aged 14 (second row at the left) with 4 gentlemen in the background. You can see there the slight differences in those arrangements. The left one is the priest, the third from the left was at the time the senior village leader, my mother's great-uncle.

View attachment 91621

What a lovely photograph just captures the moment without them distracted by the photographer, would that be a kind of sunday religious meeting? [I think in the UK we had a religious education for children that was called sunday school].

I can see what you mean with all the different motives that contributed to the outbreak of war, but none of them would ever be worth mass slaughter which is what the military and civilian leaders knew was in store.

I don't blame the rank and file german soldiers as they wouldn't have had any say, young lads brought up reading about the napoleonic wars etc and going through years of training I can see why they might be excited until they experienced the horror for real, and also in england young lads under age would lie about their age just so they could join up and go to france to fight.

To think people read the daily reports of casualties in the newspapers , 20,000 killed in one day etc, and they couldn't through democracy get it stopped, we would never accept the level of death now however we have accepted the recent war in afghanistan with the horrors that has inflicted on soldiers. The thing also about the 1st world war was that the sons of upper class families were also killed and they too were unable to influence the bloody course of the war.

Oh I was so close to withdrawing but I was in too an optimistic mood and the balance depleted before I could see sense, my worse time is when I have just had a win, I get too complacent, start losing and then chase to get back to my peak balance.

 

[Harry_BKK]

I'm probably down by £180 today but I could have been £6o up which would have helped repair some of the damage my bank balance has sustained recently, however I was in that silly mood where I would have chased had I not closed the site down, at that point I was still angry enough to redeposit later on however I then read your post, and it helped me to recover my senses and think there is more to life than bloody chasing losses on slots.

Just a short comment on this. Some years ago, I set up a rather intricate system that keeps my gaming in control. Due to my travels and living in different countries, I have bank accounts in a few and set-up only one that I can use for deposits at casinos. Every 1 - 2 weeks I transfer a fixed amount, that I can easily afford to lose and won't hurt my finances, to that account.

My sessions have become much more enjoyable since I've done that because I am not worried if I lose the dosh (which happens most of the time ). But here comes the kicker. From every big win, I transfer out a fixed percentage to a different bank account where I do not have direct access in such that it is a savings account with a 30-day waiting period to make a withdrawal, plus I would lose a part of the accrued interest, hence, to this day I never took anything out. It will be my retirement fund soon and will also pay my son's higher education in a few years (should he want to go down that route). .... Hence, my losses have tumbled so much that some years I actually ended with a net profit, the other years with much less in losses than I used to have in my heyday when I just plowed money into the damn' slots without thinking too much.

With the reminder of the big win I usually go on a high-rolling bender for a few hours or days if my luck lasts that long, just to quench my thirst for some high-risk gambling. .... The last time I played Bonanza an entire day with $20 bets and lost some $13K. But I had won nearly $25K the day earlier, built up from $19 race winnings at VS.

 

[mack341]

Last year for the first time I watched the movie 'all quiet on the western front', its got john boy in it from the waltons and its a little bit cheesy as it is a tv movie, but it's still got some good acting in it and its quite moving in places

 

[Harry_BKK]

What a lovely photograph just captures the moment without them distracted by the photographer, would that be a kind of sunday religious meeting? [I think in the UK we had a religious education for children that was called sunday school].

I can see what you mean with all the different motives that contributed to the outbreak of war, but none of them would ever be worth mass slaughter which is what the military and civilian leaders knew was in store.

I don't blame the rank and file german soldiers as they wouldn't have had any say, young lads brought up reading about the napoleonic wars etc and going through years of training I can see why they might be excited until they experienced the horror for real, and also in england young lads under age would lie about their age just so they could join up and go to france to fight.

To think people read the daily reports of casualties in the newspapers , 20,000 killed in one day etc, and they couldn't through democracy get it stopped, we would never accept the level of death now however we have accepted the recent war in afghanistan with the horrors that has inflicted on soldiers. The thing also about the 1st world war was that the sons of upper class families were also killed and they too were unable to influence the bloody course of the war.

Oh I was so close to withdrawing but I was in too an optimistic mood and the balance depleted before I could see sense, my worse time is when I have just had a win, I get too complacent, start losing and then chase to get back to my peak balance.

Nope, this was normal church at 10.00am on Sundays. You can see the girls have two types of traditional clothes. The ones with the dark colors are the seniors who will have their confirmation on the next Palm Sunday. The ones dressed in light colors are the juniors and would still have close to 2 years to go until their confirmation. My people are protestants where kids receive their confirmation at 14.

It must have been rather cold outside as the girls are wearing capes.

The boys are just out of view to the left of the girls, but they would always sit in front of the altar with the "deities" of the village on the left and right. The rest would sit further back in the main church room.

 

[mack341]

Just a short comment on this. I set up a rather intricate system that keeps my gaming in control. Due to my travels and living in different countries, I have bank accounts in a few and set-up only one that I can use for deposits at casinos. Every 1 - 2 weeks I transfer a fixed amount, that I can easily afford to lose and won't hurt my finances, to that account.

My sessions have become much more enjoyable since I've done that because I am not worried if I lose the dosh (which happens most of the time ). But here comes the kicker. From every big win, I transfer out a fixed percentage to a different bank account where I do not have direct access in such that it is a savings account with a 30-day waiting period to make a withdrawal, plus I would lose a part of the accrued interest, hence, to this day I never took anything out. It will be my retirement fund soon and will also pay my son's higher education in a few years (should he want to go down that route). .... Hence, my losses have tumbled so much that some years I actually ended in profit, the other years with much less in losses than I used to have in my heyday when I just plowed money into the damn' slots without thinking too much.

With the reminder of the big win I usually go on a high-rolling bender for a few hours or days if my luck lasts that long, just to quench my thirst for some high-risk gambling. .... The last time I played Bonanza an entire day with $20 bets and lost some $13K. But I had won nearly $25K the day earlier, built up from $19 race winnings at VS.

wow you're definitely a high roller!!, £20 a spin all day, thats got be exciting at that level, and you got to 25 k from $19 . you must be the slot player equivalent of obi wan kenobi. I thought 80p on rhino was risky. One day I will have a good punt on higher stakes, If I can get my balance upto say £1,500

Good idea about the banking, I did use to use just one bank account but then started using the second one connected to my ISA, so that was a bit stupid as no matter how hard I try to remain in control occasionally I lose my senses a bit. I think I read a bit about your heyday, I think you mentioned you never bothered to withdraw Good idea regarding your son, these student loans are a terrible weight around kids necks.

 

[Harry_BKK]

wow you're definitely a high roller!!, £20 a spin all day, thats got be exciting at that level, and you got to 25 k from $19 . you must be the slot player equivalent of obi wan kenobi. I thought 80p on rhino was risky. One day I will have a good punt on higher stakes, If I can get my balance upto say £1,500

Good idea about the banking, I did use to use just one bank account but then started using the second one connected to my ISA, so that was a bit stupid as no matter how hard I try to remain in control occasionally I lose my senses a bit. I think I read a bit about your heyday, I think you mentioned you never bothered to withdraw Good idea regarding your son, these student loans are a terrible weight around kids necks.

Occasional high-roller. Very occasional, actually. Only after I had some big wins. Something like go big or go home!

If you look at the "Remarkable day at Videoslots" thread you can see how often (or better how rarely) I manage to have one of those lucky days where nothing can go wrong and the balance goes past $10K without breaking a sweat. But when it does, I make sure I have some high-rolling fun as that is truly exhilarating.

It ends mostly rather quickly, maybe 1 or 2 days and the dosh is gone but it is always good fun.

I made it my target that I or better, my son won't have to take up any student loans. In Singapore anything after Junior College costs a ton of money and I don't want him to struggle with finances so he can concentrate on his studies (that is if he wants to go to uni, he's only 8 now and "hates" school. )

 

[mack341]

Nope, this was normal church at 10.00am on Sundays. You can see the girls have two types of traditional clothes. The ones with the dark colors are the seniors who will have their confirmation on the next Palm Sunday. The ones dressed in light colors are the juniors and would still have close to 2 years to go until their confirmation. My people are protestants where kids receive their confirmation at 14.

It must have been rather cold outside as the girls are wearing capes.

The boys are just out of view to the left of the girls, but they would always sit in front of the altar with the "deities" of the village on the left and right. The rest would sit further back in the main church room.

People didn't own alot in those days materially but they had much more cohesion and togetherness, I always found singing hyms etc at school hard, I find the bible a bit like reading shakespeare my comprehension of the word's meaning is not up to it. I wonder if the texts the german protestants use are identical to the church of england texts [king james bible and the new testament being the two I know of] be interesting if the german scholars interpreted things differently to the english

 

[Harry_BKK]

I think he will find it hard to get canada, mexico etc.. to take a 'trump' deal because they're probably thinking there's at least a 50% chance he's going to be out on his ear soon and they can do a better deal with his successor.

Yeah I agree regarding Korea, Trump and Pompeo are trying to spin it however it is interesting Bolton has kept his mouth shut now, I had thought the tv channels would have had him back on sunday morning to try and ruin the talks again. I think Kim and the chinese have made it very difficult for the US to now attack militarily without looking like the out and out aggressor, ultimately I think the chinese want the US to leave south korea, they don't want the US military that close to china. Will the US remove sanctions and reduce their military presence if NK gives up its nukes ? I think Trump would take that deal but the hardline advisers in the pentagon and washington establishment will not, and they have a lot of power.

If south Korea is being overruled by the US on military issues and its people have no democratic say in whether the US forces remain in their country in their present number and form they may as well be ruled by the Chinese like hong kong.

The US still has the military control over the Korean Pensinsula in war times. Since they only signed an armistice with NK, they are officially still at war, hence, anything regarding military will be decided by the US.

Bolton has been quiet for a few days but he just employed a couple of loyalists, so building up momentum and influence.

China wants the US army off the KP and pronto. One has just to look at their reaction when the US installed the THAD systems in South Korea.

I think we can safely say, there will be a lot more drama (mostly from Mr. T) until we can see anything happening in regards to the nuclear disarmament of NK.

 

[mack341]

Occasional high-roller. Very occasional, actually. Only after I had some big wins. Something like go big or go home!

If you look at the "Remarkable day at Videoslots" thread you can see how often (or better how rarely) I manage to have one of those lucky days where nothing can go wrong and the balance goes past $10K without breaking a sweat. But when it does, I make sure I have some high-rolling fun as that is truly exhilarating.

It ends mostly rather quickly, maybe 1 or 2 days and the dosh is gone but it is always good fun.

I made it my target that I or better, my son won't have to take up any student loans. In Singapore anything after Junior College costs a ton of money and I don't want him to struggle with finances so he can concentrate on his studies (that is if he wants to go to uni, he's only 8 now and "hates" school. )

I will definitely read that thread, if I can't high roll myself then its interesting to read the adventures of a high roller. Oh you live in singapore, thats an amazing place I hear, very hi tech and modern state of the art. It must be your daytime there, its gone past 3am here. I must go to bed now as have the gas engineer coming round tomorrow, night Harry.

 

[Harry_BKK]

People didn't own alot in those days materially but they had much more cohesion and togetherness, I always found singing hyms etc at school hard, I find the bible a bit like reading shakespeare my comprehension of the word's meaning is not up to it. I wonder if the texts the german protestants use are identical to the church of england texts [king james bible and the new testament being the two I know of] be interesting if the german scholars interpreted things differently to the english

Yep very similar. The New Testament was the basis of all bible studies we had to have as young kids. Was happening every Saturday afternoon from the age of 10 and was mostly followed by doing some chores for the priest, like cutting his lawn, preparing firewood for the winter, cleaning the inside court of the castle. etc.

 

[Harry_BKK]

I will definitely read that thread, if I can't high roll myself then its interesting to read the adventures of a high roller. Oh you live in singapore, thats an amazing place I hear, very hi tech and modern state of the art. It must be your daytime there, its gone past 3am here. I must go to bed now as have the gas engineer coming round tomorrow, night Harry.

My son is Singaporean. I live just across the border in Johor Bahru, MY as it is by a factor 5 cheaper to stay here. Renting a furnished one-bedder in Singapore is about SGD3,000 or GBP1,700 plus utilities. Here in JB, I am paying SGD550, all-in. Just one example.

But yes, SG has transformed itself tremendously in the past 2 decades.

Sleep well

 

[mack341]

My son is Singaporean. I live just across the border in Johor Bahru, MY as it is by a factor 5 cheaper to stay here. Renting a furnished one-bedder in Singapore is about SGD3,000 or GBP1,700 plus utilities. Here in JB, I am paying SGD550, all-in. Just one example.

But yes, SG has transformed itself tremendously in the past 2 decades.

Sleep well

Thanks Harry, I only got 30 mins sleep in the end , the gas engineer arrived first thing. That's quite a difference in rental costs, is malaysia very similar to singapore? I'm going to be unable to comment on the forum for a few days but would love to hear your take on two other subjects [while we wait for developments re Trump and NK] the missing plane mh370 and the ukraine situation [the ukraine civil war and crimea's annexation].

 

[shewoff]

Harry, I remember 1968 and the USSR invasion of the eastern block.It was on TV and the radio,I feel that since the US was involved in Vietnam in 68 they would have been foolish to intervene. And that is what the United Nation's was around for?

The rest of the world watched and did nothing.The USSR has always been a bully and will continue as long as Putin is in office.They have often led me to think of them as The Grinning Bear in the closet .Smiles and loves to take a BIG bite from the nearest party.They only care about Russia and will not allow any outside force's to create the same situation as when they became a capitalist society. It went wrong and now they blame US! For the fact that capitalism is not a cure all. They blew it and now they are right back in the running for the biggest bully around.

As for Mr.T he will only watch and then take the credit for other's hard work.He is a dog and he will only do what he want's and what he feel's will keep him in office.No more he just does not have the talent for this game.Peace Out! Out Of The Mist! shewoff

P.S I mean't the leader of NK and not the South's pres. Sorry for the mix up.

 

[Harry_BKK]

Thanks Harry, I only got 30 mins sleep in the end , the gas engineer arrived first thing. That's quite a difference in rental costs, is malaysia very similar to singapore? I'm going to be unable to comment on the forum for a few days but would love to hear your take on two other subjects [while we wait for developments re Trump and NK] the missing plane mh370 and the ukraine situation [the ukraine civil war and crimea's annexation].

First a comment on Mr. T. Now we know why the summit is back on. He got the biggest letter ever, look how happy he is! (Caveat: IMO, purposely sent by Kim in that size so Mr. T's hands look very small )

 

[Steviedoo]

First a comment on Mr. T. Now we know why the summit is back on. He got the biggest letter ever, look how happy he is! (Caveat: IMO, purposely sent by Kim in that size so Mr. T's hands look very small )

View attachment 91683

He also told the media as he was leaving White House that he got a nice letter, that he might show it to the press...he went on about how nice it was...and then when asked again 10 min later what was in the letter he said he hadn’t opened it.

 

[goatwack]

First a comment on Mr. T. Now we know why the summit is back on. He got the biggest letter ever, look how happy he is! (Caveat: IMO, purposely sent by Kim in that size so Mr. T's hands look very small )

View attachment 91683

Ha, reminds me of this, at 2:33

 

[slotplayer]

You've got Mail.

 

[Harry_BKK]

Thanks Harry, I only got 30 mins sleep in the end , the gas engineer arrived first thing. That's quite a difference in rental costs, is malaysia very similar to singapore? I'm going to be unable to comment on the forum for a few days but would love to hear your take on two other subjects [while we wait for developments re Trump and NK] the missing plane mh370 and the ukraine situation [the ukraine civil war and crimea's annexation].

Ukraine and Crimea. Hmm, going after history it should belong to Russia. Below is a map from 1900. Today's Ukraine was founded in the early '20's (had to google the exact year - 1921-22) after their own war with Russia and Crimea became then their territory. However, in 1922-23, they were a founding member of the USSR, hence, Crimea sort of fell back to Russia. In 1954, it was again given to Ukraine, although still within the territory of the USSR. There has been a back and forth about the transfer for decades, whether it was constitutional.

So, in some way Russia took back what was once part of their territory. Whether, it was OK or not by international law, is another story. But historically, the Crimea was part of Russia. Over centuries, the royalty had their summer residences there.

I spent quite some time around Kiev, Ukraine and around Krasnodar, Russia (work related), which is just off the coast to the East of the Crimean peninsula and most people saw it as their territory. The Ukrainians in Kiev had not much opinion about the Crimea but they were rather negative about the Donbass.

The bigger conflict in the Donbass region is yet again a different story as the county/region is divided today between Ukraine and Russia, the majority being in Ukraine. The Don Cossacks settled there first and are to this day very proud tribal people. The region only became important when a lot of coal was discovered, speak lots of money to be made. The Donbass people would actually prefer to have their own country as they still see themselves as an independent tribe but are of course caught in the middle between Ukraine and Russia. Plus, the Donbass people were always the richer ones, while the Ukrainians were the peasants and farmers. Hence, you have a sort of social divide there too.

I also circled the appr. territory of Transylvania. You can see that it was still part of Austria-Hungary and Romania was much smaller.

 

[Harry_BKK]

MH370

I flew countless times with MH, especially the SIN-KUL sector since they were holding a duopoly with SQ until about decade or so ago. The most expensive 30-minutes flight I have ever taken. Usually a return ticket would be EUR400 - 500 if you booked less than 2 weeks before the flight. Normal prices were around EUR300, remember that for a short 30-minute hop.

What transpired to me was that Flight Captains were something god-like. I had sometimes the feeling the crew would kneel any moment when he appeared in the cabin.

Personally, I think this guy flew the plane purposely to a remote location to commit suicide. IMO, the purpose was to shame his employer. The airline had some turbulent times in the last decade since the deregulation of the market in SE-Asia, hence, there were a lot of lay-offs and pressure for the remaining staff to perform etc.

The most apparent hint is that he zig-zagged around the Thai/Malay border with the transponder switched off when he turned around from the normal route, which made sure that none of the border agents would grow suspicious or that he stays too long in one country's airspace to have some fighter jets scrambled. You just don't do that if you have an emergency.

 

[goatwack]

The MH370 disappearance is equally fascinating as it is mysterious, and I'll never tire of hearing new theories as to its fate.

Not happy with the way this thread is headed, might just report it

From having hyperbole, bias, discord, selective outrage and misinformation, we now have to endure civility, harmony, informative exchanges and merriment

Time to stick a fork in it

 

[mack341]

MH370

I flew countless times with MH, especially the SIN-KUL sector since they were holding a duopoly with SQ until about decade or so ago. The most expensive 30-minutes flight I have ever taken. Usually a return ticket would be EUR400 - 500 if you booked less than 2 weeks before the flight. Normal prices were around EUR300, remember that for a short 30-minute hop.

What transpired to me was that Flight Captains were something god-like. I had sometimes the feeling the crew would kneel any moment when he appeared in the cabin.

Personally, I think this guy flew the plane purposely to a remote location to commit suicide. IMO, the purpose was to shame his employer. The airline had some turbulent times in the last decade since the deregulation of the market in SE-Asia, hence, there were a lot of lay-offs and pressure for the remaining staff to perform etc.

The most apparent hint is that he zig-zagged around the Thai/Malay border with the transponder switched off when he turned around from the normal route, which made sure that none of the border agents would grow suspicious or that he stays too long in one country's airspace to have some fighter jets scrambled. You just don't do that if you have an emergency.

If its possible to say. what do most malaysians think happened? I can definitely see the suicide theory being a strong front runner, but I would maybe expect some sort of letter especially if it were in revenge against the airline.

This article in the daily express interests me as I feel its important to eliminate any possible motive [ though the express is seen as a bit of a joke newspaper now in the UK]

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[Harry_BKK]

If its possible to say. what do most malaysians think happened? I can definitely see the suicide theory being a strong front runner, but I would maybe expect some sort of letter especially if it were in revenge against the airline.

This article in the daily express interests me as I feel its important to eliminate any possible motive [ though the express is seen as a bit of a joke newspaper now in the UK]

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Most Malaysians share my opinion. I'll try to explain it.

Throughout the last 5 centuries, Malaysia has been under colonial rule of the Portuguese, Dutch and the British. However, it has been the Chinese who arrived rather late in MY who have been pulling the strings in the country for probably a century now. Here's an excerpt from Wiki:

The absolute majority of companies not just in MY but the entire SE-Asian region are run/headed/owned by Chinese descendants of the immigration waves from 1 - 2 centuries ago. They might be 5th or 6th generation, bear Malay or other local names, converted to Islam / Christianity / other religions due to marriage etc. but the connection to their Chinese roots are still very strong. Most are Teochew and Hokkien Chinese. You can go to Thailand, Philippines or Indonesia and you will find the same as in MY or SG, the Chinese run the show, be it at the front or in the background. MH was no different.

Now, "saving face", "showing face" or "keeping face" are paramount in the Chinese society, so embarrassing someone publicly is a great deal. Remember, the flight was heading to China with the majority being Chinese. And the big as well as the background bosses at MH are Chinese. The Captain was Malay with no Chinese heritage.

Makes sense?

 

[Harry_BKK]

witch hunt!

Remember the drama about T Jr., the meeting with the Russians and that ominous first statement? The WH said first, no, Mr. T was not involved at all in the statement; then Sanders said he might have chimed in like any father would do etc etc. Turns out, Mr. T dictated the entire statement. Who knew?

Today I read this excerpt from a letter Mr. T's lawyers sent to Mueller in January 2018:

"You have received all of the notes, communications and testimony indicating that the President dictated a short but accurate response to the New York Times article on behalf of his son, Donald Trump, Jr.. His son then followed up by making a full public disclosure regarding the meeting, including his public testimony that there was nothing to the meeting and certainly no evidence of collusion."

Now remember what I said regarding the "drip, drip, drip" strategy. Yet another perfect example of first deny, deny and deny again, then let a little out and only admit something when there is no other way but do not forget to make sure to highlight that there was no wrongdoing whatsoever.

Question comes up why did they lie so many times when nothing came out of the meeting? Oh forgot, it is Mr. T's hobby, over 3,000 lies in less than two years and counting!

 

[Harry_BKK]

Harry, I remember 1968 and the USSR invasion of the eastern block.It was on TV and the radio,I feel that since the US was involved in Vietnam in 68 they would have been foolish to intervene. And that is what the United Nation's was around for?

The rest of the world watched and did nothing.The USSR has always been a bully and will continue as long as Putin is in office.They have often led me to think of them as The Grinning Bear in the closet .Smiles and loves to take a BIG bite from the nearest party.They only care about Russia and will not allow any outside force's to create the same situation as when they became a capitalist society. It went wrong and now they blame US! For the fact that capitalism is not a cure all. They blew it and now they are right back in the running for the biggest bully around.

As for Mr.T he will only watch and then take the credit for other's hard work.He is a dog and he will only do what he want's and what he feel's will keep him in office.No more he just does not have the talent for this game.Peace Out! Out Of The Mist! shewoff

P.S I mean't the leader of NK and not the South's pres. Sorry for the mix up.

There were all sorts of plans of what to do in 1968 but all had a common fear, WWIII, which most likely would have seen nuclear bombs being used on a much wider scale. Hence, most remained on the sidelines except of issuing some official statements condemning the move.

You would be surprised how friendly and nice the normal, average Russians are. As with all other comparable countries, it is the leaders and their cronies who determine what path the country is taking. Remember that Russia was once a leading force in Europe with deep (albeit changing over the centuries) ties to Germany, France and the UK. Cities like St. Petersburg, Moscow, Yekaterinburg et al were centers of cultural exchange and innovation as well as royal powerhouses. But like with any other world power, there is a time to shine and there will most definitely come a time where they diminish to the normal, average country, only for someone else to take up the baton.

What you see today, is the sometimes desperate attempt to hang onto that "title" of power. And I have no doubt it is something the US will have to face at some point too in the distant or maybe not so distant future.

As for Mr. T, the voters have the power to decide later this year and then in 2020. It will be interesting too see what the outcome of the midterms will be and if it happens, how Mr. T will perform as a "sitting duck" after the House and/or the Senate go to the Dems.

 

[Steviedoo]

Remember the drama about T Jr., the meeting with the Russians and that ominous first statement? The WH said first, no, Mr. T was not involved at all in the statement; then Sanders said he might have chimed in like any father would do etc etc. Turns out, Mr. T dictated the entire statement. Who knew?

Today I read this excerpt from a letter Mr. T's lawyers sent to Mueller in January 2018:

"You have received all of the notes, communications and testimony indicating that the President dictated a short but accurate response to the New York Times article on behalf of his son, Donald Trump, Jr.. His son then followed up by making a full public disclosure regarding the meeting, including his public testimony that there was nothing to the meeting and certainly no evidence of collusion."

Now remember what I said regarding the "drip, drip, drip" strategy. Yet another perfect example of first deny, deny and deny again, then let a little out and only admit something when there is no other way but do not forget to make sure to highlight that there was no wrongdoing whatsoever.

Question comes up why did they lie so many times when nothing came out of the meeting? Oh forgot, it is Mr. T's hobby, over 3,000 lies in less than two years and counting!

You mean trump and the White House lied.
Shocking.

Wouldn’t count on the dems.
They are doing nothing.

 

[mack341]

[/QUOTE]Throughout the last 5 centuries, Malaysia has been under colonial rule of the Portuguese, Dutch and the British. However, it has been the Chinese who arrived rather late in MY who have been pulling the strings in the country for probably a century now. Here's an excerpt from Wiki:
View attachment 91702

The absolute majority of companies not just in MY but the entire SE-Asian region are run/headed/owned by Chinese descendants of the immigration waves from 1 - 2 centuries ago. They might be 5th or 6th generation, bear Malay or other local names, converted to Islam / Christianity / other religions due to marriage etc. but the connection to their Chinese roots are still very strong. Most are Teochew and Hokkien Chinese. You can go to Thailand, Philippines or Indonesia and you will find the same as in MY or SG, the Chinese run the show, be it at the front or in the background. MH was no different.

Now, "saving face", "showing face" or "keeping face" are paramount in the Chinese society, so embarrassing someone publicly is a great deal. Remember, the flight was heading to China with the majority being Chinese. And the big as well as the background bosses at MH are Chinese. The Captain was Malay with no Chinese heritage.

Makes sense?[/QUOTE]

 

[mack341]

Most Malaysians share my opinion. I'll try to explain it.

Throughout the last 5 centuries, Malaysia has been under colonial rule of the Portuguese, Dutch and the British. However, it has been the Chinese who arrived rather late in MY who have been pulling the strings in the country for probably a century now. Here's an excerpt from Wiki:
View attachment 91702

The absolute majority of companies not just in MY but the entire SE-Asian region are run/headed/owned by Chinese descendants of the immigration waves from 1 - 2 centuries ago. They might be 5th or 6th generation, bear Malay or other local names, converted to Islam / Christianity / other religions due to marriage etc. but the connection to their Chinese roots are still very strong. Most are Teochew and Hokkien Chinese. You can go to Thailand, Philippines or Indonesia and you will find the same as in MY or SG, the Chinese run the show, be it at the front or in the background. MH was no different.

Now, "saving face", "showing face" or "keeping face" are paramount in the Chinese society, so embarrassing someone publicly is a great deal. Remember, the flight was heading to China with the majority being Chinese. And the big as well as the background bosses at MH are Chinese. The Captain was Malay with no Chinese heritage.

Makes sense?

Yes, I think you can only be aware of these intricacies by living in a region, I had no idea that the entire region is run by chinese descendants. It makes what the americans are trying to do [minimise chinese power and influence] even more futile.

I don't know what happened to my post above this one, I couldn't seperate my post from the quote text, so i just deleted my text.

 

[Harry_BKK]

I see Mr. T instructed now his lackeys to start lying as well, plus showing just like him that they never have a clue what they are talking about.

This excerpts are from an interview Grenell, Mr. T ambassador gave to Breitbart UK. According to him only with a military threat can a nation have diplomatic success. Right!

Then having a go at Germany (while saying he wants to support conservative movements in Europe, forgetting that Germany had a conservative chancellor and government for a long time) about military readiness and Germany's non-participation in the haywire US wars.

Mr. Grenell of course also forgot the small fact that it was the US who mainly drafted the constitution in such a way after WWII that it made sure Germany can never have more than a defense army.

Germany was in fact asked to participate in Syria and they actually do, but within the constraint of their constitution and the mandate from the Bundestag and the UN. Which is how you decide these kind of things in modern times, especially when you want to avoid a full out war. But then the US was never one to pursue that, wars had to be happening all the time to make sure the military machinery stays well oiled.

Then he complains just like Mr. T that countries do not contribute enough to NATO. Maybe it is time that somebody tells them that without the wars started by the US at their own will there wouldn't be any need for more military spending, nor millions of displaced people and refugees streaming into Europe.

 

[Harry_BKK]

Yes, I think you can only be aware of these intricacies by living in a region, I had no idea that the entire region is run by chinese descendants. It makes what the americans are trying to do [minimise chinese power and influence] even more futile.

I don't know what happened to my post above this one, I couldn't seperate my post from the quote text, so i just deleted my text.

In 20 years of meeting with company bosses in SE-Asia I have never encountered anyone that was not a Chinese descendant. And this was just one industry and its periphery, which is by far not the most important, however, still substantial.

The Chinese take it now a step further. The Belt and Road Initiative is their long-term strategy to secure free flow of goods, especially Chinese goods. To achieve that, they finance vast infrastructure objects that will make sure those governments will be Chinese friendly as long as possible into the future. Very clever and far ahead of anyone else, they went as far as South-America meanwhile, a region the US and Europe repeatedly decided to largely ignore. The EU at least started negotiations on a trade deal with MERCOSUR, so they are actively doing something to somewhat counter the Chinese influence.

It is actually very similar to the Silk Road and the effects it had on global trade and relations could be repeated with the BRI.

The US won't be able to do much, IMO. Once oil-hungry India and China will replace the USD for oil and related shipments, other goods and nations will follow. China actually started already the process of using the petro-yuan. Let another 10 big nations follow the same example and we will see the importance of the USD diminish rather rapidly as well as the impact of US sanctions, since they won't be able block transactions. The EU is talking at the moment to change Iran exports from USD to EURO, which would be another nail on the coffin.

At present, the US has a rather easy game of placing sanctions against anyone since any USD transaction will go via the US banking system at some point.

So yes, IMO, the Chinese had and still have the upper hand right now and unless they don't mess it up completely with their activities in the South China Sea then the US should be on its toes to avoid being left behind. Mr. T in his grandeur pulled the US out from the TPP, which will make it even harder to have an important place at the table in the future of the region.

Funny that Mattis brought up in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore the phrase: "rule-based international order" when his boss at home doesn't give a flying monkey about it.

 

[mack341]

I see Mr. T instructed now his lackeys to start lying as well, plus showing just like him that they never have a clue what they are talking about.

This excerpts are from an interview Grenell, Mr. T ambassador gave to Breitbart UK. According to him only with a military threat can a nation have diplomatic success. Right!

Then having a go at Germany (while saying he wants to support conservative movements in Europe, forgetting that Germany had a conservative chancellor and government for a long time) about military readiness and Germany's non-participation in the haywire US wars.

Mr. Grenell of course also forgot the small fact that it was the US who mainly drafted the constitution in such a way after WWII that it made sure Germany can never have more than a defense army.

Germany was in fact asked to participate in Syria and they actually do, but within the constraint of their constitution and the mandate from the Bundestag and the UN. Which is how you decide these kind of things in modern times, especially when you want to avoid a full out war. But then the US was never one to pursue that, wars had to be happening all the time to make sure the military machinery stays well oiled.

Then he complains just like Mr. T that countries do not contribute enough to NATO. Maybe it is time that somebody tells them that without the wars started by the US at their own will there wouldn't be any need for more military spending, nor millions of displaced people and refugees streaming into Europe.


View attachment 91746


View attachment 91747

In 20 years of meeting with company bosses in SE-Asia I have never encountered anyone that was not a Chinese descendant. And this was just one industry and its periphery, which is by far not the most important, however, still substantial.

The Chinese take it now a step further. The Belt and Road Initiative is their long-term strategy to secure free flow of goods, especially Chinese goods. To achieve that, they finance vast infrastructure objects that will make sure those governments will be Chinese friendly as long as possible into the future. Very clever and far ahead of anyone else, they went as far as South-America meanwhile, a region the US and Europe repeatedly decided to largely ignore. The EU at least started negotiations on a trade deal with MERCOSUR, so they are actively doing something to somewhat counter the Chinese influence.

It is actually very similar to the Silk Road and the effects it had on global trade and relations could be repeated with the BRI.

The US won't be able to do much, IMO. Once oil-hungry India and China will replace the USD for oil and related shipments, other goods and nations will follow. China actually started already the process of using the petro-yuan. Let another 10 big nations follow the same example and we will see the importance of the USD diminish rather rapidly as well as the impact of US sanctions, since they won't be able block transactions. The EU is talking at the moment to change Iran exports from USD to EURO, which would be another nail on the coffin.

At present, the US has a rather easy game of placing sanctions against anyone since any USD transaction will go via the US banking system at some point.

So yes, IMO, the Chinese had and still have the upper hand right now and unless they don't mess it up completely with their activities in the South China Sea then the US should be on its toes to avoid being left behind. Mr. T in his grandeur pulled the US out from the TPP, which will make it even harder to have an important place at the table in the future of the region.

Funny that Mattis brought up in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore the phrase: "rule-based international order" when his boss at home doesn't give a flying monkey about it.

The other day I thought to myself [taking in account your opinion of trump] 'I wonder what Harry thinks about the philippines' duterte ?'

 

[Harry_BKK]

The other day I thought to myself [taking in account your opinion of trump] 'I wonder what Harry thinks about the philippines' duterte ?'

Don't know if you have been to the Philippines. It is a country where a few privileged are leading luxurious lives while the rest fights for the next meal which is considered awesome if they have an egg on top of the empty rice. There is a small middle class but the majority is struggling day by day.

It is the only country where I did not dare to venture to far away from my hotel although the concierge insisted I shouldn't go out at all. Never being the scared type, I did go out regularly but soon learned to stay on my toes, surely not showing the cash when paying for an ice cream or taking a phone call on a smart phone.

The country has reached such a state that the preferred transport of the rich is a helicopter. If that is not possible, they mostly travel with 3 SUV, two being filled with armed bodyguards. During one of my stays, I visited once the house / estate of a company owner. The gate of 6 meter high, made from reinforced steel. At the gate he had two guards with Uzis. Inside another half a dozen or so, all heavily armed. Then there was a room that was in front of the entrance to the main house where he kept two tigers and for which he had a remote control to open the door of the cage!! BTW, the steel gate was rather heavily dented, so it must have served its purpose a few times.

Then you have Duterte jumping into the picture, promising to combat crime and drugs as well as higher wages and better living conditions. And that after years of being under the rule of the Aquino family and their wider circle. From my experience, most people do not care much how he achieves the goals he set out as long as their living conditions improve. And on that front, he indeed made some progress.

Nevertheless, the results should not justify the means and in that department he is lacking a lot. That of course, earned him the praise of Mr. T.

 

[mack341]

Don't know if you have been to the Philippines. It is a country where a few privileged are leading luxurious lives while the rest fights for the next meal which is considered awesome if they have an egg on top of the empty rice. There is a small middle class but the majority is struggling day by day.

It is the only country where I did not dare to venture to far away from my hotel although the concierge insisted I shouldn't go out at all. Never being the scared type, I did go out regularly but soon learned to stay on my toes, surely not showing the cash when paying for an ice cream or taking a phone call on a smart phone.

The country has reached such a state that the preferred transport of the rich is a helicopter. If that is not possible, they mostly travel with 3 SUV, two being filled with armed bodyguards. During one of my stays, I visited once the house / estate of a company owner. The gate of 6 meter high, made from reinforced steel. At the gate he had two guards with Uzis. Inside another half a dozen or so, all heavily armed. Then there was a room that was in front of the entrance to the main house where he kept two tigers and for which he had a remote control to open the door of the cage!! BTW, the steel gate was rather heavily dented, so it must have served its purpose a few times.

Then you have Duterte jumping into the picture, promising to combat crime and drugs as well as higher wages and better living conditions. And that after years of being under the rule of the Aquino family and their wider circle. From my experience, most people do not care much how he achieves the goals he set out as long as their living conditions improve. And on that front, he indeed made some progress.

Nevertheless, the results should not justify the means and in that department he is lacking a lot. That of course, earned him the praise of Mr. T.

I wonder what the tigers favourite meal was I know some terrible things are happening in the philippines but given how you describe life is there I suppose he's forced to take some drastic actions, and duterte's interviews are always interesting as you never know what he's going to say next, he doesn't seem to care what the media think and is candid, which is very different to the uk where most politicians just read from a civil service prepared script.

 

[Harry_BKK]

I wonder what the tigers favourite meal was I know some terrible things are happening in the philippines but given how you describe life is there I suppose he's forced to take some drastic actions, and duterte's interviews are always interesting as you never know what he's going to say next, he doesn't seem to care what the media think and is candid, which is very different to the uk where most politicians just read from a civil service prepared script.

I can answer you that question. They were getting fed prime beef ever second day only because hungry tigers will attack faster and fiercer, just in case the owner needed them to attack someone.

 

[mack341]

I see rudy giuliani is doing his best to scupper the talks now, I suppose it was too obvious for bolton to do it again, just hope NK doesn't respond this time. Pompeo seems to have countered it by saying rudy doesn't speak for the administration.