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Linh Dinh's avatar

Hi everyone,

I just changed "Southeast Asians" in this sentence to "Viet, Laos and Cambodians trash their countryside." Thais, Malaysians and Singaporeans don't litter like those of the former Indochina.

Linh

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Martin Michael's avatar

Littering in the USA has recently gotten a lot worse:

On my usual, once-a-year, months-long, car-camping, road trip throughout the American Southwest I'd carry an empty Walmart plastic sack while on hikes to pick up other peoples discarded trash in the mountains and deserts. I've notice that the amounts of trash have increased over the last decade, especially in Joshua Tree National Park, because, I believe, the new "Americans" (either third-world illegals or spoiled-brat American punks) don't give two sh*ts about the country/Nature beyond what they can get out of it.

A lot of the bottles I pick up while hiking around are either Mexican imports or expensive Micro-brew brands, the regular Bud drinkers either don't come to the National and State parks or they pack their empties out.

Seeing litter angers me, but there is nothing else I can do besides clean up THEIR mess, which I do, especially all things plastic. There's a lot of roadside trash on Indian Reservation land, and In Joshua Tree N.P. it has gotten to the point where I now carry two empty bags to fill with picked-up trash while on my hikes. It's the old adage. to "leave the place better than you found."

Personally, after one chance I'd give litterbugs a choice: Permanent banishment from all Nature or execution. I can't stand them, but maybe that's just me.

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Troy  Skaggs's avatar

The empty water bottles and assorted refuse from our (American) presence in Afghanistan will remain there longer than the memory of us. I remember areas on the outskirts of Kabul that looked like empty plastic water bottles had rained from the sky. Chain link fences covered with bottles that had blown across the sand and dirt, lodged all over the place. It wasn't the locals doing all of the littering. I guess when it's not your country, why worry about the litter. Sad nonetheless.

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Dat's My Word's avatar

What I find utterly obnoxious about this second Trump term is how few remark on the insidious role that Peter Thiel, Elon Musk and other tech oligarchs play in the administration. They're seen by Trump supporters as cleaning house, especially with the advent of the totally useless DOGE (side note: how the fuck do you cut government waste but at the same time vow not to touch "essentials" such as "defense" spending?).

There was a big stink a few days ago about the waste that Musk uncovered at the Fed, where allegedly payments to anyone and everyone were being rubberstamped. The whole narrative was around how wasteful the government is. That narrative leads nowhere. The morally objective perspective is to ask how the fuck a South African billionaire now presumably has oversight of the Fed and the decisions it makes. What's to stop him from giving himself a bailout?

Imagine the furore in MAGA land if you switched out Musk with George Soros in this situation.

There are no good billionaires. There's no way to amass that much wealth without being morally compromised.

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Klaus Hubbertz's avatar

It's NOT about efficiency ...

It's about getting rid of thousands of government-employees and introducing AI at a large scale ...

For the common good, you know ... 🤣🤣🤣

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Martin Michael's avatar

Elon Musk's DOGE needs to do to the US government what Musk did to Twitter when, after buying it, he cut its staff by 80%. Those "workers" Musk fired proved to be dead weight when their departure had zero negative impact on the company's continued performance.

If DOGE means business in fulfilling its promise to dramatically reducing government waste it'll have to get rid of the hundreds-of-thousands of useless affirmative action hires who have been, all along, nothing but dead weight.

My mother, who worked for the Federal government in Washington D.C., told me that it's about 25% of the workers (almost always older and white) who do half the department's work, while the other 75% of crappy workers (the AA hires) do the other half of the work, the much less important "busy work," and do it poorly at that.

Do the math: When the government hires twice as many good workers (that 25% who currently does half of all the important work, [work that must be done well]), while simultaneously firing the 75% of crappy, dead-weight, "workers" they'll need half the manpower to do the same amount of work.

Of course blacks, browns, and other useless, far under-qualified, minority hires (that former 75%) will scream bloody murder (RACIST!!!) when they get the axe, but it'll have to be done if DOGE is serious about drastically reducing government waste.

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Swiss reader's avatar

Its the private/public partnership(fascism)thats being promoted.But there was a Zürich gardener,who became a billionaire,and he said,at 75,I thought,I can now get up at 5am,instead of 4am,but I felt ashamed,exiting my house as late as 5am.Neighbors might think,`he`s getting lazy`.

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Ernest Judd's avatar

It's amazing and ridiculous that the U$A behaves this way and expects the rest of the world to behave similarly.

At the same time, claim it is democracy!

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Tom's avatar

Get your $TRUMP coins, folks! LOL. Down from 71 to18, but, hey, some people made a lot of money (not you). Everything is a scam these days, and this presidency is no different.

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JustPlainBill's avatar

Trump paraphernalia is really over the top nowadays. On the Rumble platform, there is even an ad for a "Trump comic book" that you can use to teach your kids all about Donald Trump. I remember after he won the first time back in 2016, a website I used to like for its practical articles carried a post titled "How to Talk to Your Child About Trump's Election", where they counseled readers on how to explain this to small children like preschoolers. I found this disturbing because of what it suggested about what a reader might have been pumping into his small child's head that he would even need to have it explained. But I guess this comic book is proof that such inanity is not limited to one side of the political spectrum.

As insane as it may seem, something good may come out of the current turmoil. At the very least it will shake up the overly complacent DC bureaucracy. And in actuality, this is just a variation on a Harvard Business School tactic. The new CEO arrives with a mandate to improve the bottom line quickly. But coming to the job without the granular knowledge of his new organization that he would need to make cuts intelligently, nor the time to learn, he orders an across-the-board cut. Then he simply sits back and watches to see which wheels truly start to squeak, cutting a little money back in if something mission-critical starts failing. This way of doing things gets results quickly, but it really runs up the body count, and hits some innocents along with the guilty.

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Frank Drevin's avatar

They got me. I was thinking, "Oh Linh, he isn't that bad!" Then he has that butcher in the White House and talks about Gazans needing to be moved like they are a couple of squatters in a New York apartment. Thank God I didn't vote.

I'm not sure it is in the news but Trump's order to move all government activities to only "Sex = M / F (pick one)" has caused literal pandemonium within the bureaucracy. People were breaking down and crying at meetings last week. This week people are beginning to yell and curse each other out. Such a simple request has caused so much chaos and all the incompetency of people is now on full display.

I was talking about how male / female should be defined with a Harris supporter who is also a doctor and, if you know enough, there are exceptions to every rule in biology. It becomes difficult to succinctly define these simple terms which mankind has always known and taken for granted. Maybe complexity caused collapse is true and inevitable.

It's been nice reading your words while I've had the chance.

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Al DuClur's avatar

I have been fairly impressed with Trump's actions so far with the exception of the predictable pro Zionist stuff.

Deporting criminals

Stopping the color revolution machinery by closing down USAID and reportedly NED next.

Rolling back DEI hate whitey nonsense that is destroying the institutions and large corps

Firing members of the FBI and DOJ involved in lawfare

Pardoning the J6 political prisoners

Beginning to secure the border

Implementing Tariffs (or threatening to) like what Washington did with the 2nd bill he signed which enabled the US to become an industrial power. First term he put tariffs on steal, washing machines and solar panels. All are cheaper now.

Bitch slapping the lying Jewish press Corp by now including bloggers and social media inflencers

If by any freak chance RFK Jr gets in that could popularize the travesty of American diet and the need to test vaccines before giving them to kids. None have been tested against placebo. 70 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. Diabetes is up 10 x since the 60s. Childhood cancer is growing 1 to 2 percent per year and the list goes on.

I had no expectations that Trump would do anything except help Israel so I am pleasantly surprised.

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Chirriwirri's avatar

The Orange Polyp is back making Israhell grate again, as he stood along side the Satanic psycho, Nutnyahoo in their Washing town sewer and promised to "ethnically cleanse" what's left of Palestine so that his Kosher Nostra Khazar gangster owners can expand their chosenite "real estate"

to the sea. Obviously the colored clown hasn't quite grasped that the trinity of resistance, the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah are not done with the IDF tranny army quite yet and no doubt Iran is itching to make some rubble in Tel Aviv when pushed far enough in the next inevitable spat with the neanderthal ZionaZi$. The fun will begin as soon as the "executive order"caper slows down and $lumvillains come to realize that they have been shafted yet again and USSA is no more than an excuse to finance and arm the Khazar beast. Anyone that has left $lumville, like the fortunate Mr Dinh, must be counting their lucky stars to have escaped the dystopian shithole that is "America" (sic) in terminal decline. Now that even the Japs are dumping their worthless USSAN "treasury bonds" how long more can the bankrupt Golem fake it?

Onward to the long overdue and much deserved total collapse of all things angloZionaZi.

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Martin Michael's avatar

I'm no Israel/Jew lover but I know reality: Hamas and Hezbollah are toast, the Houthis cannot significantly harm Israel and Iran doesn't want a war and will do anything to keep from being full-on bombed by America (who is, once again thanks to Trump, Israel's bodyguard).

After October 7th, 2023, America's billionaire Jews - Left and Right - rallied around Trump and, with their money/media control, got him elected because they knew he'd be their and Israel's bitch. This has all gone according to plan: their investment of hundreds of millions of dollars on Trump's campaign will pay dividends worth trillions to Israel.

This parasitic Israeli-American relationship is just more of the "same ol' same ol'" where America's loss in Israel's gain. So much for "Make America Great Again," when it has always been more about Israel's well being than our own.

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Klaus Hubbertz's avatar

Many thanks for your today's longer post !!! 👍👍👍

I usually appreciate the short ones: Concise and pointed.

Amazing and highly disturbing how americanized Viet Nam has become.

Why are most of your posted images so strong in color with a yellowish hue ??? ...

Is it on purpose, or due to digital transfer ?

Best wishes for your continuous travel-adventures !!! 👍👍👍 🔥🔥🔥

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Linh Dinh's avatar

Hi Klaus,

My images aren't so saturated when printed. Plus, many monitors or cellphone screens make colors more intense.

Linh

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Martin Michael's avatar

Hi Linh,

I don't know if you follow Nick Fuentes but his recent show about Trump's "plan" with Gaza is worth a look/listen especially from the 2:25:19 mark onward:

https://rumble.com/v6h22mm-america-first-ep.-1450.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp

P.S. I was impressed when you wrote last month telling me that you've only had one beer in one year. Out of curiosity: when, where, and what brand of beer? Last week while car camping along the coast in Sintra, Portugal, I'd drink two or three bottles of beer per night ("Super Bock" and/or "Sagres") but they were liter-sized bottles.

All the Best!

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Linh Dinh's avatar

Hi Martin,

In 2023, I had a few Roosters, a pretty good Vietnamese micro brew. In Laos, I drank endless Beerlao, an excellent lager.

Last month in Kep, Cambodia, I allowed myself a can of mediocre Angkor. Talking to a female fan who had tracked me down through three cities, I was in an excellent mood!

Linh

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Martin Michael's avatar

Three cheers for Excellent Moods!

Having that one beer exactly when, where, and why you did was perfect.

I don't remember ever seeing a picture of your backpack but I guess that since you're now walking from town to town as a means of transportation you must have one. Lugging a suitcase or duffle bag around would be an over-laborious, un-fun, way to do the endless hardcore traveling that you do.

Reading your thoughts and seeing the photographs of your daily experiences is, as always, a pleasure.

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Matthew Rossman's avatar

Hi Linh welcome back. I'm writing from the americanized area of Vung Tau, Lotte Mart, where my daughter and I ate domino's pizza for lunch. You ought to come here for a coffee or milk tea and use your observational skills and write something scathing about the scene and the people who come to this mall. Of note is the fact that a Levi's store recently opened in the Lotte mart shopping centre here, which is about as americanized as you can get! Take care and we'll catch up soon.

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Linh Dinh's avatar

Hi Matthew,

I've been to Lotte Mart a couple times. I wrote about it here:

https://linhdinh.substack.com/p/americas-golden-age

Their selection of spaghetti sauces is impressive and the best in town. Their cheese choices should be much better.

Go get your pizza at David or Luca, man!

Linh

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Matthew Rossman's avatar

Thanks Linh. Last time we did order from David but I graciously let my daughter decide yesterday. Teens like malls.

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Stephen J. Sondheim's avatar

I know, the ladyboys here in RTR were all wearing cowpoke costumes at this year’s New Year’s (American, not Chinese) bash because that’s the latest trend. (if Queen B dons chaps it MUST be cool.)

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