wasabi

As an isolated incident it was almost meaningless and I only noticed because of other recent subtle slights and glares.

I'm not going to post my picture but as I mentioned earlier I look like Jerry Seinfeld but about 6 shorter. I had never thought about this until recently. I was stunned when some Arabs came up to me and asked if I was Jewish. I said no just to get them away but that didn't stop them from handing out a few pejorative remarks. That only happened once and was years ago before the recent bout of anti-Semitism flared up. For the most part these events have been minor and could easily be being misinterpreted by myself and my friends that's why I wanted to know if what I've observed is isolated and random or if others may have has similar experiences. Seems like mostly no which is good.

I didn't intend for this thread to devolve into a geopolitical debate though I did suspect it might since I mentioned the incident with Hamas that may have precipitated the increase. My main point is my Jewish physiognomy has attracted increased passive-aggressive actions and minor confrontations from our Arab amigos primarily in the Nana area for the past year. I too thought it was paranoia at first but my non-jewish wife and non-jewish friends have independently observed it. I don't claim to be a victim by any means and not very concerned at the moment. I was just wondering if other Jewish people or Jewish looking people have noticed an increase in hostility either passive aggressive or confrontational.

I'm not suggesting their success isn't earned. Most of the suspicions are based in the accusers own insecurities or desire for social media clicks and likes.

I understand the suspicions, due to centuries of diaspora and Jewish people historically having outsized representations in finance and the film, but recent antisemitic propaganda I see on social media is full of myths and selective outrage that are full of fallacies. What's happening in the Middle East is woven with such deep anger and grievances that existed long before I was born I don't pretend to know how it started or how they can be resolved. I encourage tolerance and humility but I'm not naive and know that some divides are too wide to be bridged.

I've never had the aforementioned problems occur with a Thai person, including Thai Muslims.

Possible but unlikely. This is not happening every time I go out. Maybe once or twice a month. FYI I am not a political person and not involved with nor support whatever is happening in the South of Thailand. The closest thing to religion I have is Taoism. It's unfortunate when people get swept up into hostilities they didn't create and don't promote.

I look like a short version of Jerry Seinfeld if that helps. I certainly don't announce it.

I was born Jewish but haven't practiced any religion my entire adult life. Up until recent years it wasn't something I frequently thought about. That said I do look Jewish enough that someone could pick me out of a crowd as "Jewish-Looking" I occasionally eat at Halal food places around Bangkok. I've always enjoyed Mediterranean types of food that are common to Muslim eateries. While I am not ignorant of hostilities between Jews and Muslims, I have friends from all walks of life and give everyone a fair shot if they're friendly to me. Right after the Hamas attack on Israel Oct 7th in 2003. I noticed poorer service in the Halal food restaurants I visit. These are not just in the Nana area, but in places like Terminal 21 Asoke as well. For example, for some strange reason everyone was given a plate but my food was served in a Styrofoam container. I know this is minor and I didn't think much about it. But other small things like delayed service, getting my order wrong, and people staring at me both in these restaurants and on the street by people who are Arabic has increased. My wife and friends have noticed this (happening to me) as well so it is not just paranoia. I was only verbally harassed by an Arab person once in my entire 24 years in Thailand, and that was about 4 years ago, unrelated to recent events. In spite of this I have no hard feelings and this post is not meant to stir up resentment or point fingers. But with distrust and anger at Jewish people on the rise in various parts of the world I wonder how much I should be concerned. I was recently in California and didn't notice any issues there, nor in my recent trip to Vietnam. I have no interest in leaving Thailand but was just curious if any other members of this site have noticed anything like this?

I've been using the $129 Phone2 Pro plan for a few days now. My only need is to call US landlines. It works but the call quality can be inconsistent on the Android app. I've been having some trouble getting the sound to work when using the website Phone2 website on Edge but it works pretty well on Firefox. I may have set it up wrong when I first logged into Edge because I noticed on Firefox it asked if I wanted to use the Phone2 website for sound vs other Windows system options, and I clicked yes. I didn't see that option when logging into Edge the first time. Overall it works but it's buggy and the settings are scattered across browser, app and Phone2 preferences. Support is nonexistent So yes it works but I preferred the simplicity and consistency of Skype. As you and others have said I have zero expectation I'd get a refund so I'm to keep it as a backup and keep looking for a better option. I can't say I recommend it, but it does work.

I'm pretty sure with my plan it is pay per minute to call the US from Thailand. Second, I'm concerned frequent use of the Google Fi phone service overseas will result in them canceling my subscription. That happened before when I was using the data overseas. The policy may be different for phone calls but I don't want to push my luck since I depend on them for SMS.

My GoogleFi works perfectly for unlimited US text messages so I don't need to use any other products for that. I took a gamble and signed up for Phone2 Pro because I can't find any reasonable alternative after 2 days of searching. So far I was able to call cell phones from the website and my Skype number but when I tried to call Schwab using the website all I heard was silence. I then called Schwab via the Phone2 Android app and everything worked with Schwab including the voice verification. Seems like it's going to be buggy but hopefully it meets my needs. This is a huge opportunity for them so if the Phone2 team has any brains they'll hire some good programmers and work out the kinks. FWIW I own a US LLC so if some type of business verification is needed I'm equipped to handle that.

I'm going to give this a try. The $99 deal is for the basic plan which is limited to 1000 outgoing minutes per month. I'd probably rarely use that much but for $30 more you get unlimited incoming and outcoming so I think I'll try that. The biggest risk is how long "lifetime" is going to be.

Those hours on hold is when unlimited Skype calls was most valuable. That's the problem with pay per minute services.

I've been using I've been using Skype for 25 years too. I expected Microsoft was going to sunset it at some point since VOIP technology has changed a lot and they were not making many updates to the software anymore. I am considering Google Voice to replace Skype. ChatGPT indicated it's $0.01 a minute to make calls to landlines and cell phones and free to receive calls. It also said they can provide a US phone number just as Skype has. I have Google Fi but Google will penalize you if you use it extensively outside of the US even though they claim it's unlimited worldwide.

Am I the only one who expected a post about a different type of moaning?

Yes Keir is so afraid of offending anyone he will let rapists and terrorists have free reign.

Agreed with most of what you wrote except the bit about abortion. I think having the abortion pill and aborting a fetus very early in the pregnancy are sane and realistic options society needs. Ripping a full term baby out of the womb is not abortion, that would be murder. I do believe there is a difference. Conflating the two is like calling illegal aliens, immigrants.

Politicians are corrupt liars? Say it ain't so!

Looking forward to voting for Trump and liberals whining what a bad person I am for the next 4 years.

Correct a juicy arsenic laced Steak resolves the problem peacefully. Don't like it? Don't care. I will be sleeping soundly.

I'm very happy with my 20 year Elite Visa which my wife and I have had for 5 years. The upfront cost was high, but in that time the visa has already paid for itself by allowing us to live in Thailand continuously hassle free. I figured out how to do my 90 day reporting online, and with at least one international trip a year I never have to deal with immigration. It's always possible something better will come along, but the ease of living here has been priceless and I don't care.

While this might be unfair to those who followed the law and have waited their turn, if these new citizens pay into social security that could be beneficial. Quite frankly I think they should have to pay in arears too, if they haven't already.

It is not a bad idea as long as it is not built or maintained by Thai people.