impulse

2 questions, the first rhetorical: 1) I wonder if there are visa "agents" in Mexico? 2) Is there a decent expat/visa blog?

Russia's already got the Crimea (under Obama). They have the Donbass. (Under Biden). They've already had elections in both, whether to stay in Russia or revert to Ukraine. And there is no way to win those back in a ground war against Russia. Not going to happen, even with all the Ukrainians left, fighting to the death. Those, Russia will rebuild (and based on GDP per capita, those residents will have a better quality of life than the Ukrainians) That leaves about 90% of pre-war Ukraine to rebuild. Or, you can completely annihilate the rest of an entire generation of Ukrainian men. Then rebuild. That's the only question... How many more to die before accepting the L.

I'm not disagreeing, because I don't know. You got a link for that? This is one American that supports rebuilding Ukraine with loans that could be forgiven under the right incentives, but not a dime more to perpetuate the killing in a war that's already been lost. And that doesn't make me a fan of Putin or Russia. Just a realist that worries about WW3. And what will happen to Israelis if the USA gets sucked into wars in Europe and the Pacific?

In spite of the commission, you'd probably net more using a good agent. Plus, a good one can keep you out of a lot of pitfalls (which would be a major consideration for me, if selling in a foreign country). That's assuming you can find a good one. So this isn't an endorsement of agents in general. Just good ones. The OP may want to ask if anyone knows a good one in the area that they'd recommend. You can always choose a different path after you've interviewed some (and gotten some free advice about how to price the property). Other bonus... Once you've signed on with one, the rest of them won't pester the snot out of you.

A billion here, a billion there, and eventually you're talking about real money. Since its founding America has given $260B to Israel. Add interest, and the Present Value of that aid is probably close to $1Trillion. I'd add that the US is the biggest donor to Israel, when that should be the Europeans who actually perpetrated the Holocaust. But we're a soft touch for the Israeli lobby. Don't even get me started on Epstein and blackmail... Or the USS Liberty. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2023-10-10/how-much-aid-does-the-u-s-give-to-israel

Chiang Mai forum. I broke down and bought a cheap set of screwdriver tips that accommodate most of the proprietary screw heads in use nowadays. Maybe not worth it for single task, but I've pulled them out on several occasions. Edit: Something like this, but my set has around 40 different tips. Cost less than 200 baht, as I recall. https://www.lazada.co.th/products/5pcs-special-shaped-screwdriver-set-50mm-u-shaped-y-type-triangle-inner-cross-three-points-screwdriver-bit-tool-i4824742305.html More like this: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/32-in-1-screwdriver-assembly-and-disassembly-machine-multi-function-screwdriver-kit-special-shaped-tools-i4807465773.html https://www.lazada.co.th/products/de-115-in-1-diy-double-e-shop-e131-i5071668986-s21414896481.html

That's a little disingenuous. Before Covid, spending was $5.31T under Trump. Admittedly, it did take off for Covid relief programs. In 2023, in spite of going down as Covid relief expires, it's at $6.13T under Biden. And it's up by $103B over the same period from 2023 to 2024, on track to be at $6.33T for the year. That data came from your link...

They're doing even better under Biden. The super-rich are also richer than ever, with their combined wealth hitting $14.2 trillion—$2 trillion more than just a year ago and $1.1 trillion above the previous record, also set in 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2024/04/02/forbes-38th-annual-worlds-billionaires-list-facts-and-figures-2024/

With what money? We're $34.6 Trillion in debt.

Area 51 is about the right size... Maybe add some more of the western desert. And they'd also be free in the USA to move, live and work wherever they want. I'm not proposing a dedicated separate enclave. What would Israel have without American taxpayer funding? A completely unsustainable outpost in a hostile land. Edit: I'd add, How long do you think Israel would last if America got sucked into stupid wars in Europe and the Pacific?

Ukraine has already lost. I'd support loans for rebuilding, but not to continue the killing and the dying. Israel has an intractable problem, and will still be intractable in 50 years, and 100 years. If I were king of the world, I'd offer up an equivalent area in the US for any Israeli who wants to emigrate, hoping that other 1st world countries would match the offer. Win-win, because Israelis in general are great candidates for US immigration with shared values (Judeo-Christian, well educated, with a good work ethic) But then, I don't believe that any land is sacred beyond its natural beauty. So that's a non-starter. Otherwise, I have no opinion on funding Israel. Edit: But I would say that the USA is broke. It's long past time we quit funding overseas folly, and spent the money at home.

And leftist politics is the art of complicating simple truths when they don't go their way. Truths like Putin went on the march during Obama and Biden, but not during Trump. Hamas attacked on Biden's watch. Biden's watch saw 13 deaths on leaving Afghanistan. The border is an absolute disaster under Biden. Leave it to lefties to blame the other guy. But sometimes a spade is just a spade. And a leader is just incompetent.

You're making it about Jews and Palestinian protestors. But it's really about any adversarial entities.

Smack dab in the middle of a "Free Palestine" protest? Yes, it is too dangerous. But I think London's a big enough place to avoid that area. And let's leave out Jews and Palestinians for a moment. I wonder if you'd defend a guy wearing a MAGA hat to a drag queen story hour, a transgender protest, or an abortion rights protest? I'd acknowledge his right to be there, but still support the cops for arresting him, for his own safety. It's not as if they're picking on Jews. Just people who need to be protected from their own stupidity.

He was threatened with arrest to protect him from an angry crowd. In an ideal world, they'd have enough police there to escort him and even arrest the entire crowd if they threatened him. But this is real life. He had every right to be there. But there weren't enough cops, and they may have saved his life. The only thing I'd fault is the language that may have been used. But emotions run high and cops are human.

I'd probably still be married if I traveled back then like I started doing a few years after the divorce. I went from an office job to on the road engineering sales, but only after the divorce (30+ years ago) We get along fine, but even better when we don't live together all the f'ing time. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. YMMV. Not sure how that would have worked out if we had kids, but neither of us ended throwing any off.

Quick question for all you legal beagles out there... What NY state felony is Trump on trial for? Answer must include the actual statute. Bonus points for a link to the actual text of the statute.

One president wanted to assure the American people he was fit for the job. So he asked for the test. Then the next guy refuses. What's that tell you? In an interview with Fox News medical contributor Marc Siegel, the president said he asked his physician upon his last hospital visit “a little less than a year ago” whether there was “some kind of a cognitive test that I could take” in order to “shut these people up,” referring to critics who had questioned his mental acuity. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/23/trump-mental-fitness-cognitive-test-379622 Even sounds snarky like Trump. I'm not sure Biden has enough on the ball to sound snarky. Mean? Yup. Confused? Sure. Angry? Definitely. But it takes higher functional capability to sound snarky. Plus, I doubt his handlers would put it on his cue cards.

I don't know about that airport route, but Google maps has sent me on walks the wrong way on an expressway in Bangkok. And crossing over expressway entrances with no crosswalk. Believe them at your own risk.

Please post back and let us know.

When did mediabiasfactcheck become an unbiased arbiter of the truth? Or are they like NPR who makes that claim while having 87 registered Dems in the news room and zero registered Repubs? Or are they like Snopes, who had to be absolutely shamed into admitting Biden had his hardhat on backwards? https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/biden-wear-hardhat-backwards/ Or like Google AI that were caught out with black Nazis and a black George Washington? Quick question... What percent of the staff over at MBFC are lefties, if only by party affiliation?

Asking because I don't know (not to be a smartass)... Did London-BKK used to fly over Russkie airspace, or did they veer south? From China to Thailand, I'm paying way less than pre-Covid. But the selection of flights is poor, with no non-stops when there used to be a lot of non-stops each day.

Gotta watch out for those... Private Equity firms are buying up trailer parks around the country and jacking up lot rents. And not just the 55+ parks, nor just trailer parks. They're also buying up apartments, duplexes and single family homes. That may be slowing down now that interest rates are higher, but I'd still look for land to own and not to rent. 75 Years old isn't a great time to have your rent jacked up beyond your budget.

We used to call it Gonad Texas, and I'd happily retire there... Coleto Creek was a favorite fishing spot when I lived in Corpus Christ and in Sugarland. But it's like dozens, maybe hundreds of small towns. Hard to find work (Oilfield was big in Gonad, with the ups and downs), and I don't think I'd educate my kids there. Not that they're Goliad'ners are dumb. Just that it would be a small district with limited resources. To jingthing's comment on crime and decay, that's why I love the redneck culture. We look after our neighbors. And, to be clear, there are tons of black and Latino rednecks. It's a culture, not a race. In Galveston, a lot of the rednecks are Vietnamese and Filipinos, too. Speaking of Vietnamese, look at Palacios, Texas. Lots of Vietnamese fishermen settled there after the war and raised up a great community. Right on the bay, but pretty remote. And affordable.

Your compassion for human suffering is touching. MAGA? More like a never-Trumper. Not a fan of Biden, either, apparently. From the T-shirt, he looks like a Bernie fan, but hard to tell for sure. Still, "Eat the Rich" is pretty revealing. And though I disagree with the guy's politics, I still feel for him and the family that's probably grieving.