impulse

Bad news. There are studies out already showing that millions starve every year because the collective West can't afford to prop up the entire 3rd world. That's the way the world is, and the way it will always be. Long before the Bad Orange Man. And it'll be that way long after they plant daisies over him. In the meantime, look beyond CNN and MSDNC to see the lunacy that USAID has been funding around the world. It needs to be reformed. Bigly.

Don't sugar coat it... How was it really? Edit: To the OP, I'd suggest spending some time in Thailand, find some businesses that interest you and talk to the foreign owners to see how they did it, what challenges they face, etc. Then ask yourself if you have the skills and the grit and determination they do. I've got my eye out for a future retirement situation, not so much to make money, but to give me something to do that won't drain me.

In fairness, getting lynched by an angry crowd before (or even after) the cops show up isn't a thing in Germany like it is in Thailand. Which, agree or not, is the rationale behind allowing drivers to turn themselves in later.

Just out of curiosity, what's the fare BKK to Perth? In case I get a wild hair one day...

Feels like I just woke up and I'm in the 4th grade again. At least I didn't forget my pants, like in my nightmares.

Your best bet is to call their help line by phone during office hours.

He seems to have missed last week's Supreme Court decision that ruled that it was the activist judges and their universal injunctions that were violating the constitution, not Trump.

When did trolling lefties become unconstitutional? I must have missed that ruling.

Maybe it smells like wads of $100 bills.

I generally like Canucks, and hope he wasn't stupid enough to think he could smuggle heroin from on Asian country to another. I'm open to the possibility that the guy is an idiot who carried some "gift handbags" for a real hot chick who has a friend in Taiwan. Hot chicks can get most guys to do real stupid stuff if they smile and suggest there may be some hot monkey love on the other end.

I wonder how they'll blame Trump for this one? I'm not following the case very closely, but it appears the stars weren't aligned in this guy's favor so he's pleading guilty to avoid the death penalty. He'll probably get 4 consecutive life terms. And his fellow inmates will take care of the rest.

My suspicion is that they need to look at the state of the building on the day of the earthquake. Using a much simplified analogy, your house was probably fine once they finished it, but there would be problems if an earthquake hit while there were a bunch of workers on scaffolding, and climbing ladders hauling roof tiles. I'm not excusing the disastrous results, but I suspect there were a lot of structural elements to be installed later in the process. Including elevator shafts and external cladding which would have added torsional rigidity. What I'd like to see is a structural analysis of the building, on the day. Not the completed configuration, which may (or may not) have been fine.

When did weed go legal at the federal level?

Still way too early to call. He (they?) may be right wing nutters. Idaho's full of them. But the local LEO just stated that "the sniper" was using a shotgun. Hardly the weapon of choice for a sniper. My money's still on an illegal weed grow, with the growers protecting their stashes. But we'll see. The big question now is whether he was acting alone. Seems they found his body.

Don't forget bubble tea shops.

Does this mean an affordable C8 Corvette in Thailand?

You should post that on this concurrent thread: Apparently, you are experiencing something that doesn't happen to normal people...

I wasn't much of a toker, preferring booze. But the times I did partake, I'd have fought you for a nap, no matter what else was going on. I'd bet this is a cannabis story.

That's something that comes through loud and clear if you follow enough visa/extension threads. YMMV. Depending on where you live, which office (and which IO) you deal with, what kind of extension, whether they're "encouraging" the use of agents, etc.

Mea Culpa. For the vast majority of married posters here, their wife is Thai. And serves as their translator and bill payer and bank dealer and...and... Over the years, I've met a lot of self proclaimed "Thai experts" that couldn't find their way around their own block if their Thai wife didn't point the way for them. My apologies if I lumped you in undeserved. BTW, that's also why I don't hesitate to hire an agent when an agent can save me hours of frustration.

On a holiday?

So you can understand how it may be different for the guys with no wife? The ones that have choose to navigate Thailand on their own...

I'm curious whether the jury's been tampered with, either directly or through family members.

I'm not sure what standing the GF has to decide. She may not be too keen on blood toxicology results. At the very least, they should contact the family. They may have their own suspicions.

If you're referring to Thai SS scheme, that's one of my biggest regrets. I should have kept making the paltry monthly payments to keep it alive after my contract ended and my WP expired. But I had left Thailand and didn't really expect to come back. I still haven't come back full time, but now that I'm considering it, I wish I had kept up the payments which would have probably been a few hundred USD over the past 5 or 6 years. To anyone whose work in Thailand is finishing up, I'd encourage you to look into keeping the SS payments active so you're covered for health care. I wish I had. I know it's not comparable, but a couple of my Canuck former co-workers are currently paying over $1,000 USD a month for private coverage in Thailand. No problem for either one of them who have long ties to Thailand, Thai families and lots of dosh. (And pre-existing conditions) But my heart goes out to the guy in the OP because $1000 a month doesn't look like it was in his price range.