impulse

There's some discussion going on whether "they" took advantage of a flaw in existing pagers to overheat the batteries (think Stuxnet), or they somehow got Hezbollah to standardize on pagers that they have rigged with explosives for all their operatives. It'll probably be awhile before we know. It won't go unanswered.

According to James Carville, there is an alternative to Thailand. Democratic strategist James Carville said Tuesday on a podcast that white men who “can’t get laid” and have more access to guns are responsible for the assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump. https://dailycaller.com/2024/09/17/james-carville-white-men-responsible-donald-trump-assassination-attempts/

Speaking of benefits, I like the roads, the fact that I've never been mugged, that the poop goes away when I flush, that the elevators are pretty safe, visiting Lumpini and Queen Sirikit parks, that there's people who learned how to fix the trains, and... and... None of that happens without tax money. And more tax money than the piddly VAT.

I don't think people realize yet what a big deal this is...

Of course it's a cash grab. Simply a tax increase. But an $8.50 increase won't collapse tourist spending, nor will it gum up the works trying to collect it. They can add it to the cost of a plane ticket and 99% of tourists won't even notice. Besides, most of the folks on here complaining about it fly in maybe once or twice a year, because they live in Thailand. Is it worth getting worked up about less than $20 a year? I'm probably in the worst case scenario, flying in once a month. And it will add a whopping $103 to my annual cost of living. Color me unconcerned. Last night, I bought next month's R/T airplane tickets and the price is $112 lower than this month's. That $8.50 would get lost in that kind noise. Edit: BTW, so looking forward to arriving tomorrow evening. I need a sanity break, and really miss street fried chicken.

That's the most likely explanation I've heard. I suspect it's not so much a matter of high franchise fees as PTT has gleaned all the knowledge they need, so it's time to throw their partner under the bus. That's a familiar pattern.

I'm looking forward the hearing from the guys who are out buying (or hacking, I don't judge) his cell phone data to see who he talked to, and when. And to see if any of them were sitting in the bushes in other places Trump may have been on the day. Fortunately, his name was released before anyone had an opportunity to wipe his social media, too.

Shopping in Hat Yai.

So what you're saying is that she's pretty much immune to inflation, high gas prices, crime outside of her bodyguards' security perimeter, competition for jobs and depressed wages due to immigrants, and... and... Hell, I may vote for 4 more years of chaos if I could buy my own island when SHTF, and if all that angst didn't need a distraction, like going to one of my concerts. (And listening to me sing about my poor choices when it comes to men).

That's interesting... Especially in light of that tax thingy going on.

And I would remind everyone that they don't make bells out of wood, for a reason.

Would these meet the OP's needs? https://www.lazada.co.th/products/orz-rosewood-walnut-black-surround-sound-speaker-bookshelf-stand-i3117076396.html https://www.lazada.co.th/products/qbag-rosewood-black-walnut-surround-sound-speaker-bookshelf-stand-i246816447.html Otherwise, I'd head over to Ban Mo. Edit: In case you have F..Me money, I did a sort from high price to low and found these: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/klipsch-ks-24-bookshelf-i4837603550.html Several other redonculous prices with a Lazada search for "speaker stands"

I can't imagine how pissed off Tulsi Gabbard is that she was on the terror watchlist, and this guy apparently wasn't.

If you mean the Florida Bureau of Investigation, they will get the receipts... As long as the DOJ's FBI doesn't beat them to them. In that case, we won't know anything for 50 years, much less before the election.

I used to know... But that was years ago. The landscape has changed. Better to confess ignorance than throw out a number and have that become the topic.

They got elected. By voters. Not that I think Swift couldn't win in California. She may be able to beat Newsom. But she couldn't afford the pay cut, and hasn't the stomach for the criticism. So she won't run.

I don't suppose anyone's given thought to the possibility that the best thing for Ukraine right now would be a cease fire, even with the current lines intact. That would allow them years to rebuild their capabilities and go after Russia when they're ready. Of course, they may also look at what happened to Germany when they came back after the Armistice and after they had rebuilt...

They didn't need to hit him. Especially with pistols at any real distance. They just had to scare him into dropping his weapon and running. In fact, it's better that they have him in custody so we may find out why. Plus, if they had killed him, they could have wiped his social media before they announced his name. Like they did with Crooks. This guy's an open book...

I agree with you there. But that's a valid complaint about VAT, the upcoming income tax, and the existing taxes on flights. A lot of the money's going to feed corruption. TIT. What I don't believe is that an $8.50 increase in the cost of a $2,000 holiday is a deal killer for 99.+% of tourists. That's less than half a percent. Or that it can't be collected transparently without causing queues and inconvenience. Those are straw man arguments by people who just don't like tax increases. Who does like them? It'll just be another line on your airline ticket. They'd be better off to just implement it quietly, and I doubt that any would have even noticed the difference.

I think that's what torpedoed it. They claimed (correctly) that Thailand paid out 400 million baht for treatment of foreigners who couldn't pay their hospitals bills. But they forgot everyone with a smartphone carries a calculator around with them, and can multiply 300 baht x 40 million arrivals. BTW, that was about the 3rd time they ran the 300 baht tax up the flagpole, just since I arrived in 2011.

The OP and some of the responses reminded me of Al Franken's Stuart Smalley. 'You're Good Enough, You're Smart Enough And Doggone it, People Like You.' But in reverse...

All golfers look for some variety. Playing the same course all the time is like banging the same hooker, day in and day out. My 2 brothers are golf course superintendents. They get comped on any course within 30 miles. And they're nobodies. Trump can play for free all over Florida. And it's not like he couldn't afford to pay if he had to. Bottom line, unless he had some leaked info on Trump's plans that day, there was a miniscule chance that he was in the right place. Leading me to wonder if there were others, camped out waiting for Trump in other places.

I fly in from China. Typical $250-350 R/T. I don't know what a business ticket from Europe costs, but I imagine it's around $5K R/T. Post Covid, the airfares from China are half what they were. The downside is limited flight selection and no non-stops from my town. I've slept in a few airports when there was no transit hotel.

Not a problem. Stick 10 ATM looking machines by the luggage carousels. Scan your Int'l boarding pass and the machine spits out 300 baht. The QR code on the boarding pass tells them who it is, and whether they qualify for the tax rebate.

About the same as one business class ticket from Europe.