impulse

When I was a kid in the USA of the '60s, we had Chevy dealers, Ford dealers, Buick dealers, etc. Nowadays, we have dealers who sell Fords and Toyotas and whatever, off the same patch of asphalt. I don't know what dynamic drove that consolidation, whether it was a change in the balance of power between dealers and mfg's or what. But I anticipate we'll see the same thing where the ICE dealers also sell EV's of a different brand off the same piece of asphalt. (Not the same lot, mind you. They usually seem to be separated by a row of flags. But the same asphalt and the same dealer's name.)

That sounds like the 3rd grade kid who rats out his classmate for chewing gum because it's against the rules. And he can't do it... Thai authorities are going to do what they're going to do. I don't object to that. But take me out back and shoot me if I get so petty as to rat out someone for a WP violation. They're not hurting me or mine.

I break fewer than the guys who indulge in short time intimacy. In fact, I can't think of a Thai law I have broken since my first 3 months in LOS when I jumped the gun on my WP because the agency that approves them only meet a few times a year. So, like most of my compadres, I started working before I had a WP, though the application was in. Technically illegal, but well accepted. That was 13 years ago. Be careful what you wish for when you clap like a seal because someone's deported for behavior you don't like. They may be coming for you next.

Couldn't GAF about ratting them out, much less wishing they'd be deported for a victimless crime like that. But I am curious about the formalities... Whose name are the vehicles registered in? Whose name are they insured under (if any)? Are the businesses even registered at all? And if so, under what structure and in whose name? How is it that the popo don't seem to mind?

Take me out back and put me out of my misery if I ever get petty enough to rat out a foreigner for violating WP laws.

Back to the OP, I'm surprised anyone thinks the take up of EV's isn't going to cannibalize sales of ICE's. With the Thai population apparently shrinking, I'd expect the entire auto market to shrink some. Unless, of course, gub'ment policies actually increase wages so more Thais can afford to buy a 4 wheeler instead of a scooter. Then the auto market may grow. But that ain't gonna happen.

Kudos to you for that. I mean that sincerely. But your heirs (and the lawyers representing them in the after crash lawsuit) could make the case the airline was negligent in sticking you somewhere you couldn't reasonably be expected to evacuate in time.

A risk they're willing to take until the lawsuit, when their attorneys will excoriate the airline. I wouldn't be surprised if the VietJet limitations come from their liability insurance carriers. Or even the airline regulators who can calculate how long it takes to evacuate someone with a given disability. Or rather, how much time it adds to evacuating the whole plane.

With the advent of Google Maps, Google Earth, and some pretty cheap mapping software, I can't imagine it would be hard to identify every encroaching structure without ever leaving the comfort of the Land Office. If only they wanted to...

Carbon based life on earth sprung up and evolved in an environment where there's liquid water as a universal solvent. I suspect we'll find that life also sprung up where liquid methane is the universal solvent, maybe based on silicon instead of carbon. Too cold for "life as we know it", but perfectly conducive to other chemical processes. But we won't see it if all we're looking for is carbon based life.

In 24 years of living in Thailand and China, I've found that people generally treat me according to my behavior. In fact, that was true back in the States, as well. If locals are treating anyone badly, I'd suggest they look in the mirror and ask what they may be doing to elicit that response. I've been guilty on occasion. Most times I've seen that happen, it has something to do with treating women as sperm receptacles, and oozing contempt but papering it over with fake nicey-nice. Edit: Southern US women are famous for that fake nicey-nice. Telling you to go FO, but nicely. And smiling while they do it. Lots of funny YouTubes on that.

I don't agree. I've helped several Thai friends over the years with just a few $$ that didn't dent my finances at all, but made all the difference to their situation. I did it not expecting to see the money back, but in each case, I did. Not always immediately, but invariably. If the OP's friend is a Laos laborer working in Thailand, she may only need a few $$ of help. Besides, guys who are violent with their wives are often no threat at all to another guy.

Unless she wants to continue pursuing the Norwegian immigration process, I don't get that. Maybe the embassy thinks she still wants to pursue living in Norway? If not, I'd suggest she "borrow" it and just not return it to them. It's not their property. At least with her passport in her hands, she has options, like traveling. Getting her passport back would be my first priority, anyway. The divorce from a marriage that isn't even registered in Thailand or Laos can wait. Edit: Though I'd add that her passport being held up for over a year adds a new level of complexity, since she would have needed it to renew her permission to stay and renew her WP. Leading me to suspect that she's not working legally. Not that I care. Just that it adds a new wrinkle.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240202008100320 U.S.-based integrated resort company Mohegan said Friday it will open a foreigners-only casino, the first of its kind in almost two decades in South Korea, on Saturday as part of its large-scale entertainment resort set to fully open in mid-2024. Korea does it. If the objective is the locals' gambling money, sure. It should be a non-starter. But if the objective is employing thousands of locals, filling thousands of hotel rooms, and bringing in big talent for floorshows, etc, I think that balances the societal costs. But it'll have to be carefully managed, lest Thailand end up like so many gambling meccas where the promises of quality of life improvements have been fleeting.

Just out of curiosity (because I have no advice to offer), is her passport a Thai passport, or a Laotian passport? Other than the divorce, what is her objective? Stay in Thailand, go back to Laos, or move eventually to Norway (or somewhere else)? Edit: Also, is it normal for a passport and application to be held up in the Norwegian Embassy for that long, or could something hinky be going on she may not be aware of? If it is a Laotian passport, that would seem quite limiting for her.

To the OP, thanks for the heads up! One of my laments in Thailand is that we often don't hear about these fun events in time to plan to attend or even participate.

I wonder if the "s" in "friends" belongs there... Because if Nai had asked for a 100K loan from someone after the deed, that would be a good indicator he was planning to beat feet out of town and needed some money to disappear. If he had asked the victim for a loan before the deed, that would have a different meaning. That's the way it reads, but I wonder which is accurate?

That's good to know for someone who may have done a border bounce in October and another in December. They can do another in January... Meaning that, with extensions, they can stay 8 months without hopping on a flight (if they time it right). That said, I wonder how the IO's would perceive that.

If that were the case, I don't know why there would be any question, like "Can I still do a 2nd one, for the allowed two a year, or does the January entry count as one" At any rate I think his/her answer is that you can only enter by land 2x in a year on visa exempt? Note the question mark, because I don't know- just going by answers here. Seems that they don't differentiate between a border bounce and an entry out of the blue? (Question mark again...) I guess my question then is whether that's a calendar year, or does the 12 month clock start when you do your first one?

Not diazepam, but I keep a photo copy of my hospital prescriptions on my cell phone. I've never had to pull them up so I don't know if that's adequate. Mostly, I find it disturbing if they're doing random checks on taxi passengers. Witnessed it several times in the Asoke area where I lived and worked, but that was before Covid and the cops in that area were notorious. I'm not sure that's a good way to attract tourists, even the ones that don't do drugs.

So it's not just the sheep running scared? Goats, too?

I thought it was going to be about Anal Retentive Buttwads.

I wouldn't dismiss the possibility that cataract surgery could fix the OP up to better than 20/20. I post that not to suggest that's what he needs, but to give him some optimism to go in and get it checked.

13 Reasons Why Your Ranch Needs a Guard Donkey https://www.helpfulhorsehints.com/reasons-to-get-a-guard-donkey/ And if it doesn't work out, they're real tasty. I didn't know how tasty until I worked in China. Post back with your progress, and your learning lumps. Because I suspect there will be some...

I think that the spirit of that law is that the Thai 51% have a controlling interest and are actually in control. Not passive "nominees" in name only, with the foreigners putting up the money and being in control. Like where the Thai 51% puts up none of the money, have no say in the operation, and reap little or none of the profits. That's what they want to crack down on.