impulse

I left a wad of money in a K-Bank account the whole time I was a Covid refugee in the USA. No problem. Also occasionally used the K-Bank debit card in the USA to get cash and to buy stuff at retail. No problems, until the date on the card expired. After about 3 years' absence, came back to Thailand with my new passport and had the account info updated to reflect the new PP number and some KYC stuff for Uncle Sam. No problems. Then I got a new K-Bank debit card. No problems. Just to be clear, it was only a few thousand USD worth. I would suggest moving a few bucks every couple of months. Also, get a fresh debit card in case you don't make it back and/or need some activity. And the newer it is, the longer it'll be valid. You never know when Disease X will cripple international movement, like Covid did.

Which are the cute ones with the long legs in Thai shops? So hard to say no to them...

I've been extremely happy with mine. One pair of polarized sunglasses and one pair of progressive reading glasses. Less than 1/2 the price of the Walmart optical shop (Texas), and about 1/4 of what I paid for a pair in Thailand.

I'd really like to know why they think electing Trump will end democracy. Because here's the best explanation I've seen from them:

If Zenni is available in Thailand, that's what I'd recommend. Make sure your prescription is correct. Tell them you need the script to order a dive mask if they don't want to give it to you. Then get on the Zenni website and have at it.

I'd suggest you get a 2nd opinion from another shop. Preferably, one that's not buddies with the first one. My car tech knowledge is quite dated and not up to snuff on the latest and greatest, and especially with translation issues. Back in the day, a radiator seal was outside the radiator, between the radiator and the chassis components. More to keep it from rattling and for airflow. Nowadays, it seems to describe seals on the oil cooler, which would make sense... If your car has an oil cooler that uses coolant (and the radiator) to cool the oil. May not even be a head gasket. Just out of curiosity, is it a turbo or a tiny engine? In any case, I would get a 2nd opinion. And 60,000 doesn't seem like a lot, as long as it fixes the problem. You're going to have to get over the fact that they mark up the price of the parts. That's the way the shops make money. Sucks, for sure. But it's a business and they either need to mark up the parts or charge more for the labor.

Biden had been dealing with classified documents for decades. He knew the laws. He also knew in 2017 he had classified documents downstairs. At home. He gave them back 5 years later. The only reason he isn't in the dock is because he isn't Trump and he's elderly with a poor memory and that resonates with jurors. But he wasn't as senile back in 2017 when the crime was committed.

I'll have mine with extra butter and light on the salt.

The problem with that non-denial denial is that he recognized that he had classified documents. At home. In 2017. Documents he had no right to possess. Five years before he turned them in. That was criminal, in 2017. Long before he could claim dementia.

The only way Hillary gets on the ticket is if Kamala and Newsom commit suicide. So, maybe... (Americans will get that)

I guess you didn't read the part in the report where Biden told his ghostwriter in 2017 that he had found some more classified stuff downstairs at his home. Then waited 5 years to turn the classified stuff in, when the heat was on from the Trump case. You should really read the report. That part is on Page 4 of the summary, well annotated later in the report.

There was a recent answer, properly attributed, that she'd be limited to 2 full terms plus half a term. I don't recall whether it specified 2 years or half a term. Which wouldn't cause a dilemma in this case, because we're closer than 2 years to the election. But it would be an interesting conundrum in the hypothetical I was positing... Michelle and Newsom in 2024, with Michelle bowing out after a few months because she'd doesn't really want the job, but she may be goat roped into it for the party's sake. In that case, Newsom could get 2.49 terms but the dilemma would be when he hits 2 terms, 2 years and one day... He'd have to step down.

You'll be fine as long as you don't drive any further than you can walk home when it finally seizes up.

If you believe the recent Heartland Institute study, it probably wasn't the American people who gave him the boot.

Regardless of the study results, you can bet they'll be recommending we take money from a lot of people and give it to a few, to fix the problem. The problem that may and may not be a natural cycle. Wasn't there a small ice age in Europe when it happened last? Long before today's industrial output, which has prevented millions from starving or freezing to death, BTW.

It's not age. It's cognitive ability. Who can forget the Dems pushing Fetterman, after he had a stroke and was basically incapacitated. For months, years, even, he was unable to do the job. But they pushed him and shielded him. To maintain their majority. And to pay them back, now that he's recovering and lucid, it turns out he's a reasonable, patriotic guy- much to their dismay. But welcome back...

My concern with that arrangement would be the local plod coming by for their tribute. But it sure sounds like fun, even though I took the oath in 1988 and haven't had a drop since. Great way to stay active in the community, even if I'd be that slug in the corner sipping iced tea. Compare that the the tragic guys who die lonely...

My standing joke was the 2 rules of driving in Asia: 1) Never signal your intention. 2) When someone does, quick... cut them off.

20 or 25 years ago, I'd have agreed with that. But the DNC of today isn't the DNC of our grandparents, or even our parents. Today, they're owned by corporate and MIC interests that keep the narrative and the donations afloat. Not that the Repubs (RNC) are any better. Just that during the last Repub administration, things were a lot quieter around the world as the bad guys wondered what that crazy mofo was going to do in retaliation. And decided not to F around and find out. But I don't consider Trump to be a Repub. He's an outsider. And that's why a huge chunk of the Repubs are also trying to torpedo him.

So as long as there's only 4,999 a day, it's all good. You figure the cartels couldn't brain through that one out in a New York minute?

It's no different than American football. The rules say a touchdown is 6 points and a field goal is 3. You can't come back after the game and claim we had more field goals but only we lost because of the rules. If they changed the rules where a field goal was 6 points and a TD was 3, the teams would adjust their tactics to favor kickers and the better teams would still win. It's the same with the age old argument between the Electoral College and the Popular Vote. If they changed the rules, the parties would change their tactics and the best candidate would still win. (Unless, of course, they cheated).

This thread reminds me of the book clubs where they discuss a book and the loudest critic is the one who didn't read the book because she doesn't care for the author. Some of Carlson's mannerisms irritate me to the point that they make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. But he's the only one who got an interview with Putin. And some of his other interviews and "encounters" have been with fascinating people, regardless of how I feel about Carlson himself. And he's getting better about asking the question and shutting up. Probably learning that from watching Rogan killing it.

That's a non-issue. They campaign to maximize their results according to the rules. If the popular vote was definitive, they'd campaign differently, spending more time, money and energy on different voters. But the results would probably be the same at the end of the day. The DNC, on the other hand, doesn't allow their voters to choose the candidate. The voters can express a preference, but the decision is made by the party Elite. They'll do it again this year when they choose the candidate who will replace Biden, who is being thrown under the bus. They're not even pretending to put Newsom or Whitmer or Michelle or (God forbid) Kamala up for a vote of the party members. It'll be decided behind closed doors and announced...

You'll forgive me if I fell for the title then.

You mean the solution that codified 5000 illegal entries a day? That's 1.8 million a year.