timendres

I had this exact problem. The bank actually needs a signed photocopy of your passport. So I copied the passport before sending it off with the agent, and the bank was willing to accept that, if I signed it in front of them. Of course, this will depend on your branch.

One thing that has definitely changed since the election - the younger generation now sees that their votes are making a difference. It may take time to get that vote actualized, but it is coming, and they can see it.

Agreed. With proper pain killers, the biopsy should not be too painful. When I had my biopsy on the side of my face, novacaine was administered and I felt nothing.

It has always been the case that an income verification from your embassy is accepted by immigration for the retirement extension. What changed a few years back is that Thai immigration declared it would no longer accept an "Affidavit of income" as proper verification [the affidavit being a document swearing that the person has the income, then getting their signature on that affidavit notarized by the embassy]. The US embassy (for me), and a few other embassies, declared that they would not provide verification of income [the US embassy never provided such a service - at least in my memory]. Thus, US citizens such as myself, are now required to use the 800K method or the income method [proven by bank statements for the prior 12 months].

Given the experience of the Taiwanese actress, maybe TAT should be offering "get out of jail free" NFTs.

I have an inguinal hernia that has required two operations. The second was actually quite dangerous, as a significant portion of my small intestines had to be removed due to necrosis caused by strangulation. My first operation was at 42, and the second at age 62. The important point that my surgeon made was that each operation to repair the hernia weakens the entire area, lending to easier and more significant damage in subsequent episodes. In other words, this is something that you want done right. Given that your son is only 4yo, and has many years of life ahead of him, I believe this is something that you want an experienced surgeon to be handling. They will likely do a better job at the surgery, but, more importantly in my mind, they will know what solution will likely provide the best and longest lasting result. Equipment and facilities may be equivalent, but there is really no substitute for experience. My second operation was performed at Samitivej Hospital. Expensive, but I am quite happy with the result.

The ETF that tracks the S&P500 index has the symbol "SPY". This is traded on NYSE Arca. To trade this, you would need a brokerage account that can accommodate making trades with USD on NYSE Arca. I don't know if there are any Thai firms/banks that can provide this. Myself, I have an account with InteractiveBrokers, which allows me to trade on many exchanges worldwide, and even supports currency exchange to facilitate those trades. It also allows me to trade stocks, options, and futures from a single account. I have been quite happy with InteractiveBrokers.

Nikorn is lucky he did not marry an American woman in the US. If he had, he would be lucky to have two pennies to rub together.

The BRICS coalition does not yet have a real currency. It is a hope for the future. Even if it becomes reality, it will not challenge the dollar for years/decades to come. Doubt it has much impact on tourism for the foreseeable future.

That is exactly right. Last I checked, odds of death are about 1 in 100,000 during anesthesia. Not to be taken lightly,

"Do you want to go home?"

It is getting easier to explain to my friends why I sometimes pretend I am Canadian...

Respect.

The only thing that has changed is the instant, ubiquitous reporting of it.

It was fantastic when I renewed my passport recently. Also, I just needed to acquire a "certified copy" of my passport for my social security application, and that is also possible via mail-in service - with no $50 fee! So be sure to check to see if what you need is available via a mail-in service.

I have never heard that expressed by any of my Thai friends or employees. But that is a very small and skewed sample. Followup: I just asked this specific question of a close friend. His simple answer: "Nope"

Hence the reason her mother believes she was trafficked across the border.

I think it would be considered odd if you were in Thailand, and not staying with your fiancé.

Where does the "click here" link point? I bet it is not Google or Microsoft.

The survivor benefits for a non-US citizen are debatable. From SSA: https://www.ssa.gov/international/payments.html?tl=0

I have always been able to open and verify before paying. If not, I do not accept the delivery.

Everything depends on the degree of effort someone would want to invest in recovering the data. As mentioned, reformatting the drive does not erase sectors, so the data is still sitting there. I have written code that scans sectors to recover data, even after a reformat. So that is not secure. Most high security people will use software to "secure erase" the drive. This actually writes over ever active sector (or all of them) multiple times with random data to eliminate the possibility of data recovery even with the most sophisticated tools. The simplest, and most certain, method is platter destruction. Destroying the drive mechanism is not enough, since I can drop your platters into a new mechanism. You need to destroy the platters. I prefer shattering them, but drilling holes is nearly as good.

Especially on trains and in taxis and establishments that sometimes explicitly prohibit durian.

I can't stop laughing.