rickudon
Advanced Member
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Netanyahu led Trump by the nose into this war. When AIPAC saw that a deal was getting close, Israel decided what the USA would do. Everyone else in the world (apart from Putin) suffers the consequences. Israel doesn't care if USA gets bogged down in a never ending war, they got what they wanted; massive chaos in Iran (and the rest of the Middle-East); they want weak neighbours.
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12 years on marriage and only home visit was the one 12 years ago. But then i'm not a yank, so not at risk...
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No. The land was stolen from the previous occupants. That was a done thing in the past, but not acceptable in the last 100 years or so.
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I use Krungsri bank to do a counter withdrawal at least once a month using my credit card. No fees (it is a Mastercard). Other banks have declined to do so or want to charge a fee. I usually take 50,000 baht a time. Never tried for more.
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Last 20 years have seen more problems than solutions. Sliding into Dystopia - think Trump, more wars, degrading environment.
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If not in Udon for 15 years, the road infrastructure is vastly improved. Also UDtown created which is a large open air shopping area and entertainment/ food area, next to railway station.
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We got 6 hours of rain in Udon Thani Tuesday night, at least 10 cm. First rain in 3 months
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I am off in a hour or so to Pick up my marriage extension in Udon. Only issue i had was it took 2 MONTHS to approve (approval is done in Khon Kaen). Was also a bit late last year. Now i can buy my ticket to visit kids in UK.
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I initially came for the fishing; women were a lesser consideration. But quickly got hooked up on my second visit to my Thai wife. If not for her and daughter maybe wouldn't have stayed,
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15 years ago, i survived hot season in April without air-conditioning. During the day, sat in front of a fan. Uncomfortable, but survivable. At night, lay naked on a bed in front of a fan with a wet towel and a bowl of ice and water to hand. Next year, put a AC in the bedroom. 2 years later. put one in my day room for the afternoons. I am older now and would struggle to survive without aircon in afternoons and night time. Aircon goes on when temperature hits 32 Centigrade indoors in the day, evenings and night set to 28. if less than 28, no aircon. When i lived in Australia 45 years ago, 32 C was a cold day in Northern Territory!
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A hundred years ago Israel didn't exist. Palestine was an administrative region from Roman times, through the Byzantine period and later the Ottoman empire. , Prior to the Romans a large percentage of the population of the area were Jews, but they were just one of many ethnic groups. Partially due to Roman expulsions after the Jewish revolts few Jews lived in Palestine thereafter. By 1800 only 3% of the population were Jewish, the rest Muslim and Christian Arabs. By 1914 the Zionist nationalist movement who wanted a Jewish homeland saw the Jewish population grow to about 14%. After WW1, the Balfour declaration and the start of the British mandate, Jewish migration continued to slowly grow. However conflicts over land grew, as wealthy Jewish migrants bought up Land, causing Arab revolts. to stop this, The British capped Jewish migration. WW2 and Hitler resulted in a massive inflow of migrants, so by 1947 Jews made up 30% of the population. Irreconcilable conflicts between Jews and Arabs resulted in The British terminating their mandate and the future of Palestine was referred to the newly formed UN. However they decided to partition Palestine giving 50% of the land (including the most fertile) to the minority Jewish population. This totally unfair division led to war as soon as the Jewish state of Israel was created. Since then, continued Jewish migration has led to the gradual expulsion of Arabs from the parts of Palestine that Israel controlled. Over the last 75 years, the rights of Arabs have been restricted, Arab economic growth strangled, and laws became more oppressive. This has led to near constant state of war between Jews and Arabs, which has spilled over into Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Israel is now de facto trying to annexe the West bank, which has already seen 50% of its land seized by Israeli settlers. Wherever settlers establish themselves, Arabs are forced out. Israel is a cancer, and if you feed it, it grows. We all know what you have to do to a cancer to survive.
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I agree that keeping more than one bank account is sensible. Personally i do not use Thai Banking apps or internet banking, I just use the banks to keep money for immigration purposes. All my accounts do not require an annual fee; only a fee for a new ATM card which is not every year (and was only 200 baht last time i did this). I use my home country credit card to make cash withdrawals when required, at the bank counter, again no fee required or charged by home bank (also saves on Thai ATM fees and avoids getting card eaten by ATM). Thai ATM cards only used as last resort. The bulk of my money is kept in home country banks at much higher interest rates than any Thai bank gives. I also maintain several Home country accounts as some banks have been known to close accounts if they know you no longer are resident in home country. It is not just Thailand getting harder to open bank accounts as a foreigner. My wife couldn't get one in UK when i tried 2 years ago.
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The exporters do not pay the tariffs, the importers do. And where does the money come from? Higher prices from the consumer - Yanks pay!
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The 2 children were his wife's, not his. As a Brit, I have to admit that I have met more British criminals in Thailand than I ever did in UK. Still the minority, but it does affect our reputation. I guess that when life in the UK throws up problems, a new start seems like a good idea. Unfortunately many of us do not leave their problems behind. And Thailand causes a lot more!
