mfd101

It's mixed. If you live in south Surin as I have permanently since late 2015, you see it all ... 'Undeveloped' villages like my family's. Low-tech agriculture the only 'economic' activity. Beautiful bright-as-a-button children turning slowly in to anxious then sullen teenagers who eventually depart to become slave labour in the industrial suburbs of the Big Smoke. No education that you'ld notice. Trying asking them to point out Australia on a world map ... More and more vehicles on the ever-widening roads. When we built here during 2016 & moved in in March 2017, we had a 1.5-lane road and only a trickle of traffic. Now it's 2 lanes and triffic traffic 18 hours a day. As to the main east-west highway just up the road, it was 2 lanes now 4 and 6 and traffic thundering along 20 hours. And many vehicles are up-to-the-minute & expensive - mostly ICE SUVs, but increasingly upmarket and some EVs. (I'll be in the market in a year's time for a Toyota RAV4 non-plugin HEV. Gotta keep up with the neighbours!) So, overall you would say 'developing country'. And, as all such, the development is extremely uneven, with little or no safety nets. Only a revolutionary & democratic political upheaval will make the necessary changes away from feudalism & hierarchy. Come back in 50 years ...

I guess being an Israeli involves high levels of optimism.

Neither one of those is a notable strength in Thailand.

I assume Thailand's proper representative will be attending the ASEAN meeting, namely the PM.

Thailand has some 80 years of experience in speaking out of both sides of its collective mouth simultaneously.

And what is your view of her actual guilt in the matter?

Another Elon woops!

Poor peasants (everywhere in the world) solve the problem by having large families. Here in south Surin, whenever my FIL or MIL (3 & c7 years older than me) get sick & need time in hospital, the assorted daughters, sons & grandchildren share guard duties and sleep beside or under the hospital bed.

Much of the description of the UK economy & policies could also apply to the post-Howard Australian economy. Looking increasingly sick, with a change to the Coalition at the upcoming federal election unlikely to make much difference.

And how do the 'tourists' have contact with the locals except thru their minders/security/tourist guides?

So who was the lucky owner/builder whose brown envelopes were insufficient to finish the job?

We've given Ukraine to Putin by mistake so we might as well take Afghanistan back again. And we have a choice of places to build railways through to export the stuff - Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan. With choices like that and a spare 50 years or so, what's not to like?

Thai PM believes what Xi tells her. US President believes what Putin tells him. Seems to be a pattern here. The future is looking darker for everyone.

As a former bureaucrat myself I think I can authoritatively say that 'modifying models after a studied methodology has been established' is the standard method for ensuring that nothing changes.

Thank you. Just about the first intelligent & well-informed contribution on AN to the ongoing discussions about the marvels of Trumpism. Having said that, I would argue that - despite the daily horrors emanating from the White House - disruption is a great constructor of New & Better. Of course it may all be a total disaster for Usofa & for The West, and many others. But it does have the value - which we currently see amongst the panic-stricken Europeans, notably Germany - of forcing people to go back to basics and reconstruct their models. Much of what Trump is destroying - out of ignorance not understanding - is tired & in need of a good kick in the <deleted> to wake it up & move forward.

They could continue 'sweeping' for another 12 months and collect another 120000 ...

Well, so far the Baht is stronger against the US (0.029678) & the Oz dollars ...

Proving that China is just as capable as any 'Western' country to waste money & investments by the truckload.

The Great Disruptor - horrible though he is - having a positive effect on the Europeans, all of them slowly getting up off their large flabby backsides.

The post-everything world. A country with no past has no future.

No sense of urgency in any of this. All happening at glacial speed.

So we're not going to make the 40000000 target this year? Or was that 400000000?

The DTA between TH & Oz is difficult & complex to read, but I think the bits on pensions are clear: (1) Federal superannuation for former federal government employees can be taxed ONLY in & by Oz; (2) All other pensions are at least theoretically taxable in TH even if already taxed in Oz (but taking in to account the taxes already paid in Oz, which may mean no tax to be paid in TH). So the old age pensions are assessable in TH but will often involve no further tax to be paid.

No, just observing the universal penile code.

And now Turkey is entering the game, on Zelensky's & Ukraine's side. This will jolt the Europeans in to action. A little down the track & Trump will be irrelevant for Ukraine's defence. Only one loser in that: Trump & Usofa.