RSD1

Go Elon! Woo! Woo!

Elon’s Grok is now my favorite AI platform—by far the most accurate of any LLM, hands down. Donny must be fuming that Elon got the number one slot and he didn't. Rigged! Always winning!

Has anyone else noticed how Thailand’s new tax regulations could be harming not just the banking sector but also foreign investment in general? Thai banks are always eager to attract foreign clients and increase deposits, yet these new policies seem to be pushing some of us to reduce our financial exposure rather than expand it. This isn’t just about bank deposits, it also affects foreigners investing in businesses, real estate, and other major assets in Thailand. The country has long encouraged foreign investment, and agencies like the Board of Investment (BOI) actively promote Thailand as a great place to invest. But these new policies seem to be working against that goal. I’m just making some observations here, but under the new system, if you transfer in even a couple hundred thousand baht in a year in assessable income, you’re now obligated to file a tax return, even if not tax is due. For some people, that alone is enough of a deterrent to stop bringing in money altogether. If the government wants to attract foreign capital, they need to do two key things: offer incentives and instill confidence. Right now, these tax changes are doing the opposite, potentially driving investment away rather than bringing it in. Are you in agreement or do you think what they're doing with the tax law changes is a good thing, especially with the talk of possibly also taxing foreigner residents on their worldwide income in the future?

Yep, that's really the best way to go. If I have my main phone with me, then I normally do that. Problem is, a lot of times I don't take my phone if I'm going out at night and need some cash. I'll either take my older backup phone or just my watch which has all my debit and credit cards in the Apple wallet anyway. The problem with the SCB app is that you can only have it installed on one mobile device at a time. So if I don't have my main phone with me when I'm out then I can't really do a cardless withdrawal without access to the mobile app. Once you set up a cardless withdrawal in the app, then you've also got to withdraw the money within 15 minutes or the code expires. If there was no time limit, that would be great. Then I could set up a cardless withdrawal on the phone before I leave the house, without taking the phone with me, only need to remember the code and then withdraw the money whenever it is convenient later in the evening. But that's not how it works. 15 minutes or you're out of luck.

Thanks, but the issue is that, if I need cash, I don't necessarily want run to another SCB ATM, which could be a fair distance away. So, if I'm confronted with that situation again, I'll most likely just do the same thing as I did the other day, look for the next closest ATM from another major bank and whack the card in there instead. The interesting thing is that I've used this SCB Debit Card at many other bank ATMs and the only one that has ever caused a problem with this card is SCB's own ATM. Maybe one of these days I'll just go into SCB and ask them to replace the card anyway, although I don't really think that's necessarily the problem.

When I set mine up about a year ago they asked me for a TIN. I gave them my Thai TIN and that was it. They only asked me to provide the TIN number, but no other documentation for it.

The other day, I went to an SCB ATM with my SCB debit card to withdraw some cash. I mostly use digital payments, so I rarely handle cash and only make a few ATM cash withdrawals each month. Anyway, I inserted my SCB card into the SCB ATM, and the transaction failed. The machine gave me an error message about an issue with the smart chip and advised me to contact the issuing bank. I tried again and same result. Right next to the SCB ATM was a Bangkok Bank ATM. I figured I’d give it a shot, so I inserted my SCB card, entered the withdrawal amount, and, presto, cash came out instantly. This isn’t the first time this has happened. If I remember correctly, it’s happened two or three times before with the same SCB card at different SCB ATMs. In the past, retrying the same machine usually worked on the second attempt, but this time, after two failed tries, I just gave up and switched to Bangkok Bank ATM right next to it. I don’t think there’s a physical issue with the card because the card is in good shape, pretty new, and if there was an issue with the card itself, it wouldn’t have worked immediately at a different bank’s ATM. So it seems more like a glitch with SCB’s own system. Has anyone else experienced this? I wouldn’t be surprised if I ran into this type of issue using my SCB card at another bank’s ATM since that has happened before and seems like a common issue at times, but in this case, it’s specifically SCB’s own machines failing to work correctly with their own card. You would never expect that to happen. Go figure.

It’s an interesting question, but one I don’t really have a definitive answer for. A lot depends on what you value most in life, and I can’t think of a single country that checks every box. Ideally, you’d want to grow up in a place with a great climate, no extreme weather, beautiful nature, good food, low crime, a strong education system, no wars, no religious fanaticism, freedom of speech, a widely spoken native language, and a passport that makes global travel easy. Very few countries, if any, meet all these criteria. But if I had to pick, Switzerland and Spain seem to check more boxes than most.

Is that like "Just asking for a friend"? 🤣

Didn't forget it. I’d say illegal cannabis exports from Thailand to India are minimal. India grows more than enough of its own. In 2021, the seizure of 1,800 kg of ganja in Maharashtra suggests there is significant local supply already. India also has a much longer history with it, both culturally and agriculturally, than Thailand and the economics don’t favor high-volume smuggling there. Thus it would be much harder to turn a profit there with contraband cannabis from Thailand than in the richer countries in the world. Surely there's some going into certain niche markets there. But Thailand’s traffickers are better off targeting countries with stricter prohibitions, higher prices, or less local supply, think China, Southeast Asia and Europe.

Possibly at least 5X the size of the legal domestic market. Thailand’s main illegal cannabis exports are likely to: 1. Malaysia - Close proximity, strict laws, steady demand. 2. Singapore - High enforcement, high prices, regional hub. 3. Indonesia - Large population, harsh laws, maritime access. 4. Vietnam - Nearby, illicit networks, growing use. 5. China - Massive market, border proximity via intermediaries. Of what makes it to Europe; Spain, The Netherlands, UK, Germany, France.

Most people possess the ability to judge their political leaders with at least some level of objectivity, acknowledging both their strengths and weaknesses and to hold them responsible for their obvious missteps and poor judgment. Yet, Trump’s followers seem to exist in a bubble, a flawed hemisphere if you will, having abandoned all critical thinking faculties and surrendering their judgment to a man whose words and actions are accepted without question, even when he does things that clearly harm their own personal well being. Fact and fiction, right and wrong, consequence and reality, the things most humans hold dear and apply to various aspects of everyday life all become irrelevant in the face of their unwavering allegiance. Even when his policies drive up inflation, increase unemployment, weaken consumer protections, dismantle government oversight, harm allies, weaken political alliances around the world, or threaten economic stability, his base remains steadfast. Their loyalty is impervious to evidence, detached from rational self-interest, and more akin to prostrating themselves to a supernatural faith than what is viewed as a normal level of political support for a public servant. What drives this kind of devotion? Is it ideological? Psychological? Or is it simply the human tendency to seek certainty in an unstable world, even at the cost of not believing in truth itself? Such blind allegiance is not without historical precedent. The fervor surrounding authoritarian figures of the past, from the early days of the Nazi regime to the rise of countless demagogues, all followed similar patterns, merely an elevation of a flawed mortal into a near-mythic figure, beyond reproach and beyond reason. What makes this phenomenon particularly perplexing is that this is all unfolding in an era of unprecedented access to information, where deception should, in theory, be more easily recognized and exposed. Instead, we see a willingness, perhaps even a need, to embrace comforting fictions over uncomfortable truths. Alas, all authoritarian and political cults eventually collapse under the weight of their own contradictions, and this movement will be no exception. A few decades from now, perhaps even far sooner, it will be little more than a historical footnote, maybe even reduced to a largely forgettable meme. But for now, it remains one of the most bewildering spectacles of our time, a testament to both the fragility of reason and the enduring power of belief in something that brings more harm than good to humanity, unmoored from scrutiny or reality.

For me it's the bum guns, hands down!

Over 30 years ago, I used to hear locals in Bangkok using the word quite often. Nowadays, and for the last 15+ years, as education levels have risen in Bangkok, many locals tend to use a more polite three-word phrase in Thai that translates to “person of a different ethnicity” when referring to foreigners. Interestingly, I now mostly hear other foreigners using the word, and to be honest, it does makes me cringe every time.

disagree

Absolutely no clue what it means. Not only am I lacking in having a grasp of basic English language vocabulary, but my dictionary just broke down at the worst possible time. Please enlighten us with one of your usual lengthy posts filled with music video links from YouTube and various other assorted tangential graphics.

He operates out of the business center at The Street, the shopping center on Ratchada I believe, unless he's moved. Just check with Lloyd's first to be sure that they will accept a notary certification of the passport copy by a Thai lawyer who isn't registered with the The Law Society in the UK.

1,000 Baht. Done. https://bangkoknotaryservice.com/

Sounds almost like a suicide mission. Not too "sharp". https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/woman-arrested-phuket-airport-trying-smuggle-43kg-meth-luggage-singapore Woman arrested at Phuket airport for trying to smuggle 4.3kg of meth in luggage to Singapore A 65-year-old American woman was arrested at Phuket International Airport with 4.3kg of crystal methamphetamine, according to multiple reports. The woman, identified as Melba Geraldine Sharp from California, was reportedly set to board Scoot Airways flight TR653 to South Korea via Singapore on Sunday (Feb 23), according to The Phuket News. The methamphetamine, worth 1.29 million baht (S$51,500), was discovered after Sharp was flagged down during a routine risk assessment of passenger profiles, The Nation reported. Officers had received a tip-off about possible drug smuggling through the airport and an X-ray screening revealed suspicious objects inside her suitcase, Customs director-general Theeraj Athanavanich told media. While examining her luggage, police found four sets of bed sheets that were unusually heavy. Authorities opened them to find rectangular packages wrapped in multiple layers of brown tape, Bangkok Post reported. Chemical tests revealed the packages to contain the methamphetamine, weighing a total of 4.3kg. Sharp was then arrested and charged with attempting to smuggle Category 1 narcotics and illegal possession of methamphetamine under Thailand's Narcotics Code and faces further legal proceedings, The Phuket News reported. Under the Misuse of Drugs Act in Singapore, offenders convicted of trafficking, importing or exporting more than 250g of methamphetamine may face the death penalty.

Pollard Row bus stop in London. https://www.instagram.com/share/_dUPJTLz8

Hello London. The whole caper has a very Banksy feel to it. God bless him and the Pollard Row bus stop. https://www.instagram.com/share/_dUPJTLz8

Musk cutting off HIV funding support to Africa could cause over 6,000,000 deaths over the next 5 years (according to this clip), while causing a resurgence of the spread of the HIV virus globally.

Saw the Cars decades ago. Outdoor concert in a small tennis stadium. Listening to them play "Drive" in the rain. Wang Chung opened for them. It was epic. Sad that Rick Ocasek is no longer with us.

Yes, you could say that’s the case between Sukhumvit Soi 39 through to Thonglor, Sukhumvit Soi 55, or even to Ekamai, Sukhumvit Soi 63, the areas with the highest concentration of Japanese expats living in Bangkok. But this Japanese food phenomenon extends far beyond those neighborhoods. It’s everywhere. Malls, Silom, Siam, it’s Japanese food non stop. As for what some call “fake,” it’s really just locals adapting Japanese food to match Thai tastes. In many of these areas, it’s mostly Thais eating at Japanese restaurants, not Japanese expats. So naturally, the flavors evolve. You get a lot of garlic in the food, which you rarely find in Japan. Ramen broth tends to have more chili and spice. Sure, it’s not exactly authentic, but it sells, and locals enjoy it. Pizza in Thailand is no different. People pour lots of sweet ketchup on top of it, stuff fake crab meat that gets cooked into the crust, things you’d never see in the US or Europe. It’s not authentic, but it caters to local tastes. If restaurants didn’t adapt to local palettes, locals might try it once but wouldn’t come back.

Stay away from the main tourist corridors in Bangkok like Sukhumvit, or any of the other nightlife areas, and you'll never smell it in the streets again. DONE.