John Drake

You never know.

It seems like every day there is another crackpot development. It's exhausting. It's only been two months and it feels like four years.

The one thing I might add that could be important is that when I retired from Mahidol they also gave me a letter certifying the retirement. Nakhon Pathom immigration wanted and kept the letter before writing the sentence notation below my expiring work extension and sending me over to Chaengwattana.

About one year ago. February 2024 in the headliner in Phuket. And in March 2024 in Trang, when a Swissie kicked around an older Thai woman in a supermarket. Then, there's this one just a few days ago; another Swiss kicker--https://www.pattayamail.com/news/from-road-rage-to-arrest-swiss-tourist-dropkicks-thai-man-after-motorcycle-collision-in-pattaya-494323

The British can be pretty bad, but I thought it was the Swiss who went around kicking women.

Ronald Reagan's illegal alien amnesty was a thousand times more stupid.

This apparently means that as of 29 March, those of us in Thailand will need to make an appointment at the nearest SSA office, which is in Manila, if we want to change our direct deposit.

As of 29 March, you must change direct deposit information on the website or in a SSA office. Musk has ordered the shut down of changing banking info by phone.

I just checked their page. When you go to your profile and then click banking, you get "contact us." You click on "contact us" and it has a link for living outside the US. You click on that and on page 4 at the bottom it says: Some services are not available outside of the United States. Changing your address (if you are not a US Citizen). Changing your direct deposit. Requesting a replacement Social Security card. Here is the direct link: https://www.ssa.gov/foreign/index.html

There are real limitations. You cannot change your direct deposit if you live outside the US.

Nothing good or safe outside happens after 1am.

This type question is utterly typical and should be expected on This Week. It's almost a standard closing question over the show, which has been running for almost 45 years. Everybody knows it, including the old coot who threw a temper tantrum.

Prayuth was better. But Prawit is okay.

When I retired from Mahidol, I like you thought I would need to change my visa from Non-B to Non-O. As it ended up, however, when I went to Nakhon Pathom immigration (where Mahidol is located and where university employees were directed for extensions), the immigration officer said not so. She simply wrote a note in my passport underneath the extension that was expiring, issued me a letter, and sent me to Chaengwattana, because I actually live in Bangkok and would henceforth need to do my extensions there. Subsequently, I extended on my Non-B for purposes of retirement at Chaengwattana and have now done so for nine consecutive years.

I'm afraid that once again this shows that Trump really doesn't have a plan or a strategy that is thinking beyond the initial application of tariffs. Personally, I think tariffs are justified in the right situation. But one of the things that could best have illustrated their strategic use would have been to concentrate on one particular region. Southeast Asia deserves that honor. It's a region that puts up its own tariffs on American goods, while providing cover for Chinese companies avoiding US sanctions. The US should hit them hard and demonstrate just how powerful American trade policy could be and how it could reward friends and significantly damage enemies and fence sitters. Access to US markets has always been part of US foreign policy. But if you have a region slipping into the control of a US enemy, China, then there is no reason to allow them to continue to access the US without at least incurring reciprocal tariffs. But here is the one thing you DO NOT DO: don't start off attacking your two closest neighbors and military allies, while all but groveling to Arab states and Russia.

Trump is likely thinking that Carney will continue the destruction that he thinks Trudeau caused and thus in a few years time Canada will split asunder and Trump can make the leavings into new US territory.

Fine. Then stop military pensions and Tricare from going to overseas destinations as well.

There has been ongoing anti-Americanism since the 1980s, when Europeans all blamed Reagan for being about to start World War III.

Much of this is anti-Americanism that has been simmering beneath the surface in Europe and Canada for decades. What is interesting is to compare this hatred with other places also incurring reciprocal tariffs, such as Mexico. Nothing like the hatred you see from Canada and Europe comes from Mexico, and Trump is actually talking about border incursions into Mexico to take out the narcos.

And I don't want it to change. Trust me, once they start doing major changes to immigration in Thailand, the results will not be what we want.

The US at one time required foreign nationals to notify the government of any address change through a post card every year. I remember seeing PSAs maybe as late as the 1980s notifying aliens of this requirement. Like everything else with US immigration, however, it eventually became another ignored requirement.

I wasn't a Trump voter and I'm very, very anti-Musk. But these arson attacks are terrorism. Not only the actual arsonists need to be charged and convicted but those giving material and financial support as well. Incitement to riot also needs to be used right now, this moment, including political figures.

Bans on Thai officials traveling to the West is meaningless. It achieves nothing. I don't think they care much. Increasingly, they spend their time in HK and China. There are many, many actions involving trade that will easily get much better results from Thailand.

When Macron says "buy European," he means "buy French products that otherwise cannot compete." The EU and before that the EC was always about being led around by the French with the German lapdog licking up their droppings.

80 percent of the replies to this topic have nothing to do with the subject of the OP.