Lacessit

I was working 2 days a week with full flexibility on my hours, and being well paid to be a consultant. The GFC ended that, but it was a great time.

IME avoiding alcohol and sugar enables exercise to give more bang for the buck. I am 80, and have health issues. I am damn sure those issues would be a lot worse if I stopped exercising.

They have been called "rats of the skies" in Australia, due to their impact on the native bird population. Perhaps they are affected by air pollution too. https://landcare.nsw.gov.au/groups/northern-slopes-landcare/indian-mynas-not-just-an-urban-problem/

Everyone stops responding to his posts, as I have done.

Why is it I perceive a drowning man, clutching at straws?

There are two types of expat in Thailand. One is people such as 4MyEgo, who are still working. There are people such as me, who retired years ago, and are drawing a full or part pension. Some of us have taken the extra step of putting in a non-lodgment advice with the ATO. Mine went in about 3 years ago, and I haven't heard a peep out of the ATO since then. The OFFICIAL advice from the ATO, as shown in the attachment, could not be any clearer. Pensions are only taxable in the country of residence. "if a person is a resident of Thailand for tax purposes, their age pension is taxable only in Thailand". No ifs, buts or maybes. No bullsh!t consultation/ discussion papers. Straight from the horse's mouth, in writing.

IMO if someone actually was tax resident in two countries at once, they were fast asleep and snoring in arithmetic class. Why would anyone want to make their life that complicated?

I have recently had a fairly sizeable order of frozen foods delivered. By sheer chance, I happened to be in the lobby when the condo manager was still working, and she told me there was a package for me. Otherwise, the goods would have thawed out overnight. I had no contact from the delivery company that day, or on any other day. I have pointed out to the supplier their delivery company could be costing them repeat business.

My GF's family stick together like glue, I don't know if that is typical. As a generalization, I'd say social cohesion is stronger in the rural areas, weaker in the big cities.

One is deemed to be resident in Australia for tax purposes, or deemed to be resident in Thailand for tax purposes. One cannot be resident in both, that's the equivalent of Schrodinger's cat. If a pensioner is deemed resident in Australia, they pay no tax due to the various tax thresholds and allowances. If a pensioner is deemed resident in Thailand, they pay tax there according to how smart they are in arranging minimization. They pay no tax in Australia because they are part of a DTA, official as per Article 18. How <deleted> thick does anyone have to be , to fail to understand these facts?

Given the reasons explained in the court's rejection, it is very likely the Supreme Court won't even bother hearing the appeal. It's under no obligation to do so. It would be amusing watching Trump's lawyers trying to polish a turd a second time.

What's all over YouTube at present is the Federal Court of Appeal's decision to reject Trump's claim of presidential immunity. That's a fact too.

IIRC Trump used it recently, when he referred to illegal immigrants poisoning the blood of America. I don't know what happened to give me your poor, your tired and huddled masses.

I only transact through a laptop or desktop. There are no financial apps on my phone. I pay using a debit card or cash. The debit card is in a Faraday cage to prevent skimming. I am starting to think the Arabs have the right idea, when they cut off the right hands of thieves.

I was placed on blood pressure medication about 8 years ago, after a reading of 180/100. I don't know how much of that was white coat syndrome. 3 years ago, I decided to get fit with an exercise regime. It enabled me to stop taking medication. My current BP is normally 115/60, with a resting pulse rate of mid-fifties. If I take 50 mg of Viagra, my BP goes down to 80/40, and my pulse rate is 95 bpm.

I learned about Russia from " Journey into Russia " by Sir Laurens van der Post, "The future is ours, Comrade" by Joseph Novak, and a history of the Second World War, by Martin Gilbert. I read as much material as I could get my hands on about the rise of the Bolsheviks, and Stalin's machinations to supplant Lenin. Russia has always fascinated me as a nation which should be the richest on the planet, yet only has a GDP a fraction of the US, Europe and China, which phenomenon can be laid squarely at the feet of its political system. IIRC Churchill once described Russia as a mystery wrapped in an enigma. The books I cite helped me in understanding.

How far back in your history did you go to understand Ukraine? The Budapest Memorandum? The Holodomor? Ukrainians being called Nazis, because they welcomed the Germans as liberators from Russian oppression? They soon found out the jackboot crushing them simply changed from left to right. Admittedly the US/UK/NATO have invaded sovereign countries, one can argue whether their motives are good or bad. AFAIK they have not deliberately targeted civilian populations, attacked agricultural and power infrastructure, employed criminals released from jail in their armed forces, or embarked on a program of migrating their citizens into occupied areas. They have not torn up any mutual security agreements. Quite apart from genocide, which partially happened in 1932-1933. I have no doubt Putin would repeat Stalin's formula if he could. There is one fact you can take to the bank. Ukrainians hate Russians. Given their history, they have very good reason.. IMHO

I'd agree punctuation and spelling are not necessary in spoken English, I am not so sure playing fast and loose with grammar is good teaching.

Was that typo in your last sentence a Freudian slip? Based on your first sentence, every country in the world is now able to invade the sovereign territory of any other country.

The only position where it would be possible to talk to Putin is after he is kicked out of Ukraine. Giving him anything would be as effective as when Chamberlain talked with Hitler. Anyone who does not understand that lesson from history IMO is a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

There is a difference between a journalist talking to a world leader, and two world leaders doing the same. I don't know about support. However, IMO Trump's actions during his presidency definitely encouraged both Kim and Putin. They probably could not believe their luck, dealing with a total amateur.

To make money, why else? I am wondering what he will have to say about Trump's immunity claim just having been thrown out on its ear by the court of appeal.

AFAIK they are sent to re-education camps. I am wondering how far he has tunneled by now. I couldn't find a guy beating a drum, so a violin will have to do. 🤣

"When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?" ( John Maynard Keynes ) When one is in a hole, it's best to stop digging. Perhaps we will be seeing KH in China next.

If you read a previous post of mine, I said Putin was far left prior to the fall of the Soviet Union. He's obviously a fascist now. Trump and Putin both use religion for their own ends, if you believe they are sincere there's a bridge in Sydney I'd like to sell you. In 1994, the Budapest Memorandum guaranteed the security of Ukraine in return for that country surrendering its nuclear weapons. 20 years later, Putin invaded Crimea. 2022, he went the whole hog. In 1932, Stalin orchestrated the Holodomor, a famine which killed approximately 6 million Ukrainians. Stalin then moved Russians into the depopulated areas. It's why most Ukrainians know Putin is attempting their genocide, he's trying to follow in Stalin's footsteps. I have seen and heard Putin say he wants to restore Russia to its former glory. That's code for bringing back the Iron Curtain, all the way to Germany. These are historical facts, nothing to do with what you term silly Western snippets.