Lacessit

When I worked in Port Hedland, there was a guy there who had not put in a tax return for 15 years. He earned pretty good coin too. He explained he was on PAYG tax, and if the ATO was going to tax his pay packet before he even got it, they could go whistle for more. He was a surveyor, and moved around a lot. AFAIK the ATO never caught up with him.

I gave up smoking in 1983. I would probably not be posting if I had not. I don't care whether people smoke or not. I tend to move away from any smoking source, or get upwind of it. The statistics say a smoker is 20 times more likely to die of lung cancer than a non-smoker, which also ignores the excess deaths from emphysema, heart attack, and stroke. I'll take a bet smokers also influence the COVID death statistics. It is difficult to give up smoking. If a smoker does, they will reduce their chances of getting lung cancer to that of a non-smoker in 5-10 years. Their life, their choice.

Send us a postcard from the cardiovascular ward, please.

The age pension is included in taxable income. Basic single pension is $23,420. The tax free threshold is $18,000, so there's $5420 potentially taxable at 32.5%. Then there's the Senior Australian's Tax Offset, which may only be applicable if one is deemed resident in Australia. When I asked my regular accountant how much tax I would be paying if I was deemed non-resident, and whether the OAP component would be taxed, she said she would refer me to someone better equipped to give me advice. She's pretty good at her job, which shows how complicated it has become. Bureaucrats delight in complexity, it's what keeps them in a job.

There is an appeals process for this kind of situation. IMO it is the job of the ATO to determine your tax residency status, not yours. Collecting back taxes on a taxpayer due to their own lack of action goes against natural justice. As does taxing age pensions. We'll just have to wait and see.

Frankly, I don't know how a smoker can afford to smoke in Oz. It's why we are here, a pensioner in Australia that does not own the roof over their head is stuffed. Just paid the registration on my car, 1600 baht = $65. Probably ten times that in Oz.

Coconut oil is the most stable oil one can buy. There is an oil stability test called the Swift test, that I remember from 60 years ago. It consists of bubbling air through oil in a test tube, while being heated in a paraffin bath. The oil is tested for peroxide value periodically, which indicates when the oil has turned rancid. Most materials - beef tallow, palm oil etc. break down after 50 - 100 hours. Coconut oil could go for more than 500 hours without breaking a sweat.

I got one from my credit union two days ago. My advice would be fill out the form with the minimum information asked for. I am basing my continued Australian tax residency on having an Australian residential address, and a financial interest in that address. I understand the rules may change soon to only one criterion, being outside Australia for more than 183 days. What threshold are you below? Could you PM me please if you don't want to publish on this thread.

It depends on which test is applied. IMO Centrelink applied the 183 day rule, so far the ATO has not. I understand there is legislation projected that will eliminate all other criteria, and simply base everything on the 183 dau rule. Ironic, seeing the government banned Australians from returning to their own country for an extended period. My only remaining interest in Australia is whether the ATO starts taxing my age pension at 32.5%. I wouldn't put it past the b####rds. I don't have the platoons of lawyers Murdoch has.

If that's what you believe, go for it. It may have some basis in fact, as some oils do contain minor amounts of cholesterol - less than 1%. Having said that, a statistical sample of one is not enough to be making conclusions. You should be using safflower oil, not sunflower oil. https://www.seriouseats.com/cooking-fats-101-whats-a-smoke-point-and-why-does-it-matter

I assume by GE you are referring to genetically-engineered oils. Here's a news flash - genetically-engineered oils are chemically indistinguishable from the naturally-occurring version. Canola oil on supermarket shelves is 99% genetically-engineered, I have not heard of mass poisonings as a result. All oils and fats are mainly fatty acid esters, principally triglycerides with a smattering of mono- and di- glycerides. The assumption because a chemical is carcinogenic in rats and mice, it is therefore carcinogenic in humans, has always been dubious. For example, dioxin is absolutely lethal to horses in very minor doses. We get exposed to dioxins on a daily basis via the foods we eat, principally fats. Obviously Paracelsus was onto something when he said the dose makes the poison, otherwise we would all be clutching our throats.

Belief is a marvelous thing. I have no doubt you believe you are better off on saturated fats, and you may be right. It's already known different racial groups assimilate food differently by adaptation to their environment, there's no other way to explain the Inuits, who live off a diet of mainly protein and fat. The Mediterranean diet has olives and olive oil as one of its bases, recommended by the Mayo clinic for heart health. Permit me to doubt the two presenters on the YouTube videos posted would make it onto A Mayo Clinic employment shortlist. They are fringe presenters, typical of what one can find on every form of social media. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801 The reason we are more sick than ever in human history is very simple. We eat too much. Statistically, most of the deaths in the current pandemic are obese people. The Japanese have probably the best record for longevity and good health - modest portions, fresh seafood and vegetables, very limited fat intake. Seafood is mostly PUFA's. As I have made it to age 78 ( soon to be 79 ) on what I think is a sensible diet, let me know when you get there on yours.

Then you are still classed as resident in Australia. Centrelink do know you are out of the country, they share data with Border Farce. I was informed about 3 years ago by Centrelink I was considered to be non-resident. Verbally, I have yet to see one shred of written information that explains or justifies their decision.

Are you in Australia? If Centrelink decides you are living overseas, no chance. Also no chance I would vote for ScoMo, the guy's as good a leader as I am good at neurosurgery. Greatest blameshifter who ever made it to PM.

Cooking oils can vary substantially in fatty acid composition. E.g. Palm oil is over 50% saturated palmitic acid, whereas canola oil is over 50% oleic acid ( unsaturated ) with only 7% saturated fatty acids. As a general rule, the more unsaturated an oil is, the healthier it is. There is also the taste factor. While it is not particularly healthy with 50% saturated lauric acid, IMO coconut oil is definitely the tastiest. Unsaturated oils are far more likely to turn rancid. I remember from my days as a trainee chemist doing stability testing, one could not kill coconut oil with an axe.

No problem with that. What does baffle me is how the word "black" can be regarded as offensive, when "white" is used all the time.

Standards change, it's getting harder to keep up. The word "<deleted>" is absolutely verboten for whites today, although African-Americans apparently use it quite freely among themselves. My son has upbraided me for using the word "black" to describe African-Americans. <deleted>, make up your mind which continent you belong to.

If you want to think about it, probably was your fault because you failed to make enough allowance for her incompetence. I not only assume everyone on Thai roads is trying to kill me, I also assume most have the smarts of an amoeba.

Yeah great, the relatives of Justine Damond would be thrilled.

Asians genetically cannot detoxify alcohol the way Caucasians can, that's why they are known as two-pot screamers. The world champions are the Scandinavians, they can absorb astonishing quantities of booze in all forms without even blinking.

<deleted>, think yourself lucky. 500 baht is peanuts. In Western Australia, you'd be close to having your car confiscated, your license suspended for 12 months, and a $10,000 fine. Armed with that kind of knowledge, it's almost a pleasure to pay traffic fines here.

The right shoulder in Australia is where the fastest traffic would be. IIRC I have occasionally seen freeways with enough room to have an emergency lane there; however, the left shoulder is far more common.

It's the same in Australia, the left shoulder is for emergencies only, and one can be fined for traveling in it. It IS different in Thailand. Far less nanny state rules, one of the reasons I live here.

I arrived at the scene near Phan just after an overloaded pickup had overturned with a load of pigs. Funniest thing I've seen for a long time, locals trying to catch pigs who did not want to be there.

Haven't seen witchetty grubs in years, used to feed them by hand to the kookaburras on my patio. They loved them. At least they are cleaner than the frogs in my GF's village, that are grown in all the septic tank outfalls.