Lacessit

I found the USD was gleefully accepted in Vietnam, preferred to the dong.

It is somewhat ludicrous Putin and his military think they can bombard Ukraine with waves of missiles, and be immune from any response. It's like asking someone to fight with one hand tied behind their back.

IME Vietnam is much more receptive to the USD. Changing baht to USD should not be expensive if one uses reputable money exchangers. Go to any bank, different story. I only ever used a debit card in Vietnam, with no problem. I can't say if the same would apply to credit cards.

Churchill once said “democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others that have been tried.” No doubt the USA has made many mistakes in its pursuit of self-interest, all nations do. It's called realpolitik, get used to it. Having said that, IMO I would prefer living in the US rather than Saudi Arabia or Russia.

If one goes to a branch that has not seen the depositor before, one is always going to be scrutinized more carefully. Perhaps the real situation consists of the branch the OP goes to regularly, lets the rules slide. I have two accounts with Kbank, have never had a problem. But then, I don't have a company or a co-signatory.

I don't actually have any problems with all the cholesterol and HDL/LDL indicators, even before I went on the diet I developed for myself after researching on YouTube. I guess my genetic inheritance is lucky in that respect. Having said that, I eat as much as I want, but what I consider to be the right foods for me. My regime won't suit everyone, I eat lashings of cheese and yoghurt, a small amount of fat. I avoid sugar and restrict carbohydrates. Alcohol once or twice a week, not more than two standard drinks at a time. Absolutely no beer. The benefits of going from 93 kg to 77 kg, with an accompanying reduction in waistline, are I no longer need medications for gastric reflux, hypertension, osteo arthritis and sleep disorder. In fact, I can now afford to break out occasionally with bad stuff like ice-cream and cake, without putting weight back on.

When someone with my level of education and experience is told to be open-minded, I do find it offensive. Same situation as with idiot anti-vaxxers, moron climate deniers etc. History tells us negotiating with tyrants is futile. It only encourages them. Putin has an extensive record of reneging on formal agreements. You want to negotiate with a guy who poisons his opponents, and puts Russians in jail for even mentioning it's a war? Good luck with that.

No. The US saw making a country dependent solely on Russian gas and oil was a big mistake if Russia turned hostile, which has been borne out by events since 2014, when Russia illegally annexed Crimea. The US doesn't have a dog in that fight, they have all the oil and gas of their own that they need, and export some. If Putin had not had his brain farts about restoring the USSR etc., the Russians would be doing very well with their economy, even with rampant corruption.

Putin is the first leader since World War II to threaten the use of nuclear weapons in a local war. He is on record as wanting the USSR back, which presumably includes the partition of Germany all over again. He and his military are deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, and deporting civilians to Russia in keeping with the Stalinist playbook during the Holomodor. That makes him a war criminal. You may not regard Putin as a threat, I certainly do.

I meant both, jail time and/or fines.

I did say deportation AFTER any penalties applied in Thailand.

IIRC, Zelensky was elected after a popular revolution booted a Putin puppet out. He has also appeared multiple times at the battlefront to encourage his troops by example. AFAIK the only time Putin has appeared was when he had a staged photo-op with a sniper rifle inside the safety of a Russian military base in Russia itself. He's never been near the frontlines. On that basis, I'd say Zelensky and his people understand the concept of freedom better than Putin and Russians do, although there are about 1 million Russians voting with their feet to escape mobilization.

Not any more, the way Russian military equipment is being annihilated or abandoned on the battlefield is causing quite a few countries to think again about buying stuff that is so vulnerable. I would not describe an arms industry that has to raid refrigerators and washing machines for microchips as flourishing.

I guess you use the expression "a little bit pregnant" as well.

Thai Watsadu has a range of safes ranging in price and sophistication. As you say, install it yourself.

I tried some years ago to rent a safety deposit box. IME not many bank branches in Thailand have them, and the one that did was telling me there were none available.

AFAIK my ancestry does not have a single criminal in it. Generalizations are much easier for lazy people.

AFAIK CAT has been taken over or merged with nt, at least in Chiang Rai.

Have you tried asking at a government hospital?

I get tired of reading about people of my nationality who do stupid and criminal things, because it reflects on those who are law-abiding. Irrespective of any penalties he may get from the Thai authorities, IMO he should be deported after said penalties, and banned for life from Thailand.

I'm not sure if Thailand has hire firms, that's what I did for my son's engagement party. Plastic is safer than glass if there is going to be heavy drinking.

It's like living in Thailand. For the majority of people, the positives outweigh the negatives. For Biden critics and Trumpers, it's the other way around.

IMO the whole world breathed a sigh of relief when Biden was elected President, whatever his deficiencies according to the rabid right, he comes across as a decent human being. Attacking my comment as silly notions is a classic example of ad hominem argument. If you don't like my opinions, I have more.

Agree, I was down for a week, they could not have cared less. Even after two office visits. No apology or refund. No problems with 3BB in the village. I use nt at the condo, also reliable.

Really. The Thai government has one of the dirtiest electricity generators on the planet, the Mae Moh power station near Lampang, which is currently expanding capacity. On that basis, a new climate body is just window dressing.