Lacessit

If you are not American, when entering the USA you are classed as an alien too. So far, I have resisted the temptation to ask a border official whether I have two heads.

There seems to be a cone of silence in Thai media about the Ukraine invasion. That may be due to general disinterest in anything outside Thailand, or to avoid offending a segment of the tourist market. Or trade with Russia, although it baffles me why any business would want to be paid with rubles. Some Russians have become involuntary tourists, according to Australian media. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-26/russians-flee-via-the-few-remaining-escape-routes/100934896 The war - and it is a war, not a BS "special military operation" is going badly for Russia. Poor logistics, low troop morale, a higher body count than anyone in Russia is prepared to admit. Russian aircraft still do not control the airspace above Ukraine, a sine qua non for support of ground forces. Senior military officers getting killed on the frontline, apparent purges and defections inside the walls of the Kremlin. I suppose news on the plight of Russian tourists in Phuket and Pattaya is a nod to the situation - a very slight one.

I have noticed in Chiang Rai the pollution is definitely less than it was last year at the same time. I don't even need to run my air purifiers, API readings of 50 - 60. Last year, we were nudging 500 occasionally. Whether that is due to increased enforcement, or the sporadic rainfall we seem to be getting, is anyone's guess.

You would know them off by heart if you had watched "The Sweeney" with John Thaw, Dennis Waterman and Garfield Morgan.

I do find it interesting it is always houses that have burglaries, whereas I have yet to see a report of a condo apartment being robbed. Quite apart from any security the condo has in place, for a burglar there is no opportunity for reconnaissance, and no way of knowing what is waiting behind the door.

(ɡæf) / noun British slang, archaic. a person's home, esp a flat. Also called: penny-gaff a cheap or low-class place of entertainment, esp a cheap theatre or music hall in Victorian England. noun noun: gaffe; plural noun: gaffes an unintentional act or remark causing embarrassment to its originator; a blunder.

Let me rephrase my question differently. The NZ dollar as I write is worth 23.38 baht on the cross rate. Is that what you get when you transfer the money via wise into a Thai bank, or is it less, e.g. a rate of 1 NZD = 22.88 baht?

I don't know what other kind there is for a heterosexual male with zero interest in ladyboys.

Are you saying you can predict when the rate is high? How much in fees/commission does wise charge you on a transfer, and how far below the prevailing cross-rate do you get in baht when the money lands in a Thai bank?

One of the most salient features of Australian Consumer Law is the right of a buyer to have a reasonable expectation of fitness for purpose. It overrides any warranty a supplier may purport to give. A car buyer can have a reasonable expectation of the engine lasting 200 - 300K, as long as they regularly maintain the vehicle. So if the engine cooks itself after only 90,000 km, it does not meet the standard of reasonable expectation. In the GWM case, it was clearly unreasonable the vehicle should be rusting after only 12 months. IIRC, the owner was refunded the full purchase price after taking his complaint to the ACCC. Permit me to doubt there are similar remedies available in the Thai consumer law you are quoting, or that they would be enforced with any zeal. It's more likely the plaintiff would be sued for defamation.

I am conflicted, as I am holding about 30% of my assets in silver and gold. Paper profit of about 10%. OTOH, I can remember my parents and grandparents talking about the Great Depression.

I learned very quickly here to keep my own counsel, and not attempt to teach anyone anything, unless specifically asked to do so. I'd recommend the OP take up herding cats. Safer and easier.

I would tend to put Thai women who own bars in that category, the few I encountered during my bar days all seemed to have hearts of stone. Perhaps my antennae were better, I seemed to be able to detect the gold-diggers quite quickly.

In general, I've found most Thais to be nicer than farangs, many of whom appear to be dedicated to making complete prats of themselves.

Don't understand. She'll be getting more baht than before, unless the GBP is tanking too.

I'll cry in your beer, you can cry in mine.

I'm sure there will be a crypto fanboy along shortly to advise you.

Why oh why do you have to give the clowns in government ideas?

I wish just once I could time my transfers at peak value, got 24.8 baht last week. Never mind, I suppose it's better than being Russian. The guarantee on deposits up to 1 million baht may be next.

In a straight line, yes. IMO FWD is more controllable accelerating on a curve. With RWD, things can go pear-shaped quickly. The Hyundai i30N is FWD, probably only 2% of drivers can exploit its full capability. No argument AWD is the best option. That is probably going to be the next stage of i30N development.

Nothing to do with taste, canneries tend to harvest and process under-ripe ( acidic ) pineapple, as it is more cost-effective than trying to judge when to can the fruit in varying degrees of ripeness. Enlighten me please - who elected you as an arbiter of what I should prefer?

The Europeans will source their gas from elsewhere, those moves are already underway. Why give an enemy the means to spend even more on his military? The US shale oil assets will get a new lease of life, Australian gas will flow to Europe. Russia is now an international pariah, its only friend is China and you can bet they will drive a hard bargain. As for the ruble replacing the US dollar as the reserve currency - what on earth are you smoking?

The tin lining gives a free dose of stannous/stannic ions, ever noticed how the lining is showing etching of the metal? The acidity in the pineapple does that.

As a child, pineapple was a luxury in Australia, it all came out of a can. Nowadays, I eat pineapple I buy at my favorite market stall every day, 20 baht a bag. I've found the smallest pineapples are the sweetest, much like the women here.

Most of the RWD cars I drove in my younger days had terminal understeer. I don't know if anyone remembers the Hillman Imp, a 5 psi change in tire pressures front and back was sufficient to give either understeer or oversteer in bountiful proportions.