scorecard

Sure, no doubt true. Also true is that plenty of youngsters don't want to 'stand out' when they are with their peers who are not interested in education, getting ahead etc. Seen this close to our extended family. Aunt wants to just blend in, have the same poor quality housing as everybody in the village. Most can't afford anything better but aunt can. Her son is just finishing his 2nd masters degree and his mum is not happy because it makes her think her neighbors don't like her now, she's got high education in the family. My Thai son (well educated, 2 masters degrees and in process of trying to get his Ph.D., but very few people know waht qualifications he has) talked to her carefully, end result she told my son 'don't come here, my neighbors don't like people like you and they don't make me welcome like they used to'. Not true in every village of course but it does happen.

Agree, in fact there's many young Thai folks who have good education, speak good english and have highly valuable experience form studying/living/working abroad. Khun Thanathorn is from an extremely wealthy successful familt. His personal values are strong small s socialism, a society taking taking care of itself, sharing, equality, equal opportunity. His values and attidudes horrify Thailands hi-so folks and run enathema to the military history and desires for military rule. All of these folks hate him and hate his values. Personally I believe he would be a very good turn arounf pm and there's plenty of folks in his party who have the same views and as a team could make major highly valuable changes to Thailand. But the military refuse to give him any chance, and take actions to ensure for no really good reasons he's sidelined, by trumped up charges etc. Sadly the loser is Thailand / all Thais. Also in the picture are numerous claims that he's a stooge for Thaksin and photos of him shaking hands with Thaksin and stories floated everywhere that he was a Thaksin supporter/proxy.Nothing could be further from the truth. Change is unfortunately and sadly not happening anytime soon.

Why?

Well done...

And achieved the 2 years - Portability level, returned to LOS 2 weeks after Portability achieved, no questions asked. About 2 weeks after 2 years in Oz was finsihed I called the Centrelink older Australian line and politely asked 'I am entitled to Portability?' Very pleasant lady said 'let me check that screen, just 1 minute. Quickly back on the line 'yes you have Portability', do you have any questions about how Portability works? I responded 'No i've been doing my homewrok. She giggled and said 'don't hesitate to all again if you develop any questions'. Then she said 'do you have the Centrelink banking form for your benefits to be sent to your o'seas bank. Meanwhile she had sent the form to my e.mail. Then she asked 'do you have a pen there?', I said 'yes' and she slowly gave me the specific e.mail address to send the completed banking form back to Services Ausralia. I repeated it back and a few days later I had been to K Bank for them to add their stamp which is really a confirmation that the bank branch, address, account name and account number on the formare correct. I scanned the completed forma and sent it back to Services Australia. A couple of days later I got a call from a pleasant young man from Centrelink, he was calling to double check the account number. All done slowly and all correct, then he gave me a date to expect the first 4 weekly transfer to arrive in my K Bank account. The date was correct.

Rent assistance is case by case and yes can be amounts like AU130 per fortnight. Energy allowance is about AU14 per fortnight.

Australians who have achieved portability and now live permenantly / most of the time abroad receive 100% of the 6 monthly CPI etc., adjustments. I get it every six months, March and September. OAP recipients abroad don't get most alllowance. The typical allownces that would affect many OA pensioners are energy and , rent assistance.

Lucky man. Did you return to oz numerous times in that 5 years?

He believes he's entitled.

Agree. In fact, like many folks, I discovered years ago that hot showers just made me sweat more and produce BO. Cold or with a very low setting so just the chill is taken off the water & after being under the water a few seconds I turn back to full cold. Works for me.

Naah, he'll claim brake failure.

Covid is spreading again across Thaiand. Two of my granddaughters go to same bi-lingual school here in Chiang Mai. A week ago they came home with a notice with some details about covid 19 spreading again and saying as of the next day masks are compulsory all day. Note also asked parents who have supplies of the quick test use them every morning before they bring their kids to school. Test day kids came home with a box of quick tests. Son is doing just that. He's just mentioned the day he took his kids to school there was acheck at the gate, every car & m/cycle stopped and a teacher asked if they have masks in the car if the kids not actually wearing them. Kids walking in if no mask on being asked if they have mask in their bag. If so put it on now. Keep in mind that shops/offices can insist on customers wearing masks.

I'm in Chiang Mai. 5 months ago I, and my Thai DIL who is a phone apps / banking wiz tried to install at home, no success. DIL took me to K Bank (5 minutes drive), supervisor came and mentioned that you now have to do it at a K Bank branch and she asked If she could go ahead and do the installation. She explained every step to my DIL then did the activity so that my DIL could see what she was doing. Two minutes later all done. Helpful and polite bank supervisor (good English) then asked that we go to a very close by kiosk, make a small purchase using the K+ app to check it's working OK. It worked perfectly and no problem since and I use it a lot.

Somewhere in that comment is: - 'what (non-extradition) country would accept him / give him asylum and how would that sit with his massive ego?' Hey no problem - Nth. Korea! But would that country allow him to speak freely?

"..... Trump is ready to do or say anything, as long as he thinks it can benefit him." Loads of evidence this is true. Also seems to me that the benefits he got from having Kushner around outweighed his dislike for anything not white supremicist.

Any members know of any reliable service to do this in Bangkok or Pattaya at reasonable price? Please share.

Any members know of any reliable service to do this in Pattaya or Bangkok at reasonable price? Please share.

Maybe 3 decades ago there was a dispute with baggage handlers at Melbourne airport. The handlers decided to escalate the situation. Next shift starts and a large number of off duty baggage handlers arrive at the public area carousel, some with sledge hammers. As bags tip onto the sloped carousel and start their journey there's a 2 step activity: - Many handlers stomping many times on every bag - Every bag getting slammed heavily with a number of sledge hammer blows. All of the above on photo news services, plus photos of the sudden arrival of the CEO of the main airline involved in the dispute. CEO tried to talk tough and tell the handlers he'll ensure they never work again etc... He immediately gets attacked by several handlers and seriously beaten up. Urgent announcement - Handlers got what they wanted and same benefits spread immediately to all handlers. News reports reveal that the handlers were very poorly paid way under anything acceptable as a bare minimum. But of course not condoning violence.

Wow, take a break from whatever...

Seems you're saying the constitution should be cancelled (as per his request) as a tit for tat response to details re Hunter Biden. Is that really the way the law works in the US?

My Thai son worked as a barman at the very popular disco/club/pub strip near RAMA 9 (can't think of the name). The owner of the venue where my son worked regularly briefed all staff to never go near any of the chalerm bothers or their minders, all of whom often flashed handguns and shoys had been fired. He told staff to isten to what they say and react quickly, never ask for money. If there's any confusion or displeasure or anger from the chalerms just all disappear out of the building as fast as you can. Don't worry about cash in the drawer, locking things, just run and someone call me (the owner) and I will call a sentior cop I know well.

Its possible he has no interest at all in such events and possible his family would prefer that he's not spotted, especially at high profile events. It's also possible he comes into and out of Thailand regualarly by private jet and keeps a very low profile at the family house in Bkk. And keep in mind there's 2 private airstrips just over the border in Cambodia where there's no documentation needed to land/take off, no passport checks etc., and I wouldn't be surprised if the cops pick him up and take him to his home in Bkk and reverse. Cost would not be a problem. Bottom line - I believe he'll never be arrested.

Good point and there's 2 issues: - There the level of difficulty to pass the test to owna gun. and a totally separate subject - The level of difficulty to buy a gun.

I wonder whether any senior police or prosecutors feel any shame about this whole case/mess. I doubt it, they probably see just lots of cash and nothing more. At the other end of the chain I wonder if this puts off any wanna be cops (don't want to join a scaly corrupt force) or perhaps it makes it more attractive to join for many. And that brings up the candidate test, I wonder if the well khown games to corrupt the test are still happening. But silly question, of course it still happens. I wonder what Big Joke thinks about this?

Nice point. I've had several Iranian exchange students in my bachelor and masters classes. More than half were very arrogant. One young man, who came from a high level family was complained about continuously for his rudeness and arrogancy and bossy attidues, and in reality he had no authority whatever in the class room. I and other professors counselled him several times. His response was more arrogance and threats. The police were called after one incident and he was deported the same day. Another arrogant young man seriously insisted that he wanted a lecturer who was not American. He was told that he could make such demands. He went to a couple of non American lecturers and demanded to join their classes. They refused because their courses were not part of his degree requirements. He went home.