cdemundo

I know this wasn't your question but as a suggestion... Could you have your benefits deposited in a US bank and just make ATM withdrawals here of the funds you need? This is what I have done with my SS benefits. I use a Charles Schwab Investor Checking account and they refund all ATM fees each month. I have never had a Thai bank ATM refuse my Schwab debit card. I have an account with Siam Commercial Bank where my employer deposits my salary but I never transfer any funds from the US into that account. Best of luck in finding a solution that works for you.

Exactly, why hasn't the New York Time and CBS News picked this up?

Unless you get specific recommendations for helpful videos.I would say don't waste your time with youtube; it is full of misinformation and stupidity about Thailand. Pretty much impossible to separate the wheat from the chaff without some recommendations. Also, as previously recommended, Lonely Planet and/or Rough Guide guidebooks are inexpensive and cover all the sightseeing and interesting attractions. They have them for Bangkok and Thailand as a whole, maybe other cities. If you are keen a Rough Guide Thai phrase book will get you a lot of goodwill if you are good-natured about making errors when trying to learn. If you buy a phrase book be sure and get one with the Thai words in Thai script as otherwise Thai people can't help much. You may not learn a lot of Thai but making the effort provides humor and buys goodwill with a lot of Thai people. But you have to be good humored about mistakes to get this effect, in other words can you laugh at yourself?. At a minimum learn sawat dee krap/kaa and kap khun krap/kaa; hello and thank you. For researching your hotel choices I would recommend Agoda for checking prices and amenities and use google maps to check location of where you want to stay. I usually make my reservations through Agoda, I wanted to extend my stay once and the front desk of my hotel told me to use Agoda as it was cheaper than what they could offer me. Thailand is very accessible, you will do fine as you are obviously checking into what you need to know.

I can't hold back the tears. The injustice... the unfairness. So glad Groucho isn't alive to see this tragedy.

Makes me think of Monty Python when the women of the Batley Townswomens' Guild reenacted the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I posted a laugh emoji, as I don't think I am smug, snobby or supercilious. Of course you judged me to be smug, snobby, and supercilious based on one post, Matter of opinion of course. What i said was in response the OP saying he felt criticized every time he posted, so that was the context. I think I am realistic about the members of AN and nothing I said I (although obviously my opinions) is really very outrageous if you are familiar with AN. If you find every poster here to be pleasant, intelligent and interesting.. well more power to you.

They do still call the account "Investor Checking". Yes they will send to Thailand, my card stopped reading and I called and asked. I cleaned it with hand sanitizer and it worked again so haven't had one sent yet.

Your statement speaks volumes as the expression goes.

I have had a Schwab investor checking account for many years, 20 years I guess. Can use ATMs in Thailand and all ATM fees are refunded at end of month. Recently SCB ATM stopped allowing withdrawal amounts over 5000THB so I just do multiple withdrawals if needed. That ATM is the one I use most, I don't know if that restriction has been placed by other banks. I have never had a problem with the card being honored by the ATM of any bank in Thailand. If you are going to write checks I have no info as I have not written checks on the account. Maybe 10 years ago I had scammers get access to my account (2 withdrawals in several days), Schwab refunded my money never happened again. I am happy with the account, I mean it does everything as expected. Can't think of any cons.

While listing madmen... There is a story that when Trump was prez he asked an adviser "If we have nuclear weapons why don't we use them". Apparently asked 3 times from the media reports. Seems to have been repeated often if you google "Did Trump ask 'If we have nuclear weapons why don't we use them' " but all the references seem to be from the same source. So who knows? Even still...

Without bragging and boasting this forum would have no reason to exist. AN members can sneak in a boast on just about any topic. The OP was just establishing his bona fides, no big deal.

That sounds like what in my youth was called "a ten buck show". I would have liked to see a bit of it.

In this case the "tantrums and bad behaviour" were exclusively the actions of the Swiss guy.

I understand your thinking. But i think reactive belligerents, and he seems to be one of these, don't really control their behavior based on consequences past or consequences anticipated. Even, though it doesn't affect me directly, he being a person who reflects badly on expats here, I would be glad to see him go.

You are justly proud of your achievements. Sincere congratulations. But intelligent people can disagree with each other, of course the less intelligent and the uninformed also have opinions. Disagreements of all kinds occur on AN and lot of posters here are pig ignorant and proud of it. Hence the ignore function which I have used liberally. I have found that one of the most useful functions of AN for me is to show me what kind of behavior and attitudes to avoid. To many of the posters here the saying applies: "You're not completely useless, you can always serve as a bad example".

No you are correct. But BritManToo is playing the poor innocent. Didn't even know he bumped him "apparently" he bumped him. But then he admits he knew he bumped him, was there a confrontation that led to this?

Wow, extreme over reaction by the Thai professor. But "Apparently I bumped his car that made him angry", ... apparently? You were unaware? Wow.

She is wearing a crop top and shorts, pretty normal attire. You consider her to be half naked and you bring up Nana Plaza freelancers out of the blue. Are you a conflicted Puritan? Are your libidinous thoughts disturbing you? It's OK, it's natural to think about sex. I notice you avoid talking about your mother... haha jk, jk I know you don't need any kind of psychiatric help. You are just fine the way you are,... really.

I see a lot of calls for deportation. Why not? : stoning, could have community participation. or save up a group of offenders and have group crucifixions, could sell tickets. Deportation is so boring. (for the benefit of the thick and slow, JK).

It sounds like the start of a joke or a riddle. What do you call an Englishman who throws a glass? Why is a raven like writing des?. Or something...

People are funny about this. Me too. Is it the Sanctity of Life, is it a higher morality? Kill bunnies or baby seals I am outraged. Kill rats or snakes, not so much. I think it is the Sanctity of Cute Cuddly Lifeforms.

Agreed Fred. But I was responding to the post that said: "Obama took all the guns remember" When he clearly did not.

"Obama took all the guns remember" Actually I don't remember that. "4 Years After Sandy Hook, Obama Leaves a Legacy of Little Progress on Gun Laws No federal gun laws have been passed during his two terms, and gun sales are up... Yet for all the words, Obama has made little federal progress toward what he has repeatedly described as "common-sense gun laws." It is, the outgoing president has acknowledged, one of the biggest regrets of his time in the White House." https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/years-sandy-hook-obama-leaves-legacy-progress-gun/story?id=44163755

In the 1970s I had a job cleaning furnaces that involved going into people's basements. We would routinely see ancient (1940s) Maytags still in use. Some were just an open tub with an agitator, no lid or top, still working. I came to understand why the Maytag repairman is the "loneliest man in town". Here I have an LG, it works just fine.

Careful what you wish for.