Etaoin Shrdlu

America is far from perfect and there are areas that cry out for improvement, some of which you have mentioned. I doubt that many of them are on MAGA's agenda, however. In fact, it seems that MAGA is actually against seeking workable answers to most of them.

And to think he was elected by the Cardinals! Edit: Turns out his brother is stating that he's a White Sox fan. Makes sense. Cardinals would never elect a Cubs fan. He grew up on the South Side, so that explains it, too.

The real issue regarding the new Pope comes down to this: Which team will have God on its side, the Cubs or the White Sox?

I think we checked the online queue on the DLT website first: https://gecc.dlt.go.th/dltsmartqueue/register and then my wife called the Bang Chak office and was told to make a booking online. Good luck.

Exactly. And those who say "make America great again" are implying it isn't great now. What losers!

Our son needed to go to the DLT to get his 5-year license while he was briefly back home a couple of years ago. The only appointments we could get at Bang Chak were well past the date he needed to return to his university in the US. Other DLT offices in Bangkok were also booked solid. We drove to the DLT office in Samut Prakan, walked in, and were able to get the new license. Not sure if this would work in all cases, but it did in ours.

The picture on the right. Were they furries, too?

Drop in sales must be due to increase in cost caused by the tariffs imposed on McDonald Island. Those pesky penguins ripping off the US all these years by sending burgers and fries without importing anything in return.

The difference in premium between insurers for basic third party liability cover for a vehicle won't be much. Last year I think I paid about baht 2,000 for basic liability cover for a pickup truck that is over 20 years old. That's in addition to the compulsory Por Ror Bor scheme.

He'll commission a film to memorialize this event. It will be called "Triumph of the Will". Oh, wait! That title's already been taken and Leni Riefenstahl is long gone.

This thread isn't about Joe Biden. It's about Trump's desire for a self-aggrandizing parade at taxpayer expense. Let him take up a collection from his MAGA cult members to pay for it.

When I first came to Thailand to work, I obtained a reciprocal license based upon my US license. I never used it, but it was a bit of a novelty having a Hotel Sierra callsign. After I obtained PR, I suppose I could have sought to get a proper Thai license, but by then I had lost interest in the hobby, plus the hassle of importing a rig, etc. was more than I was up for while I was working.

Pacific Prime is a reputable insurance broker, at least from what I can gather.

A policyholder does not normally have direct recourse to reinsurers, so if the insurance company that issued the policy becomes insolvent, the policyholder would not get paid directly by the insurance company's reinsurers. If the insurer that issued your policy goes bust, there may be a guarantee fund run by the insurance regulator that would step in and pay the policyholders' claims, but not all jurisdictions have such funds. Thailand actually does, but it was not adequate to address the claims made against some Thai insurers that became insolvent due to the Covid policies they issued. I do not have much insight into offshore insurance brokers that deal primarily with expatriate health insurance. Other AN members may. But it is usually best to find a broker in a jurisdiction that has strong regulatory oversight and good consumer protection laws. Many EU jurisdictions, the UK, and some US states like New York would fit this description.

There are several large, multinational insurers that offer health insurance to expats.These insurers will have strong financial strength ratings from AM Best or Standard & Poor, which means that a policyholder does not need to worry too much about the insurers becoming insolvent. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, and AIG, once one of the world's largest insurers, almost bit the dust back in 2007/2008 despite excellent financial strength ratings just prior. Cigna, AXA, Allianz, and insurers at Lloyds, among others, carry good financial strength ratings and if you take out a policy with them from one of their offices in a well-regulated jurisdiction and through a reputable insurance broker, you will at least have a proper regulatory environment and reasonable consumer protection to go along with financial strength. My suggestion would be to find a good insurance broker outside of Thailand who deals with the Europe-based operations of major insurers. Discuss your needs with the broker and let them provide you with indications or quotes from major insurers. Others may be able to suggest an offshore broker.

Aren't you glad you drive a Hilux? Need to dial in the first sentence a bit better.

I understand that people are being sent to CECOT in El Salvador because they have tattoos.

Morgan Price is an insurance broker, not an insurance company. MP acts as a managing general agent for Antea International Insurance Limited and this is the company that actually bears the risk of loss under the policies issued by Morgan Price. I cannot find any financial information on Antea International Insurance Limited using AM Best and Standard & Poor websites. Antea International Insurance Limited does appear as a "Licensed International Insurance Entity" under the heading "Captive Insurance Companies" on the website of the Financial Services Regulatory Commission on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean. (Where have we seen something like this before?) I would not feel comfortable having a policy backed by an insurer that appears only to be licensed and regulated by a regulator in a tax haven country that may have lax oversight and few consumer protections. While Morgan Price is regulated in the UK by the FCA, I don't think Antea International Insurance company Limited is. Brokers are not usually responsible in the event an insurer goes bust. My preference would be to have a policy issued by an insurer with a satisfactory AM Best or S&P financial strength rating and is based in a jurisdiction known for strong oversight and good consumer protections.

We don't know what the mother wanted. She wasn't allowed to contact her family or a lawyer. She may have wanted her children to remain in the US with relatives. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/28/women-children-citizens-deported-honduras

Apart from any technical issues regarding the app, I think it only works with QR codes linked to merchants' bank accounts. Many places, especially smaller shops, use QR codes linked to personal accounts which aren't eligible for TagThai payments.

"Leading the charge is Thailand's cat and dog food exports, capturing 38% of the US market share with 30.2 billion Thai Baht last year." Most of this is probably product made by Mars, Inc. an American company. Mars owns the Pedigree, Iams and Royal Canin brands. Wouldn't be surprised if an American company got an exemption to the tariffs. Mars also makes Snickers and Mars Bars, presumably in a different factory.

Your tinfoil hat is on crooked.

Vaccine Choice Canada is an anti-vax organization that continues to peddle debunked claims and conspiracy theories regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness.

Not sure how that works.

When the criticism starts coming from the Editorial Board of the WSJ, then you know Rupert Murdoch is getting tired of Trump. Last to turn will be the New York Post, as it is the most MAGA of Murdoch's press. But turn it eventually will. Murdoch and the other billionaires are only in it for the tax cuts. But for tax cuts to be meaningful, there has to be income and asset values have to remain steady. As it becomes clear that Trump is destroying their fortunes, they'll dump him. If Trump keeps up this tariff madness, it won't take long.