Etaoin Shrdlu

Natasha's surname is Fatale.

I think the US recognizes that not all banks are in the position to defy local privacy laws, so banks were given leeway to segregate their accountholders into those who complied and those who are recalcitrant. I think the balances and transactions of recalcitrant accountholders was to be pooled and reported in the aggregate without identifying individual account holders. This gave the banks a means of complying with FATCA without breaking local privacy laws. Because of this, I doubt that most banks would take the nuclear option of closing an average expat's account, but it's anyone's guess what a Thai bank may do. I also don't know about CRS or have any insight into Thai laws in this area, which I understand were amended in order to facilitate CRS and FATCA compliance by the banks.

I have Bose QC2 on-ear headphones that I bought about ten years ago. Every couple of years, the ear pads start to disintegrate and shed black foam powder and therefore need to be replaced. OEM Bose ear pads cost 1,600 baht or so. Replacements from Lazada cost less than 400 baht and are indistinguishable from OEM. I have had no problems replacing the ear pads myself. Ear pads for your Sony headphones with cooling gel are available from Lazada as well. I suspect if you bought a pair an took them with your headphones to almost any electronics kiosk in a mall and offered them 100 baht they'd install them for you.

Actually, Trump received less than 50 percent of the total popular votes cast. He won a plurality of the popular vote, not the majority. More Americans voted for someone other than Trump than voted for Trump. He has no significant mandate from the people. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/donald-trump-vote-margin-narrowed/

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Opera browser has a free VPN service. The main downside is that it only provides a VPN for the browser itself and not any other applications that may access the internet.

Yeah, she isn't much to look at, but I guess that's the way Mikey and the MAGAs like them.

I think Mikey just wants trans women in the men's rooms.

Sure hope they were good Samaritans. Otherwise, Alex and his droogs, Pete, Georgie, and Dim, out for a bit of the old ultra violence. Was the Brit singing "Molly Malone"?

The OP does not mention the citizenship of the applicant. If it was a non-US citizen, the bank was looking for indicia of US person status which may not be evident if the applicant was simply presenting a non-US passport. It is possible to come under FATCA reporting requirements without being a US citizen.

I think that the maximum travel medical benefit on offer from insurers based in Thailand is around 4 or 5 million baht. AXA Thailand tops out at 4 million baht and AIG at 5. I would prefer the local operations of multinational companies as opposed to purely Thai insurers. Higher limits may be on offer from EU, UK, or US-based insurers. Policies from non-Thai insurers may be broader in coverage as well and you may have access to better consumer protection and regulatory regimes. If you are looking for higher limits and potentially broader coverage, then reputable EU/UK/US insurers are probably the way to go. I recommend finding a good insurance broker outside of Thailand to help you. Also, whether you use a broker or go direct to an insurer, make sure the insurer has a good financial strength rating from Standard and Poor or AM Best. There are some entities offering insurance coverage to expatriates that are of questionable financial strength and which may or may not adhere to standard industry practices.

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https://www.reuters.com/world/us/muslims-who-voted-trump-upset-by-his-pro-israel-cabinet-picks-2024-11-15/ What did they expect? First ones to have buyer’s remorse. Many others soon to follow.

Matt Gaetz's photo reminds me that Beavis is the one with blond hair.

Can't think of how that would improve life, except golf scores may come down when playing from the red tees.

Most of that was repair or replacement of existing structures. Only about 80 miles of new wall was built during his term. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46748492

It sure seemed to be a high priority during his campaign: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/03/trump-haitian-migrants-deport-00182328

Mass deportation is already being walked back in the Murdoch press: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/donald-trump-immigration-policy-tom-homan-deportation-border-stephen-miller-19e0e963?st=UZw23i&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink This is an opinion piece by the Editorial Board, so it is plenty Trumpy. Haitians in Springfield probably won't be a priority if this is how thing go.

He’s gotten himself elected. How would credibility with respect to campaign rhetoric be of any use to him now?

Some of them, but not all. This one specifically about the Haitians in Springfield will probably not be addressed soon. Could be wrong, though.

Trump can't run for re-election, so the outrage about Haitians eating dogs and cats is of no further use to him. It was great political theater during the heat of the campaign, but it has already fizzled out. Mike DeWine, Republican Governor of Ohio, stated that the Haitian immigrants were hard workers and urged Trump and Vance to stop telling lies, so there's not much support at the state level to evict them. On balance, rust belt Ohio needs them, although they may tax resources locally. The donor class knows that deporting immigrants will hurt their bottom line with respect to labor costs, so a quiet word with The Donald will be had, if it hasn't already. I doubt he will specifically target them for near-term deportation, but I suspect new policies may affect them to varying degrees mid or longer-term.

Is the amount of money that the government does not collect if VAT is not levied on tuition more or less than the extra expenditure that would be required to educate all of this prep school's students in government schools?

Obama is living rent-free in this author's head.

He would probably need to read in order to write books. I understand he doesn't do that.

Insurers in Thailand do not offer insurance to cover a renter's liability for damage to a motorbike that they rent. Travel insurance offered by offshore insurers usually excludes coverage for third party liability arising out of the use of motor vehicles and would therefore not cover the renter's liability for damages to the rented motorbike itself. The only coverage available to the renter for damage to the motorbike itself and for liability to third parties, would be the insurance that the owner of the motorbike provides. The basic mandatory Por Ror Bor scheme would respond for a limited amount of medical expenses, but may not be adequate or address all liabilities that could arise from an accident. It does not provide any cover for damage to third party property. The voluntary third party liability and physical damage covers may be invalidated for a number of reasons, including exclusions related to commercial use of the vehicle (rental). In my opinion, renting motorbikes in Thailand comes with a large element of risk that can't be transferred.