Etaoin Shrdlu

Some of them very expensive.

Silly hats? Shtreimel.

It depends. If your mother is not a tax resident in Thailand and she sends you money from abroad, then she is not subject to Thai income tax. If the money is hers and a legitimate gift to you, then you are not liable for income taxes. You would also not be liable for gift taxes unless the amount exceeds the threshold for gifts from parents of 20 million baht per year. If you transferred money to your mother that would be assessable income under Thai tax regulations and she then transmitted it to you in an effort to avoid Thai taxation my making it appear as a gift, then it may not stand up under scrutiny if it came to the attention of the RD. I'm not sure whether this would also technically be considered money laundering under Thai law. In the past there had to be an underlying specific illegal activity (drug and human trafficking, for example) for it to be money laundering and I don't think tax evasion was one of them. I'm not sure whether this has changed in recent years.

Those aren't bugs, they're features! But I'm surprised a cashed-up guy like you would have even noticed any of that, living in the cushy cocoon that mega-bucks buy.

Here's a good analysis of Trump's current state and motivations: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/opinion/trump-revenge-american-people.html?unlocked_article_code=1.104.hhP2.d9GJHusBXDEH&smid=url-share

I decided I needed a US phone number enough to justify the $99 lifetime subscription to Phone2. Since Viber can't provide a US number, I'll let my 59 baht per month subscription to Viber Out expire at the end of this month. Viber Out did work for outgoing calls, however. I was paying Skype a total of about $70 per year for a Skype Number together with an annual subscription for unlimited calls to US landlines and mobiles. I've tested Phone2 for both outgoing and incoming calls and it works just fine. I'll break even if Phone2 lasts for 18 months. I don't presently have a need for 2FA via SMS from financial institutions, so I can't say whether Phone2's claims that their incoming SMS service works for financial institutions' 2FA are valid.

Call THAI and tell them your situation and see what they say. If THAI can't offer a solution, get a new passport now. Don't put any bogus information into their reservation system.

Where is his crown? Shouldn't the sign say "I'm King Krasnov"? And then there's Hugo Drax, the Nazi with the rockets.

It does for Mac, so certainly should for MS Windows.

I'm afraid the worst is yet to come.

Normally I receive an email from the US Embassy when an alert of this nature is issued. I haven't received one for this.

No. Viber has Viber Out, which for 59 baht per month supports unlimited phone calls to US landlines and mobiles, just like Skype. World-wide calling costs a bit more. https://account.viber.com/en/ The major deficiency of Viber is the lack of an equivalent to the Skype Number for incoming calls.

Thanks. In the meantime, I've downloaded Viber and purchased a subscription that provides unlimited calls to the US for 59 baht per month. I've used Viber in the past, but haven't done so for a number of years now. I'll see how it works. Unfortunately, Viber does not seem have an option for providing a US phone number the way Skype does, at least as far as I can determine. But that's a minor issue compared to being able to make calls to landlines in the US.

Where did you find the option for the lifetime plan at $99? Their website seems to only offer a business plan at $15 per month.

I'm in the same situation. I need to find something to replace Skype that supports calling landlines inexpensively.

Everyone knows that what the medical profession erroneously calls "disease" is actually the manifestation of demonic possession. Just ask Dr. Stella Immanuel.

Jack Russells are fearless. Ours has taken on large monitor lizards and chased them from our garden. Smaller monitors have met a different fate.

And he gave approval to make the payment? If so, then you should get reimbursed by your insurer for this payment.

Was a representative of the insurance company present at this meeting?

Advised to pay by whom?

Did the lawyer present the rider's demand in writing? If so, forward the letter to your insurance company and advise the rider's lawyer in writing that all future correspondence or discussions must be directed to your insurer. If the request was verbal, advise the lawyer that he needs to contact your insurance company and decline further discussion with the lawyer. Advise your insurer of the lawyer's approach in writing. The best way to handle vehicle accidents is to contact your insurance company right away and not pay anything out of your pocket. Let the insurance company handle everything.

I received a Christmas card here in Bangkok during the second week of February that was posted from Mountain View, CA on December 20th. Two 1099s were received on February 21st, one posted on January 23rd and the other on January 27th, one from PA and the other from, I think, upstate NY. Under normal circumstances, it usually it takes first class mail from the US about ten days to arrive.

Earth was spherical until the Covid jab flattened it.

Don't the IRS rules require that a taxpayer claim any foreign tax refunds applicable and then only claim the tax credit for the net amount after the foreign tax refund? Simply ceding the entire 15% to the Thai taxman wouldn't seem to pass muster in this regard if a refund could be obtained. Or no?

Well, since this is a Trump thread, I'll post this: Is/was Donald Trump a Soviet/Russian asset? https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/21/2305351/-Magic-Disappearing-DB-Story-About-Allegations-Trump-Was-Recruited-as-a-Russian-Asset Even "The Mooch" (certainly no "leftist") has some suspicions: https://www.thedailybeast.com/anthony-scaramucci-raises-alarm-on-donald-trumps-weird-relationship-with-vladimir-putin/ And what might be the implications of having been given the code name "Krasnov"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Krasnov