Fat is a type of crazy

What is god to the believers?

You could say belief in god allows humans to rewrite history, heats up the now, and fights for the future.

Rewrite History

For some believers your sins can be forgiven. Or you can apportion blame on your bad deeds to the devil. Even as a spiritual person you can put things down to a learning experience on a spiritual path. A god helps us justify our actions and or start afresh.

Heats up the now

God can give meaning to our lives. Give us something to fight for. Inspire passions. Make for us and them. Even a spiritual person with no religion can find warmth amongst believing that humans are linked, or in communicating with similar believers, and to have an opinion on the non believing others.

Fights for the future

A belief in god is often a belief in our own future beyond this life. It is almost as though a god by definition is fighting for us beyond this mortal coil. Even a spiritual non-religious person can feel some succor in that hope for the future.

12 minutes ago, covidiot said:

i didn't see ghosts.

i felt their presence 

cannot be filmed or proven.

so should you take my word for it?

no. 

 

As a kid I remember being told lots of weird and wonderful tales from friends and others of footsteps in the hallway and even unscrewing kitchen taps .. as a 10 year old it seemed plausible and I was open to suggestion on the topic. Looking back I don't know what the people who told me were about.

I will say we used to have seances as kids where the object did move and spell out messages on a ouija board supposedly from dead people. Different people involved so that less likely to be one person  pushing. Hard to push and pull the object too. I am still not sure what was going on.. could be a combination..one or more pranksters.. unconscious wish fulfillment ..or a ghostie..

Never did another one after the age of about 15..

23 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

I think you will find wise doesnt do Thailand to Australia

 

Thanks. Didn't know that. It's all been one way from Australia to Thailand ..maybe my girl will send me some money some time and we'll have to find a different way. Not likely but

For exchange of physical baht I found places like Super Rich, or just some local place if in Bangkok or a big city,  are likely to be fine and a much better rate than banks. The money exchange places on the ground floor at the train station at the Suvarnabhumi  airport are all good even if not well known names.  Might need to call them first  if you want lots of Australian dollars. 

For sending to Australia Wise, formally Transferwise,  are normally up there with the best. 

1 hour ago, mauGR1 said:

That's very true,  you should try to remember that when you go on mocking the "believers" as a whole ????

It's fair not to judge believers as good or bad based on that belief. It is not fair to castigate believers because of that belief. I think it is fair to note that believers have gone to an extreme - that being belief. They could say I think, hope, long for, have a feeling of, a god. But a believer says I know 100 per cent there is a god. Conversation over. 

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The "bad" people I know personally that made my life worse are quite happy with their lives.

I think your points only apply to some bad people and the rest are having a great life, despite doing so at the expense of "good" people.

I have to wonder if you know any bad people personally, as your points seem to be the sort that would be found in some bureaucratic handbook.

BTW, bad people are not necessarily criminals. The bad people I know are at no risk of arrest or jail time.

 

A 'good life' is more likely to result in peace, harmony, happiness, intellectual insights, good health, a long life, and so on

Seriously? I think you must be takin' the <deleted>.

I don't consider myself a bad person, but I've had none of the benefits you give, apart from ( IMO ) intellectual insights.

It is interesting how most of us are almost boring in our predictability in that we won't do the wrong thing to others except for minor infractions here and there. On the other hand others seem to have no compunction in ripping off others or worse. Put it down to different brains caused by nature or nurture.  Helps us get through the day to hope that karma or some sort of retribution awaits. Helps avoid that nagging feeling of powerlessness that we are not in a position either due to cleverness or circumstance to take action ourselves. 

Good article.  In my opinion the answer is critical thinking and not laziness or emotional decisions to just ditch all news. There are reliable news sources who fact check and correct errors and there are dodgy news sources.

An article like this might point out trends whereby all news sources at one time or another are affected by broad biases, and manipulation by government and others, but I will still trust the Washington Post compared to the Daily Mail or Covid Harry on Brand New Tube. 

You probably know this but if you haven't been told you need a specific probiotic just look for a decent natural yoghurt, sauerkraut or tempeh and stuff like that. I should thing asian grocery stores would have kim chi too which is a nice accompaniment to your dinner.  

1 hour ago, rumak said:

A coronavirus outbreak among vaccinated players and staff has “rocked” the New York Yankees and attracted the attention of the CDC this week. So far, eight people, including shortstop Torres, have tested positive more than 14 days after being fully vaccinated.

 

OOOPS !    statistics don't lie   ????

The very point is that this isn't statistics..it's one high profile case.

I think it's fine to be cautious but it's good for one minute to step back and compare today to say two hundred years ago. 

People would have marveled at what had been achieved in one year to combat a disease that would have just run amok two hundred years ago. If they heard that government worked with private enterprise to create a vaccine that is to save countless lives and give people their lives back they would have been mightily impressed.

Caution is fine, pharmaceutical companies can be greedy, but a cup half full approach shows this as an amazing achievement and statistics show most of the vaccines are much much more likely to help rather than hinder you.  

One side of the coin is expats not having a lot of funds to spend for whatever reason.

A different issue, as per an interesting story in today's news in Australia, is  about people who retire but don't use much of their superannuation or other savings. The idea is that they are so careful about having enough to live off in retirement, and so used to scrimping and saving for their retirement, when they retire they just keep up that lifestyle and just leave much of their super to the next generation.

I wonder if there are expats who could be spending more but are so used to being cheap charlies or just being careful that there spend is fairly low..

49 minutes ago, fondue zoo said:

 

Will Australia let you out?  ..and not quarantine you for 14 days on your return?

 

 

It was looking like October..now maybe December..you are right the Australian Government just had the budget and isn't committing to anything at this stage.. airport shares down today.. I can get the vaccine now which hopefully means I can avoid long quarantine periods but that's not clear too

4 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Americans, and the government they elected, are too focused on what gender they are and persecuting the police to care about much else.

Yeah that sounds like Joe Biden and his team. Not. They have done an amazing job vaccinating the country. I don't see why people outside the country should expect anything in particular. 

14 minutes ago, robblok said:

Personally id do squats and deadlifts the biceps and triceps stuff is not really important they are small muscles that get trained with chest and back. Just my opinion. For many people starting off with a full body workout 3 times a week is best. But it really depends what equipment you have and it depends on what you like. Because even a sub par workout is better than a great workout that you did not do.

 

 

Good point. For some reason I feel the heavy leg exercises are a bit hard on me as I am tall and thinnish so I leave it to cardio and boxing etc to do the job. But it is probably objectively better.

Two other tips are:

Watch technique - go lighter and get technique right..

Could do 10 minutes stretching yoga stuff before bed to stop cramp and relax a bit

A few months ago I suggested you do some gym because I think the exercise can help some bad habits, such as excessive drinking, seem less attractive. People gave me confused faces but it's good to see you're into it.

I am not sure if my way is best but I do 2 workouts twice a week :

Workout 1 : Cardio Chest Arms

Decent fast run for 10 minutes. Skipping for 5 minutes. 50 pushups. I use a wheel for front stretches along the floor.

150 in total sit ups and leg raises. Flys lying on back. Sit down bicep curls. Tricep over shoulder. 

Workout 2: Cardio Boxing Back Shoulders

Decent run fast for 10 minutes. Boxing and Kicking bag or shadow 10 minutes.

Front dumbell raise. Side dumbell raise and  Front dumbell lift from shoulder up - for this you do one set and go straight to the other one - this had a real impact on shoulder size.

Lat pull downs or equivalent. Rowing with weights or equivalent.

I do some other stuff that is only at gym such as pushing weight along floor and rope swing and some other cardio stuff but if needed you could add 10 minutes of something else. 

19 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

They scrapped CSS when the pollies worked out it was nearly as good as their super grab.

I was planning to go at 54/11, but was offered a package 13 months before that time when a number of positions in my department were made redundant. As it included 12 months tax free salary I jumped at it, and was out the door in about 3 days. Getting more money to not go to work was too attractive.

Strict interpretation of ATO residency rules states you must pay the higher tax rate, but as I pointed out, some individuals have received more favorable oral rulings.

Incidentally, I disagree with a poster early in this thread who said you can discuss your situation with ATO anonymously.  I believe they always require your TFN for any contact. 

That was me. You definitely can speak anonymously as I have done so. The computer call centre thing on the phone  asks if you want to give ID, or some sort of voice recognition, but just pick the options not to and they will still help. Obviously if you want binding advice that's different. 

14 hours ago, Old Croc said:

I'm unsure why Leaver, who is not Australian, has such strong opinions and warnings about ATO audit attacks on low income retirees, but his dire predictions are not backed up by examples.

There are a myriad of Australian pensioners, in various categories, living in Thailand and I have not heard of a single one being monstered by the tax office. They would be screaming on these pages if it were the case.

I have not been back to Australia for 10 years and no longer have reason to ever return. My income category is that of retired Australian Government Employee on a CSS pension. I also have other tax free investments. I have no contact with CL at all. In my 70s, I've never applied for a partial aged pension.

As I cannot obtain residency in this country, I consider Australia to be my permanent home even though it would require exceptional circumstances for me to return there.

As someone with long government service at a fairly high level, and who has literally shed blood for the country, I greatly resent the idea that my hard earned pension should be taxed at the same rate as a fruit picking backpacker.

In previous discussions here on this subject several CSS pensioners related that they have talked to ATO and been given oral rulings that they should continue to state they are resident for tax purposes. There are others who have bitten the bullet and pay the higher tax.

I cannot remove the balance of my superannuation from the fund to invest elsewhere (I did once enquire) and continue to pay a small tax on my pension.

ATO provide an e-tax form each year with my CSS income and bank interest pre-filled, and I have no expectations nor fears that an audit is likely.

The CSS sounds good..I am in PSS which is pretty good but I hit 54 11 a while ago and it would have been nice to take that up. Better than the current super fund which is not defined benefit. 

I had been told by someone that getting a government pension made you likely to be treated as a resident full stop but that has been pointed out as incorrect.

My 2 cents on the audits is that the concept of whether you are audited on a lower income can depend on data matching. Obviously if  it shows you are sending money overseas, have cash deposits, buying nice cars or real estate, then being on a low income makes you more likely to be audited as you need those funds to live off. If you are on a higher income it is relatively difficult to identify if such things are an issue. 

One thing I have noted is the ATO tend to send out warning or guidance messages by email or letter now if you are outside the norm. I got one because I kept claiming $300 for work related deductions and had one about rental property deductions. I think they may do it for other things such as business benchmarks. So it's possible that if you have your contact details up to date, and have not had a warning on an issue such as residency, an out of the blue audit is not likely. If you get that warning you have an opportunity to take action if appropriate.

4 minutes ago, Will27 said:

I wish that was the case but I don't think it is.

 

Under the test, you are an Australian resident if you are a contributing member of:

• the Public Sector Superannuation Scheme (PSS), or
• the Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme (CSS).
• If you are no longer employed by the Public Service, you will fail this test.

 

https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/coming-to-australia-or-going-overseas/In-detail/Residency/Residency---the-superannuation-test/

It looks pretty clear cut in your link. For the last couple of years I had assumed I had an out but it doesn't look like I have. I'll tell that person their advice sucks. Thanks for that.

1 hour ago, Will27 said:

I'm not sure if that's the case TBH.

I wish it was as I'm in the same boat.

 

I am under the impression that once you stop being a contributing member, ie have left the Public Service, the superannuation test does not apply.

 

In my case I have a defined benefit scheme and when I retire I'll take the super as a pension and obviously cease making contributions at that time - around the age of 60.  I was told by people in the know that if you are receiving a superannuation pension from the Australian government you remain a resident of Australia for tax purposes. 

1 hour ago, Surelynot said:

This is fascinating.......whatever happened in your life to come to these beliefs? 

 

What do feel/think about all those poor unfortunates not born into a society/country that believe in the right God?

 

Or is there just one God and he/she/it presents themselves in different formats.

 

Hinduism has 330 million gods......is that just really one god?

My first post on this topic was about asking my Thai girlfriend how she believes in buddha, hindu gods, snake gods and other things - how does it work, who's in charge etc? I got a good answer on this post about how it works here.

I suppose sometimes the details may not be thought through, in some ways, but the outcome of my girlfriend happily going to a beautiful temple, meditating, eating vegetarian food, no alcohol, is a pretty good one. 

A key issue is  residency. You can call the ATO and say you wish to speak to someone about your residency - make sure they put you through to an expert which they will if you persevere. You don't have to provide your details and they will discuss it with you in detail. 

They may decide it is clearly yes or no or somewhere in between. In my case if I live in Thailand I will always be a resident of Australia because I'll receive a super pension from my government employer. I mention that because there could be something you are not aware of which makes the decision easier than you think.

Once you know that, and if you are deemed a non resident, it is probably worth getting professional advice for peace of mind and so you can invest appropriately in the long term. Finding a good one may be the issue. 

I do note you seem to say there could be Australian tax on non Australian shares  - if you are a non resident you only pay tax on income sourced from Australia. 

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

OK, here's a song that really spoke to me when I was rejected by a woman I was besotted with ( a very long time ago ).

 

Shine on you crazy diamond performed by Pink Floyd- one of the greatest groups to grace the planet.

 

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun
Shine on you crazy diamond
Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky
Shine on you crazy diamond
You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom
Blown on the steel breeze

Come on you target for faraway laughter
Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine

You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon
Shine on you crazy diamond
Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light
Shine on you crazy diamond
Well you wore out your welcome with random precision
Rode on the steel breeze

Come on you raver, you seer of visions
Come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine

You probably know the story that it is about former band member Syd Barrett and, after not seeing him for some time,  he happened to walk in to the studio, eyebrows shaved,  when they recorded this song. If not .. now you do.