ericbj

Many thanks for that info. Shall endeavour to act on it. Did take the bankbook to the bank and we spoke with both a cashier and the bank branch manager. Latter is a friend of my Thai friend, both born and educated in Thailand of Burmese (Karen) parents. Unfortunately my friend is frequently very occupied with work and other activities, and also sometimes away, so can only call upon her from time to time.

Early March I visited the local Tax Office to request a TIN. Some difficulty communicating as no one spoke more than a few words of English; although this was resolved to some extent by their translation software. However I was told that as I had neither employment in Thailand nor a business here I do not need to pay income tax. And therefore do not require a TIN. I replied that as a retired person on a long-stay visa who remits cash from abroad to my Thai bank account as and when needed, my understanding is that I must declare the total remitted since it is substantially in excess of 60K baht. I showed my bank account passbook to prove the transfers made over the past year. Much time passed without my request for a TIN being granted, before finally being asked to return another day. On Thursday 13 March, I secured the assistance of a Thai friend who is a professional interpreter to accompany me to town on a second visit to the Tax Office. This time it was possible to prevail upon them to issue me with a TIN. They also gave me a Personal Income Tax Form #91 to complete. As this was in Thai it was incomprehensible to me, but I managed to obtain an English language version from the Tax Office web-site. Although not difficult to complete (once one understands what is required after careful study of the downloaded documentation) it took me several days of study and more than one fudged attempt before the Form was successfully filled in. Upon filling in the details -- total remittances less (195K + 60K) baht -- I realised that my taxable income was well within the tax-free band of up to 150K. So decided to claim back 2.6K baht of withholding tax on interest received on term-deposits. For this I would need to submit, together with my Form #91 and its Exemptions Appendix, a Withholding Tax Certificate issued by the Bank. Unfortunately, I was told by the Bank that they do not issue such certificates; that one must complete them oneself by visiting a web-site whose URL they provided: https://www.rd.go.th And this despite the Tax Office's documentation stating "The payer is also required to issue you with a withholding tax certificate similar to this form below: [image of form] "If the payer refused to issue a withholding certificate, the payer is subject to a criminal penalty." I have no idea whom the web-site belongs to, nor what it concerns, as it is in Thai. But it does not appear to belong to my Bank. Today, 31 March, I visited the Tax Office in town, once again accompanied by my Thai friend, with Income Tax Form + Exemptions Appendix + my bank book with the deposit account entries. They refused to accept the papers submitted saying that I am not eligible to pay tax because I am not employed in Thailand and have no business here. And they added that as a foreigner I am not entitled to claim reimbursement of Withholding Tax. Of course I have nothing in writing to prove that the forms were submitted but rejected. Nor of the grounds for rejection. Maybe I should try an online submission as there are still a few days left for that. (I have been discouraged from attempting doing it on-line by the difficulty experienced in the past when completing French Revenue Declarations on-line, as opposed to the paper version)

Might be of interest: https://www.verisk.com/blog/earthquakes-in-thailand-is-bangkok-at-risk/ Living for years in a designated moderate seismic zone, the Pyrenean region (where France and Spain are said to approach one another by about 1 cm per year), and involved in re-building a couple of partially collapsed ruins, I gave some attention to local building requirements, plus recommendations for improving seismic resistance of reinforced concrete. The following remarks apply to house-building, but not to skyscrapers: All newly built masonry walls in such a zone are required to have vertical steel-reinforced 'chaînages' [quoins] at all corners and horizontal steel-reinforced 'chaînages' at each floor level. With horizontal and vertical reinforcing bars meeting, but smaller in diameter and much less densely placed than for true pillars and beams. For better earthquake-resistance concrete beams are not simply placed on, or cast on, their supporting pillars. The reinforcing bars of the different elements are fully tied together using angled pieces of bar, where each side of the angle has a length of 40x the bar's diameter. Obviously a lot of extra work is required to increase seismic resistance of a structure. See also: https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_p-232_september2024.pdf

I paid into the ponzi scheme for the most part voluntarily, while abroad. The principle was good, but the calculations were faulty. The real villains of the piece, however, have been politicians who play Russian roulette with taxpayers' money and national economies. For instance by reducing interest rates to rock-bottom and devaluing the currency through various forms of 'money-printing'. And they get away with it because the public is deluded by mass-media in the hands the financial elites. Democracy in name but not substance.

Cheerful wee fella you are. Maybe you realise your lifestyle condemns you to an early demise. But looking on the positive side, some have to pay for the long-haulers such as myself.

There is a gross misconception that by increasing credit by lowering interest rates you will increase consumption and therefore boost the economy. Yes, it can work in the short term to bolster the CONSUMPTIVE economy. A mirage. The resultant inflation gives the spin-doctors the satisfaction of claiming a rise in GDP (which is not corrected for inflation) Unless credit is channelled into greatly stimulating the PRODUCTIVE economy, all you do is kick the can down the road and end up with an even worse indebtedness. Live for today and pay tomorrow!

Not too late to buy gold.

What are varicose veins? For those who imagine the only concern is aesthetic: They are veins that are not transporting adequate quantities of blood back to the heart. Because the valves in the two deep veins in each leg are not closing correctly. This in turn can be because the bore of these veins has become enlarged beyond the norm of about 5 mm. This can result in arterial hypotension (low blood pressure). If the heart receives inadequate blood, the consequences can be serious. [According to a medical researcher, Dr Micozzi, writing several years ago, more U.S. citizens die from hypotension than hypertension. The reason he gives is that patients on drugs for hypertension return to their doctor for a renewed prescription and some doctors issue the prescription without checking whether the patient's blood pressure has fallen to normal.] The venous system is designed to leak a certain proportion of its blood plasma to the lymphatic system, which bathes the body's cells, bringing them needed nutrients and carrying away their metabolic waste products. The blood plasma is leaked out through capillaries of a bore too small to accept cellular matter, such as red and white blood cells. When blood tends to stagnate in the veins it can exert excess pressure in the lower legs and feet, causing excess leakage of blood plasma and lymphoedema. Lymphoedema manifests itself as swollen feet and ankles, and if it persists for too long it can give rise to cripplingly painful venous ulcers, which are very difficult to heal and can persist for years. Despite their name, these ulcers weep principally lymph, sometimes mixed with blood. Treating the deep veins, using silicone stents, may be the more effective way to deal with varicose ulcers, if things have deteriorated to this stage. Killing off the superficial veins by sclerotherapy is cheaper than surgical stripping, but requires more visits over a longer period; since it deliberately causes blood clotting, and must therefore by done little by little. Not all the clotted blood can be removed, but as much as possible is sucked out later with a hypodermic syringe.

Also found: https://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/2332-acupuncture-for-macular-degeneration-improves-vision

Have known of this site for some years, but just revisited it and found this: https://healingtheeye.com/PDF/reversing_armd.pdf

Amalgam fillings should be replaced. But only by a dentist experienced in the procedures and precautions. Otherwise can make things worse. Far worse. Have x-rays done AFTER the operation to ensure all traces of amalgam have been removed. Tiny amounts are said to also cause problems. Appearance of amalgam fillings is meaningless. Mercury gasses out and accumulates in the body. The body can to some degree detox itself of heavy metals but this is very slow and varies from person to person. Had mine done by the Grace Dental Clinic in Chiang Mai in 2006, on recommendation of the Pakua Clinic, Tao Garden. Replacement fillings are still with me. I believe non-amalgam fillings are of more than one kind. Check it out. According to recent hair analysis my current mercury level (as per what is being excreted in the hair) is extremely low.

This post caught my attention because of macular degeneration and the potential link to copper deficiency. Macular degeneration began in my case nearly twenty years ago after being poisoned. Of course this could be due to having then attained the age of 60. However aging and poisoning (general weakening of immune system and digestive capacities) are, to my mind, linked. Severe copper (and selenium) deficiencies were revealed by a recent spectroscopic analysis of my hair: which also showed excessive levels of aluminium and arsenic. Despite my, occasionally, taking a copper supplent (and sometimes eating Brazil nuts). A web-search for a link between copper deficiency and heavy metals has not produced much evidence. So far only this, from a research paper: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2024.1408159/full "Many of these functions … are crucially dependent on copper including mitochondrial respiration, antioxidant defense, iron metabolism, neurotransmitter synthesis and vascular function" … "Copper imbalance can act twofold, firstly in excess as a cell stressor that can induce cuproptosis …, and in deficiency in the loss of function of critical cuproenzymes that affect respiration and normal neuronal functioning." … "In this regard the most notable risk factors seem to be related with contamination of food or water sources with plant and algal toxins, and also HEAVY METALS …, all of which either enhance protein aggregation or interact with copper or cuproproteins in a detrimental manner." … "A recent review that included over 258 studies has identified ß-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), formaldehyde, mercury, manganese and zinc as key contributors to ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis] risk in descending order of association …. Other studies indicate herbicides and pesticides that include paraquat, permethrin and glyphosate as being associated risk factors." Note that manganese and zinc are both essential for human health. It is when they are regularly in excess that they depress copper levels. Also perhaps pertinent to copper deficiency https://www.buoyhealth.com/learn/copper-deficiency#symptoms "Copper is integral to the body's processing of iron. Iron is necessary for red blood cell production. Thus, this can have widespread effects, such as: Anemia: Low red blood cell counts that do not improve with iron supplementation. Frequent infections: This is due to low white blood cell counts (neutropenia)." In the recent past blood analysis has shown me deficient in both red and white blood cells. But recently I was informed that my red blood cell count is normal. [Although I am sceptical of official "norms", which tend to be adjusted to reflect the most recent population averages, where overall health of western populations is declining]

He is unqualified only on the criteria of the pharmaceutical industry, which are determined by profitability, not effectiveness to heal (nor to prevent harm). In the interests of public health one must hope that the industry's deep pockets will not decide the issue.

Excellent suggestions in your post. But here are several things to avoid in so far as possible (shall not go into details which can be found by web-search): Fluoride: Causes calcification of the pineal gland. Sodium fluoride is added to some municipal water supplies, found in many toothpastes, etc. If you are a habitual tea-drinker you probably get more than enough of the natural calcium fluoride, which, in parts of India where it is in excess, can cause skeletal deformation. Aluminium: A slowly accumulative brain poison Generally harmless in its natural forms, tightly bound to silicon. Found widely in commercial flours and bakery products of all kinds as well as such things as non-dairy creamer. And leaches out of aluminium cooking utensils (I cannot forget the pock-marked surfaces of my mother's aluminium saucepans). An additive in vaccines. Mercury: Another brain poison. Evaporates out of amalgam dental fillings. Concentrates in the largest species of carnivorous fish (tuna, shark, etc.) as an end-result of centuries of coal-burning. Released from broken fluorescent lighting. Another additive in vaccines, although recently banned from children's vaccines.

Ask yourself why this room gets so hot. Yes, I understand there is a lack of ventilation, but that does not of itself cause heating, but rather an inability to dissipate heat that is provided most likely by the sun. If there are outside walls facing east or west they will receive sunshine morning and afternoon if there is nothing to provide shade. If there is an outside wall facing south it will receive sunshine throughout the middle of the day, but to a lesser extent mid-year, depending upon the amount of overhang of the roof. I reduced heating of a south facing wall by hanging reflective aluminium-foil insulation over the lower part (not shaded by roof overhang); and over that put some of the green shade-netting designed to protect plants. Not beautiful, but it works and has lasted quite a few years. Now in need of replacement.