ericbj

Some ramifications of the US-China trade war: "US price tag for China's gallium export ban: $602 billion and new monopolies for Huawei" https://youtu.be/Qp4DNpJjHSs

Whether or not Trump is "going soft" on China, he would be well advised to do so. It is possible that some have not been following the global economic news. Of how China has begun retaliating against the U.S. by imposing … sanctions. The Chinese are starting to play the win-lose game, in place of their avowed "win-win" strategy. Restricting imports of, for example, U.S. agricultural produce, and banning exports of, for example, rare earths. Time will tell who loses the most.

Is it a deliberate ploy of the Deep State (essentially agents of U.S. oligarchs) to encumber voters with either egotistic-bombasts or script-readers as candidates ? Perhaps Trump envisages a new War Plan Red. In which case Canadians will need a Defence Scheme No.2. It is interesting to remark that U.S. forces have several times attempted to conquer what is now known as Canada. And each time failed. "We were refugees, American loyalists, British soldiers, First Nations, a mixed bag of people who realized they had a common land to defend." Reference to the War of 1812. https://www.history.com/news/how-u-s-forces-failed-to-conquer-canada-200-years-ago

The problem is whether my remittances from the UK to my Thai bank account are assessable. The local tax office seems to think they are not. Unfortunately my reading of things differs; despite the fact that I have no desire to pay tax. And also no desire to be penalised for not paying it. Have certainly brought in more than the 60K baht required to register; failing which one may be subject to a fine. You have prompted me to do a quick check on how much I have remitted to my Thai bank account this year and it looks to be just under 300K. So one needs now to take into account allowances. My expenditure well exceeds 300K baht because of purchases overseas and in Thailand made with foreign credit and debit cards. Notably about 200K for outpatient treatment in a Thai hospital, not covered by my accident-only-inpatient-only health insurance. [At 80 years of age health insurance becomes prohibitively expensive]

It seems that without a TIN you cannot pay Thai income tax. And yet, if you receive in Thailand in one tax year (1st Jan. to 31st Dec.) at least 60,000 baht, you are obliged to register for tax. I.e. to obtain a TIN. Failing which a fine, even if income is below the tax threshold. "Receiving in Thailand" includes transfers to Thailand from abroad. For me, Thai derived income is negligible, being only interest on a bank deposit account (from which I believe tax is deducted at source). But I remit to Thailand, from time to time, several months-worth of my measly UK DWP pension. Plus a bit derived from savings; savings that are held as precious metals and converted into fiat currency as needed. On Wednesday I went to the local tax office to ask for the form to fill in to request a TIN. However the person I dealt with, who appeared to be the manager, felt I was not eligible for a TIN because not having significant income from within Thailand. I pointed out I receive transfers from abroad into my Thai bank account; and showed him my passbook. He studied this and my passport with its 'O' visa, spoke of making photocopies but did not do so, made some telephone calls, studied his computer, and finally it was arranged I should come back another day. Seems no foreigners in these parts are registered to pay tax unless they have a business or are employees. I can see one further hurdle, if all other obstacles are cleared. According to online doc., a copy of one's rent agreement is required. I have none. Despite renting the same house since 1st December 2007. If I ask for a rent agreement, through the intermediary of an employee at the business of the house-owner's son-in-law (since I have not seen the house-owner for several years) there is a high risk of a rent increase.

Received these forms, which were sent to me at an old e-mail address on 23 November, but only recently sighted, then forwarded to my current e-mail address with Posteo because on Gmail they could not be printed correctly. With Posteo I use my old and trusted e-mail client, Pegasus, using true e-mail protocols [SMTP and POP3] and can view in 'Raw View' the full headers, showing the path by which it came. Don't know how to do that with web-mail, assuming it is possible. So origin untraceable. The final (3rd) page of the "FATCA/CRS Individual Self-Certification" requires one to sign as agreeing to "the terms and conditions specified herein, which include permitting the disclosure of information, account witholding and termination of bankinng/business relationship." 🙂 At least they don't ask me to sign my own Death Certificate! None of these forms have as yet been received from my other Thai bank. Did however have to fill in essentially the same U.S. IRS forms for my E.U. on-line stockbrokers a year or two ago. Maybe because I hold a few U.S. shares.

What exactly is an "either/or account"? When I, accompanied by friend, asked to open a joint savings account with the SCB, they asked "Both to sign, or either to sign?" I replied "Either to sign." We both have ATM cards for the account This account is in case of necessary expenditure when I happen to be abroad; or if incapacitated. The friend is a long-standing acquaintance, whom, years ago, I assisted during more than eight years with her studies for an Australian Open University degree.

If you are going to ban massage on the grounds of a few deaths, whose exact cause has not yet been elucidated, then it is more urgent to lock up doctors. Iatrogenic disease is said to be the third leading cause of death. At least in the U.S. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK225187/ Nothing new as far as I am concerned, having read Ivan Illich's 'Medical Nemesis' more than half a century ago. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1122871/ Why do certain sorts of information take so many years to reach a broader audience?

This interview with a former UK diplomat, who seems to be well informed on the background to the situation in the region, throws some light on how the recent blitzkrieg occurred. And likely complications that will be at play. Nothing is as simple as assumed. https://www.youtube.com/live/UX2X9KT9Xmg

Have had Thai massage a number of times over the years, none recently, without incident. Once, maybe 15 years ago, when visiting a hospital about poor circulation in the legs, I asked the doctor if massage might help. His answer "No!" and then "Not Thai massage." If there is pain that could be linked to a displaced bone, from whatever cause, consider seeing a qualified chiropractor. There are few in Thailand but they do exist. Years ago when staying with friends near Chiang Mai, I awoke with an acute pain in the back of the neck. I could not turn my head. Could not rise from the bed; had to roll off it. Had a piercing headache. An English chiropractor at the Rajavej hospital found a small bone out of place, and pushed it back. Total and instant cure !

The urine colour test is undoubtedly a useful indicator. But I think not infallible, for the following reason . I used to drink a lot of liquid in the form of tea and coffee (mainly the former). I was peeing frequently and my urine was a pale yellow, seemingly indicating good hydration. But these beverages are known for their dehydrating effect upon the body and should be accompanied by an equal amount of warm water (as seems to be recognised traditionally in these parts). Recently, at the end of dinner at a friend's house, she offered me a mug of strong green tea. Thereafter I was peeing all evening and up umpteen times throughout the night, divesting myself of far more fluid than I had drunk.

Advise her of known risks: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/breast-implants/risks-and-complications-breast-implants https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/could-your-breast-implants-be-making-you-sick https://www.americanboardcosmeticsurgery.org/cosmetic-medicine/breast-enhancement-surgery/breast-augmentation-complications-risks/

[Hereby is remedied "unsubstantiated allegations with no supporting, credible evidence or link" which resulted in removal of my previous post.] You need to define what you mean by "strongest". I presume that in the present context you are referring to the financially strongest, i.e. the wealthiest. So George Soros would be a prime example. A Nazi collaborator during the 39-45 War, which reinforces your view that lack of ethics can pay off. (True, he was only a teenager assisting his father) "George Soros CLEARLY admits to assisting Nazis to rob Hungarian Jews in WWII (CBS 1998)" He gained much of his wealth through a flawed global financial system (i.e. post-1971), gaining about a billion dollars speculating against the GBP. "How Did George Soros Break the Bank of England?" https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/08/george-soros-bank-of-england.asp '(which cost me about a third of my savings)' The fall of the GBP against the FRF over a period of months was, according to historical records, less than I recalled: from around 11 to a little over 8 French francs. And later threatening starvation in Malaysia and elsewhere. "The Day Malaysia’s Economy Fell Apart! What Happened?" Before finally losing about two billion USD speculating against the yen. This earlier statement of mine was incorrect (unless a subsequent loss is hidden somewhere): "Soros' yen bets net him $1b in three months" https://www.smh.com.au/business/soros-yen-bets-net-him-1b-in-three-months-20130218-2em9d.html The Tobin tax, if introduced, would have put paid to such antics. "Tobin Tax: What it is, How it Works, Examples" https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/tobin-tax.asp

I exposed the realpolitik of the situation, which is based upon power and practicalities. And which is contrary to my opinion on how global relations should function. Realpolitik is far divorced from rights and ethics, which tend to be sadly lacking in the real world. (Look at the situation in Burma, as a glaring example)

According to The Rules Based Order: 1. The United States has the right to interfere in the politics of other countries. 2. Other countries [such as U.K., Russia] do not have the right to interfere in U.S. politics.

The reason many Thai, and Burmese, pupils and students have poor spoken English, despite in some cases having years of learning the subject, can be attributed to: teachers who cannot enunciate clearly and correctly (whether native or non-native) lack of motivation, from boring classes For about half of each year for a dozen years, my job as an unpaid volunteer was to teach exiled Burmese, mainly, by choice, adults and older teenagers. In some cases their knowledge of vocabulary was quite good. But initially, when speaking, I could not understand them and they could not understand me. Their previous teachers had been unable to speak the language. But classes of such students, some with Burmese university degrees, with strong motivation to improve their knowledge in the broadest sense, made impressive progress. On one occasion, twenty-two years ago, the headmaster of a large Thai school, adjacent to where I was teachng, asked that I take his senior class (standard 12) once a day. A sort walk across the playing field. On my first visit there I was greeted by one of the three teachers of English, a Thai woman. Most embarassing. Not a word of what the other spoke was understood. The class members sat rigidly at their desks. I had them push the desks aside and sit in a semi-circle. Impossible to get any response from the students. I moved us all following day to the neighbouring single-storey teak building, where classes were held on the large verandah. The six boys sat on chairs at the back, the six girls on the floor in front. They became relaxed enough to constantly interrupt me to chat amongst themselves in Thai. My other students intervened to shut them up. But I asked them to desist. I had achieved my first objective, of getting the class to feel at ease. But how I hated taking this class ! However, over the next few days things began to improve. They were beginning to take an interest at last. It reached the point where, when the boys at the back began to chat amongst themselves, the girls would turn round and tell them to shut up. Afterwards, as they walked back to the school, chatting and laughing amongst themselves, my ABSDF friends on occasion remarked how much the youngsters were enjoying themselves. And we made good progress with English. The headmaster wanted me to take more classes. But I declined. It was a long way to Mae Sariang where I was staying. He then asked me to take an improver-class for the three teachers of English. To this I agreed, as any improvement in their English would be passed on to many pupils. But despite them being scheduled to come several times, they never turned up. It would doubtlesslly have resulted in loss of face to admit their English was inadequate to the task.

Not a bad article, so long as everything is not taken at face value. Which means informing oneself widely. This is not a detailed critique, but shall make just a few points: "The coup (or constitutional transition) of 1 February 2021 triggered a sharp upsurge in violence." The coup was not constitutional - even under the military's imposed constitution - since the seizure of power by Min Aung Hlaing required the approval of the President. Knowing the President would not grant this, he was illegally arrested and imprisoned, so that authorisation could be granted by the Vice-President. The coup did not trigger a sharp upsurge in violence, but a sharp and massive upsurge in peaceful demonstrations. These were effectively countered by concealed snipers taking out younger demonstrators with head-shots; and then snatch squads grabbed the bodies. The copses were sometimes never seen again. But were sometimes returned to their families, minus the saleable organs (perhaps to leverage the terror engendered: this is a terrorist regime). Attempts to defend themselves with home-made weapons proving ineffective, many younger demonstrators began fleeing to EAO-controlled areas, where a proportion of them chose to undergo military training and to form PDFs. "NUG/PDF/EAO: Freedom Fighters or… New Khmer Rouge?" Ridiculous to even suggest the NUG might have similarities to the Khmer Rouge, considering they have made strenuous efforts to discourage, to prevent, and to punish human rights abuses by armed forces (EAOs and PDFs) in areas under their nominal control and beyond. The utterly reasonable aspirations of the people of Burma to have a say in the government of their country, and to enjoy basic human rights, are rejected by many governments and ignored by most others. It may be instructive to watch this video:

Burma is OK for some. But by no means for all. And scary rather than boring : https://burmacoupresistancenotes.substack.com/p/burma-coup-resistance-notes-november-802

A ruthless and unreliable military government in Burma can only spell long-term trouble for Thailand. (If some short-term gains for a few well-placed wealthy people) History tells a tale. Until things started to come apart with increasingly effective armed resistance to the coup, the motto of the top brass was "We are building the Fourth Burmese Empire." Thais should be thanking the now widespread resistance to military dictatorship. And supporting the goal of a federal, civilian-dominated union. It is in Thailand's interest.

When on a tour on a longtail boat from the Oriental Hotel (cost about 5 GBP/night; seemed kind of expensive) I recall seeing happy, healthy-looking children swimming in a khlong not far from there on the Thonburi side. Must have been pretty bad for natural pollution, but without the industrial poisons of today. A little over 57 years ago.

My preference is for Rawson's Retreat from my local TOPS supermarket, at 499 baht. For preference I purchase that made from merlot grapes. Why? Years ago I remarked to a French friend that, when buying cheap wine, I buy a merlot as I had never had a bad bottle. He replied that he did likewise. For occasional consumption, my choice, on grounds of both preference and economy would be a Faugère (from the area of Molière's home town). But I have only once seen a bottle of that in Thailand - in a Lotus hypermarket. Like you, price constraints here in Thailand, oblige me to drink wine only occasionally. Whereas in France I was in the habit of drinking half a small glass of organic red wine twice a day, with meals. (Diluted 50:50 with water, as was the custom of the French peasant people amongst whom I once lived, who grew their own grapes, produced their own wine, and believed "One cannot live without wine.") Purchased in 'cubitainers' [bag-in-the-box] of 3-, 5-, or 10-litres. Pro rata less expensive than in bottles; but, more importantly, keeps longer when opened without going sour, because no air enters to turn the alcohol into acetic acid.

I guess you have got it off your chest, and trust you are feeling better now. Sorry, I could not last the course when it came to reading it all. Studying how to write a précis might be helpful to you. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/precis

Trump, or any other politician for that matter, has a mandate to do what he (or she) stated as his (or her) intention in pre-election public speeches. Subject of course to constitutional constraints. Candidates for the Presidency are selected by vested interests. After which the public is free to vote for one or other of the selected candidates, under tremendous MSM propaganda as to how they should cast their votes. Is it being suggested here that, when one or other has been elected to the Presidency, the person in question must ignore their election platform and conform to some other agenda? [Of course we know this is all too common in practice]

Unspoken thoughts of govt. : 🙂 "Pension rights? Sorry, folks. We've got other priorities : "1. Winning a war with Russia. To fulfill our predictions of victory and salvage our reputations. "2. Flooding the country with immigrants. Who, come what may, will vote us back into office at the next elections."

One should perhaps consider two situations: 1. A visit to the U.K. or other 'unfrozen' country; 2. Establishment (to DWP's satisfaction) of 'habitual residence' in the U.K. or other unfrozen country.