TroubleandGrumpy

Atypical woke liberal hater. The POTUS announces a cease fire has been agreed to, and the potential for WW3 has been hopefully stopped, but you have so much dislike that you make a snarky comment like that. Why could you not give him congratulations for achieving such a result - peace through force seems to have worked. BUT - and listen mate - if you stop hating and start thinking, you might have realised that this could be Trump's 'Neville Chamberlain Moment' if it fails an Iran sends 100 ballistic missiles into Israel tomorrow. Although I believe Trump has made it clear that if Iran does that, he will wipe them off the face of the earth - and Mecca with it. And I am sure he has told Israel that he will withdraw all USA support and funding if they attack Iran like that - which means the Arab Nations will destroy them.

OMG - Mate - you need some help. I am serious. There is no way I have the time in my life to read and try to comprehend what the hell you are talking about, and to then write a coherent reply to it all - so I will briefly state the following. Please note - I am not really talking to you - I am providing answers for others to read - but I am talking to you at the finish 1. The ATO has changed their rules regarding 'residency for tax purposes' - those links I provided detail it all. There are 4 Tests. Unlike Thailand that has only 1 test - 180+ days. 2. All your fearmongering about pensions being taxed is based on your interpretation of the issues - IMO they are all wrong and the ATO will never tax age pensions. 3. You are completely misreading my points about domicile and most of the other factors. Mate - I suggest you need to drop this whole thing and let it all go. You have become extremely angry and argumentative which is a clear sign of severe stress. May I suggest you need to stay away from this and other forums for a few weeks and go for a few walks - take up a hobby - maybe try fishing. This picture below is provided to show you that there is something wrong. Clearly you are extremely emotional and others are avoiding 'talking' to you - and that is why you are the last person to comment on so many issues - way too many - this is not healthy. No I am not being sarcastic - you have to reassess things or it will all blow up on you one day. I recommend that you just ignore me - I will not agree with your opinions ever - and I will not play your 'court case lawyer tactics' game. You may think you are right and that is fine - but your constant 'attack dog' approach towards anyone expressing an opposing opinion is not healthy. There is a poster on AN who has been a member for a very very long time - he was the main Trump hating poster back in 2016 and was extremely active and negative all through his first POTUS period. Since Trump was re-elected he has been far less negative and much less active. He still does not like Trump, but he has 'toned it all down'. That is how it works - sometimes as old blokes we get too emotional and angry about something and go way too far. I once read that the reason for that is because it was nature's way to remove the old males from the herd so to speak - they would provoke and get killed off by the younger ones. Anyway - may I suggest that we agree to disagree and move on to other things. If the ATO does tax pension payments then you will be proven right and I will admit I was wrong. But if the ATO does not do that within say 2? years - will you do the same?? Maybe 3 years - being how long Labor might stay in power?

I see you are still banging on about this BS you claimed ages ago - and it appears you are still wrong. Please correct me if you are not saying the below points I make. To everyone else reading this - what KH has been saying is total BS. It is not simple matter of less than 183 days are you are a non-resident for tax purposes, and therefore you have to pay income tax on your pension payments. There are 2 things that KH has wrong in the past and still seems to be fear-mongering again about it. Number 1 - KH claims a person outside Australia 183+ days is a non-resident - Wrong. They might be - but other things come into the decision by ATO. There are 4 Tests to establish Australian Residency for Tax Purposes and if you satisfy one of them for residency, then you are a tax resident. The Resides Test The Domicile Test The 183 Days Test The Government Superannuation Test. https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/coming-to-australia-or-going-overseas/your-tax-residency#Residencytests Number 2 - KH claims tax is payable on money received as Age Pension if you are a non-resident. The Age Pension payments are not taxed, but it is taxable income for the purposes of income tax calculations and for tax offset calculations etc. The Pension used to be non-taxable income, but with more and more people working while also receiving the Pension, they changed the methodology. So if you get the Pension and also earn $20,000 as income, the Pension amount received is the base amount and the $20K is added to that - so you basically pay income tax on $40K (allowances and offsets etc come into it). The point of the new method is to clarify that a person does not get the Pension for free AND another $17K tax-free threshold. When they made that change they introduced the SAPTO offset to ensure pensioners did not pay income taxes on their pension money. People receiving unemployment payments (and some others) do not get that benefit - and if they then earn a bucket of money during the year, they might have to pay tax on the dole payments they received. https://www.ato.gov.au/forms-and-instructions/individual-tax-return-2025-instructions/income-questions-1-12-individual-tax-return-2025/5-australian-government-allowances-and-payments-2025 (Part 5 of the Tax Return) https://www.ato.gov.au/forms-and-instructions/individual-tax-return-2025-instructions/income-questions-1-12-individual-tax-return-2025/6-australian-government-pensions-and-allowances-2025 (Part 6 of the Tax Return) https://www.ato.gov.au/forms-and-instructions/individual-tax-return-2025-instructions/tax-offset-questions-t1-t2-individual-tax-return-2025/t1-seniors-and-pensioners-tax-offset-2025 (SAPTO) On a personal note it is my opinion that I am still a tax resident under the Domicile Test. The reason for there being a domicile test as well as a residence test, is that some people travel overseas a lot and stay for long periods and dont have a 'home' as such in Australia. But because they have no legal right to stay in that country and could be sent 'home' at any time - they are not and cannot become a Resident and thus be a domicile in that other country. Not that it matters to me because the Pension is not taxed anyway - but as a technical point I am a Citizen of Australia and I still consider myself a Resident of Australia for Tax Purposes - I intend to return to Australia in the near future (certainly before I am 80 or if I of wife get a bad illness). I could not find anything 'legal' to establish that - but my read of the ATO rules (and I am good at that) is that I meet the Domicile Test. Plus Google AI agrees No, a person cannot become a domiciled resident of a country simply by visiting on a 12-month tourist visa. A tourist visa is specifically for short-term visits and does not grant the holder the right to reside permanently or establish domicile. Domicile is generally established through physical presence, intent to remain indefinitely, and other legal factors.

Mate - I dont mean to offend but that Utopian view on life and people is just not valid and never will be. Just look at what happened to John Lennon and Martin Luther King and many others - you can preach all the peace and love you want, but there are some people who will just never go along with that. Likewise all the leaders who have been assassinated by people who do not agree with their position. By all means love and cherish each other - but dont forget to protect - it is sad but it is true - that is reality. One day in the far distant future they are going to be able to 'test' a foetus for negative issues - like sociopathic, psychopathic, cystic fibrosis, autism, and other non-desirable outcomes in a human - and those that test 'negative' will be aborted. But meantime, we need to be aware of reality and be ready and prepared to deal with it.

Agreed - but they cannot make new IQ tests that are reflective of any significant demographic - such as educated 30-40 year olds, against uneducated or under-educated 30-40 year olds. The IQ tests are seen by many as a true and accurate measurement of intelligence - but they are at best a very rough guide - especially when performed over large numbers of people. One bloke who worked for me decades ago had 3 degrees and an MBA and his IQ was 140+ but he was an absolute idiot. He worked in 3 different industries and ended up owning and running a macadamia farm down the south NSW coast. I also knew a bloke that was a plumber and he made $500K+ a year (after taxes) in the early 2000s - he ended up owning $millions of business property as investment and retired early to th an absolute mansion on the Sunshine Coast in QLD - he was a very smart bloke - and although he never did an IQ tests I get it would have been around 100/110 - he said that he left school at 16 and started working for his Uncle as an apprentice plumber.

Cannot disagree with that logic - yes they can and do 'calibrate' results across demographics. The issue I was raising is not that though - it is that in the west (especially) we have a lot of over-educated idiots that get higher than realistic IQ test results because they have been educated. Not enough to re-calibrate tests across 100 million people (or more) - but they are there and in plain sight - and they have far too much of a say in what goes on and what does not go on in our society.

Thanks - that is the best laugh I have had all day 😂

I do think and you are not thinking rationally and logically. You are saying a woman with a beautiful head of hair that has been created after years of expensive hair treatments (like a model or movie star) has exactly the same hair as her sister who never looked after it much and is a drug addicted homeless person. What you are given at birth is the 'base' and what is done with that in your life makes a huge difference. The issue - the point - the fact - is that IQ tests were initially designed for teenagers in the western education system - to tell who is really smart and who is not - for allocation to the A and B and C classes in High School. The fact is that the basis for an IQ test fails to take account of the affect an education that already has had on that person's ability to do the test - because it was designed based on all participants having the same education already. Listen carefully this time - I am saying that the IQ Tests do NOT accurately measure a person's intelligence. If you practice IQ Tests you will get better results - fact fact fact. This below is based just on a small amount of practice - if a person has years of doing things like those in an IQ test - they will have a massive boost in their IQ Test results. Hence what I said before - there are far too many over-educated idiots in the western world who think they are smart and intelligent. Performance on cognitive tests does improve with practice. For example, a study found that just taking a common nonverbal reasoning test twice increases scores by roughly the equivalent of eight IQ points. https://theconversation.com/iq-tests-can-you-improve-your-score-by-practising-233153 One day there will be a 'test' that accurately measures a person's brain functions - physically and chemically probably. It will not involve completion of written tests - it will be a 'plug and play' method.

Only an ignorant person would claim that because something did not hurt them, it is OK for everyone else and there should not be any argument about their safety and efficacy. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9021367/ https://scitechdaily.com/researchers-discover-mrna-vaccines-leave-lasting-mark-on-the-immune-system/ Those above are two quick links I grabbed - read them and find others - if you really want to know. But like many people, you would rather not know, and keep your head in the sand. That is OK, but it means you should really keep your mouth shut or you will choke and look silly.

I agree with most of the views of Kennedy in USA. The Pharma Industry has taken control of the organisations that are supposed to be managing and controlling them - many ex-Govt employees get very well paid jobs in Pharma, and that should be banned. He has sacked all the Biden appointed 'scientists' advising the CDC on vaccines - most of them are what he calls 'industry hacks'. he has stated that he plans to regulate that all Pharma must have all new vaccines to be tested against placebos, and that they are to develop new vaccines without using mRNA technology. Of course the Pharma industry will be spending their billions to push for protests by their useful idiots, and complaints from the Dems, and many stalling tactics - but Kennedy is going to win in the end. He is not against vaccines, he is against how Pharma has taken control of all things related to medical regulations and he is going to tear that all down. The only reason MRNA vaccines got the go ahead for Covid was because Pharma would not develop them for immediate release unless under the existing regulations it was declared a serious pandemic and there was no alternative medical solution/s and thus under emergency laws they could release a new product and not get sued if it did not work out. Anyone who does not realise that fact needs to reassess their views about MRNA vaccines and the whole Covid BS - it was all driven by Pharma.

I think many posters and the media are focusing too hard on one person - the real culprits are those behind that one man and his daughter. Thaksin 'represents' the uber wealthy Chinese families that dominate Thailand with regards to political, business, industrial and government operations. Han Sen was the Dictator in charge of Cambodia for decades and is now the Senate Head - he is a member of the uber wealthy Chinese ethnic families that also do the same in Cambodia. He is like an 'Uncle' to the current PM in more than name - he is a very close to Thaksin and has been for decades. That is who the anger and distain should be pointing - the wealthy Chinese families that run Thailand (and Cambodia) - not to one man who they can and will replace as and when they need - just like they did with Srettha. Whoever was the staffer in Cambodia that leaked that phone call will never be found. IMO they are already feeding the fish deep down in the Gulf of Thailand.

While I agree that the Covid vaccines were not managed well and created many negative outcomes, I cannot agree that all vaccines overall are bad thing. Polio, Smallpox, Rabies and German Measles and many other diseases have been greatly controlled and/or reduced, because of vaccines. No - there is no vaccine that will not damage anyone - there is never going to be a 100% safe vaccine - but that is the price humans pay for removing and reducing diseases that killed billions over history.

For those unaware there is a big difference between how an MRNA vaccine and a Viral Vector vaccine work. Any claim that they are the same is patently wrong - whether CNN or Fox said otherwise. Messenger RNA (mRNA) introduction: mRNA vaccines contain genetic instructions in the form of mRNA. Covered by non-viral vectors like LNPs, this mRNA carries the blueprint for producing a specific antigen, often a harmless fragment of the virus, such as the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Cellular uptake: When administered, the mRNA is taken up by cells at the injection site. Antigen production: Inside these cells, the mRNA serves as a template for the production of the target antigen. Selecting the viral vector: Scientists choose a virus (with AAVs being the by far most frequently used viral vectors in gene therapies as the delivery vehicle. This virus cannot cause the target disease. Genetic engineering: DNA from the target pathogen, such as the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, is inserted into the viral vector. Cell entry and expression: The viral vector, now carrying the genetic instructions for a piece of the target pathogen, is administered as a vaccine. It enters human cells, where these instructions are utilized to produce the harmless target protein. https://www.susupport.com/knowledge/biopharmaceutical-products/drug-delivery/viral-vector-vaccines-mrna-vaccines-differences Basically, in layman's terms as I understand it, the MRNA vaccines produce a near real pathogen, but the VV vaccines produce a harmless pathogen. I am no virologist - but I have seen statements that if a patient with a target virus already in the system is given a MRNA vaccine, then the MRNA vaccine can cause unintended effects in that person's immune system's response. I agree with that logic as it seems that those who got the sickest from a Pfizer MRNA vaccine like myself were those that already had a vaccine and/or those that had already got the viral infection. Perhaps this is the truth - but there is a lot of technical evidence to show that the Covid MRNA vaccines caused more unintended medial problems than the other types of vaccines. Plus there was no logically sound medical basis to assume that those that got the Covid even after a vaccine, needed to get a booster shot 3-6 months later. The more prudent approach should have been to assume that the vaccine did not stop the person getting Covid - unlike what was being claimed. And there was evidence to show that those over 60 who had any vaccine had a lower rate of bad outcomes than those unvaccinated. And now the evidence shows that those under 30 who had an MRNA vaccine had a worse outcome than those not vaccinated and those with other types of vaccines. To be fair though - the medical authorities were assuming the worst case outcomes and made their decisions accordingly. Their refusal to accept that there was growing evidence in mid2020 of things not going according to their assumptions was the real problem - they doubled down rather than taking a pause and reassessing things with regards to the MRNA vaccines.

Nil - anyone with side effects was advised to 'see it through', but if you get very sick to immediately go to a hospital.

Yes indeed - there are some very 'damaged' people on this forum who just have no logic or rational thinking. That I am still getting a bit sick about 2 times a year is not something to laugh at. And only those that had the reaction to that Pfizer MRNA vaccine know exactly what that feeling is like - it is very unique - and I have had quite a few illnesses in my almost 70 years on this planet. IMO the Astra Zeneca covid vaccines are a proven and very safe vaccine (no vaccine is 100%) because they went through the same process as all viral vector vaccines which have been refined and developed since the 1970s. The funny thing is that all the blokes I know also had a negative reaction to the Pfizer vaccine (some lkittle and some more) except one bloke I know. He got the Pfizer shot first and had no reaction, but then the Astra Zeneca made him sick for a couple of months. Everyone else I knew had no reaction to the Astra Zeneca whether it was first or second - aside from the usual 1-3 days issues post any annual flu vaccine. I hope the MRNA vaccines are banned until they have been through a lot more developing and testing. Making them compulsory was totally wrong - but lets not go there - those responsible will never be held to account, and the pharma industry was given blanket immunities from any legal proceedings. Yes it was a pandemic and yes it was bad - 3-4 times the death rate of the normal flu - but shutting down the world economy and forcing people to comply with unproven and unjustified BS medical directives was wrong. Suffice to say they will never again in our lifetimes ever get the people to go along with their global pandemic BS rules again. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month every year, we remember those that died in WW1 and WW2. The main reason we do that is in the last words spoken at the ceremonies, and is carved into all memorials and statues - "lest we forget". What happened during Covid must also never be forgotten.

There are many things I regret in my life, but none too bad to mention - except getting an Pfizer MRNA Covid injection. It was my second vaccine shot and was mandated in Australia if you wanted to leave your home and visit a Doctor or travel anywhere else - etc etc etc. I took the Astra Zeneca shot as my first option because it was based on a proven and safe vaccine delivery method - a viral vector vaccine. When the wife and I were notified we had an appointment for our second shots, I expected them to be the same - stupid mistake. I did not ask until the 'nurse' has stuck it in and I noticed it was a little different colour than the first injection. I asked what it was and the 'nurse' said Pfizer. When I asked what why I was not given the Astra Zeneca for my second shot, the fhe fat ugly ignorant stupid feminist beetch said 'they are all the same'. The wife was very sick for a few weeks - me for several months - and every now and then I still get a bit 'off' which is apparently because the MRNA effect lasts many years and my immune system now over-reacts to any virus I might get. But if you research that information all you get is the WHO and CDC sanctioned BS that vaccines are safe - MRNA vaccines were unproven and should never have been used IMO.

What a load of total BS - the media as usual have no idea. Trump was not going to tell Iran that the attacks were coming in a few days time. It was not a 'dramatic turn' at all - strikes like that take several days to organise and implement once the military equipment and personnel are in place - and then the POTUS gives the final 'go' order. The MSM just cannot stand the fact that Trump does not make such announcements through them anymore - he is sick of their BS fake news reporting, and will continue to use social media instead of them whenever he chooses.

When we lived in Chiang Mai it was nowhere near as 'sticky' as down south or here in Isaan. The mountain air draws the humidity away quicker than elsewhere in Thailand. Playing golf up there was great - I rarely sweated as much as I do in all the other places.

The issue I find with the heat in Thailand is not the heat - it is the humidity - especially during the rainy season. In Australia it gets very hot - very very hot - but the humidity is often very low. Moisture in Australia is very quickly drawn up and away - but that is not the case here in Thailand. That is why the temperature is only 32/33 but the 'real feel' is 39/40 at times. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355379518/figure/fig14/AS:1080398557782027@1634598497360/Temperature-Humidity-Index.ppm https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anil-Gupta-9/publication/355379518/figure/fig14/AS:1080398557782027@1634598497360/Temperature-Humidity-Index.ppm At 80% humidity at 31 degrees it actually equates to 41 degrees. When the body cannot release heat due to the 'dense' air, it sweats more than normal to compensate.

The Europeans still buy fossil fuels from Russia - that is what Trump is saying - they want USA to hurt its economy to support their war, but meanwhile have they switched getting fossil fuels from other sources - no !! Because they would costs too much !! If Europeans want Trump to seriously damage the USA economy - then they can go first. Despite a range of sanctions and the threat posed by dependence on Russian energy, in the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, EU imports of Russian fossil fuels in particular remain largely unchanged, totaling EUR 21.9 BILLION - a 6% year-on-year drop in value but merely a 1% year-on-year drop in volumes. https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/eu-imports-of-russian-fossil-fuels-in-third-year-of-invasion-surpass-financial-aid-sent-to-ukraine/

I guarantee you that you are talking 'moonshine' mate. I want you to think about this - just for a minute - it wont hurt mate - I promise. Imagine you had never been to school at all and could not read or write - and that you did not know about not getting stuck on one question - and other things that you knew - how well would you have done in that IQ test when you were young?? Being educated gives you the ability to do better in IQ tests than not being educated - end of story. Someone with a decent brain who has not been educated at all will not do as well at an IQ test as an idiot that has been educated. That is my point - IQ test result are inherently biased towards those that have been educated - and it is not a true test of thinking ability or memory recall or rational and logical thought processes.

The IQ test has nothing to do with where you were born and what family you are in. It was designed for kids - to identify the smart ones from the idiots. Many times there are brothers or sisters and one is a Tradie/Cleaner and the other is a Doctor/Lawyer. Genetics is only a small part of the IQ test results - otherwise of course brothers and sister would all be the same IQ. Education is the single biggest factor that affects IQ test results. That does not mean all kids all learn the same at the same school - some will want to learn and will work, and some do not and would rather party, screw or get some drugs. That is one reason why Asians who have been to schools in the West have a higher IQ that other groups - it is not genetic it is because they tend to be better focused on doing well at school - or they get beaten by their parents 🙂

Yes they do indeed - there is a definite narrative of Israel hate in many people's comments - often without realising it. That is the sad reality of woke liberals - they are all about feelings and nothoing makes them 'feel' than having a bogey man to target their inner hatred towards - hence anti-Trump and pro-Hamas lunacy. I think the most ridiculous example of their lunacy is the 'Queers for Palestine' protestors. Meanwhile this is what they actually do to gays in Gaza. But ISIS were even worse - they executed them and even threw them off buildings. https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/palestinian-territories/1660138495-exclusive-gay-man-who-fled-gaza-speaks-about-experience-with-hamas

What goes around comes around wokes - and it is coming back at you big time - 4 years and then another 8 years. By the time the GOP has been fully reformed and removed the rest of the RINOs, the Dems will be an obliterated shell of what they once were - all powerful, all corrupt and all deceitful. The Dems corrupted control and influence over most parts of the US Federal Government Departments (those that are left) will be destroyed. This example is but one of the many episodes where the Dems weaponised the legal and judicial system against those that they hate - meaning anyone who disagrees with their lunacy. Only those States were they have kept importing voters for decades will remain in Dem control - but a lot of the decent good people and their businesses will have left - especially California.

I have been watching this one for a while now - like in Thailand there are a lot of anti-western locals who dont want foreigners living in their country so it is taking time to get approved and created. I hope it goes ahead, and that they dont set the $fees as high as Thailand did, or they will get the same number of takers - very few normal people and several Chinese/Russian etc. criminals.