Shokdee

I spoke to Passport Advice and they told me I can renew my passport without the certificate details if I provide a covering letter. Passport application sent today! Thank you.

Thank you 7by7 for the help. I just need the details from the certificate (number, date of issue, place of issue).as this is required for the passport application. I managed to get through to the Border Agency helpline and they gave me new number at the Home Office for nationality enquiries. I'm trying to contact them first.

If that fails, I'll try the passport helpline and ask what I should do.

Thanks again for the reply.

My UK passport will expire in early July and I am trying to renew it in time. Please help!

I hit a snag because I can not find my naturalisation certificate. So I submitted an application for a duplicate, accepted by UK Border Agency on the 20th of February and fees deducted on the 27th of February. It is now 2 months later and still no sign of the document.

I’ve tried to contact them by email and got only a generic reply. Tried phoning and just get a “call again later” message. I noticed that they ask not to contact them before 6 months have passed!!

Does anyone have an idea of how long it takes to process this application and when I can expect to receive the document?

Should I just go ahead and submit my passport renewal form in the meantime and try email the details about the certificate to them later?

Any advice appreciated.

.. I can take it and give to you.....I think it's only got a few days left maximum!

That''s very kind of you roly. I stay way out of town, so could you please check if it's still there? If it is, rescue it and let me know and I'll come down to collect it pronto. I'll PM you my contact number. Many thanks.

.. spend some time planning how you would cope in an emergency - either storing water or learning various techniques for purifying water. Learn about colloidal silver, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, solar distillation, rain water harvesting, charcoal filters, and so on.

I'd recommend buying a bottle of non-scented household bleach as a cheap and reliable backup to your water purification system. Do some research online for more information. Also consider pool care supplies as a cheap source of chlorine.

Special mention for one of the most amazing plants on our good Earth, a super nutritious Miracle Tree, whose seeds can uniquely act as both a disinfectant and a coagulant. That tree is Moringa oleifera.

Ole!

Bing bong it's big Ben, working in Thailand, warming his chilly willy, moving n grooving at the high IQBar, but will you bring your hot younger/older sister with the cold blue eyes, eyes that melt the ice? Say, do you engage in martial arts, Karate? Kung Foo? Judo? Suduko? or is your pen mightier then any sword? If you write it, it comes true - so they say. Would you care to share, what's your book aboot?

Shokdee

I dusted off your website for you.

If you find some stray kittens in Cha-am looking for a loving home, it'll be a charm if you let me know, it'll give me an excuse to drive there and met you.

I love animals more then people, but hey, people are animals too.

Thank you for all your great work with our furry friends.

Reading this fortune cookie will bring a smile to your face

Shokdee

Just want to say hello to Nola K - thanks for coming back to this thread.

I loved your reply, I find that animals give you unconditional love. More then any human, they respond to who you really are, behind the mask. My best friends are my cats, and dogs, and ducks. Deepest respect to you. You are an outstanding individual for all you have accomplished already (!) and I wish you good luck in the future.

Nola Lee Kelsey has worked as a dog caregiver, a reptile keeper, marine park trainer, penguin handler, behavioral data collector, and a wildlife rehabilitator and a self-confessed serial volunteer for global animal rescue organizations. She is also the author of seven books, the creator/content editor of websites The Voluntary Traveler: Adventures from the Road Best Traveled and The V-List. In addition she hosts ‘The Voluntary Traveler’ podcast and runs every aspect of The Voluntary Traveler network.

As she has meandered the globe, her humor and travel articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications from Reptiles Magazine to The Bangkok Post. As a result, she has been bitten by just about everything – twice! The final culprit was the writing bug.

According to Kelsey, this distant relative of the travel bug actually pumps ink into your veins while simultaneously sucking your wallet dry.

Opps silly me, I don't have to remember a telephone number if I remember the place. My balls have dropped and I need to figure out my lucky numbers. Well, I'm all out of time, so have a Happy New Year, and for address of my silver dealer, PM Shokdee the Christmas Lottery winning numbers and I'll send it to you, for free.

Mrs. Shokdee: Sun's coming up, like a big bald head, poking up over the grocery store. It's Sharkey's day, it's Sharkey's day today. Sharkey wakes up and Sharkey says: There was this man ... and there was this thread ... and if only I could remember those posts ... I know they're trying to tell me ... something. Nobody knows him, nobody knows his name. Deep in the heart of darkest America, "home of the brave". Ha ha heehee. Listen to my heart beat. And the little girls sing: oooh eeee. Paging Mr. Shokdee. White courtesy telephone please.

I serendipitously bumped into a long-lost friend at a casino in Burma a while ago, he's a gem. Eventually the conversation got around to the financial crisis and his solution was stashing precious minerals. I mentioned I've been accumulating precious metals, buying gold since it hit 700, I told him I buy "chocolate bars" around Yaowarat. I convert any spare cash into gold but I try not to get caught up in daily price moves, I have placed my trust in cost averaging, I said smugly. Well don't place your trust in junk from Chinatown, even if it makes you feel real good, he laughed. Noticing my puzzled look, he said, follow me. He tipped his head, and we went up to his suite.

As I poured drinks he pulled out a small gold bar and a laptop-sized device. What's that, I asked. Ultrasonic, he replied, and placed the bar in the device. Look, he called out, pointing to the readings, it's not pure gold. What is it?, I asked. He turned to me, I'm not 100% certain. He proceeded to tell me one horror story after the other, until the blood drained from my face - maybe it was the drink. What should I do?, I asked him. Invest in silver, he replied, it has intrinsic value. We chatted til the wee hours, but he had an early flight, so I headed for the door.

I'm still fired up, I admitted after we traded goodbyes. Go play roulette downstairs, he advised, look which way the balls fall, the dealer at table 23 spins a good wheel, play these lucky numbers, and he wrote some number on a piece of paper. Do you know a dealer in Thailand where I can trade 99.99% pure silver? I asked him. Sure, he said, and he wrote that on the piece of paper too. Down on the floor, I hit a winning streak and my chips piled up. But when I cashed out at the counter, I suddenly realized that in the excitement I had lost track of the piece of paper with the lucky numbers on it. If only I could remember.

Where in Thailand do you buy 99.99% pure silver?

Hua Hin is also OK. :jap:

I know, visted Yummyzaki, looked around, first thought was "crumbs".

More importantly, if you are OK, then we are all OK.

:jap:

I guess the best strategy, for any crisis - don't dumb yourself down. Take your time, sharpen your sense of humour, take control of your future, these are life's most valuable assets. Aim to get out of debt, convert all your paper into physical gold and silver, follow the gold/silver ratio, internalize systems thinking and permaculture, establish a sustainable garden, clear your mind, follow your moral compass, entertain your wife and spend quality time with your pets, they love you despite the masks. And watch the signal to noise ratio, don't read and write shit like me. Hats off to the lurkers who have self-control. Silence is golden and still waters run deep, now go with the flow.

Mrs Shokdee sings: Sun's going down, like a big bald head, disappearing behind the boulevard. Ooooeee. It's Sharkey's night, yeah, it's Sharkey's night tonight. And the call girl says: Sharkey? He's on the bed right now. Yeah, I'm giving him a massage. And Sharkey says: Hey, kemosabe, long time no see. He says: Hey sport, you connect the dots, you pick up the pieces. And Sharkey says: Deep in the jungles of lush Thailand, home of the brave. He says: Listen to your heart beat. Paging Mrs. Shokdee. White courtesy telephone please.

The Friedmanesque landscape of the shock doctrine is grotesque, like the visions of Orwell and Kafka, or the Club of Rome. The antidote is anti-Friedman disinfection and brainwashing. I recommend highly Doctor Michael Hudson. Here he is with Lauren Lyster, discussing "shocking" figures and the coming "shockwave".

Smart cookie: Let's listen to what Doctor Hudson has to say.

Doctor: Everyone's in the same boat, the problem is the system. Not only the financial system, the political system has sold out to the banking system and the justice system. The politicians, the Congress, the President, they are all slimeballs and should be shot. The shock doctrine is Washington policy, first under Clinton and Obama took it over. They are two peas out of the same pod.

Smart cookie: Two slime molds out the same pond. So, what will the revolution look like?

Doctor. What we are seeing is just the pre revolutionary stage.

Smart cookie: That's his prediction, a peaceful revolution. Thank you Doctor Hudson.

Reese Bobby[/font]'']

I cannot speak for men, but as a woman I find it difficult not to admire this brilliant man. He appears to be very sincere, kind and confident without being cocky. He has class.

For the ladies who don't brush with fluoride and other fans of Kyle - don't hate the mirror because you're ugly - Bass, more bass-kicks-ass Zen moments:

Debt Sustainability: Which Countries Are Beyond the Point of Return and Why -

guest post submitted by MsCreant[/font]'']

Celente got many of us thinking—“If a guy like him can be refused access to his money, then who is safe surfing?” Some argue he should not have been buying “paper gold.” Celente states that he was buying PM futures and taking delivery. “Max Keiser” the “Silver Bears” “Turd Fergusen” and more, have encouraged us to buy silver and “Bust the Comex.” ... But as I got to thinking, I realized all of the above misses a valuable take away lesson. It is not simply the case that MF Global is a “first domino to fall” or a “canary in the coal mine” or a “harbinger of collapse.” MF Global is a fractal in a frying pan.

Gerald and Bill—you are not special. Today you can garner attention and sympathy (or contempt) for your plight. Tomorrow you will be but a grain of sand in an avalanche of financial discord, fuel long burned off in a raging firestorm that will consume everything, a fractal spark that flew out of the frying pan, giving us a glimpse of the future.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/guest-post-mf-global-fractal-frying-pan

He'll be OK I think, he lost some money, but not his sense of humour, he cracks me up. http://www.netcastdaily.com/broadcast/fsn2011-1119-2.mp3

I like Dick and I know a big dick when I see one, they give themselves the clap.

Maybe the sub-title, "The Disaster of Capitalism" put Ladyboys off Naomi's book, who knows? I emailed her once: "What do you say to Buddhists who do not think that Capitalism without bankruptcy is like Christianity without Hell?" She wrote back promptly: "Capitalism creates bad karma." She's a smart cookie.

Philip Dick wrote a short story about androids "Just In Time", on which the new movie "In Time", starring Justin Timeberlake, is based. It is a true story about time and money, of sheeple who want to be androids, they have watches implanted in their forearms, trying to make a fast buck surviving a financial crisis, like some hideous experiment from Nazi Germany, hope it happens, sooner rather then later.

Don't you think Naomi Klein is hot - smart and sexy! She also likes a good Dick story. In a recent interview, asked what was the most shocking fact to emerge from her recent research, she replied bluntly, "human stupidity". Sad, but it made me laugh. It's a good book, worth a read, some of my own research is mentioned in two footnotes, check the Index under "shock".

Look out for her previous bestseller called "No Brains: The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America, and the World", you can get it for free , It's a comprehensive introduction to the shock doctrine.

... and "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep" is a good introduction to Philip K Dick's theory of the shock wave. He once said in an interview, "Most humans act like robots, maybe they are".

Darlings, men who sweet talk you about their big "IQ", they look in a mirror .........

... a shock policy ... Shock Doctrine - The Rise Of Disaster Capitalism has a good discription and history My link

... and the result of the shock doctrine many feel today is meeting a shock wave from the future according to Philip K Dick. He wrote Bladerunner, the movie.

(I stand corrected, Bladerunner in fact was written by William Burroughs, but that's another movie. And Shockwave rider, that's another book.)

Peenut, passing a Brazil nut[/font]' ] Frankly my dear, no one can stop me drinking/smoking bud.

Silly me, I thought it was the Thai that got confused with English past and future tense. When I wrote, start to plan and prepare for an emergency now, I do not mean the emergency is now. Rather, you can plan now for an emergency coming later, no?

I know I do, and I've just added "nutcracker" to my emergency supply - handy for any nut job.

hhfarang is also correct, it's real bad down in hh - there is simply no good bread to be had. And if you really want to know what Thai people DO NOT NEED in emergencies, take a walk around inside Tesco.

Sso swhat sif swe do'nt sthink shic drink?

DarikaWaleelert, welcome to ThaiVisa.

Clink

Please dear reader (sic) pile in and laugh at me all you can, be creative. Then I'll laugh at you and we'll all be smiling and chuckling. At the end, humour is all you have and you should know how to make other people happy. When your partner runs off with your best friend, your best friend is roadkill, which you're eyeing as a meal, the sun no longer shines, acid rain fills your battered can, your house is gone and so is your luck, you've sold your gold tooth to pay for new teeth, and you can barely hear the good doctor's advice; "You're dying fast, your time's almost up", you can turn to the hottest of the hot ghost nurses and wink; "Time enough for me."

My top 10 would be:

1 - Study permaculture, books or video are OK, to get an idea of how to set this up. You are looking for ways to increase output and reduce input (money, materials, labour, time). The output from one system should be input for the other system, nothing should go to waste.

2 - Look into aquaculture, even a small, swimming pool-sized dam/pond is a start. But not swimming pool shaped, design in an organic way. Fish are the most productive way to increase yield. Make sure you have many species of fish - at least 6. Add some ducks on top the dam and plant ipomea aquatica, lotus, and fruit trees, or anything else that can serve as fish food, around the edges. The system should be self-sustaining.

3 - Create a short list of highly productive / multi-use plants. Such as moringa, neem, winged bean, banana, kratin, coconut, bamboo, lemon grass, sweet potatoes, and so on. Plant a lot of these. All the soil must be covered with something growing, even if it's "weeds". You are always trying to "grow" your soil organically.

4 - Manage your own water supply, build many tanks from concrete rings and catch all the rainwater. Use your waste water to feed the garden. When you're hit with your first floods, study the run off and take corrective action.

5 - Make sure you choose a good location - avoid flood plains, river banks, mountain slopes, fault lines, and coastlines. Choose a big city and then find a place within 45 minute drive. Get the balance between to near a city and too far. Look into the weather cycle for your location. Plan for droughts, plan for floods.

6- Whenever you encounter seeds from fruit or vegetable, sprinkle them around the garden. Nice surprise, better then Christmas, to suddenly find a ripe pumpkin glowing under some bush.

7 - Learn a little about, and then say, "settakit por peung" all the time. Always say you are following the ideas of the King, you love Him and his ideas can save Thailand. You can make any Thai feel quilt, and therefore envious of you, by asking them "How much do you follow the King's ideas?". Visit all your local Royal Projects set-ups, they are more then willing to help with advice and freebies.

8 - Share your bounty with nature. If birds and bugs eat your sweet, juicy harvest, celebrate because you have a living system, not some dead piece of concrete or rows of lifeless mono-agriculture. Aim for diversity, back ups for your back up.

9 - Grow as many flowers as you can, the bees really appreciate the help.

10 - Bee creative, there is no wrong way. Try anything, hope to make mistakes, it is the only way to learn.

Have fun!

tell us please???????? "shokdee" we await your guidance, we are lost without it.

Yes and apparently "we" is lost with it too

Hope you find your way home BrazilFox. Try use a compass as using your nose ain't working.

... that will be a learned behaviour, ... once they get down to idle speed it is hard to get them up to full speed again. ...If you do the work for them, they will let you .... Make them work for what they get. Giving extra money for poor performance as a reward will ensure you get more poor performance. .... "Face" can be used to your advantage. ... Be the boss and demand and be deserving of respect. ... When you get things sorted it is really quite enjoyable, and you end up feeling like the head of a big family.

I am still here as HR, the locals are asking if I am coming back after leave, and why I am not here permanent.

They may have been uneducated to start, but now everyone is smart enough to recognize a good thing!

A very inspirational overview from a man who loves his job. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your insights.

Not only did they not understand the thread and follow the developments, but they also seem to have missed the point that if prices for gold and silver do in fact raise those with physical on hand have the biggest smiles of all. We are the ones that gleefully wait for prices to actually GO UP, we are not praying for prices to go down!!!

Also want to clear a few things up:

It was sloppy of me to say a while back that I was waiting for 30:1 to do the next flip, as the truth is any dramatic jump/drop in the GSR calls for action. Since the move can be very rapid and very dramatic - as happened 2 months ago when it went from below 44 to over 54 overnight. Study the historical charts, do some reseach and make an informed decision.

Next, readers should be aware that I only deal in 99.99% pure gold and silver. The junk you buy in your local Chinatown or the sterling you might pick up from some jewelery shop is not what I am talking about. Also, the silver coin market is so small and immature in Thailand that this is not they way to go in these parts unless you plan to smelt them down.

So, obviously the best place to do the flip is somewhere that deals in both pure gold and pure silver so the deal can be done in a single location.

Also, Thai readers should factor in the dollar/baht exchange rate as this is another important component. Sometimes a move in gold or silver price looks great, but if it's coupled with a change in exchange rate it could mean you are not gaining anything.

Note too that you should always double check the gold and silver price as quoted in grams, not ounces. No one uses ounces in Thailand.

Finally, the entry point, the percentages of each metal you keep and whether you sometimes hang onto the cash, are all dependent on your personal choices, your reading of the situation, your faith in fiat and the condition of local supplies.

Good luck to the new comers who have been inspired to try this.

Flying: "I literally backed up the truck."

Yup, that's the way I do it too. I did my last flip a month ago, walked in with a handful of gold, pushed out a trolley loaded with silver. Silver supply is robust in Thailand, only once did I have to wait a few hours for delivery.

Flying: "... we would finally see it go to 20/1."

Oh yes, waiting patiently for the day,

Thanks for your comments, it was good chatting to you, all the best.

The CME have been forced to issue a "clarification" of the initial announcement and it concludes "We apologize for any confusion our initial advisory may have created." No kidding! Surely they should have been "clear" in the initial announcement, no need to post a follow-up 2 days later. The whole debacle stinks - where they vague on purpose to test the response? You know things are coming undone when total confusion reigns. Remember that this week we also saw a dramatic U-turn from Greek Papa concerning a referendum. The "markets" are clearly in flat out panic.

Note, however, the CME margin call is open ended and also it will apply to all NEW trades, so the problem has not gone away. Any way you read it, liquidity is drying up and the situation is getting worse.

Will this mean cheaper commodities, save you a few baht at Tesco next month? Factor in the flood damage and supply chain disruptions (hard drives in Japan shot up 20% last week) and prices will probably stay the same. But this does raise the important debate around inflation versus deflation.

- - - - - - -

Mr flying, you wrote "earlier this year I transferred all into gold." At the moment I'm all into silver, so we seem to be playing the same game from opposite sides! Maybe we can trade with each other and cut out the middle man. Since silver is subject to sales tax and gold is not, this could be a method for us both to save on sales tax when we do the flip. My next flip, into gold, will be when the ratio hits around 40:1 Let me know if you have any thoughts on this, be keen to read your insights.

- - - - - -

Also thanks to Kennalder, Waza, Nisa for their input.