SurfRider

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"try the expat clubs in Pattaya, as I recall one of them has an incentive in place with BHP"

Get a lifetime membership card from Pattaya Expats Club (not PCEC) at their Sunday Mercure Hotel meeting - 600 Baht for lifetime membership. Entitles you to various percentage discounts at BPH (10% on meds for instance) - other discounts on rooms and some procedures.

Have the card registered in the BPH computer -- not sure they engage in tiered pricing, but this will establish your "local" status.

Card is also usable for discounts at over 200 establishments around town - restaurants, etc.

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if your portfolio is already overweighted in stocks

If I roll it over into a new 3-year CD (USAA), I'll get the underwhelming return of 1.31%

if you've got CDs in your portfolio, and they're about to mature

if your overall portfolio's risk is already maxed out

if, if, if, if . . .

I was simply identifying a relatively safe method of obtaining an annual 6% to 7% return on investment income. No "ifs" involved.

People who keep 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank account are NOT getting that! . . . end of story.

Many people who invest consider historical performance to be of some worth in evaluating a portfolio:

"What makes the Dividend Champions list so valuable is in the wealth of information the list provides. Not only does it include almost everything you could possibly want to know about the Champions and their payouts, but it includes soon-to-be champions/aristocrats (20-24 year streaks) and the extent to which a company is a champion. For example, eleven companies have been on Champions for over 50 years"

Diebold Inc. (DBD) – 56 years

American States Water (AWR) – 55 years

Dover Corp. (DOV) – 54 years

Northwest Natural Gas (NWN) – 54 years

Genuine Parts Co. (GPC) – 53 years

Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) – 53 years

Emerson Electric (EMR) – 53 years

Parker-Hannifin Corp. (PH) – 52 years

3M Company (MMM) – 51 years

Integrys Energy Group (TEG) – 51 years

Vectren Corp. (VVC) – 50 years

http://www.bargainee...-champions.html

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"several of us are looking forward to where we can get 5.875% return "at no real risk of loss".

el jefe,

See spreadsheet attached to Post #51 above.

http://www.thaivisa....50#entry5374869

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"invested with the Tooth Fairy who got a triple A rating from S&P?"

Your breadth of investment knowledge obviously leaves a bit to be desired

Check out the Dividend Champions - Solid US companies that have been in business for many years and have continuously increased or maintained their dividend yield for at least 25 years (some much longer).

Top five are currently yielding 7.07% and top ten, 6.02%

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U.S. Dividend Champions 5-31-2012.xls

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"Here's an idea: put THB799,999 in an account for a day. Claim income of THB1 per annum."

Might be a little "dicey" in actual practice-- but it does point out the absurdity of the Thai immigration requirement to prove so called "income" as opposed to net worth or ability to support yourself in a foreign country.

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"He's implying that you should fudge the letter, and remove the 800K to better use."

I was implying no such thing! I know many Expats who can use either method (800K deposit or Embassy letter) and they're either not aware of the letter option, or simply have always done the 800K, so they continue with that method.

If you choose to lie to your Embassy, that's your business.

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US Expats who keep 800,000 Baht wasting away in a Thai bank just to satisfy a Visa requirement should learn that it's not necessary. Simply use the Embassy income verification letter instead and send your money back to where it can be working for you.

That 800K could be earning over US$1500 annually (over 47,000 Baht) if invested properly at no real risk of loss. Keeping it in a Thai bank is the equivalent of tossing it out the window, bit by bit, over the years.

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"Why were they advertising Jessica as the first Filipina"

Jessica wasn't the first Filipina - Season 3 had Jasmine Trias, who went on to a big career in the Philippines and is now performing in Las Vegas -- also same year, Camille Velasco

http://www.americani...stants/season3/

"let’s all just admit that the 'crowd-sourcing our stars' experiment has officially failed"

132 million votes in the finale! -- That's almost more votes than a U.S. presidential election (of course, many would agree that endeavor failed also . . . )

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Another vote for Hole-in-the-wall, the no-name place on Soi Buakhao. Just North of Soi Leng-Kee on the East side.

No prices on the menu - everything is either 60 or 80 Baht. Large portions, free rice and water. Best Cashew Nut Chicken I've found anywhere. Good place to meet other Expats.

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Haven't seen Phillips performance on the final night of competition yet, but it must have been good!

http://intrade.com/v.../?eventId=91456

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Steven Tyler told Phillips that he could be the new Springsteen.

Jessica is my favorite, but I'm partial to good looking sexy young Filipinas, which doesn't count in this competition.

Intrade.com has an incredible track record of accuracy. Barring any completely unpredictable circumstance, it looks like the handwriting is on the walls . . .

http://intrade.com/v.../?eventId=91456

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Looking like no contest . . .

http://intrade.com/v.../?eventId=91456

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Does anyone know of a Torrent source for Idol since Pirate-Bay is down?

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Heading into final rounds, Phillips advancing to commanding lead on Intrade

http://intrade.com/v.../?eventId=91456

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Phillips advances lead over Jessica from last week on Intrade.com after last nights competition.

Joshua and Hollie fade by comparison -- will be interesting to see if the voters agree with the Intrade betting.

http://intrade.com/v.../?eventId=91456

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Sophon has not been up to par since they did their so called "upgrade" a few months ago.

I've also noticed that their signal degrades on several channels during severe rainstorms. That would normally be attributed to their satellite dishes being tuned incorrectly or simply too small for the strength of the incoming signal-- but it takes 2 to 3 days for the signal to return to what passes for normal - which is not really normal by cable TV standards.

I contacted their VP and he said they are "working on it", but their video quality is still very poor in general on many channels.

The only saving grace that justifies the poor quality is that the cost of Sophon is very cheap by world cable TV standards. Personally, I'd be willing to pay more for quality service.

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According to the international betting results on the Intrade Futures site, Phillips will win with Jessica the runner-up.

This site has a very high accuracy record in several different genres, but can change quickly if unexpected events occur. It has predicted all recent U.S. political elections with 100% accuracy.

http://intrade.com/v.../?eventId=91456

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I have a packet sent once every month via US Priority Mail -- Average transit time is 10 days -- best was 5 days and worst was 12 weeks.

The company that sends the packet is in the mail forwarding business and they claim the US Postal tracking system for international mail is useless. They say that you can file for a trace on lost mail after 6 weeks, but they've never had success in recovering any lost international mail.

If anyone needs such a service, it's called USA2ME. They send you an eMail photo of all mail when it's received and you can manage your mail on-line. A monthly shipment of your mail is included in the basic monthly fee.

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Power-Buy in Central Festival Mall has a very large selection. They also have a new location on Pattaya Klang, north side between Sukumvit and Foodland.

I bought a Panasonic LED model at Central and I'm very happy with it. It also doubles as a computer monitor. I strongly suggest LED over LCD, but not sure if LED is available yet in 46"

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Depending on how "official" it needs to be, you might consider Google Translation. Instant and free and I've had good results with Thais understanding the translation. You can test it by translating from Thai to English and see if you think it's accurate enough.

http://translate.goo...n&tab=wT#en|th|

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"sudden onset of infectious dermatitis that has caused a painful and nasty rashes, no doubt from an infection caused by contaminated water throwing ... The Bangkok Pattaya Hospital has been busy with similar cases, and so are the eye clinics"

This is another aspect that the sanctimonious know-it-all supporters of the period of insanity and mayhem do not understand. People need medical attention during this period and it's impossible to get it without being drenched.

Many elderly Expats don't or can't drive and need to rely on public transport - the baht-buses are not safe during the mayhem. The assumption that most Expats have private transport is absurd. I know of many who don't. The admonition "just plan ahead and you'll be ok" is silly and naive. It's impossible to plan ahead for unexpected and unpredictable medical issues and emergencies.

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The mayhem spread to Jomtien in full force by 11:00am today ... from Thappraya / Thepprasit and down along the beach ... roving bands of terrorists, both on foot and in pick-up trucks ... complete with obligatory sewer-water tank trucks for quick refills ... hopefully the end is near -- at least for another 355 days.

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Pattaya Songkran 2012 - Part 3

( Muchas Gracias to Mister Pattaya )

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More Pattaya Songkran 2012 . . .

( Kudos again to Mister Pattaya )