GroveHillWanderer

I agree with all those who've referred to Guinness zero - I tried a whole bunch of zero alcohol beers when I was home in the UK last year and Guinness zero was the best-tasting one out of the whole lot. It's also the one that tastes most like its alcoholic counterpart. And, at least for a couple of weeks while I was there and it was on special offer in Morrison's, it was also the cheapest one I could find.

I got a TIN in Hua Hin in 2015, for exactly the same reason. I applied for and was issued a TIN with no problem whatsoever. Getting the refund was a different matter though. The first time I tried, I got a stony-faced guy who insisted that as a retired foreigner I was not entitled to a refund. Nothing I or my wife could say would get him to change his mind. I went back a few days later with a Thai friend who owns a business and often has dealings with the Tax office. We went to the lady he normally deals with there, she couldn't have been more friendly or helpful and processed the refund form straight away. She even filled it out for me and all I had to do was sign it. Whenever I've done refunds since, I always dread running into that guy again but luckily I haven't, and have always been able to get the refunds without any drama.

We have Trane ceiling-mounted AC units and they don't seem to have any problem coping with the heat. I can say for definite that the "blackout" curtains that we had fitted in the bedroom, with a reflective silver lining, make a noticeable difference. You only have to open them during the day, to feel the radiant heat flooding in through the window. We only put the AC on when we actually go to bed at night - the room cools down within five minutes and we have it set to go off automatically at 4:30 am (used to be 2:30 until about the end of last month). The room stays pleasantly cool until morning. In the daytime we don't use AC at all, just floor fans. Our house does have a lot of trees around it providing shade, good thick walls and we usually get a nice breeze from the beach so that helps (though not so much just recently as even the breeze feels hot after about 9 am).

I guess it's hard to convey irony in written text. ????

Yes, you have said this numerous times but I'm a little at a loss as to why. The trial is about to start and the discovery phase is just about over (although see below about Fox's new problems with discovery). The judge has already ruled that there was no fraud or altering of votes by Dominion Voting Systems (he characterized the evidence as "crystal clear" in this regard) so this will not be an issue brought up for debate. Fox's attorneys will only be able to present evidence that goes to the question of whether Fox News acted with malice. And when it comes to anyone being embarrassed due to discovery-related matters, well that shoe is very definitely on Fox's foot. It has now been revealed that Fox's lawyers improperly withheld some discovery documents and as reported in the link below, the judge has said he is: Judge Imposes Sanction on Fox for Withholding Evidence in Defamation Case

It can because the human body perceives temperature differently according to the relative humidity. The perceived temperature depends on a thermodynamic calculation called the Heat Index. The article in the link below explains it in more detail. Heat Index Formula As it states:

Again, you're slightly misrepresenting things by using wording that doesn't quite match what's being used in the lawsuit. As stated in the Reuters article below, what Dominion claims is that: Dominion Vs Fox And if you want proof that they did indeed endorse this notion, then it was provided by none other than the head of that organisation, Rupert Murdoch. When asked under oath in his deposition related to the lawsuit, if Fox News hosts had endorsed these false claims, here's the most relevant (and most damning) part of his answers. Rupert Murdoch says Fox stars 'endorsed' lies about 2020

You just don't get it, do you? Truth as an affirmative defence is not on the table here. The judge has already ruled that the statements by Fox news were completely false so they do not have the option of presenting that defence. You say you don't know what the judge's ruling was but I've already provided a link to it. Did you not read it? Here's what he said (in part): Please note the part where the judge has already ruled that, as a matter of law, "Fox’s behavior constituted defamation per se ..." So when you say that: That's not quite true. This case is not about Fox saying Dominion systems were vulnerable, it's about them claiming that the systems actually altered votes and changed the election result, while knowing this to be false - and on that point, the judge has already ruled that Fox knowingly made such false claims, and that this constitutes defamation per se. So once again, and for the umpteenth time, the only thing the jury will have to decide on is whether Fox News acted with malice or not.

In this defamation lawsuit, Dominion is not claiming that its systems could not be hacked. They may be doing that elsewhere, but if they are it's totally irrelevant and has no bearing whatsoever here. As @placeholder pointed out, the judge has already ruled that as matter of law and of fact, any claims that Dominion systems altered votes is untrue and the only thing left for the jury to consider is whether Fox News acted with actual malice. Fox News’ Claims About Dominion Were False, Judge Rules So just to be clear - once again, whether Dominion's systems could be hacked or not is now totally immaterial to this lawsuit and will not form any part of the jury's deliberations.

I guess it's just yet another example of different offices doing things differently. Although they've never asked for photos of her, only her birth certificate. Also (again unlike requirements mentioned elsewhere) they only want 4 photos of myself and my wife. I should just mention that for me, having come in originally on an O-A visa, the main advantage of a marriage extension (and the only reason I chose it) is to avoid having to change the perfectly good health insurance policy I already have, to get one including outpatient cover which I don't want or need and would almost double my premiums.

What I would say is that if Trump has not been found guilty of a crime yet, it's not for want of trying. Also, that 'yet' is very significant. He's already under indictment for one crime and looks likely to be indicted for at least two more (possibly three) within fairly short order. The first additional indictment will probably be the Mar-a-Lago documents case and there's still the Georgia election tampering and the Jan 6 incitement cases to come after that. Bill Barr says ‘good chance’ Trump will be indicted over Mar-a-Lago documents As Barr points out in that article:

Showing that the Dominion systems had vulnerabilities (if indeed they do) will not help Fox. Dominion is not suing Fox for saying their systems had vulnerabilities and so could have been used to alter the results, they are suing Fox for saying that their systems actually were used to alter votes and rig the election, all the while knowing that these claims weren't true. This case doesn't hinge on whether the Dominion systems had vulnerabilities, it hinges on whether Fox knew what they were saying about the results was untrue, when they said it. So unless Fox can show that they did not knowingly broadcast falsehoods about what the Dominion systems actually did (as opposed to what they might potentially have been able to do) it won't help their case.

That's interesting. Which office is that? In Hua Hin I still have to produce a copy of our daughter's birth certificate every year, and she's 34 already.

Well, that's the thing. Based on all the first-person accounts of people who have been asked for proof of funds, it has always been people with a years-long history of spending long and/or frequently repeated periods of time in Thailand such that it appeared that were living or working here (to all intents and purposes) but without having the appropriate visa. I personally can't recall a single example being reported of it happening to anyone coming in only on the occasional visa exempt entry.

True, but why would that have any influence on the outcome of a jury trial deciding on his guilt or innocence and/or the length of his sentence (as was implied in the post starting this particular part of the discussion)?

I'm still surprised that more isn't being made in the media about the revelations in the article linked to by @ozimoronearlier. The fact that Crow served on the boards of not one, but two groups (AEI and CCI) that filed briefs in the US Supreme Court is surely a clear conflict of interest.

Where are you getting this ridiculous claim from? Kamala Harris' stepdaughter is 23 years old, only graduated from university two years ago and works as a model. How and why would a New York State Supreme Court justice have worked for her? Anyway, as stated in this forum's rules: So please provide a source for this.

He's currently being investigated for that, the investigation is still ongoing.

And guess who paid for the documentary. The same mega-rich Republican donor, Harlan Crow. Clarence Thomas said he loves RVs and Walmarts in a documentary financed by the GOP megadonor who was taking him on luxury vacations

Did you not read the very first line of the OP? It says: (Emphasis mine).

You seem to have forgotten the multiple pieces of evidence that show Trump knew about the payments and what they were for. Firstly, there are recordings of phone calls between Trump and Michael Cohen that were used in Cohen's trial where they discussed the payments and their purpose. Then, Trump himself admitted to the payments (but claimed they weren't compaign expenses) both in Tweets in May 2018 and in an interview with Fox News in December 2018. Trump admits to Stormy Daniels payment Also, as I mentioned previously, they have evidence from emails and text messages that Trump talked about delaying the hush money payments until after the election, by which time it wouldn't matter. This proves that a) he knew what the payments were for and b) that they were election-related.

As others have pointed out, the electoral fraud charges apply to Trump, not Daniels, so where she lives is immaterial.

As Alvin Bragg specifically pointed out in his press conference after the arraignment though, the link making this a felony is not to a federal crime, it is to a New York State crime. He stated as follows: Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg accuses Donald Trump of ‘catch and kill’ scheme

Have you read the "statement of facts" issued by Bragg's office in support of the indictment? It contains evidence that the payment was linked to the election. Donald J. Trump - Statement of Facts As it states: As the statement goes on to say, there are emails and text messages between Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels' lawyer, and the AMI Editor-in-Chief, David Pecker that attest to this. So they have the words of Trump himself linking it to the election, supported by documentary evidence of communications between the involved parties.

Not sure where the idea of an arranged marriage comes from. According to all the previous (and current) reporting on this it was a kidnap for ransom gone wrong.