OxfordWill

Kasikorn-

It cost me $20 to receive in USD to my USD deposit account. (the max is $20 on any sum).

Today I transferred some of it into baht and the XC was 32.3 (surprised since this is rather exact what I had checked in the morning).

It cost me $20 again to transfer the money from my Kbank USD to my Kbank THB.

Given that $20 is the maximum fee.. incoming or outgoing.. well, I am happy with that. It cost me alot less than it has been costing me to do the same with English Banks. Alot less!

Namm- can you educate me as to why I should not be holding USD in Thailand (or at all?)? If I have to receive USD, are you saying it's wiser to change it into THB immediately and if so can you explain in laymans terms for me why please? Thanks.

3g working fine for me, although so far in bangkok have not found a location without a wireless connection to borrow. I turned wireless off to test 3g and was pleasantly surprised at the speed. Can post stats if anyone wants.

I dont buy this theory that there's no concept of consequence in Thailand. If you've ever heard a thai use the phrase "greng jai" then you should already know they think about consequences. I'm afraid to say that anyone thinking this isn't an example of consequence consideration is stuck in a sense that their own culture is somehow superior. That is known as ethnocentrism and is not easily defended.

As an afterthought I am now struggling to think up a worse insult for any society/culture/people than "they have no concept of consequences". I hardly believe such a culture, should one exist, lacking such a vital concept, would survive as long as Thai culture has.

Where are the true shops which sell iphones? Ive only ever seen one in siam square.

"speciesism" is at the core of this debate, you can read about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speciesism

What is your opinion, Mr Will? Should we give equally to the dogs on the verandah as the humans on the verandah, or should one species be trusted more than another?

I'm not sure its got anything to do with how much we can trust one over another.

I suppose I do think we should give equally as that is how I behave. I also equally do not eat either humans or animals however I am not convinced its got anything to do with morality (although suspect it might do).

Is there a way in which non us citizens can be affected by this if they are receiving USD, given that usd always goes through the US and most banks have american account holders?

"speciesism" is at the core of this debate, you can read about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speciesism

... at somepoint earlier than their entrance to the bank.

After some further investigation it turns out the Kbank branch on sukhumvit 21 does this for foreigners without a work permit so long as they have an apartment/condo contract in their name and a passport.

My PA has been in kasikorn branch and SCB branch today and both told her a work permit is required for opening USD account.

Is it down to what branch?

Any personal recommendations please gentlemen?

I would be receiving USD from abroad at least once a month, usually not more than 20k at any one time (have heard 20k is the magic number whereby you need to alert the bank or go through hassles?)

I would like to hold it in USD with minimal charges, fees, etc and have a card for ATM withdrawls

It would also help to be able to send this to international banks without massive charges.

Does anyone have a similar situation and have advice to share? Thanks

I just can't stop laughing about this one. absolutely brilliant.

"Generally speaking, heeding the advice you receive in anonymous forwarded emails is not an effective way of coping with Internet security issues."

also looking for this.

somehow demeans a good comfortable feeling that I have had with regard to other monks.

I lost this feeling mere months into experiencing monks in Thailand and what I see them getting up to!

that is only one opinion Oxfordwill, there are quite a few situations where swearing might be appropriate, in court for example a judge may ask "what did the accused say to you" Reply: "Hand over your fuc_king bag or i'll punch you in the fuc_king face".

Well I don't know what to say to this quite blatant attempt to take things out of context. A judge trying to determine the.. no, you know what, you and I both know that's a very silly argument you just made. The word being a swear word has nothing to do with the situation you describe. And neither does suitability have anything to do with it.

Like I said a few posts back, now those who are easily offended are aware of the topic content it is quite simple to just not read it & leave us parents who don't think it's the end of the world for kids to hear swearing to post.

I'll consider this but it's now highly likely I will be here for the duration. Especially since I am neither offended nor a parent who thinks anything.

As Oxfordwill stated, his parents never swore & now he thinks it's a laugh to see who can swear the most in the pub, hardly the best advert for not swearing in front of kids is it.

Hello Boo.

At no point did I state my parents never swore and at no point did I say I think it's a laugh to see who can swear the most in the pub (although at pint 10, it's probably in the male thinking somewhere).

"If it were the most suitable word to use then I probably would use it in any setting. It is part of the language after all."

I challenge you to find one situation in which a swear word is the most suitable word to use. I can find a better word for any situation, a better word being defined as a word whose meaning or etylmology is more precise to the feeling, sentiment, thought or understanding being expressed in the given situation by your protagonist.

Someone who confronts any irritating situation with "fuc_k" will believe "fuc_k" to be the most suitable word for all irritating situations. Some people would call this ignorance.

I didnt mean to direct my tirade at anyone in particular. I took the whole issue hypothetically and ran with it.

My father deposited a monthly sum in a joint account for domestic stuff- i.e. my mums spending on food, bills for the home, etc. Funny how it never occured to anyone to suggest this might be bad or trickery on the part of my mum. But in Thailand, that kind of worry is rife.

It's an interesting question though, as to if there is a link between knowledgeable use of a language and the amount of swearing a child is accustomed to hearing? Maybe that's just me, maybe it isn't generally that interesting.

I'm not judging anyone for swearing or not.

My father was ex Navy- and you know what they say about sailors and swearing. I definitely don't allow myself to swear in front of children, and I expect I won't when/if I ever have my own. I'd rather come up with curious words which are witty. That, I feel, would be a parent with an actual sense of humour. It's not particularly hard to say fuc_k, cun_t, shit or gobshite 10 times a day. Try coming up with 10 different, less simplistic but equally offensive terms. They do exist. Or don't bother, which would be easier and simpler for you.

Oops, guess I am now judging. Sorry. There's a time and place for letting rip, and I challenge anyone to swear harder or faster than me on a friday night after 10 pints or when one of my staff does a major fuc_kup causing me to work all weekend, but an understanding that many people in life judge very quickly anyone who does so in any situation other than among close friends, is only going to do your children a favour in the long run.

Ill go now.

I think I heard my mum swear for the first time when I was 14 and my dad when I was 18 or older. When my parents got angry they used words I had to go and look up. As an adult now I know both of them swear just as much as any normal adult- they just didn't want me or my brother to hear it.

I've always thanked them for the grassroots approach to having an expansive vocabulary. I've found a large vocab encourages others to think you are much smarter, more successful and generally a better person than you really are. It's a useful tool to have. I always notice that my friends who swear the most have the most limited vocabs.

These days I do swear alot, and I read less too. And I struggle to remember words I used to rely on. It's all linked I think.

Any place is largely what you make of it and for me its about where my good friends are. That, and no income tax

Your argument assumes a load of utter <deleted> such as legitimate points should only be heard when led by legitimate leaders (whatever the hel_l that means). I could go on but urg, I don't have a side in the red/yellow thing but your post is nonsense, picking it apart wouldnt even be fun. Sunday morning drivel.

Many thanks