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23
Am I Required To File A Thai Tax Return
if you want to be cautious (both now and for your future in thailand), just file your tax return to reclaim the bank tax that was withheld. some people prefer to follow the laws, rules, and customs as guests and foreigners in thailand. others might call us stupid or idiots for doing so. i know which kind of people i prefer ... i think the thai people do too ... -
10
import from India / changes?
If he wanted that badly he could himself go over to buy them,cheap enough -
5
Phuket's Plan for Water Taxis: A New Way to Beat Traffic
I look forward, in the near future, to a trip on Phuket's undersea monorail running from who knows where or when. -
140
Trump’s Proposal for Gazan Relocation makes perfect sense
I think you misunderstand, and have been lazy in your characterisation of an internet stranger. The point is there isn't a single Jewish culture. I described Orthodox Jews, who are very different to more secular Jews. I don't consider them fanatics, any more than I would consider Plymouth Bretheren and Menonites to be fanatics. Both have mysterious beliefs, and like the Orthodox Jews, they keep to themselves. And "Western Civilisation"; its a pretty broad brush really. Culturally, I don't have that much to do wih a Greek, but we both fall under "Western Civilisation", which has been influenced by many many cultures; and if we are mentioning Judeo-Christian culture, you should really revise that to Abrahamic culture. "Western Civilisation" has long abandoned Roman numerals as our main method of counting, instead adopting Arabic numerals. Arabic numerals (and science) of course came to Europe in Spain. Outside of Spain, it was Italian mathematicians, trained in Algeria, who started using arabic numerals. Apparently it was the printing press that really broke the grip of the Roman numeral, and by the 17th Century, Arabic numerals were the defacto standard, centuries after the Moors had disappeared from memory. Its called Judeo-Christianity because of course thr link as you point out. But to Western Europe, it was Christianity which came first, hundreds of years after Christs death and very much a Roman version of the story. Jews in Britain didn't arrive I believe until the 11th Century. Christianity though, through Romans, such as St Patrick, very much co-opted the indigenous British and Celtic cultures to get its point across. As for the Biblical stories, which were collated about 2500 years ago, there is substantive academic belief that many of the stories are versions of stories that could be traced back to Sumer, which is more than 7500 years ago. It boggles the mind that there is a 8000 year gap between the structures seen in, say Bahrain (which is also known as Dilmun, and is considered the origin of the Eden story, thanks to its twin water springs), built during Gilgamesh's time, and when Jesus of Nazareth was about. And the Ten Commandments are now considered to be a bit of a rehash of the "The Commandments of the Seven", or what the Seven Sages said. If you look these up, they are remarkably similar to the 10 Commandments, indicating a common origin, or merely common human values. But the Seven Sages were Ancient Greek. It probably all back to Babylonic law. The Law in Western societies is heavily influenced by Roman Law. English Common Law sets the standard for the Anglophone world. It has origins from around 1100, but it self is the result of melding Germanic laws with Roman Law from about 500AD. Roman Law comes from the Twelve tables, which itself some think came from Athenian Law, and then we start reaching back further and further in the mists of time, far before Moses. But the problem is geology ensures that structures erected before 10-12,000 BCE simply won't survive, hence the controversy surrounding the Sphinx in Egypt. The Sphinx is a remodelled rock outcrop. Its been remodelled many times, and is considered to have originally been a carved lion figurine with the human head added later. The mystery is the water erosion around the carved base, because geologists can put a date on when there was water there; before 10,000 BC. Judaism has an influence on Western Civilisation, though "Western Civilisation" existed before that rekigion, but even Western Civiisation was the creation of ancient Near East Civilisations; the ones we know about are Sumer (modern Iraq), Indus Valley (modern Pakistan) and Dilmun (modern Bahrain). Some thoughts are that the Persian Gulf is the confluence of 3 rivers (one of which has gone), and maybe it was something to do with the Flood story. Judaism of course influenced Early Christianity, but the version that came to Britain, 200 years after a Christian Roman Emperor who assumed his version fo Christianity 300 years after Christ, came from a Romano-Briton who blended Roman pagan belief, with a Chinese whispers version of Christianity with British culture (yes, when the Romans came to Britannia, they started worshipping British gods, alongside their own ones). Actual Jewish culture, in any significance, only really came in the Middle Ages, and whatever influence it had is left behind in a few words and foods (possibly fried fish for instance). With the result being the biggest day on the Christian calendar is a north European pagan winter festival. Or was it Roman? As a festival, because it came about in European winters with short days, this would be quite alien to the Levantine civilisations. And then have a think about the term "Western Civilisation". It came from, guess, Greece. They didn't have much if any, knowledge of Moses when they divided the world between West and East, so the idea of Western Civilisation long predates any monotheistic religion. That civilisation has of course sucked up lots of influences. But at its core, its a European culture, not a Middle Eastern one, even though it pinches bits and pieces to such as extent, we can no longer tell the difference. And if you are referring to Israel, and the relationship between Judaism, Kibbutz life and Socialism; the people of Israel are not just expressing the values of Moses, but also the values of Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Epicurus, Plotinus, Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, John Wycliffe, John Locke, Descartes, Kant, and many many others, right through to the modern age, all of whom have influenced the peoples who emigrated to Israel. And like every society, not all accept those values. Hence the minority of Orthodox Jews who seemingly, on one level, accept the Western view of equality between genders; the sheitels really serves a similar function as the hijab, to express modesty (and ironically, some people find wearing of the hijab, or veil to be offensive. I find all those practice by Abrahamic adherants to be illogical, but not offensive). And the payot and beards worn by some orthodox men also has parallels, and likely the same origins, as the interpretation in some parts of Islam about the cutting of beards (hence, end up with long beards, and for real radicals, long hair, but not for hippy reasons). And our civilisation is also the product of modern influences. Among the Anglophones, 3 men added more phrases to the English language than anyone else. William Shakespeare, and Lewis and Clark. Shakespeare brought in much Eastern influence, through plays such as Othello. Lewis and Clarke, in their exploration of the American West, transalted native American phrases that have now become part of all of our lexicon; wigwam, peace talks, caucus, anorak, jerky, barbeque, buccaneer etc etc. I guess Western Civilisation has long gone, because now neither West nor East. Its not the World Civilisation because there others with are very different. But the way Western Civilisation has borrowed from literally every civilisation ever, makes it I suppose the Dominant, or Prevailing, Civilisation, which is a more accurate characterisation. A certain conceit goes with that. The Dominant Civilisation forever changes and evolves, like the Borg, and it cannot be nailed down to any particular single origin, instead snapping up universal truths. As for Runes, funnily enough I had you down as a Stalinist-Nazi, as there is but a fagpaper difference between the two. And it was your man, Himmler, who latched onto this who Viking-Teutonic Knights nonsense, and who invented the myth of the "Volk", along the way, misappropriating symbols, while at the same time, being profoundly ignorant. Reputedly, he even had his own Castle with a Round Table, underlining the utter ridiculousness and philosophical bankruptcy of that political creed. And if the 10 Commandments are the Cornerstone of your Civilisation, does Donald Trumpf, serial adulterer, user of prostitutes, convicted confidence trickster, a blasphemer, a proverbial money changer, and who lacks the manners f the Good Samaritan, represent the height of that Civilisation? -
22
Best bank account for future visa and interest!
At this point in time it’s not the best account you can get but what bank will open an account for a foreigner… -
56
Thailand Cracks Down: Police to Monitor Foreign Nationals Closely
announced 17th February, it's already passed and forgotten
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