BongoBill9999

All the Brit newspapers are here (includes many local ones):- http://www.wrx.zen.co.uk/britnews.htm Bill Seems the Express only lets you read the first page and then wants to charge! Cheapskates.

Honkers and Shankers (HSBC). Probably not the cheapest but you will get good service all over asia, and indeed elsewhere. Bill

I did state that I was using the offshore figures (from OANDA) and just under 4% is what you get for the past three months. But what do they know - that is the outside world without the fudging of the Bank of Thailand. I am aware that the BOT brought in the two tier rate in attempt to thwart the speculators. Of course there is often a wide difference between the offshore and onshore rate, as we all know and it has been converging, hence the figures you show. Would be nice to know what the BOT is up to. Bill

You are suggesting that the £ has depreciated some 15% against the Baht since October. This is not the case. The AVERAGE value of £1 in October (using the offshore rate) was 65.06 and the AVERAGE value this month thus far is 62.59, a drop of just under 4%. The onshore rate will differ somewhat but not that much. Anyone can find large variations between dates, but ignore the peaks and troughs to get a clearer picture (unless you are a currency speculator, in which case the they are important ). The value of sterling is affected by many factors but prominent are interest rates in the U

It's already in law, Stan. This from the UK Gov Pension Website "The state pension age for both men and women is to increase from 65 to 68 between 2024 and 2046, with each change phased in over two consecutive years in each decade. The first increase, from 65 to 66, will be phased in between April 2024 and April 2026; the second, from 66 to 67, will be phased in between April 2034 and April 2036; and the third, from 67 to 68, between April 2044 and April 2046." I will be aged 99 when the changeover completes (pushing up daisies morelike). Don't think it will affect you either!

LX1273 A320 LX182 A340-300 SK972 A340-300 www.flightstats.com will give you the info. Think I hit return the same time as Evil

It was a 747 so it had 3 spare engines. If it were BA it would have carried on (as one did from LA to London a while back)

Also stayed there many years ago (v big rooms) but as stated it has been refurbed a while back. I looked into it again a couple of years ago after the refurb and found that it catered mainly to a Russian clientele. Da Bill

Looks like a very good deal. Thanks for the heads up

Nope, she isn't blind. Everyone in the UK over the age of 75 (including millionaires) gets a free TV license! Good ol socialism (I don't think). Blind people just get a discount which just shows how stupd the whole freakin system is. Mine expires at the end of Feb, just hope my house is sold by then and I will be a country that doesn't use this pathetic system. Bill

By Dontcha It looks like you guys in the UK and the USA are getting avery raw deal from your governments at the end of your working lives In general I would agree that the state pension in the UK is crap. However, what has not been mentioned are all the other benefits that people get. Just as an example I know of a friend who gets the following:- A single persons state pension with credit (£113 pw) Approx £64 a week for help (attendance allowance) A very nice 2 bed flat (apartment) rent free, maintenance free, A new fitted kitchen and new central heating recently fitted

Alan I am as certain as I can be about the reduced requirement - I have looked hard and fast over the past couple of days to see if there is a change over period but have found nothing. You can get NP46 the Guide to State pensions here. http://pensionsgroup.org/pdf/np46/np46apr05.pdf It is updated to cover the pensions act of 2007 and page 2 states quite clearly that only 30 qualifying years are required for those claiming the pension after April 2010. If you have the 30 years I would see no point in paying voluntary contributions unless it gives you some other advantage of which I am

Just a few additional points:- The single persons state pension in UK is indeed £87 pw which isn't much, but this is topped up to about £113 pw with pension credits if that person has no other income. It is raised each year in line with increases in the retail price index. From about 2012 it will be increased in line with incomes, rather than inflation. Also, if you get your state pension after 2010 you will only need 30 years National Insurance contributions which is good for me as I retired early and get my state pension in 2012. Sinbin is right that the pension "withers on the vi

Spot on FTC and a very handy URL which I wasn't aware of. Thanks Bill

Booked MAN - BKK 21 August few days ago with WestEast Travel for £450. Opodo was quoting £456. Bill

I'll give you a wave as we pass in the sky (almost)!! Bill

Nope, you are wrong. at 0430BST today at Lastminute flying MAN-BKK departing 20 June returning 18 July the price including tax is £388. You can follow it all the way to the payment box and it is still £388! Remember the price will vary depending on your return date - use my dates and look again. I paid £428 a couple of weeks ago so it is now £40 cheaper. Not sure what you refer to "about six months" ago but my previous (recent) flights have been:- £375.70 paid on 6/7/06 (Airline Network) £428.89 paid on 14 Jan (Lmin) £447.32 paid on 17 Apr (Lmin) Those prices were the bottom

Flying to BKK from MAN next Wednesday and thought I had a good price at £428. Just checked on Lastminute.com (using the flexi date option) and same flight is available for £388 (depending on when you return, of course. Not seen flights this cheap for a long time, so if you are flexible...................!! Also means that the flight must be pretty empty so bodes well for a several seat snooze enroute!! Bill

Just booked MAN - BKK for £428 outbound 21 June, also with Lastminute.com. Had some good deals with them recently. The "my dates are flexible" check box on the site provides various options and shows how prices can vary with the day of the week. Shopping around I found they undercut the competition quite considerably. Bill

You will always receive back your old passport (with the corner chopped off). You can download the appropriate form for transfer of visa here:- http://www.pattaya-immigration.org/download.php?lang=EN For information, Gary, a Brit passport costs £66 (about $130) and that is applying by post - much more if you want it fast. But this is rip-off Britain which is why anyone with sense is bailing out!! Bill

Have flow Etihad three times since December last and it seems to me that prices seem to drop if you book within three months of flying. Being retired I can book pretty much as and when and my last trip from MAN returning just 10 days ago was £447 booked (Lastminute.com) about 3 weeks beforehand. Bill

I managed to get a QMiles freebie about 12 months ago but it was like getting blood out of a stone. In the end I finished up sending a total of about 20 emails and talking to MAN, London. Eventually got the lot together (emails) and went big time to the Qatar Big Cheese and it worked. Maybe I was just unlucky and Tom had a good day. Anyway, bon chance!! Bill

So the cleaner (or whoever) determines that , say 3,5,8,1. (out of the 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0 possible numbers have been used)...so please tell me how you can have 10,000 variations of those four numbers (read buttons), Einstein!! You need to go back and read the original post - we are not talking here about just guessing four numbers out of ten!! Bill

Cleaner (or whoever) wipes keypad clean with cloth. You open safe by pressing numbered keys and leave print on key. Cleaner (or whoever) puts a little talc on keys which shows which keys have been pressed (but not the order, of course). If the code is just four digits (and many are) it doesn't take too long to try each variation until bingo! Simple solution - wipe the keys clean with a cloth everytime AFTER you use the safe. bill

FBF is quite right. I booked some time ago cattle class to BKK late December. I have just checked the flight coupon and it clearly shows a baggage allowance of 30kg...whereas the Etihad website now shows 20kg. I probably won't need it as I travel light, but as it is on the ticket they would find it difficult to deny me my 30kg if I so wanted. Bill