MM

That's true, but I don't recall it being mentioned in discussion of visa options here after they cracked down on visa runs. Possibly all of our expat members are impoverished, and this is not an option, but with all the 10M+ condos out here, maybe some LDOP will find this useful. I suppose this really should be in the EXPAT section rather than here, since it does deal with a long stay visa.

How did you watch the Superbowl, 86tiger? I couldn't get a single link on SportsDevil to connect, so I missed the whole first half of the game. I eventually tried a USA VPN connection, and my LIVE TV connections started working...I have TRUE, so this must be the problem lanzalad has been referring to. The problem with lanzalad's channel list is that it's not broken into segments like some others (like ALL CHANNELS, SPORTS CHANNELS, MOVIE CHANNELS), and the ALL CHANNELS list is really hard to navigate with an AIR Mouse...it was jumping all over the place as I scrolled down. I finally said fuck it and chose SKY SPORTS 1, but then I missed all the good commentary from the NBC(?) broadcast, plus all the good commercials. BTW, for lanzalad, do you have a stream for NBC on the LIVE TV list? I couldn't find it, but then, as I said, it was nearly impossible to navigate the scroll list with so many channels in one list. Consider fixing that, eh?

From http://www.pattayamail.com/moneymatters/thai-investment-visa-could-be-key-to-long-stay-43971 Thai Investment Visa could be key to long stay Friday, 02 January 2015From Issue Vol. XXIII No. 1[/size]By Paul Gambles Co-founder of MBMG Group Amidst all the brouhaha surrounding the proposed changes to the Foreign Business Act (FBA), and before that the changes to short-term tourist visa rules, one important development could easily be overlooked: the long-term investment visa. Despite the Prime Minister and his deputy’s assurances that the FBA would not be changed, it is not to say that it won’t be at some point in the future, however distant. That’s because preferential shares exploit a loophole within the letter, though outside the spirit, of the current law: the wording of the FBA does not expressly prohibit the use of preferential shares to allow foreigners to effectively control Thai-based businesses. Similarly, the short-term visa - involving visa runs daytrips across a border in order to get a new stamp - was never likely to be a sustainable solution to receiving permission to stay in Thailand. Invest and stay Around the time the short-term visa restrictions were announced one important anomaly was corrected. In an attempt to attract wealthy retired and semi-retired foreigners to retire in Thailand, the government announced the reintroduction of the investment visa. In Thailand, a foreigner is allowed to buy a condominium unit outright - subject to certain conditions, including not owning more the 49% of the total floor space of the complex. However, having bought a unit he/she was still normally limited to a 30, 60 or 90-day visa. Thus, you bought a place to live but you couldn’t necessarily stay there. In August, the government relaxed the rules for obtaining an investment visa, allowing foreigners a one-year visa if they invest in Thailand. This is of course subject to certain conditions: holding a legitimate visa in the first place and having invested the minimum amount. To become eligible for the investment visa you must hold a non-immigrant (tourist) visa. You also have to be able to show evidence of having invested at least THB 10 million in Thailand. Furthermore, investment visa holders are not allowed to earn a wage in Thailand. Definition of investment In fact, Investment in this case does not only mean buying property: it also includes depositing money in a bank account in the country or buying state bonds. The three definitions of investment to qualify for visa eligibility are as follows: * Putting the money into a condominium unit at a purchase price or rent of at least THB 10 million (either freehold or a leasehold of 3 years or more); * Holding at least THB 10 million in a fixed deposit account at a Thai bank whose share capital is majority Thai owned; * Having bought or owns Thai government or Thai state enterprise bonds worth at least THB 10 million. If the condominium unit you buy costs less than THB 10 million, you can still be eligible for an investment visa by adding one of the other types of investment listed above to reach the 10 million baht mark. Investment visa eligibility only applies to foreign investors that have invested after 25th November 2008. People who invested between 1st October 2006 and 25th November 2008 do not qualify for the visa. Possibility of renewal This is not the first time Thailand has implemented an investment visa rule: a similar regime had been implemented in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. The required investment then was just THB 3 million; however new applications were no longer accepted after 1st October 2006. All this means that it is now possible to obtain a one-year visa through investing in Thailand. Plus, the one-year investment visa is renewable, so it’s possible to stay in Thailand for the long term, provided you renew your visa annually. Unlike a retirement visa, which is for those 50 or over, the investment visa has no age limitations. However, before transferring funds into the country, it is important to ensure that you are likely to qualify. Given the list of criteria to fulfill, as well as the documentation and evidence you’ll have to provide, it’s advisable to get an immigration lawyer to help you. A lawyer can assess the likelihood of the visa being granted and help you submit your application to the Immigration Bureau.

Spoken like a true Seahawks apologist.

I think the Seahawks should be remembered for this...being really bad losers. http://youtu.be/ITPW8s6QVLA

More money than sense? Big spenders? Big money? Lots of explanations...

Good solution (no pun intended), teelack.

Given Superbaby's lack of customers lately, it's not surprising they've gone the route of Polo back in the day. They were undoubtedly charged an incredibly expensive amount for the privilege of tossing those gogo balls and drinking that Leo. Okay...while not a flag following group of Asians, that does fit the bill as a tour group going into a gogo. Now, does anyone think that happens at Baccara, as Gabor was told? Given plahgat's difficulties in getting a single seat, imagine what a group of 20 would have to contend with.

I'm watching it on Sky Sports 1 (UK), and I haven't seen a single decent commercial...plus the break commentators are complete unknowns...one guy is the special teams coach for some team I never heard of, one guy was with the Bears in Superbowl XX and also never heard of him...and one guy is English.

I was expecting a real shootout with higher scores by this point.

For those who don't want the full dosage, with gel, it's hard to take a half unless you don't mind sticky pockets. The pills can be split into two or more pieces. I prefer pills, though if I use them, I sort of chew them with a mint rather than swallowing them whole.

I have the luxury of hating both teams nearly equally Now I'd like to see something like soccer where neither side wins!

They looked pretty lost in the NFC championship till the 2nd half...wonder what Pete gives them during the half time break?

So you're the one who started this silliness?

I think you know what's meant..a tour group with a paid leader.

You've got this huge prejudice against those who spend money, especially if they're Asian.The question was whether the tour groups come into gogos, and the answer is they do not. You see a group of Asians, a girl tells you a tale, and you create a bullshit story out of whole cloth. If the girl saw a group of farang coming into the bar on a bar crawl, would you think they came on a bus?

This confirms my comment...I haven't seen "behind the flag" tour groups entering any gogo since Polo.

I take mine to the wife's home in Ubon where I've installed Wi-Fi/ADSL and it helps me wile away those long lonely village days waiting for my next inedible meal.

Firth, the MINIX has an HDMI output as does your laptop. So plugging the HDMI from the MINIX into your laptop is not likely to work, since both are output, not input. As to your question, they are great to travel with, but you need to plug them into a proper TV with HDMI input. Oh, and of course, you'll need a decent WIFI connection for streaming. I travel with one, and I bring a USB disk with lots of downloaded content, which I then can watch if I don't have a decent internet connection.

What kind of attachments were they? You probably need an app that supports that attachment type.

I find it hard to believe you can "encourage" (with any success) members of a Chinese tour group to spend money if you haven't gotten it from them up front. I think your girl might not quite understand the arrangement, if any. Also, why would Happy Group contract to bring in dodgy Chinese tourists to Baccara which is almost always full and couldn't accomodate any group size of more than 3, when they have other bars that are hurting for customers like Beach Club? I think you should apply a critical eye to some of these tales from the girls...they usually don't have a clue what's really going on. In Polo's case, the tour group members were charged something like 800 baht for a single drink and entrance to the gogo, Polo got 400 baht (for a single drink!), and the tour operator got 400b...collected IN ADVANCE...of course, this was told to me by a girl too

Which Gogo was that? I thought they'd stopped that after Polo closed.

I just copy the Thai SMS and insert it into Google translate...sometimes there's actually useful information in those messages!

I use Kingsoft now myself, even though I have a legal MSOffice package.