Recent developments in overseas banking and technological revenge.
Come on! An App is needed to check into a camp site!?!?!!?
Before the earthquake, the following is what I was working on. There has been a major development in overseas reporting of financial transactions that I believe is a positive one. Earlier I reported that last year I was shocked to learn in 2022 that my bank no longer offers currency exchange services and that the bank I used a year later also no longer offers this service. I learned then that there are I think 20 places that now do, none of which are banks.
A friend from overseas was able to find buyers for two of my fountain pens and collect funds to buy them from me for their clients during a recent trip to Japan. One was purchased in US dollars necessitating a currency exchange. Unbelievably luckily, one of the 20 money changers was just across the street from where we met. I was able to easily exchange USD for JP yen without any hassle; did not even need to show ID. This was the easiest currency exchange transaction I have ever made, and I have made many in countries that have money changers almost every block. I suspect that with all financial transactions through banks now reportable to foreign governments via FATCA (US) and the Common Reporting Standards of the OECD, banks stopped offering the service to avoid the costs of spying on their customers. In their place, businesses that are not covered by these odious laws have sprung up to fulfill the need. Not a permanent solution as eventually the tyrants will figure this out write new laws but the fact that there is real push back against this “financial transparency” lunacy is a huge, bright, good sign.
On the other side of the ledger, this comes from our most recent camping trip which we returned from yesterday, the last day of 2023. To check in and out, campers must now have an idiot phone and down load the campground’s app. I do not know if you check in without these is possible but it did not look like you can. Besides, it will soon be the case where the option to use any service, except currency exchange, without an idiot phone and app will simply no longer exist.
QUAKE update. It seems that the tsunami are not as bad as feared. That does not mean that have not caused damage, but it looks like the massive damage they caused on 3/11 will not be repeated with the current quake. Aftershocks could still produce them, but that is in the future, if it happens. Most stations have resumed their regularly scheduled programming with the latest quake/tsunami news super imposed on the screen. Two that we get in our home are still providing wall to wall coverage which now features collapsed homes, blacked out communities, destroyed roads and footage sent in from ordinary citizens taken during the quake. Comms are still spotting in the disaster areas. We’ll know more of the extent of the damage after flyovers tomorrow morning.
OK, first it is good that the damage is limited, second, I really wonder about the earthquake reporting centers, third, that might have been a close one, or not.
You fool, $20, reported on sub stack, IRS is coming for you for sure. That's 10%, $2 for the Big Guy, that you are cheating him out of. Plus the other 83% for the government. You should immediately send by air mail let me figure, yes, $134.46 American to the IRS, with a letter of apology hoping they don't impose draconian fines. Good Luck, you'll need it. Otherwise, you can expect a SWAT raid on your abode, dead cat, traumatized family, and minor injuries if you are lucky.
Just kidding! Seriously glad you are OK.
What they caused? Who are they? Glad you are safe. My question is: what did Japan do
wrong to deserve this man-made earthquake?