Thaiquila

Sorry, but the name means nothing.

Obviously, it offends some people, and attracts others.

Don't you think we are mostly adults here and can decide what ads to click on, what ads to read, and where in the world we want to travel? Including Myanmar.

So.You approve?

I think there are valid arguments on both sides of this issue. I tend to favor open travel anywhere and everywhere. I think in the long run exposure to other nationalities speeds up the decline of oppressive regimes. As an American, I am deeply offended that my government makes it illegal to travel to Cuba. I also don't like the politically correct nannies telling me where it is politically correct to travel. As adults, we can make our own decisions.

If Thaivisa, can block the keywords for Myanmar, it is OK too. Or if they don't or can't, also OK. If we are educated, we know Myanmar exists, and if we really want to travel there, we will find a way. I have a good friend who goes there every year and loves that country way more than Thailand.

Sorry, but I found the work competent.

I don't doubt the guy complaining has a beef, but in all fairness, we are only hearing one side of the story. There may be hundreds of satisfied customers for each complainer, how would we know?

I don't have any serious dental problems and for the minor work I need, they are convenient.

Yes, I am for real.

in all fairness

Like i said, a name like Dental cafe.

No Way.

So you don't like their marketing strategy.

I also find it absurd to market coffee and whitening services at the same place.

But again in all fairness, they just want to project themselves as a relaxed, non-stressful place to get some potentially painful work done. This kind of marketing is seen for dentists in other countries, some people like it, some don't. I don't think is says anything about the quality or lack of quality of the dentists there. It is just a wrapping.

Don't you think we are mostly adults here and can decide what ads to click on, what ads to read, and where in the world we want to travel? Including Myanmar.

Sorry, but I found the work competent.

I don't doubt the guy complaining has a beef, but in all fairness, we are only hearing one side of the story. There may be hundreds of satisfied customers for each complainer, how would we know?

I don't have any serious dental problems and for the minor work I need, they are convenient.

Yes, I am for real.

That is a disturbing story. Sorry to hear about that.

I used them for more minor work, including a crown, and am well satisfied. I would continue to trust for minor work. I wasn't aware dentists generally warranty work in Thailand, do they?

The Cafe does seem more expensive than a clinic, but I think comparable prices to the hospital dentists. I think for really major work, it is probably better to look the the hospital dentists.

Well, I think race is a factor.

I grew up with some ABCs (American born Chinese) and ABJ (American born Japanese) friends in a mostly white area.

They really couldn't avoid having to deal with their otherness being an identity issue.

In my case, I might not need DSL in Thailand, can use dialup instead. So, a home phone line in Thailand is very cheap, so something like WebCallDirect would be excellent if I could initiate the call on my home dialup PC in Thailand, and then use my home phone to call the US.

Of course, not sure if this is really supported yet by WebCallDirect .

Also, another question, programs like WebCallDirect support home phones and mobiles. Here is a twist. Do they calling INTERNET PHONES, like Vonage? My most common call need is to a friend who has only Vonage and high speed net, and no home phone.

clokwise,

Interesting, but as usual with these telephony innovations, I am confused.

WebCallDirect states that US is a "free" service country, and Thailand is only 1 euro cent a minute. They don't say how the originating country fits into it. So we have heard here someone can call FROM the US to Thailand, and get the 1 euro cent rate.

Are you saying that with your Voipbuster (which you say is related to WebCallDirect) you can call FROM Thailand to the US? If so, how would that be charged? Perhaps the same as the other way, as it is a call from a "fee" country to a "free" country?

I would contact WebCallDirect customer service, but that basically doesn't exist (at least if you aren't a customer), and their FAQ is weak.

Sounds good. Do you really think the IDP was necessary? And what about insurance? Didn't you have to buy to overpriced rental insurance?

Yeah, sounds like better odds to buy stocks with the money.

I used an IDP and Thai license to rent a car the last time I was in the US. No problems whatsoever.

Are you carrying a US passport? What car rental company? I heard that some rental companies won't allow a US citizen to rent with a foreign license. Non US citizen, OK.

I can't add anything to what has already been said , but one thing has ALWAYS intrigued me since HIV was first talked about 20 years or so ago. It is this .

Bearing in mind in the late 70's and early 80's before AIDS most people had unprotected sex , i have often wondered why ALL of them haven't died. I mean those with multiple partners. How come some people who went to the infamous New York saunas died quickly and some are still alive today ? And similarly in the 20 years since that. Every day thousands (or more) of people have unprotected sex with partners they don't know and will go on tomorrow or next week to have it with someone else. So the question again is "why don't they all die of AIDS??"

My conclusion to this is reached through logical thought. I believe that only a small percentage of people will ever catch HIV and go on to develop AIDS. Rather like some people can smoke like a trouper and live to be 110 and others will die of cancer at 30. Why ?? Must be in the make up of the body. So my conclusion is that some small percentage of people are unlucky and are programmed in a way that makes them vulverable to catching AIDS quickly and dying. Others (the majority) can **** around all they want and , through their body makeup , will never get it .

Anyone else ever questioned this ??

OK, if what are you saying is that if you have unprotected sex with an HIV positive person, there is LESS than a 100 percent chance you will be infected during a specific sex act, the science definitely says that is true. But the more unprotected sex one has, the greater the odds of infection occuring (again assuming sex with a HIV positive person).

G, not sure if you are talking about Thai patent law, which I know nothing about.

But in US patent law, if you truly had a unique idea and went public with it without applying for patent protection, the idea immediately becomes unpatentable, for you, or anyone else, at least for a US patent. Of course, the world being complex, there is probably someone with a similar patent, in which case, they could try to make a case against you (if it was worth it to them).

Do you really think that would work calling FROM Thailand? Their rate sheet is really unclear on the origin of the calls, clear only on the destination.

OK, I know a little something about patents from the US side, so I'll take a stab at it.

I don't believe a US patent offers any protection to you in Thailand or any other country except the US. Also, if you go for a US patent, you only have a limited amount of time to apply for patents in other countries.

I seriously doubt you can pull off a provisional patent application for a total of $200, but yes, you are right you can do a quick and dirty one.

Trouble is, if it is too rough, that could make it much more remote that you ever get a full patent in the US. As you know, it usually takes two to four years for the full patent application to be approved and it is very expensive. Also, most full patent applications are initially rejected, thats where the patent lawyers really make their money, what a racket!

Also, even with a patent anywhere, if (when?) it is stolen, then you have to spend more money with lawyers to defend it. Patents in the US anyway seem to be a game for companies with deep pockets.

Egads!

Technical glitch!

I am not even that interested in Columia. Though too bad it really is rather dangerous.

I am under the impression that local travel by bus in Columbia between cities puts you at a high risk for being robbed by armed bandits

Also from the US state department:

Since 1980, the U.S. Embassy in Bogota has learned of 112 U.S. citizens kidnapped in Colombia and adjacent border areas. Since 1980, the U.S. Embassy in Bogota has learned of 112 U.S. citizens kidnapped in Colombia and adjacent border areas.

"Given we know some financial institutions will not accept a change of address to a PO Box..."

Here's something to consider: not all airlines fly to Bangkok. It's absolutely true! So, if you want to fly to Bangkok, you have to find an airline that does so.

Come on guys, what's wrong with you? How come there's so little initiative out there? It's up to you to find a bank that supports your life and lifestyle. If your bank won't accept a PO Box, find one that does. It's not exactly cracking the atom. Stop whining!

Wait a second, OK?

Yes, it is not exactly cracking the atom, but it is not nothing either.

For expats in the process of moving abroad, they likely have established relationships with financial institutions.

And not only banks, also brokerage houses, and retirement account holders (Fidelity, Vanguard, etc). Maybe their current ones will work, maybe they won't.

So, a fair question might be which larger financial institutions are currently expat friendly or expat unfriendly.

I have been told by some companies that it is FEDERAL REGULATION that if US citizens move overseas they actually have to close longstanding brokerage accounts and reopen foreign trading accounts (subject I think to different availability of funds). I am not an expert on that, but have been told this by as big a company as Charles Schwab.

And also consider these policies change over time, due to either the companies policy change or governmental regulations making them change. These kinds of governmental policies do change as we have seen since 911.

So lets imagine things are going great, and then there is a problem while an expat is settled abroad. Then have fun opening a NEW US account of any kind while living abroad without a real US residence.

I really don't think these issues are that trivial.

All I am saving is that there are tricky issues about all this, and hoping people will share strategies that have worked and have not worked. I think many, many US expats solve this by depending on a friend or relative as their "fake" US address. So what happens if the friend is a flake, becomes disabled, or dies? There really ought to be a clear system in place that protects US citizens from these hassles, but I don't believe there is.

Until then (if ever) all that we have that can help is INFORMATION.

Thank you for the clarification!

Yes, again, I know that that mail forwarding outfit (and others) offer an address that SOUNDS like a real residence. However, I think you should be aware that large financial institutions almost definitely know they are not real residences. Given we know some financial institutions will not accept a change of address to a PO Box, I think I raise a fair question about whether some financial institutions might have a problem with such an address, and in turn, cause a real problem for expats.

Yes, I do understand that I might sound paranoid to you, but I do feel the devil is in the details on arranging your business in the US for living abroad. I feel US financial institutions are not geared very well for US individuals living abroad. There isn't a long history of expat culture in the US like there is in the UK. I am hoping this is going to change in the next decades because more millions of Americans will be moving abroad for economic reasons. However, the cross current is the tightening security and lack of privacy issues due to homeland security.

Should be interesting. I think it is great to share information about what different people are doing, and what the results are.

Could you share with us some more details?

Are you going to change your address to that company for bank statements, credit cards, IRA accounts, etc.? Because if you read their website, they don't explicitly support using them that way. And, also, do you plan to take other steps to establish Florida residence, if so, what? Florida of course is an excellent state to be FROM. No state tax!

Not sure what you mean by "they don't explicitly support using them that way". They certainly don't say "we will help you establish Florida residency " but they do say "Access USA forwarding services eliminate the difficulties encountered receiving US letters (statements, checks, etc), magazines and trade journals not available internationally."

My intent is indeed to have all my mail currently sent to my friend’s house sent here. If I happen to be in Fla sometime I will apply for a Fla driver’s license. If they don't give it to me, not a problem. The purpose is not so much to establish Fla residency as to not have any connection to present state (an state income tax state)

TH

Hi again, thanks for the response.

Yes, that mail forwarding outfit does say that, but it is a little vague. I am sure they could handle any mail sent their way. My concern was that certain financial institutions (such as some banks, some investment firms like Vanguard, some credit card companies) would KNOW that an address there was not a real residence address, and then cause some kind of problem, maybe as bad as closing or freezing accounts. One other point to consider is the safety of being sent new ATM and credit cards by mail from them, when the old ones expire. Also, any reports on issues in VALIDATING such cards when received in Thailand? Normally, they like to receive a call from the US telephone number of record.

I am still a bit unclear on your strategy. Are you going to change your address on all correspondence to your friend's address in Florida, or instead change your address on all correspondence to the mail forwarding outfit? Or a combination. Not trying to invade your privacy, just curious about your specific strategy.

Editing error.

No problem to live on that, but you would have to avoid alot of temptations.

I am going through this exact same thing with a state tax authority. I made the mistake of renewing my dirvers licesnce 2 years ago, even though I have not lived in the state for over 10 years, just used a good friends address.

What I have found is several mail forwarding companies (Access USA) will give you an address that is not a PO box. I intend to establish residency in Florida (as noted a non-income tax state) using this address.

Calif is indeed the most agressive states, which is a problem as my companies HQ is there and it took several years before they left me alone.

TH

Could you share with us some more details?

Are you going to change your address to that company for bank statements, credit cards, IRA accounts, etc.? Because if you read their website, they don't explicitly support using them that way. And, also, do you plan to take other steps to establish Florida residence, if so, what? Florida of course is an excellent state to be FROM. No state tax!

i have nothing against americans,where would we be without their movies,writers etc.

however in my experience it has been best to avoid american gap year students when ive been on my travels.

when i hear them talk i feel like i want to dig myself a bunker & hide in it with a machine gun.

their movies are not their movies because made by jewish.

All the yanks I met were nice guys (what I can not tell from my own country), but completly inocent about anything outside US+some brain washed from FoxNews+lack of education...

What the heil are you trying to say with that one?

Made by Jewish? So Jewish Americans are not Americans to you? So who is American to you? Only Aryans?