Presnock

Spider,

 You forgot to mention that he has now turned the US into a copy of Russia - run by the Oligarchs with DJT at the helm.  He appointed the richest that kowtowed to him to the cabinet positions - 14 being worth more than the GDP of 172 nations around the world!  The Congressional hearings on these new heads of agencies are actually a laughingstock as each shows how ignorant they are to run whatever agency they now head.   Seems one of the first things most are doing is to get rid of any senior leadership in that department that does not totally agree with the leader!  Of course this is my honest opinion of US politics today where the Supreme Court decided years ago to allow unlimited funds to pour into the election campaign chests for BOTH parties and now they seem like a UNIPARTY to me.  Hopefully, we can survive another 3+ years unless enough congress folks lose out and the dems do decide to impeach but it may be too late for too many people.  If the dollar continues to drop as some economists are predicting, it might prove difficult for some that have retired here on limited funds, IMHO and if those economists are correct of course.

15 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Obvious they were corrupt or very inefficient in their job, since the poisonous food supply was there before Trump was president.

 

It will always be Trumps fault with the deranged folks.

 

Bringing Trump into the conversation, is simply proof, that ultra processed for is healthy for you.  Trump being 79 years old and seemingly only exists on junk food 

the bad foods have been around since the 1920's and just got worse from there - that is why el presidente is on drugs to keep the weight down! as too many Mikey D sandwiches.

5 minutes ago, Dan O said:

Kind hard to regulate when Trump had doge dismantle critical function by stripping away staffing. 

beside the DOGE and Elon, cabinet members required only riches - funny hearings before Congress as they show their ignorance!

1 minute ago, FlorC said:

Ok .

Where can I buy it ?

You can google "sourdough bread sold in (where you reside)"  Bangkok has a number of stores that sell it in loaves.  In some malls there are also shops selling it and even some small stores like in Latgrabang Robinsons Mall sell it by 4 slices for 60 baht or 8 slices for 100 baht.  If you buy it by the loaf (some stores also deliver) and you plan to freeze any of it, ask that it be sliced before sent to you as it makes it easier when you thaw just what you need.  The Siam shopping area has several bakeries selling loaves.  Villamart sells a sour dough loaf but it is not the crusty and larger sliced loaves that I prefer.  Some restaurants even sell sourdough sandwiches (cheese/fresh tomato) or others.

2 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

 

You'd have to have experienced the difference between good and average bread. He's right, good bread is still good and ready to eat after you defrost it, despite it having been frozen. Whilst average bread is not, it requires 10 minutes in the oven to revive the crust.

 

Obviously all bread can go stale, but not all bread is made equal and some retains its corpus longer than more inferior bread.

sour dough bread can be frozen, thawed after 3 months just like new.

5 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Read the ingredients, if having Potassium bromate, you may want to give it a pass.  Still allowed in USA, but banned in many countries, as are a lot of ingredients used in USA food processing.

exactly, used to make the bread even whiter and has been linked to many different cancers and like KhunLA says, bannded in China, Europe but not in the USA.  Just like transfats which the USA watchdogs knew was unhealthy but allowed it to still be used for decades!  Like big Pharma there, the food industry has some powerful folks too and they only concern themselves with making money off the masses and seem to actually care less and less about the citizens.  

21 hours ago, Dionigi said:

How many Brits are having a problem with their UK Pensions? My life certificate was posted to me, by surface mail, in January and was received in June. My pension had already been stopped due to no return of certificate. I got in touch with the pensions office and they sent an email with a life certificate attached. I duly returned this by registered mail and the post office tells me it was delivered on the 29th of May. I am getting no replies from The pensions office and am still not receiving a pension. Anyone else in the same boat?

Yeah govt's are the same everywhere, a couple of years ago I got a "surface mail" letter from the US tax IRS folks.  It said this letter is to advise us did you actually file your 1040 tax form.  You have 45 days from the date of this letter (sent 45 days previous to my receipt) so I called their number immediately because they said that if I didn't respond within that 45-day span, then they might stop processing of that tax refund and then if they learned later, I could claim that on my next year's tax form.  Fortunately I had already received my tax refund but they just don't seem to understand the world.

10 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I think 'buy' is where the problem comes in, if in the USA.   Make your own is only way to ensure what the ingredients are.

If it is WHOLE grain then it is healthier though once they remove the shell and add ingredients it changes.

Just now, Mike_Hunt said:

That’s what I use for morning toast. 

If it is whole grain then still healthy and not over processed so that it would last for many days.

1 hour ago, FlorC said:

Well , we're here in Thailand .

What sh-t do you think they put in farmhouse bread, or bread from Makro/bigc/lotusssss ?

Still edible after 4 -6 days ? Some have this weird after taste too.

Doesn't even taste like bread made in europe.

Cheap Aldi bread is better than this Thai bread.

Actually the healthiest bread to buy and readily available in Thailand is SOUR DOUGH bread.   Some PURE WHOlE GRAIN breads are okay and can be healthy too.   

2 hours ago, Red Phoenix said:

In America what we call bread can't even be considered food in parts of Europe. See, here in America, it's not so much the gluten as what we've done to the grain

 

• About 200 years ago, we started stripping the bran and germ or the fiber in nutrients to make flour shelf stable, also nutritionally dead

   

• Because the nutrients were gone, we enriched it with folic acid, which a large majority of the population can't even metabolize

   

Therefore many people experience fatigue, anxiety, hyperactivity and inflammation.

 

• But then the bread wasn't white enough, so they bleached it with chlorine gas

   

• The bread didn't rise enough, so they added a carcinogen called potassium bromate, which is banned in several countries like Europe, the UK and even China

   

• Then we wanted to ramp up production, so we started using glyphosate to dry out the wheat before harvest, causing endocrine disruption and damaging your gut

   

So now you're bloated, brain fogged, tired and blamed gluten. But gluten is just the scapegoat.

 

The real issue is ultra processed, chemically altered, bleached, bromated, fake vitamin filled wheat soaked in glyphosate. This isn't bread.”

 

You just want normal food? Well, you will have to grow it…

 

Otherwise, enjoy your daily poison…

 

unfortunately, the govt spurred on by the food industry, have stripped most of the nutrients from everything edible.  Just look at the lable on any bag or packaged "food stuffs" and most likely you will have no idea even what language those ingredients are but for sure you should then be able to toss that as non-food stuffs.  This is why 40+ Americans suffer from diabetes and even more are grossly overweight!  But there is light at the end of the tunnel for those who know how to read - find the books of Dr. William Li, a noted Harvard heart specialis, and now researcher and while his books have titles of DIET, what he does is tell you what foods can cure and prevent illnesses and the research that proves these claims. At least here in Thailand, there is an abundance of healthy foods readily and cheaply available but if one so desires, those "bad" foods are also around but probably more expensive.  Best of health to all!

On 6/27/2025 at 8:16 PM, gk10012001 said:

oh yeah/  I will keep US medicare, just looking for about an 18 month break while my IRMAA gets reduced.  It should be reduced now but the SSA administration and their form SS 44 just isn't working as it should.  Two reps on the phone just don't listen or seem to understand how a reduction in the premium should happen when one stops working!  I actually have a physical appointment on July 2 at the Palm Beach SSA office.  Hopefully we will get things right

Yeah, I see from the final that they dropped to 1% which means they will recoup a lot less money than they originally planned.  They had changed some parts of the provision so that if one had a US bank acct from which to send the money, no taxes either and am sure this was part of the arguments prior to this that meant US banks would be required to do a lot more work without pay and thus make it even more difficult to open an acct fm overseas at a US bank.  Plus if one did get charged, extra paperwork for us.!  I did get notice from American Citizens Abroad that they were along with other groups fighting against this tax too.  Thanks for the update...now too see if the Senate will send it on to the House and we will see what they come up with.

16 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Fact check - true.

 

As you are fully aware, democrats and deep staters in the alphabet agencies moved heaven and earth to falsely claim the Biden corruption laptop was "Russian disinformation". It has long been proven enough voters would have voted Trump if they knew the depths of the Bidens treason and corruption.

 

 Glad to be of help keeping things real. I know irrational hatred is a real problem for wokies as they hold such hatred and misguided views. Good luck getting over it.

have you got your Trump phone and T-shirt Yet.  Heard him on youtube asking for money from all the maggots...what about that 57 ,million he claims to garnered so far this year on crypto?  Just wondering.

17 hours ago, gk10012001 said:

oh yeah/  I will keep US medicare, just looking for about an 18 month break while my IRMAA gets reduced.  It should be reduced now but the SSA administration and their form SS 44 just isn't working as it should.  Two reps on the phone just don't listen or seem to understand how a reduction in the premium should happen when one stops working!  I actually have a physical appointment on July 2 at the Palm Beach SSA office.  Hopefully we will get things right

In the ASEAN news today afternoon 28 June, edition, is an article about expats and long term health insurance in Thailand.

11 hours ago, gk10012001 said:

my IRMAA is high and will come down 18 months from now unless hopefully I can get thes ss 44 reduction form properly submitted and applied.  While waiting I am fine with chilling in thailand.  So I am just looking at getting thai insurance for about 18 months.  I am fine with canceling my Medicare and then 18 months from now paying the 10 % penalty which will be 18 bucks! added to the minimum Part B premium.  Mr PIB posted how Medicare applies the 10 % fee only for every 12 month increment which would be fine.

If you have a history of heart attack, any local insurer will have a clause blocking any repeat of that.

Google  "top Expat Insurance" - today they have on ASEAN now a "get Quote" if one is contemplating moving to Thailand and one is supposedly free to ask the rates of all the possible international insurance providers.  Some I have heard of, some not but you do have some experience with US provider - now you can check out these.  Good luck!  If any questions, just ask but since you have been here before you probably know what you need.  I have a total of 35 years experience here but some was dip passport and since 2005 retirement first on "O"  with embassy guarantee of pension and then monthly payments as I didn't want to tie up monies in a local bank.  

On 6/26/2025 at 10:10 AM, DrJack54 said:

Indeed, stamps etc must be transferred prior to next extension. 

Some folk leave it to when they have business at immigration. 

Folk note to update you details with your bank. 

 

BTW: There is no fee. They fleeced you. 

I did mine last year at CM, absolutely no fee whatsoever!

3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I mostly don't mind the content but the volume hurts my ears sometimes, some must be partially deaf, no need to talk so loudly

Well, in my life of 78 years, I began living/working almost full time since 1966 and have done so in many countries of Europe, Asia, Central America and Africa - the complaint you just mentined has been universal in all the countries that I have stayed in, not only from the locals but the other foreigners there too!  But, I notice lately, that the Chinese tourist/visitors seem to be a tad like that too.

You can google Thailand Insurance Companies and their costs to get a better idea IMHO.

On 6/24/2025 at 11:34 PM, gk10012001 said:

   Who has reasonable health insurance for me, a male, non smoker aged 68?

 

Below is the background of why I am asking about this.  I plan to get the Non Imm 0 extensions based on retirement after I get to Thailand and while that does not require insurance, I prefer to get some.  And since I will be getting Thai health insurance, I may get a slightly different visa, maybe Non imm OA in my home country first, start the THai health insurance, etc.

 

I am on USA medicare.  But they insist on charging me maximum IRMAA premiums based on previous years income even though I am now retired.  Painful numerous phone chats and in person calls about the SS-44 form.  So, since I am ready and planning to go Thailand for some long term stays, I am likely to dis-enroll from Medicare, go to Thailand and get Thai based health insurance.  Then when I return to the USA I can enroll in Medicare again during a supplemental period and at that time my Medicare premiums will be low.  Medicare bases premiums on previous two years of taxes.  Their reduction request form and process just isn't working and they are charging me $670 USD a month which is crazy, now and will continue to do so for a year or more even though I am now retired and grossing much less money!  So I do plan to put this in another forum but this is just background information.

 

 

I too am a retired US govt person - I sympathize with you and the US govt sponsored health insurance - for family, I pay almost a 1000 a month for my family, daughter will be turning 22 shortly so will then switch to one plus one but that too is fairly expensive.  My wife is Thai so she does have some Thai insurance but the savings of 500 USD a month if I drop to self only, would probably be worth while.  As a foreigner age 68, they will charge you quite a bit and put a lot of caveats that coverage so as you age it could become less useful.  I have seen stories about getting adequate coverage when some emergency arises too with some different companies.  There are other international companies that you might be able to get prior to coming here which will cover you while living here too.  The best thing about the US coverage is that you are guaranteed coverage for whatever ails you and the hospitals and doctors here are aware of that too.   Whatever, I hope you find what you need and can depend on - after all once we get old and then OLDER that insurance might be worthwhile.