jas007

Other than retirees with an independent source of income or those able to work remotely, moving abroad isn’t really an option for most people. But for those who are able, why not? Take your American dollars and experience another culture. My guess is that not many people in America have that dream. They have too many obligations in the US or they don’t have the proper mindset. And so they accept their reality.

Supposedly, Russia has one of the best air defense systems in the world. So to term them “helpless” is probably wrong. Maybe they’re just exercising extreme constraint? That’s been evident from the beginning. They’re proceeding with caution. At some point, though, my guess is that they’ll change their tactics. Putin will have no choice. As a side note, Ukraine now has access to Palantir software. Artificial intelligence for the battlefield, so to speak. Russian targets being selected by a computer using real time data? I guess I’ve been making some nice gains this year, as I’ve been loading up on the stock since the $6 range. It’s now $21 or so. And the company’s commercial business is growing quickly. Anyway, for anyone with some patience, the sock might be a good buy for the long term.

Too late? I’m pretty sure Russia isn’t going to sit back and simply watch Ukraine work “its way through “ Russian radar sites. That would be silly. They will respond, and the response might be significant. According to the article you posted, those sites are an integral part of Russia’s strategic defense. Whatever is going on with those sites, Russia will put an end to it.

Not going to happen. Or if it does, that will be the end of Ukraine.

Many people have homes that they bought at much lower interest rates. Many people have homes that were paid off long ago. And many people are driving cars they can’t afford, even with an 84 month loan. What’s the price of the typical home today? What would it cost to buy that home at today’s rate? Ditto for the typical new car. By the time you pay for those item plus insurance (which happens to be skyrocketing) do you even have money for food? My guess is that a family with only $5k a month would have a hard time. I’m probably a bad person to have this discussion with, as I’ve never made much of an effort to curb spending. For most of my life, I had more money than I knew what to do with.

Are you referring to this nonsense: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/30/ukraine-russia-border-demilitarised-zone-floated-for-peace-deal I can’t see Russia agreeing to it. I guess we’ll find out.

Normal? Something more than bare survival. Think of all the things you spend money on that you never thought to budget for. People surely don’t want to keep track of every penny.

Maybe so, but are certain leaders really ready to take the risk? They are gambling with the possibility of starting WWIII. Once it begins, it will escalate quickly.

Why not find a 5G phone to use as a hotspot? I’m in Bangkok right now using an IPhone 15 pro as a hotspot for my IPad Pro. I turned off the VPN on the IPad, but it was still in use on the phone, I believe. I have a mobile plan that includes 100 gb of data per month. I think it may be throttled after a certain point, but you can always buy more fast data if you need it. Anyway, I ran a speed test:

Sure, a lot of places could work. But I’m assuming people might want to have a “normal “ existence. What’s the point of just surviving?

In the last few days, a snap election has been announced for the UK in July. The current prime minister doesn’t want to be a “wartime” leader? Something like that. What’s really going on? Is anyone paying attention? European leaders are all sounding like Victoria Nuland. A real nutcase. Russia has made it very clear. Target Russia with missiles and the countries supplying that equipment can expect to be targeted. Military bases and decision making centers will all be fair game. The people of the UK and France? Do they realize what their leaders are up to? I don’t know what military bases those countries have in the area of Ukraine, but the US has bases all over the world. Paris and London are both in Europe and not far from Russia at all. Attack Russia and they will respond. Some people need to wake up.

Is $5k a month after tax income? For two people? Even for one person, that’s not enough if you want a normal existence. But let’s assume inflation subsides. Assume things stay just the way they are. Can you exist? Yes. You might not like the location, but you can absolutely do it. And if you’re old enough, having Medicare coverage is a big plus. The first order of business is to forget the big cities. You can’t afford that. Focus on the smaller rural areas. If you’ve ever driven across America, you’ve seen the places. Small towns seemingly in the middle of nowhere. I’d focus on the Midwest or the South. Not that those are the only areas, but those are good areas to search, for sure. Pay attention to the weather. Heating and cooling expenses. Internet availability. Insurance rates. Taxes. It all adds up, and the last thing you want to do is throw money away unnecessarily. Also consider having enough land to grow some of your own food.

Everyone has their own American Dream, I guess. And, except for Native Americans, people’s ancestors came to America from somewhere else. Of course, some came from Africa as slaves. Otherwise, people willingly picked up and left their life behind for the American Dream. And, until fairly recently, America worked well for many people. Their ancestors escaped poverty in Europe or wherever, they worked hard, and their kids had a better life. A factory worker with a high school education could buy a house and support a wife and a few kids, all with money left over. Today, much of the middle class is now long gone. At least in terms of wealth and financial security, which is slipping away by the day. So it’s not that far fetched that people might want to seek greener pastures. But they’ve been brainwashed. They’ve been told America is the best country in the world, etc. Mention moving out of the country and they’ll look at you like you’re nuts. Why move to some crazy Third World country? That’s what many will ask. Anyway, most Americans are now rooted in place. Their grandparents or great grandparents are long gone. People have houses, mortgages, car payments, kids in school, or grandkids they visit regularly. As much as they would like an easier existence, they simply won’t leave. At least that seems to be the case with everyone I know.

It was more than 25 years ago. I was feeling some numbness and tingling in my face and lips. Anyway, my initial thought was that it might be some kind of stroke. But, as I said, the doctors found nothing. In retrospect, I think it was a reaction of sorts to the vitamin supplements and herbal supplements I had begun to take. That never crossed my mind at the time, but I’m sure it was a possibility. I was probably talking too many things at once.

Just an added thought or two: I sometimes have a tendency to assume the worst. A real problem if a particular symptom can have multiple causes. Sometimes it’s better to just listen to the experts who have looked at the objective medical evidence. For example, I used to play racquetball. Twice, I severely twisted my ankle. On both occasions, I thought I must have broken my ankle, so I showed up at the emergency room. The diagnosis on both occasions : a twisted ankle. Another time I thought I was having a heart attack, so I went to the emergency room. The diagnosis: strained muscle from working too hard to pull out a tree stump. On another occasion, I thought I had a stroke. I ended up spending the day in a hospital, but they couldn’t find any evidence whatsoever of any kind of stroke. Anyway, the Rutnin website doesn’t show that they have an emergency department. If you make an inquiry, they want you to fill out a bunch of forms and make an appointment. Even at that, I’m sure they would want to run their own battery of tests. I’m sure they won’t assume I have an emergent situation just because I think I do.

I thought about that, but all my records are at Bumrungrad and I have a history of treatment there. At this point, I’ve had more than a few tests. Anyway, all the doctors I’ve seen at Bumrungrad are USA Board certified and have many years of experience. I see no reason to present myself at Rutnin to obtain treatment for what may not be an actual emergency.

I’m in Bangkok and went to Bumrungrad. I’ve been there before to the eye clinic.

Follow up: I heard back from BC/BS. They said they would be contacting the provider with a Guarantee of Benefits letter, but so far, they haven’t done it. I went to the hospital today for an appointment and the hospital had nothing. I ended up paying the 4000 baht bill. Maybe the insurance carrier will get their act together soon, as I’ll be needing surgery in a few weeks.

Thanks. I went to the hospital today. The bottom line: they said the IOL is dislocated and “has to come out.” I go back Monday for another appointment, and then see another doctor a week or so after that. So I guess they’ll take care of the problem soon. I didn’t know what to think.

K bank. I don’t want my account online. I suppose I could get some sort of prepaid card and try to pay it that way.

I have a Thai bank account, but I never set it up to work for online banking and I don’t use an app. If I did, that would simplify things.

Does anyone know if it’s possible to pay a Pattaya electric bill in Bangkok using just the QR code on the bill? I may be out of town when the bill arrives in my condo mailbox, but my condo also e-mails a copy of the bill to me every month. So I’ll have the QR code, but that’s all. It seems simple, but I’ve never tried to pay the bill without the paper bil in hand.

Cataract surgery with only local anesthesia? I never knew that was possible. In the USA, I was under general anesthesia. Whatever they did during the operations was a mystery to me. I went in and the next thing I knew the operation was over. I think I’d rather have it that way than to try to lie still during an operation. That would probably drive me nuts. Anyway, I now have another problem. One of my IOLs is dislocated, so I’m going to have to schedule surgery to have that fixed. Supposedly, it’s a more difficult, longer operation, so I guess I’ll be finding out how they do it in Thailand. General anesthesia will probably make it more expensive, if that’s how they do it.

I’ve got BC/BS through OPM and last fall I emailed them for a guarantee of benefits letter prior to an outpatient appointment at Bumrungrad. The insurance company emailed the hospital a guarantee letter and sent me a copy of the correspondence within a day or two. I had to pay nothing at the hospital. Fast forward to 2024 and I went through the same process for a different appointment. After my 2024 email I received an automated response indicating that the case was being assigned to a claims specialist and that I should hear back with a few days. Then, nothing…. They never responded. I went to the appointment a few days later. After my appointment, I ended up just paying the bill. It was no big amount, though, so I really didn’t want to sit there waiting for the cashier to figure things out. I’ve got another appointment coming up, and we’ll see if there’s a different result this time. I’m not holding my breath. Fortunately, the cost is usually no big deal and I can always just submit the claims later, assuming I want to go through all the trouble. For what it’s worth, BC/BS also has a phone number listed for the overseas claims office, supposedly for people who need an immediate response. I haven’t tried that yet. Maybe that actually works.

It depends on how you’re going to use them and where. Clearly, the HomePods or the HomePod Minis will be better than the speakers in your laptop or the speakers in your TV. On the other hand, you can probably get better sound with some real audio equipment at a somewhat higher price point so long as you have the space. For my TV and music listening, I have some KEF LSX II speakers. They sound way better than a pair of HomePods would sound. But they also cost a lot more.