jas007

The US and NATO seem to believe the next war will be not unlike WW II. They’re living in the past. As for what I understand? I understand that neither the US nor NATO can fight a ground war with Russia and win. Absolutely not. They can’t put enough boots on the ground, and certainly not on short notice. Gearing up for a major conflict halfway around the world would take months. Remember, the current state of the U.S. military is abysmal. They can’t even meet recruiting goals, and they haven’t fought in a real war in years. What does the Army have? 400,000 active duty soldiers? Old equipment designed for WW II. And of the 400,000 active duty soldiers, only a fraction of those would be serving in combat units on the front lines. Russia has over a million soldiers, ready to go, they’re on their home turf, and they can manufacture military equipment and ammunition faster than the West. They have one of the world’s best air defense systems, and they have adapted to the modern environment. In short, they have all the same technology the Wast has and can win, contrary to what you might hear from the official spin doctors. The US has a military capable of fighting small countries that can’t or won’t fight back. Haiti, for example, or Panama or Iraq. Ditto for Europe. Small armies not capable of a prolonged war and with no real experience. So, to think that NATO is going to turn the tide and defeat Russia is silly. It can’t happen. And when the delusional politicians finally realize that, what then? Nukes? We all better hope certain people wake up before it’s too late.

Russia is a joke?? Hardly. Maybe years ago the Soviet Union was in disarray, but today, no. Of course, the Western propaganda machine continues to spew nonsense about an “antiquated “ Russian military, incapable of fighting the West. That’s what they want people to believe. And maybe some gullible politicians actually believe the lie. But in reality, the Russian military is very much up to date and very well equipped for a modern war in Europe. The West simply does not have the manpower or equipment to match them in a ground war. The US has an air force and a bunch of aircraft carriers. Not too many combat arms troops. Much of its equipment is old, designed and manufactured years ago. Together with NATO, they couldn’t put together much of a combat force on the ground. Some military experts realize this, but far too many are beholden to the war machine. They tell their masters what they want to hear. And they all seem to be listening to delusional war mongers. The Neocons. People who don’t live in the real world. What happens when the ground war fails? Escalation. It’s a scary situation.

Each state has its own criteria as to what it takes to be a resident for tax purposes. And the extent to which any particular state will actively search out “residents” will vary. I think you might be ok if you file your taxes from Thailand and never set foot in the state of your U.S. address. If the issue ever comes up, you can simply state that you were using that address simply to collect your U.S. mail.

I’d like to think not. Probably because things usually work out without such dire consequences. Unfortunately, the politicians in Europe and DC seem to be caught up in some sort of mass delusion and may actually believe their own nonsense. And that’s scary. Firing missiles into Russia is a bad idea. With any luck, Western politicians will have a moment of clarity and realize that the unipolar world is rapidly fading away. Western hegemony cannot be maintained.

Same here. It works all over the world. It’s not cheap, though, all things considered. I looked the other day. My portion is around $324 a month, if I remember correctly. On top of that, the government pays twice that amount, so the total cost of the policy is almost $1000 a month. On top of that, I also pay for Medicare Part B. I forget what the cost of that amounts to. Over $200, I think.

Update on my dislocated IOL: Another doctor, more tests. The IOL is dislocated but it’s still in the capsular bag and is intact. The hospital is obtaining approval from my insurance company, and I’ll have surgery in a few weeks, under general anesthesia.

I’m afraid you may have to pay the cost of the exam. They hold you hostage before you get a prescription. Are you near, Mexico by any chance? You might be able to get the medicine there without a prescription.

Using ink on fingerprint cards is still the norm? I thought the technology had advanced to the point where it could be done with a computer scan of some sort. In another life, years ago, I had a job supervising a bunch of people who processed paperwork for the Department of Justice and the State Department. Fingerprint cards that were not done carefully caused a lot of trouble. Smudges, smears, etc. I’m sure a lot of people were more than annoyed at the process when they had to have fingerprints taken for a second time.

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.