Etaoin Shrdlu

I have to give Vance credit for rising from his very disadvantaged origins to graduate summa cum laude from Yale Law School and become a successful author, lawyer, and now politician. "Hillbilly Elegy" is a fascinating read, but his libertarianism does come across as victim-blaming to a degree. Not everyone has the necessary intelligence and work ethic to overcome the level of adversity that he describes so well. Vance does hint that there may be some social programs or government policies that might address issues facing the working poor, but he offers no solutions other than family, religion and self-reliance. He does blame the elite for some of the ills that now afflict the poor, but does not seem to realize that his libertarianism is aligned with the interests of those same elite. Less charitable types might suggest his book should have been titled "Jethro Goes to Yale", but Jethro Bodine was a foolish character and Vance is no fool. It is a shame that his obviously keen intellect and writing skills are being put to use in furtherance of rightwing extremism.

Cigna is usually one of the better ones, but if there are no direct payment options, that is a major drawback.

I was under the mistaken impression that their products were mostly lifetime benefit limits, but I have checked their Singapore website and you are indeed correct and their offerings have annual benefit limits. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Yes, Cigna (and others) may offer different products including ones that have an annual benefit limit.

Imports of under 1,500 baht are now subject to 7% VAT. The 1,500 baht threshold for customs duties hasn't been changed. Yet.

I believe this is the correct interpretation based upon a normal understanding of taxation and how DTAs work. I do hold out the possibility that the TRD may have a differing interpretation to some extent, but not to the degree that it negates the basic aspect of the DTA. One issue with the US-Thailand DTA is that it gives Thailand exclusive right (except with respect to the saving clause) to tax private pensions and pensions derived from employment by Federal, state and local governmental entities. One would not be entitled to a credit for US tax paid against Thai taxes on such pensions if remitted to Thailand under the rules currently in force. At least that's how I see it.

Democrat father should have locked up his gun cabinet.

So far, investigators haven't released any evidence that the shooter was motivated by political ideology. From what has been revealed so far the shooter: Was a white male Was a gun enthusiast Was a registered Republican Was In a low-paid job Did not have a four-year college degree Was not an immigrant In other words, he fits the profile of a rank-and-file Trump supporter and may have been filled with resentment over being bullied as a teen. Mental health and access to firearms may well turn out to be the real issues here. I think that certain politicians were premature in making denunciations against their opponents with respect to this incident. Makes them look more foolish than they already seem.

Cosmetic surgery can do wonders for a woman's appearance and self-esteem, especially after multiple pregnancies have taken their toll. Have a real surgeon perform the procedures in a proper hospital. Avoid clinics. Be prepared to pay more than you've mentioned.

It is likely that you're speaking with someone at Cigna who works in customer relations or a similar position related to sales and will probably not be the person who actually reviews your proposal form and makes decisions regarding acceptance, pricing, and exclusions. That's why they say "high blood pressure usually isn't an issue......". They have to defer to the underwriter. Their job is to get you signed up with as little effort as possible. They probably won't make misrepresentations or intentionally tell untruths, but they will be trained not to give advice beyond describing their product. A five to ten-minute phone interview may be sufficient to get an insurer to issue a policy, but I do not think that it would be sufficient to effect adequate disclosure to preclude a potential post-claim investigation by underwriters if a large claim were to be submitted, especially if you are getting older and may have age-related chronic conditions. I would want to submit actual medical records going back as far as possible to try to head off this possibility. I don't know about Singapore's laws or regulations, but I would be a bit surprised if there weren't a law similar to Thailand's Civil and Commercial Code's law regarding disclosure. The onus is on the proposer to make full disclosure to the insurer. The fact that an insurer does not ask for additional information does not extinguish the proposer's obligation to disclose. Don't rely upon verbal assurances from a sales rep when filling out a proposal form. The proposer needs to fully disclose.

Cigna's offshore policies are usually denominated in US dollars and have a lifetime limit of $1 million or more. Thai insurers typically offer lower limits, but these are usually annual limits and are topped back up on renewal, provided renewal is offered and the policyholder can pay the renewal premium. In theory, it is possible to exhaust a lifetime limit whereas an annual limit could be indefinitely topped back up and provide higher amounts of cover over time. But this latter scenario is highly unlikely for a number of reasons.

It is one thing to satisfy an insurer to the extent that they will issue you a policy, but it is an entirely different matter to satisfy an insurer to the point that they will pay a large claim. Ask the underwriter to put into writing, in the form of an endorsement to the policy, that they waive their right to request or obtain any further medical information from you or any of the medical service providers that may have treated you. This would be the real test of whether they are satisfied with the declaration you provided with your proposal form. I very much doubt any insurer would do this. Many people rely upon their memory and what they think they know or understand about their medical history. Unfortunately, we often forget things, especially if they seem unimportant to us, or perhaps the doctor did not discuss the full implications of our test results with us. I'm sure that the medical records of many of us have doctors' notes, test results and other information that we are not aware of and that may give cause for an insurer to allege intentional non-disclosure. In my opinion, the only way to be reasonably sure that we have fulfilled our duty of disclosure, and not risk potential denial of a claim or voiding of a policy, is to submit full medical records going back as far as possible. The Thai Civil and Commercial Code allows an insurer to obtain an insured's medical history during the first five years they have been providing coverage. Once past five years, the insurer can't go back and request further info in order to deny a claim or void a policy. Within that timeframe, they're within their rights to do so and almost certainly will if presented with a significant claim.

Dr. John Dr. Hook Musicians do it, too. No degree needed.

Let's not forget this one:

Why is 18 legal age for firearms, but can't buy a beer until 21? I think I'd prefer it the other way around.

If it was daddy's weapon, why wasn't daddy required to lock it away from children?

They may prevent someone from selling a gun or giving access to a gun to someone who intends carnage. Not an absolute solution, only a partial one.

NRA talking point.

Yes, for those who are very determined, almost anything is possible if the laws are ignored or bypassed. Laws won't stop everyone, but perhaps they would limit availability enough to prevent some of the carnage.

Have to ask why someone who isn't old enough to buy a beer can possess any kind of weapon.

The question isn't how he got in, it's why he's allowed to possess an assault rifle. He wasn't old enough to legally buy a beer, yet he had an AR-15. All we hear from the Republican Party is "thoughts and prayers" when something like this happens. Instead, we should hear something along the lines of "we need to do something about limiting access to assault weapons".

Trump deserves all the sympathy he showed towards Nancy Pelosi and her husband after one of his crazed disciples almost beat Mr. Pelosi to death:

Some states in the US have already moved to restrict foreign ownership of land: https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/04/09/iowa-gov-kim-reynolds-signs-law-on-foreign-farmland-ownership-regulations/ I can't see any real purpose for these regulations other than as a salvo in the culture wars with foreigners as the bogeyman. The amount of farmland in Iowa owned by foreigners is miniscule and nobody is going to dig it up, put it on a barge, and ship it off to Saudi Arabia or anything like that. More disturbing is what private equity firms are doing to the residential property market, but crickets from the Republicans on that issue. Just more xenophobia and Republican pandering to the fears of their base and a diversion from the real threats to the interests of the American middle and working classes. Many of these threats come from the Republican Party itself and in particular Project 2025. Kinda reminds me of somewhere closer to hand.

The restricted account is used when benefits are directed to BBL's New York branch for onward transfer to BBL in Thailand. Direct deposit by SSA bypasses BBL New York and gets rid of the need for the restricted account. By default, BBL will set you up with the New York branch routing as they make a turn on the exchange rate and possibly earn another fee. You may have to initiate the direct deposit by presenting them with the 1199 form already filled out for direct deposit to your unrestricted account instead of letting them fill it out for the New York branch routing. When the SSA opened Thailand for direct deposit, I had my benefits sent to my unrestricted BBL account and closed the restricted one.

Have a full body MRI and the medical professionals will find countless issues that need further "investigation" or that provide an "inconclusive" result. Why not just cut to the chase, dispense with the diagnostics, and tell them to start with exploratory surgery on the body part of their choice?