Etaoin Shrdlu

The female form, ads for booze, articles about Israel, articles about Saudi, and more, caused the censor to pull out the black pen. Sometimes the International Herald Tribune would have entire pages missing or simply wouldn't show up at all.

Is it the Nariphol tree?

She would need to be a US citizen or green card holder in order to claim spousal or survivor's benefits under your SS record.

A clever ruse to avoid being in Thailand more than 179 days this year.

I visited Khao Phra Viharn a couple of times back in the previous millennium. At the time, there was a downed helicopter of Soviet make that had been used by the Khmers Rouge attesting to their use of the site as a refuge. There were also signs warning not to venture away from the temple area due to landmines. I think the Cambodians have removed the helicopter, but am not sure about mine clearance. A bit off the beaten track for most foreign visitors, but popular with Thais. I'll visit again if/when the gate is reopened.

I was going to write a response to this post, but I can't remember what I was going to write.

Bob, with such strong ties to Thailand, I wonder why your haven't gone for Thai citizenship. Then you could lecture foreigners about how they don't understand Thainess.

Looks like possibly another layer between the policyholder and the insurer: Mrkumka -> Roojai -> Krungthai Panich Insurance.

I knew the people who ran Transpo back in the day. I think they sold the company some years ago and it is now called Asian Tigers. I am quite sure they offer insurance to their customers. I don't know which other companies do, but it is common practice for professional removals companies, both for local and international relocations. Perhaps an internet search on "removals companies Thailand" or something similar would be of help. I apologize for not having more specific and up-to-date info as it has been many years since I arranged this type of insurance program for a removals company.

Roojai is a broker.

Didn't seem to help Bob Marley very much.

Roojai is partially owned by Krungthai Panich Insurance and, unless things have changed recently, the only motor policy Roojai can offer is one from KPI. If you wish to stay with AIG for your motor policy, you'll want to find a broker that has a distribution agreement with AIG Thailand. Perhaps you could contact the AIG call center and ask which brokers they work with in CM that cater to expats,

Tumi is probably a bit higher quality than Samsonite, but I think it also commands a higher price.

Marin is correct. If you want real Samsonite, Central Department Store is the place to look. The branch in Seacon Square on Srinakarin Road has a large selection and we were referred there from the branch in Mega Bang-Na where the stock was limited. The main store on Chidlom probably carries a large selection, too.

Tenants' insurance is available from any number of insurers in Thailand, but you would need to take out an annual policy and it probably won't cover your property while it is being moved by the moving company. If you have high-value items or specialized equipment that is difficult to repair or replace, you would probably have to declare them specifically on the application form. Insurers may or may not agree to cover them if they are very expensive or very difficult to repair or replace. Some of the more professional moving companies may have agreements with insurance companies to offer insurance to their customers for their goods being moved.

I wonder whether he is closely related to the Ruparelia family that has extensive business interests in Uganda and elsewhere. If so, his family is wealthy. Not sure why he would work as a receptionist, though.

In order for the mark-to-market rule to apply, one has to be a "covered expatriate". A covered expatriate is one who has an average income tax obligation over the previous five years of over $190,000 per year or over $2 million in assets or fails to certify that they have complied with US tax laws for the past five years. Failing to meet these tests, no mark-to-market or "expatriation tax" would apply.

"Riyan mentioned that his parents were “supportive” of his decision to move...." In other words, they gave him an ultimatum.

If you already have a good health insurance policy, critical illness cover might be a worthwhile addition. The lump sum benefit could be used to cover the deductible or co-pay along with things that aren't covered by the health policy. Without a health insurance policy, the critical illness by itself isn't very broad in cover and the lump sum benefits may not be adequate to address a serious illness.

Yes, a visa is necessary to transit the US. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/other-visa-categories/transit.html

A family member had a medical procedure in the US a year ago that was billed for a total of just under $100,000. The insurance company paid about $36,000 and we had a deductible/co-pay total of about $3,000. The hospital wrote off the rest. I can only assume that it was intentional over-billing in order to extract the maximum from the insurance company. I'm sure that without insurance we would have been pressured to pay the full invoiced amount. Sounds as if Dr. Adams is in a similar position, but with a high-deductible policy.

I awake for an hour or so in the middle of the night, too. There are quite a few articles on the internet about biphasic sleep. It seems that this has been a thing since antiquity. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/medieval-sleeping-habits-insomnia-segmented-biphasic/621372/ Monophasic sleep might be the result of artificial lighting in the evening and fixed schedules in the morning made necessary by the Industrial Revolution, with biphasic sleep the metabolic default.

It isn't a matter of choosing to pay taxes in the US instead of Thailand. The Thai-US tax treaty specifies which country has first right of taxation. In the scenario you mentioned, in all likelihood your friend would be required to pay tax to Thailand first and then use the tax paid to Thailand as a credit against US taxes.

The glowing lights after the switch is turned off.

I think it might be the way the switch is wired. If the switch disconnects the neutral wire and not the phase, you could have this problem.