jaideeguy

Bumping an old thread in the hope that I can get some questions answered.  

If a boy takes advantage of the 'education' deferment overseas and graduates with an associate degree, then returns for the lottery and picks the dreaded red ball and 'winns' the draft......does he enter the military at a higher rank than a dirt poor farm boy with no education or are all draftees ranked equal [as grunts]?? 

My step son is abroad and is of draft age and we avoided his having to return to LOS by enrolling him as a student. Worked last year, but have recently heard that once he finishes school, he will be eligible for the draft.  supposedly for 5 years. Are there any legal ways for him to avoid that obligation if he finishes school and no longer has that deferment??

PMs welcome...........

A wise and old friend's advise when I first arrived in Asia was ''you are on your own here in Asia' and after 25 yrs, I found his advise to be pretty much right on.  

I've gone out of my way financially and socially to help possible friends here, but most often gotten burned or lost potential friends and after getting married [with family' came to the conclusion that he was right...............

Am I lonely?? sometimes, but I always have the family and a small select group of friends that are there when I need them.

3 minutes ago, khundon said:

Yes, give him some lube, but put some sand in it.

Chillies work better...............

Follow up a year after TX on Harvoni.............

The good.............viral load still undetected, liver function blood tests normalized, BP [hypertension] has returned to normal, weight is still down 20lbs, blood-sugar has normalized, lower cholesterol

The bad.............still have fatigue, some brain fog, nightly muscle cramps, liver is still cirrhotic with level 4 fibrosis.

Bottom line...........if I had stayed in LOS and had gone untreated, I may not be writing this.

Those other options weren't available in Thailand a year and a half ago and in fact the Thai liver specialists in the best hospitals in Chiang Mai didn't even know about the Harvoni and could only offer the old TX of a year of hell drugs for a 25% chance of recovery.

However, the Thai docs did have the latest in diagnostic tools.........the 'fibroscan' which revealed that I was in the early cirrhotic stage and immediately sold my properties in CM at a loss to get back for TX, was accepted in a couple of months and started TX immediately after baseline lab testing.

Now, 6+ months after TX for 18 weeks I'm feeling like a new [68 yr] old man. My viral load has remained at zero, liver enzymes normalized, cholesterol normalized, early diabetes markers normalized, hypertension has normalized and even my toe nail fungus has disappeared but a few symptoms of the HCV [and/or TX?] are still lingering.....some fatigue and arthritic pains, and mind fog but hopefully they will fade as well.

Lets hope that these new Indian and Chinese drugs are the real deal and can work the miracle that the original Gillard did for me and others.

A word of caution for those going that route...........get your baseline tests: Genotype, viral load tests, fibroscans, all liver blood work on a regular schedule during TX and please share the results with others thinking of going through TX. Would love to hear success stories

Those that go with the Asian self TX should educate yourselves and join and read some of the many support groups dedicated to those pre, during and post TX for some better support. We're still guiney pigs for big pharma and who knows how the cards will play out.

let's hope for the best for all of you and that you will all 'slay your dragons' in 2016.

And, any US military vets out there considering filing a claim for disabilities, I have a few links that I can share with you.

Happy new years to all of Thailand!!

An update of my recent experiences with Solvaldi.

First a little background............

With my increasing symptoms of HVC, I decided to return to the US when I heard that the Veteran's Administration was waking up to their responsibility of playing a large part in the transmission of this deadly disease with the use of the jet air guns for inoculations during the Viet Nam war era 1962-1975 when they were experimenting with a new mass vaccine gun that would shoot the most vaccine in record time..............6 or 7 shots could be administered in one shot. Downside is that they didn't realize was that the same gun was spreading [infected] blood down the line of recruits blood flying everywhere because if you flinched, the jet simply sliced you and very little if any sanitising between blood exposure. The VN war generation has the highest incidence of HVC of any other group, but at that time, the HVC virus had not been isolated and they simply called it 'non specific hep B' until they isolated it in 1992.

Meanwhile this nasty virus remains in your blood and liver with no visable and undetectable symptoms until they isolated it in1992. Mine was discovered during a routine but complete checkup at at CM Ram hospital 15 years ago. I was still asymptomatic until this last few years when the fatigue and mind fog kicked in.

Fast forward to the present...........

I was seeing the best liver doctors in CM and was offered an archaic cure there as the ONLY option by the best liver specialists in Chiang Mai, but MY research told me that there were cutting edge [e$pensive] drugs in common usage back in the US and when my disease suddenly caught up with me, I had to make the decision to return for the cure, rather than rot away in pain in a Thai hospital with Thai Drs scratching their heads and not giving me the proper meds. I had to educate my Thai Drs about the latest cure..............[they don't read the journals after they get their degree!]

So, i decided to take my chances and leave my comfortable home in CM and went directly to the VA upon arrival and they approved me for Soldavi. After 3 months of Tx provided by the Veteran's Administration [thank you VA], I am now free of this deadly virus.............at least according to the 'lab numbers'. My viral load 13 years ago was 240,000 and by the time the VA tested it, it had increased to 3.8 mil and my liver was in early cirrhosis.

The VA approved me for the latest miracle drug [12 weeks of Sovaldi] and my viral load lab results dropped from 3.8mil to 2,000 in the first 2 weeks, then even lower, down to what they call 'clearance' at week 8 and has remained virus free until after week 12. Now finised TX and they [hopefully] declare me totally clear of the virus.

I won't bash Thailand, but I have finally realized that LOS is a great place to be young and retire early and cheaply, but when you have serious health issues, the West is the best place to be. The Thai medical system is great for patching up yourself after a motorcycle accident or cosmetic surgery, but they are 10+ years behind the West when you get a serious disease.

Asia has been good to me for 25+ years in LOS and the Philippines, but now time to realize that the party is over and life is good here in Hawaii, altho expensive.............STILL NO REGRETS for my decision!!

Internet is fast, the air and the land is so much cleaner, people have manners and are friendly, school system is much better for my kids, health care is complicated, but there are ways to save $ etc........

If the above post by PMK is legitimate, I would have taken a gambol on that, but it's a gambol and competent monitoring is recommended and support is lacking in the Thai system. Then, there is the issue of genotype. I seem to recall that soldavi is most effective on geno 1a and 1b and Asia has it's own genotype that may not respond as well.

my advise to all out there is 'get tested' weather you have symptoms or not and get the latest diagnostic tool called a 'fibroscan' that gives you an accurate assessment of the condition of your liver.

Good luck and I hope that this disjointed ramble of mine will open some eyes and maybe save some lives.

JDG

PM me if you have any questions that I haven't addressed.

Oh dear me you do waffle.

The advantages of education? You dont have a choice, you must attend school, which your parents pay for.

Health care? Never been to hospital but have visited a doctor a few times. I have paid plenty on private health care so perhaps they may refund me.

I never saved a penny in Oz in more than 25 years working there. I made my money when I lived in NZ, went to uni there, which i paid myself. Then to Malaysia.

When a person is young they have no choice where they live. It took me quite a few years to realise that Oz was not for me. So happy I saw the light and got out of there, best decision I ever made.

What you call "waffle" I call LOYALTY & GRATITUDE.

Of course young people have no choice as to where they live or are brought up but as one grows older, one begins to appreciate how fortunate they've been ESPECIALLY when they live in a country like Thailand where so many would give their right arm for the kind of privilege we had simply by virtue of being lucky enough to come out of a womb in Europe or the US.

I would bet anything you like that if it well and truly kicked off in Thailand - armed conflict in the streets - every last one of you would be beseeching your respective embassies to repatriate you safely

If any of you found yourselves afflicted by a dread disease requiring life-saving surgery and your insurance - if you've got any - wouldn't cover, I doubt you'd be slating your homelands to the ground while being wheeled off the plane at Heathrow to an NHS hossie staffed by those poxy immigrant nurses.

Sure, I live in Thailand - it better suits my needs than Britain does right now - but Britain is the cradle of my birth. It gave me everything. A sense of fair play, an appreciation of the rule of law and a solid education - all of which you people slate Thailand for NOT having

If you wanna bitch your homelands up, go ahead but I'm not going to disavow the motherland just because I can get a piece of farmer tail for £20 and a local beer for 75p.

Well said and I'm living proof of the advanced western medical model [even though driven by corporate greed] can extend your life.

I was Dxed with a viral [HVC] disease in LOS and was offered an archaic cure there as the ONLY option by the best liver specialists in Chiang Mai, but MY research told me that there were cutting edge [e$pensive] drugs in common usage back in the US and when my disease suddenly caught up with me, I had to make the decision to return for the cure, rather than rot away in pain in a Thai hospital. I had to educate my Thai Drs about the latest cure..............[they don't read the journals after they get their degree!]

After 3 months of Tx provided by the Veteran's Administration [thank you VA], I am now free of this deadly virus and my Thai family is with me and I really don't have much of a desire to return to LOS @ 68 yrs of age.

I won't bash Thailand, but I have finally realized that it's a great place to be young and retire early and cheaply, but when you have serious health issues, the West is the best place to be. The Thai medical system is great for patching up yourself after a motorcycle accident or cosmetic surgery, but they are 10+ years behind the West when you get a serious disease.

Asia has been good to me for 25+ years in LOS and the Philippines, but now time to realize that the party is over and life is good here in Hawaii, altho expensive.............NO REGRETS!!

Internet is fast, the air and the land is so much cleaner, people have manners and are friendly, school system is much better for my kids, health care is complicated, but there are ways to save $ etc........

Wish us luck!

There is 1 better now.........Harvoni which is the latest cutting edge big pharma. Made by the same company here in the US and [supposedly] no major side effects, short tx with higher cure rate than the latest and greatest. I asked 2 of the best liver specialists in CM and neither had even heard of it and both suggested the old antiquated torture TX of interferon for a year of hell drugs.

This Harvoni is given to me by the VA and monitoring your viral count and liver enzymes is very important. The VA test mine every 2 weeks. I'm just starting week 5 and hope to only have 12 weeks of
TX.

they did the tests after only 5 days on Harvoni and my viral load dropped from 3.8 mil to 2,000. can provide more info by PM if you want more.

CM drs are 15+ years behind the west, but lots cheaper, as my Harvoni retails for $1,250 per pill...........totaling over $100,000 for a complete course, but I think that regular monitoring is vital by determining the length of TX. Thai medical is good and cheap for lab work.

If the Indian version is the real thing, you'll save a lot.............but do monitor your labs regularly..........at least get a reference point for your viral load.

What exactly does this 'Law' refer to? Not those simple PVC pipe affairs, similar to a bicycle pump, surely? If not, I don't think that I have seen one.

http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/5-years-in-jail-for-water-gun-vendors-under-new-rules/

Those shown in the photo are still out there but seeing less and less of them.

I'd like to have one of those blasters here in Hawaii to shoot the stray dogs cats and chickens. I feel so sad missing my first songkran in 15 years...............NOT!!

Make sure you are using the correct email address: [email protected] As they are normally pretty good about responding.

Are you sure you need to have an appointment to go have the paper signed? I had to have my MOL sign an affidavit for a name change when we were getting our Visa and we just went in during ASC hours and she signed it, and then sent in the signed affidavit with the other docs they were requesting.

I think you did DCF if I remember correctly and 8 months is a long time, I just had another friend who started in Nov, and finished last week. No attorney or visa agent, they always slow down the process, at least everyone I know that used one took much longer than the DIY.

Aaron, think you may be right about not needing an appointment as the following is the wording of their last correspondence with us ..................

" Generally, the derivative IR-2 from the previous relationship must submit either the Child maintenance letter OR have the biological father show up at the Embassy to sign the consent letter in front of the Consular Officer. In your client’s situation, would the biological father be able to do this?"

No mention of an appointment, and, yes we are using the same email address.

I applied for my wife and her 2 children for immigrant visas 8 months ago and having to return to the US for medical reasons, I retained a visa attorney to complete the process and my family has jumped through all the hoops [medical, police checks, and even passed interview] and they have passed all phases except for the legal custody of wife to bring her son to the US which simply involves the biological father to sign papers granting custody to wife in the presence of an embassy official. All this has been in place and several emails have been sent in an attempt to comply.

So, what about all the millions of 'martial law tourists' that LOS is going to attract??

Most of the potential [hopeful] buyers we have had were either 'real estate tourists' who have little or no real interest in buying...........just dreamers and time wasters.

And the other potential [hopeful] buyers have been low ball investors with insultingly low offers and wanting to add to their stack of chanots and get some rental income for a small investment.

Very few sincere buyers with 'vision' and small baht my property needs with 3 houses and a swimming pool.

What you need is then a foreign end user with balls to acquire a Thai landed property. Very few indeed.

That's the ideal buyer and there are a couple of them here in our 'off the beaten track' development. There are a few Falang/Thai couples that have bought here like me and my Thai wife was a bit reluctant at first, but now appreciates the nature that surrounds us.

I observe that a lot of the Thai women wear the pants in the relationship and the Falang husband just goes along with what ever the tirak wants.............'yes dear, whatever you want'.

Most of the potential [hopeful] buyers we have had were either 'real estate tourists' who have little or no real interest in buying...........just dreamers and time wasters.

And the other potential [hopeful] buyers have been low ball investors with insultingly low offers and wanting to add to their stack of chanots and get some rental income for a small investment.

Very few sincere buyers with 'vision' and small baht my property needs with 3 houses and a swimming pool.

From what I've seen and heard most Thai women are just as attracted to good smells and cleanliness, but most important of all is a good heart [$$]..............

The same as women the world over...........the silent treatment!! and if that don't do the trick, they throw things, break things, and some even feel justified to steal things.

While in Seattle for the month of August, and using a simple cell phone, I bought a T-Mobile sim card for $80 that gave me unlimited calls within the U.S. and to Thailand for 30 days.

That sounds like what I want...............unlimited to the US and Thailand??

Did it have data too?? and do you remember the name of the T-Mobile card??

Interesting read, the astronomical details, but Why waste our time with the superstitious nonsense that takes up most of the story.............

Just wondering if anyone knows of a local Thai mobile company that has a prepaid sim that I can use upon arrival in the US without roaming charges?? I have an open/unlocked phone.

Mods, please let this sit in the general section for a day or so before moving it to the 'mobile devices' of the internet and computer section.

Thanks in advance for any info.............

"ask the people who live there what they think. Most people are pretty helpful - security guards and maids especially so since there is no real benefit for them to make stuff up."

Sorry, but I have to disagree with that tactic because most Thais will either pad the price or get a commission at any chance. Those that 'have not' want to 'have' and it's common practice to get a finder's fee or commission of at least 3 % up north.

It appears that most of the posters are in agreement. So the onus is on the British government to step up to the plate and officially request that the British forensic team conducts their own DNA test and compare results. All we can do is to put pressure on the British authorities to be more proactive and take the action. Thais do not listen to us anyway.

I would hope that my country [the US] would step in for me or any other US citizen if they were in the same situation.

Also makes me wonder if the parents of the 2 victims have requested any investigation into the Thai investigation??

At last some sanity may be injected into this horrible crime and the bumbling investigation that followed.

BREAKING NEWS!!!

KEYSTONE COPS CATCH THE THREE STOOGES with their pants down.

And we have 20 more up here in Chiang Mai that said they did it..........