1FinickyOne

oh no - I was ok before but now I'm depressed

So, are you saying that there is someplace where these things don't happen? Or, since they are nearly inevitable for most people, then thankfully you live in Thailand where it will be easier to deal with?

I don't study this but I think it has not been linked to gold or silver in many many years - I remember when coins had silver in them [silver dollars] and paper money said 'silver certificate' on top. And I don't necessarily agree that gold has particular value - the greatest value is that it is used in adornment, jewelry. I think there is some element of it having a hardness factor, but like printed money, there is a societal agreement that it holds value. [as does btw lately] he 1944 Bretton Woods system made the US dollar the world’s reserve currency backed by gold at $35/ounce, but decades of American monetary expansion led to foreign governments redeeming dollars for undervalued gold, forcing Nixon to completely sever the dollar-gold link in 1971. Since 1971, gold has functioned primarily as an investment and store of value rather than currency,

That is correct - for me, it has no practical value - - however, I would have said that about a smart phone many years ago and recently a QR code which now has a very nice convenience factor for me, for a few things - so, I am open to things that can make life easier, or make money for me - they recently came out with ETF's for XRP - and at $3+ I can see that as more likely to double than BTC - - - not for any intrinsic reasons... just as an investment and everything has the potential to boom or crash - - that's the world you live in - I live in my own bubble - I talk to the trees and shrubs in the garden.

Yes, there are ETF's for BTC, Ethereal and now XRP - you can buy them on Schwab in the same way as you might buy IBM - and when you sell, there will be profit or loss to be calculated for taxes - Dallas Taxes - plenty of places to speculate - 'There is no sanity clause'

Sure, you can't see it or touch it - - it can't move but you can lose it all if you forget your password - right? But just like money, it only has any value because some people agree it has value - same as Euros, pesos, dollars, old baseball cards and pet rocks.

They get paid for it - it's their job - to see which way the wind blows - next important election is next year...

I use just one account - they have copy machines and it doesn't take very long to copy a bank book. They told me, depending on the country, it can be a lot of work to open a new account...

It's not the heat - it's the humanity

Unclear...

24 hours on planes and in waiting rooms and ten second re-entry - thanks for the info, but I don't think I will need it...

No idea what that is?? My last trip back was in 2012 and I doubt there will be another return...

In 2012 I turned 62 - and started receiving SS payments - I returned through DC and walked right through immigration as if it wasn't there - that was my last time back - - I assume at this age, if I went back, they should/would have medical staff waiting...

So, are you saying that there are agents who can promise the moon and the stars - and it is true? Sign me up - I want the moon and stars... I'm ready.

I have no idea - I guess you can discard any phone that you can afford to throwaway?? I love my smartphone but only use it for the simplest of tasks - but it is wonderful to know that if I am out, my family can contact me if they need me... I get lots of messages, I can take pictures or check stock futures - I don't watch anything on it or stare at it - - but it's quite a handy tool - I play music from it while driving in the car - - Spotify - - absolutely anything I want to hear - - if I wanted to do that when I was younger, I had to buy the album and make cassette tapes... it takes me 5 minutes to slide and make a wonderful playlist - - what a world...

I want to live in a bubble - it's an ugly world out there - I think I might have achieved that already - -

I am a white male - and I was repeatedly profiled - - I retired early and being under 60 and returning to the USA, I was thoroughly searched every time I returned from Thailand. I learned to return with the bare necessities so it won't take long - one change of clothes in a carry-on bag... once I was taken into a back room, hands against the wall... and once, I was let in easily - - a very big IO towering over me, arms folded - pulled me out as I came walking in before the baggage search area - and he asked me if I was independently wealthy - I shrugged, exhausted - and told him I thought of myself as independently lower middle class - - and he let out a very warm laugh and ushered me through, un-searched...

Jealous? is that Hun-sum like in Attila?

Switzerland? Iceland? Scandinavia in general? I doubt there is ever a Breona type incident - I saw one black businessman in Minnesota say he had been stopped over 50x while driving his car to work [sorry, I forget the timeline, but there are countless stories about blacks being pulled out of cars - often for no reason]. Maybe get out of your 'better than everyplace else' and ask some black people what it is like - I also saw a clip of a black teen in Georgia just sitting in his car - the police questioned him - and the police were very polite - and the kid was a real ass-ole - - and the point of that is there seems to be a lot of anger on both sides - - none of which sounds like fun to be around - -

No, he's not like that really - I don't think he would let the kids stand in the way of his moving - - he has many business interests there and the kids run the businesses for him - he helps out sometimes, but I think less and less so the last few years. I was a businessman many years ago there - it seemed every year it became more difficult to find decent employees... and lack of business ethics were increasingly problematic. I used to go back 2x a year to visit/help my parents but they are gone now - - I sure don't miss the flights.

ok - I am far from finicky myself - but Guy, your post is very angry - - it wasn't so much your name - Crazy unruly pricing is everywhere, isn't it? I remember many years ago trying to book a flight on the internet - I checked it 3x hoping the fare would go down and then it nearly doubled - and the next day it was back down again so I booked it. I am sure we have been through that routine with hotel rates too - I think if they asked everyone on the same airplane how much they paid, there would be an angry riot - I am here for a long long time - we don't lock our doors - nobody has ever broken into my car... I never was this safe in the USA and I lived in very safe areas too... yes, there is violence here as everywhere, but it is mostly family or drunks - and of course there is plenty in the small farang bar areas after 2 a.m. -

Oh, I thought you were a NY'er... I was just talking to a friend who is living in Fla... and he says it is overrun. He is in an expensive gated community w/a fabulous restaurant and everything he needs within a short walk - he never goes to the beach - he has no financial issues and he just told me that he would love to move to a small town in Vermont - but - kids and grandkids are all in Fla -

Oh yeah? When did you grow up? I hadn't noticed - - [I mean that in the best way - but you know that] I have no car lately and have just been staying home - I look forward to catching you for lunch next month...

just a guess - you are not black or brown - you are an angry white guy? Do the black people scare you? That is a serious question - I am American but have not lived there in many many years. My parents lived in a nice area of NYC, but I remember visiting them in the 1990s and it was a little scary with some small groups of teens who were beating and robbing people, especially older people. They were too afraid to live there and had to move away into a small town where I was living that was safe. - - We were taught about the freedom we had in America but my parents were not free to live in the neighborhood that they loved so much. We may pay an extra fee at National Parks, but it is minimal. And here, I have never felt in danger walking the streets. Mostly I have not lived in tourist areas and have many many heartwarming stories and moments with Thai people. I am sorry that you hold so much anger - it is not healthy for you

Incorrect - there is plenty of dual pricing no matter what color you are... usually dependent upon location of your residence... local golf courses charge more for people from out of the county - local universities charge more for people out of state... and there is plenty of racism, I am sorry to say...