#1065 – The Expat Files: Life in Latin America, Stem Cell Clinics, and Bitcoin’s Future

Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.

[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now as I wonder Hello there all you ex-pat wannabes. I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great and it's all right here. So let's get started All right today. Let's start right out with an email this from one of our many Dave's I think I got more Dave's listening to this show than any other podcast in history. Hmm How'd that happen? Cool thing is they're all very smart Dave's anyway, Dave says hi Johnny

[00:46] You've mentioned stem cell treatment clinics in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Where you and your brother went as I recall and you mentioned the Panama clinic where Mel Gibson went etc I read your report about the eight best stem cell clinics that you checked out though I want to tell you in Tijuana, Mexico There is a clinic that does stem cells too I've received treatments at their dental clinic and medical clinic, but they also do stem cells I got all the mercury removed from my teeth for around 3,000 bucks Much less than the 10 grand it would have cost me just north of the border I also received IV vitamin and mineral drips there too, which are essentially illegal in Commie, Fornia where I come from and Johnny the clinic is a state-of-the-art facility and located in one of the twin towers of Tijuana's Finest hotel the Grand Hotel and then he gives me the link here

[01:31] Then he says I'm telling you this Johnny because this may be a good option for those who want stem cell treatment But who don't want to go too far south of the border. It's only a 10-minute ride from the border in San Diego In fact, they'll even pick you up on the US side when I got my own mercury fillings replaced the founder and CEO Alexandro drove me and five other patients to the clinic directly also It's good to note There are no Covid at 19 tests required if you cross on land to Mexico and return to the USSA Just remember to bring your passport or passport card to get back into the USSA just for you and your listeners Information signed one of the many Dave's now Dave's got a PS on this I'll read this later, but let's get to those points. Well Dave, you know, there are stem cell clinics popping up all over Latin America

[02:18] There's a big demand and Dave since there are dozens of stem cell clinics I've never heard about that Tijuana clinic being one of them chances are it's really good in first quality like you say But it's not about the price or what the clinic looks like the whole key to the success of stem cell treatments is being able to get Fresh live stem cells from the placenta and umbilical cord of ladies who just gave birth That means there has to be a maternity hospital closer very nearby so they can transport the material over while it's still alive and then of course the key is to Multiply those cells into the multi-millions which is done right there in the stem cell lab Now the problem is the majority even the vast majority of stem cell clinics have their stem cells shipped in Cryogenically frozen or preserved so a lot of them arrived in lab days late and do away

[03:08] So that's my number one tip and number one concern something people never consider Why would they the key is whatever stem cell clinic you're going to find out if they're getting fresh placental and Umbilical cells from a hospital very nearby because if they're shipping them in by mail or UPS Whatever you can bet the cells won't be as active or vital So Dave did you ask that question if you didn't you better and if they claim they're getting it from a nearby hospital Ask if they're hand-delivered or mail the fresher the better timing is of the essence And as far as you're getting your mercury fillings replaced, etc. Etc. That's a great idea I'm really glad to hear they give IV vitamin and mineral drips because you know, I know of a lot of dentists up in Chicago I got a couple in my family and they do want to do that type of holistic dentistry

[03:54] But like you said that's cutting-edge stuff and it's not FDA or ADA approved north of the border and I'm sure most all you listeners know that the FDA is a thoroughly corrupt organization Did you know they get 50% of their research funds from big pharma? So come on They're absolutely biased towards approving drugs from companies that donated the big money to them Here's a tip when somebody you meet Pooh-pooh is the idea of getting some kind of supplement or medical treatment because they say the FDA hasn't approved it Well, you know that person's a blind believer a lemming people who believe the government actually gives his shit about them that the government cares Well, it reminds me of idiot guys who actually think that when they go to a strip club the girls fall in love with them Yeah, right. Duh don't laugh. There's lots of stupid guys out there

[04:42] But where we oh, yeah talking about Dave's email. He has a PS on that email. It deserves a listen He says Johnny PS. Why do you have all that hate for Ringo star must be a boomer thing, huh? And by the way, he says John Lennon never said that Ringo was not even the best drummer in the Beatles That's an internet rumor. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Dave. How do you know? He didn't say that Let me tell you Dave. I read lots of biographies and autobiographies about the Beatles Individual and as a group and McCartney has said many times that he'd come up with a song and he'd play the drums on That song not every time but he'd do it quite often and he said in the studio He'd show Ringo exactly how he'd want it played Anyway, Dave says in his PS that John Lennon could have had any drummer in the world at his 1970 solo album and he chose Ringo

[05:29] Imagine that he says Ringo was not a super technically proficient drummer compared to monsters like Ginger Baker of the cream For example, however, he plays drum parts that are creative and has a groove that fit the songs and he keeps really good time For example, the drumming and the Beatles songs rain You won't see me ticket ride are world-class And then he says professional drummers from Phil Collins to Dave Grohl all sing Ringo's praises YouTube is full of Ringo star praise videos. Hmm, Dave I got the feeling you're not a drummer yourself or maybe you're just a finger tapper though I could be wrong But the truth is Dave, you know where I come from Chicago Every other block had a budding rock and roll band that would practice evenings or Sundays in garages It's where that term garage band came from and I can't tell you how many times I was sitting around at a band practice

[06:18] Watching my bandmates do drugs and alcohol Hey, would you believe me if I said we'd hang out after band practice and go to church? Anyway, often we'd be sitting around and the subject would focus in on the best drummers guitarists keyboardists vocalists, etc In the end it would all boil down to the question Would we as musicians go see a band or supergroup the stones the who the zeppelin beatles moody blues pink floyd whoever? If they weren't 100 complete if they were missing certain key members of the band in other words could a band still tour Under the group's regular name, let's say credence clearwater with an original member or two missing Or would they be totally ripping off the audience? If for example credence clearwater toured without john fogerty We'd always laugh at that because everyone said without fogerty. There's no credence clearwater without excel rose

[07:08] There's no guns and roses without eddie van halen. No van halen and without peat town send there is no who But the audience wouldn't be disappointed and they could tour successfully as the who Without keith moon and without john n twistle as far as the who is 98 Townsoned in daltry hell They still tour and call themselves the who with only two original members and everyone accepts that Even though the crowd has no idea who the backup guys are why because moon and n twistle who are dead now were easily Replaceable same thing goes with the beatles later in the game They could have toured as the beatles without ringo as long as they were john george and paul people would absolutely accept that the beatles were touring Same thing with the stones. I mean they did go through a few lead guitars when brian jones died, right? In fact, if you recall the story that kicked him out before he died now according to real musicians

[07:58] I've pulled tons of them the totally replaceable members in that band would be charlie watson the bass player Whoever that happens to be now that proves a point too No one remembers the new stones bass player's name and he's been around for 20 years now And then there's ronnie wood the other guitarist that's totally replaceable who wasn't an original member the stones are mick and keith Without either one of those there are no rolling stones Take the zeppelin the two key members obviously jimmy page and robert plant if one of those two guys skips out There's no zeppelin by the way as far as the best drummers in the rock and roll world I've heard dozens of drummers say the best of all time was john bonham from the zeppelin yet He was even replaceable and why is he still considered the best after he's been dead what 35 years or something now?

[08:43] Because he could do this thing on a bass drum called a triplet It's a technique he sort of invented himself now There are some drummers who can do that but they can only do it to slow songs He could do it to any rhythm. It's a very difficult thing to do Hit the bass drum three consecutive times in just one beat of a bar and make them truly distinct and powerful In fact, here's an interesting thing about drumming the average person non-musician just doesn't know until john bottom came along The foot pedal on the bass drum had a strap made of leather that moved the mallet that hit the drum And since bottom kind of invented that triplet on the bass drum He would just tear through those leather straps and one day because he was a motorcycle nut He looked down at the chain link on his motorcycle and thought hey that might work

[09:29] And he replaced that leather strap with a piece of bike chain and from then on every single drum manufacturer in the world Switched over to a bicycle chain and sprocket for the bass drum pedal instead of leather And yet for all his great playing technique and innovation and that revolutionary invention and it was revolutionary John Bonham was replaceable because zeppelin toured without him without a single complaint or people walking out saying oh That wasn't the same without bonham. Oh and one last thing about ringo star Lennon was often quoted as saying he loved to have ringo around because he was an upbeat Moderating force that always brought positive energy to a session. He never fought or caused any trouble He was a fun party guy who never brought a black cloud or attitude around with him Like so many other famous guys who let the fame go to their heads Now the thing is about 99 percent of music lovers in the world

[10:16] Non-musicians let's say would never even be able to tell the difference when one drummer sits in for another That goes for practically any band or group But man when it's the lead singer or a superstar guitar hero Even non-musicians can tell a replacement or a phony right away. For example, take the band queen Nobody of course can replace freddy mercury It's not queen without freddy And it's not queen without brian may because brian may has such a distinctive way of playing a guitar That's very difficult for even some of the best guitar players to copy The thing is you see he and his dad made that guitar when he was a teenager and he's still using it That's an awfully strange story because making a guitar from scratch in your dad's little garage workshop A guitar that's seen thousands of performances and stood the test of time in a super group

[11:03] When there are so many other fantastic guitars to choose from like fenders and les pauls Yet that guitar is part of brian may's distinct sound that's a one-off that probably will never be repeated again So what about queen's other two members? You probably don't even know their names. They're totally replaceable Now, of course, we're not talking about individuals who in their own right Can tour with any backup band because people aren't coming to see the band They're coming to see that one person like for example clapton jeff beck frank zappa Rod stewart jimmy hendrix and a handful of others where it doesn't really matter Who they have along with them in the rest of the band? Nobody cares because they're not the headliner the person people pay money to come to see but back to ringo style You know real musicians occasionally have that discussion about luck serendipity and winning the lottery in the music business

[11:50] And the guy considered the luckiest of all according to musicians is ringo star because it pretty much could have been any decent drummer Even old pete best who they kicked out of the band early on not because he wasn't a decent or good drummer Because they said he was a quiet type and didn't mix well with the rest of the beatles socially In fact lennon said his quiet moodiness attracted more girls than any of them and the others didn't like that much Oh, and by the way, if you ever read some of the books about the beatles beginnings and stuff You'll find out that brian eppstein their manager and george martin who produced all of the beatle albums except let it be Now if you know your beatle history, you'll know Both of them tried to have ringo kicked out of the band early on because they said he just wasn't a very good drummer And in fact the beatles toured the world in 1964 with a guy named jimmy nickel

[12:36] On drums because ringo was sick had his tonsils removed or something and guess what? Nobody cared. No one knew the difference So ringo star hands down is considered the luckiest sucker in music and the next in line for lucky suckers You have super groups whose lead guy like for example, john fogarty of creden's clearwater had their brother tagging along in the band You know nepotism and pressure from mom and dad and all that that also happened with ray davies from the kinks You know His much less talented brother was in the band too and they fought like cats and dogs like brothers So the question is would you see the beatles without ringo? Of course you would if you're a beatles fan, would you pay to see grand funk railroad without mark farner? Why he was the band? Oh, and here's another thing musicians talk about all the time the fact that the very very best and most technically difficult guitar riffs

[13:25] Go completely unsung that is a crowd almost never reacts to him They react to feedback and pete town send arm windmills and jimmy hendrix playing with his teeth Any decent guitarist can use those gimmicks and that's what revs up a crowd That's what people come to see and it's frustrating for the very best of musicians who could play circles around a really good guitar player That makes a living at it in clubs That's one of the most frustrating things about being a great guitar player You realize from day one that it's not your best work That's going to get applauded but your most flashy work the stuff with the most feedback and show antics now Of course i'd be remiss if I didn't mention bass players Who are completely unsung in most bands except for maybe sting mccartney and flea which begs the question Who is the best bass player of all time now? We're talking about the rock and popular music scene because in jazz. That's a whole different animal

[14:14] There are some absolutely mind-blowing bass and guitar players But they're unsung heroes because jazz is kind of a very unique niche that had its heyday in the 50s and early 60s And since then has been fading away slowly, but surely but when you're talking about real music virtuosos 90% of them exist in the jazz scene suffice it to say that any good jazz bass or guitar player can run Technical circles around the greatest of rock musicians But we'll stick with popular and rock music because people don't care about jazz Well, you know as for me and I was a b-grade bass player in many bands My pick for greatest all-round bass player many boomers and old-timers same McCartney But i'd say he was very creative innovatively good, but not technically great as a bass player So my pick over him and you're probably not going to know who this guy is

[15:00] Is the bass player from earth wind and fire his name is jardine white He is the exception to that nepotism brother in the band rule He's brother of the founder and main talent. Maurice white. Maurice was a professional jazz drummer He changed course completely and gave up straight ahead jazz and started a genre known as funk jazz And the best of the best of all funk jazz bands earth wind and fire though as luck would have it Jardine his brother couldn't have been a better choice for any band. The guy's absolutely one of the greatest innovators and talents of all time So he's a bass player's bass player, but man is he scary looking? You know, some people are born with that diabolical serial killer kind of look. Well, he's got that and more though I'm sure in person. He's a real nice guy So again, I and so many other real musicians agree that the luckiest sucker in all music history

[15:48] Ringo Starr who like he said in the early stages of beetlemania in 1964 If it all just falls through and suddenly the Beatles weren't popular anymore He'd throw in the towel on drumming and open up a beauty salon And he wasn't kidding either which says quite a bit Basically the drumming in a band was not his number one priority, but I digress as usual man Did I digress hope I didn't bore too many listeners out there with that baby boomer stuff? Hey, but maybe some of you didn't mind talk about going far and wide of the latin american topic Let's get back to it now We'll revisit that bitcoin situation in el solvador and its effect on the rest of central and south america Many countries appear to be getting ready to pile in they're getting wise to what bitcoin and cryptos can do for their countries On that subject comes an email from marcus a very smart and fun

[16:36] Expat insider seminar attendee. He says johnny somehow I just don't see the real value in getting el solvador's golden bitcoin visa. That's what they're calling it I think that getting citizenship after waiting five years will never come just like panama But I could be wrong though. I do commend the president of el solvador for what he's trying to pull up All right. Thanks for that marcus and what he's talking about is what's called an el solvadorian golden visa turns out It's just been announced that with an investment of about three bitcoin or around a hundred thousand bucks You can invest in el solvador and get instant residency Which is supposed to fold into permanent passport and nationality in five years And what marcus is saying is that sometimes governments promise and don't follow up like panama And if you've ever been to panama and checked out their visa programs

[17:22] You'll see they promise uh passport in five years too But almost no one's ever able to get that every year they add more and more hoops to jump through And i'm just not meeting anyone who's got panama residency who's been able to pull off the passport and nationality So panama's five year residency to passport program was an empty promise And that popular so-called friendly nation's visa that you could get in panama It's being discontinued in august 2021 too. That's just a month and a half away It was very popular and was perfect for those who couldn't qualify for a pension auto visa Or for those who wanted to work legally in panama currently The requirements are that you set up a corporation and open a bank account with a five thousand dollar minimum bank deposit But you only have a few short weeks left to apply because the program has been discontinued

[18:10] Starting in august the new rule says you either need to get a job in panama In other words a company has to hire you and you must present a signed contract Then you can apply officially for your work visa and most gringos and expats do not work officially for a company Once they get down to panama or for that matter anywhere else in latin america They don't work for someone they start a business themselves or have an online business Anyway under the new rules as of august you either need to get a job in panama That means an existing company that pays taxes in panama has to hire you with a contract Or you need to buy real estate worth at least two hundred thousand bucks So much for that so-called friendly nation's visa. It ain't friendly anymore So then why did the pustulent bureaucratic slugs in panama change the rules? Well, it turns out because developers and real estate agents in panama have a ton of excess inventory real estate sales have crashed

[19:01] So they figured changing the friendly nation's visa by forcing people to buy real estate worth over two hundred thousand dollars We'll give a shot in the arm to the ailing real estate market But I don't think it'll help because no one wants to be rushed into buying real estate or forced to buy real estate Just to get a residency visa Especially when you can go to st Lucia or a couple other caribbean islands and buy a passport not just residency but a real passport For a hundred grand or so now, of course panama still has that popular permanent residency visa called a pensionnata visa And for a single person, you only need to prove you make a thousand bucks per month But that'd be from a military retirement or social security or any retirement pension plan Unfortunately rental income business income annuities 401ks or iras do not qualify you for that pensionnata visa

[19:49] Sure, panama has other types of visas too. One's called a self-economic solvency visa But you have to have 300 grand invested in panama That's a big chunk either put it in a three-year cd or invest 300k in real estate Panama also has a business investment visa if you invest 160 grand minimum In a new business or startup corporation you get residency though That one's ridiculously difficult to get because you have to prove it's your own capital You have to also get a business license. You have to register with panama social security You have to hire at least five panamanian employees and pay their social security benefits, too And you have to pay at least the minimum wage and personally I don't know anyone who's been able to get panama residency that way way too many hoops to jump through

[20:37] They've also got a reforestation visa if you put 100 grand into a land purchase of around 15 acres or so But you must let the panama government and the panama reforestation bureau tell you what you can and can't plant there Whoa, that really sucks. And I don't know of anyone who's got that residency visa either really who'd want it So as you can see in all of latin america and the world It's getting harder and harder to get permanent residency and I still get emails from people all the time Saying I wish I shoulda coulda woulda applied for residency in whatever country a couple years back when it was really easy Well, you sat on the fence you procrastinated way too long and now your options are very limited But what about that brand new l solvador? Bitcoin golden visa now my opinion is the five-year wait for the passport thing will come to pass

[21:25] Why because l solvador has never been a popular destination for expats and gringos and almost no gringo or expat I know has a solvallorian passport I know a few who have residency But none of them have taken that next step for the passport which is supposed to take five years after permanent residency And I can't see the government putting up much resistance to that I can't see him blocking it because it's so infrequent that foreigners even try why would they even bother changing the rules? But I would wait to see how much the international banksters the imf the us fed and the world bank Try to slap and punish the president of l solvador and the solvadorian congress for trying to accept bitcoin as legal currency We're already seeing official news blurbs popping every day saying things like the world bank and the imf will not help l solvador Transition over to bitcoin, but we all knew that was going to happen

[22:12] They hate bitcoin the big banksters the imf and the world bank don't want anyone to use anything but the us dollar I mean really their entire existence revolves around commissions fees taxes and the skim in dollars and they can't do that with crypto You know the thought of the banks the fed china the world bank etc trying to stop crypto That would be like all the car companies and oil companies getting together and saying we're not going to make any electric cars And we're going to pass laws to outlaw electric charge stations We don't want the competition and we will punish you if you go electric Hey deep down traditional car companies just might want to do that But they're in business and you're in business to make money and they know they can't beat them They have to join them whereas governments just print and spend money. They're not businesses They don't run like businesses. They can never spend too much and they always run at a loss

[23:01] They don't care who they hurt or bulldoze as long as they maintain their power structure All right. Now here are some of the details and finer points of that salvadorian golden visa The new law says number one vendors in l solvador must accept payments in either us dollar or bitcoin number two There'll be no capital gains applicable to the realization of bitcoin gains number three Tax contributions and fees paid to government may now be paid in bitcoin Number four prices will be expressed in both us dollar and bitcoin terms And it says and this is important for those unable to accept bitcoin payments due to lack of familiarity with the technology The salvadorian government promises to provide alternatives that allow users to carry out transactions in bitcoin There'll be automatic and instant convertibility between us dollars and bitcoin and vice versa

[23:48] Furthermore, it says the state will promote the necessary training and mechanisms so that the population can access bitcoin transactions With the president in a written proclamation saying quote Salvadorians have to take bitcoin, but not the risk To do that the government plans to set up a bitcoin dominated trust fund equivalent to 150 million dollars through which Salvadorians can exchange their bitcoins for us dollars should they prefer? Not to hold bitcoin just us dollars such bitcoin dollar conversions and back again Will be conducted through a wallet which the government will build together with a crypto payment app developer strike The same company that assisted the government in the formulation of the new bitcoin law The president also clarified there will be a 90-day adoption period from the day the bill takes effect to allow for the

[24:40] Permanent residency option for those who invest three bitcoins, which is about 100 grand as I record this the bill provides for foreigners to get instant residency with the investment of three bitcoin In the form of real estate business capitalization and a number of still undefined investment types to be defined by the government shortly And according to the new law the bitcoin permanent residency option will lead to citizenship through Nationalization in a time frame of one to five years those eligible will include number one persons who are Nationals of spain or latin american countries who have established a one-year residency number two foreigners from anywhere who have established a five-year residency in El Salvador number three foreigners married to Salvadorian spouses can get a passport after two years of residency and finally persons who have rendered exceptional service to the nation

[25:32] Whatever that is who knows maybe you only have to make a nice youtuber tiktok video Hmm by the way salvadorian citizenship provides a great deal of mobility worldwide If you hold the salvador passport, you're welcome without a visa in 134 countries worldwide Including all of europe the uk hong kong south korea japan singapore united arab emirates brazil and a host of other countries But not the u.s. Canada or mexico That's why they sneak into the states illegally through coyotes etc Because almost none of them can qualify for a visa to enter the states or canada But you knew that already, right? By the way, if you want a copy of all the official rules and regs for the bitcoin visa, etc Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com And now an email from a listener who actually knows elon musk by the way

[26:19] I know a lady living in antigua guaramala who personally worked with him well before his international fame and hair transplants She says he's a changed person now that he's a media superstar not for the better Anyway, here's an email from another listener who knows elon calls himself. Mr. Peabody He is a professor at stanford university. He says johnny Why people hang on elon's every tweet is strange to me since communicating smoothly and coherently is elon musk's least brilliant skill Then again the inability to communicate and friendly likable interesting open non-know-it-all superior way seems to be a standard defect In most ultra high achieving software and it nerds who've made insanely big startup money and now are thrust into the limelight They're not prepared for it socially like many hardcore it engineers and nerds the elon

[27:07] I knew was incapable of lying and or reading a social situation properly Or dating a hot chick who wasn't a working girl Because you see hardcore nerds who haven't made their millions yet are so used to getting so little attention from women They don't know the difference second best example Vitalik buterin before ethereum was worth millions. You think he ever had a date that wasn't prepaid? You've been listening to the expat files living in latin america if you need some help with your own plan b We can schedule a one-on-one phone or skype consult Just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com And if you want to get on the waiting list for my next week long expat insider seminar in central america Where you're guaranteed to get a two to five year head start on your plan b

[27:54] Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com