#1312 – Episode 1312: Car Security, Medical Education, and Exotic Pets in Latin America

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-pad 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 Alright, we're live kind of you know a couple of shows ago We were talking about how cars get stolen more and more these days Even though you'd think car companies would have developed lots of countermeasures to foil bad guys and no goodniks

[00:46] Instead they did just the opposite they came up with these key fob things that even mediocre hackers can penetrate You could buy the equipment right on Amazon, and there's YouTube videos to show you how to do it You know capture the signal and clone it anyway. I mentioned that I never have that problem I never worry about getting my cars stolen because I always install an ignition or starter cutoff switch a Hidden little switch place somewhere near the driver's seat now after I mentioned it on that previous show I got lots of people asking me for the diagram how to do that and lots of people saying But my car's still under warranty that could void my warranty Anytime you screw around with the wiring the dealer can tell you they're not gonna pay for any kind of warranty repairs

[01:33] Now that's a good point and something I never mentioned in the previous show But probably should have turns out with the last couple of cars I've had they were still under warranty You know they have five and even seven-year warranties these days right and believe it or not here in Latin America They have to honor him. I'm proof of that because I had a big warranty repair With one of my cars a while back in his fifth year of the warranty Just a couple of months left to go to I had my doubts I never thought they'd do it and the dealer fixed it they honored the five-year warranty reluctantly of course, but they did it So anyway here's the other half of the story a way to install a kill switch without voiding your warrant a way to do It without cutting any wires therefore if you ever have to take it in for a warranty repair you can just disconnect the kill switch

[02:24] Plug in the old fuse again, and everything's back to normal just like it was originally and that'll only take you about five minutes or less What I've discovered anyway in the last five years or so Amazon has a little kit you can buy That allows you to pull out any fuse in your fuse box It allows you to monitor that fuse port with an analyzer or meter It also allows us that is you and me to set up a kill switch without cutting any wires. It's very cool and very fast You just plug in the extension adapter from Amazon After you've attached the inline fuse and switch and you're there and if you ever want to revert back to the original stock setup You know exactly like it was before you set up the cutoff switch You just pull out the little fuse Extension adapter and plug back in the original fuse into its normal socket and no one will ever be the wiser

[03:15] Now if all that seems confusing to you send me an email the expat files at gmail.com And I'll send you exactly the Amazon links and a picture of that little system Assembled exactly as it should be used and you know I have to say whoever thought of producing a product like that my hats Off to you. It does make the job a hell of a lot easier Because after all it's not very comfortable laying on your back on the floorboards looking up under the dash Fishing around in the fuse box where there's not much light at all. Oh and while you're on Amazon I highly recommend you order an LED headlamp those things are invaluable for doing that kind of work where there's no light the newer ones are very light and Rechargeable and the charge lasts at least six or eight hours. Just shove it in your junk drawer. Keep it charged You'll find it's very handy. You'll use it a lot just ten or fifteen bucks get one

[04:04] Oh, and by the way for those of you who send me email saying Johnny But there's two fuse boxes in my car one under the dash and one under the hood Which one has the fuse in it that I'm supposed to interrupt Well, just look under the lid at the top of the fuse box There's always a little diagram of fuses and the fuse you want to pull out and bypass will be the one labeled IGN which means ignition or starter STR Personally, I always go for the one that says ignition IGN first because it's a small Usually five to fifteen amp fuse Whereas the fuse for the starter might not be so small and might be big and bulky Could be a much heftier 30 amp fuse Since it carries a lot more current So my advice use the smaller one of the two the one with the lowest amperage

[04:54] Anyway, just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com and I'll send you the Amazon links and a picture exactly What it's supposed to look like Speaking of listener feedback from previous shows. I got an email here from dr. M Commenting on that bit. I did a couple shows ago about how the Covid at lockdowns and such through a wrench into the medical and dental education system In that previous expat file show we illustrated a cautionary tale Why you should be quite leery when selecting a young dentist or MD or anyone who's graduated In the medical field in the last four years. So in reply, this is what dr. M writes She says and I'll paraphrase this a bit. It was a great show as always John

[05:40] The nurse that you quoted was right about the Covid years being really wasted for recently graduated medical students in Guatemala and Latin America However, in my opinion Covid also wasted the years of students in many other different schools around the world Not just in Guatemala or Latin America. She says dental schools in the US, for example in the Covid years Graduated students without them completing all the requirements to get at the Paloma yet They still graduated them In other words if you had so many specific dental procedures and requirements such as rit canals or fillings Whatever to graduate and you didn't complete the allotted requirements They would still graduate you after all you paid the money and Covid was nobody's fault

[06:26] They even eliminated the board exams that involve doing procedures on real patients and that has never happened before Then she says as far as medical schools Did you know that when 80% of primary care doctors were polled in the US? They said they'd wish they hadn't have gone to medical school at all 80% isn't that a crazy number In other words, they don't like their jobs Why would the supposedly smartest and brightest people be thinking that? They regret going to medical schools because they are so overworked by employers such as hospitals or large medical groups They're on their own kind of treadmill they're spending so much time on the computers trying to get the insurance company to pay for the services and They suffer because they don't have the autonomy to dictate how the patient should be treated not to mention

[07:18] They are limited as to how much face time they can have with their patients Right me trying to hear you know, I have some physicians and Dennis in my family They bitch about that very same thing all the time, but there's nothing they can do about it In fact, one of the MD's in my family says he's only spending something like six to ten minutes with his patients in Any kind of exam and man, I tell you that's a world of difference from the way doctors treat you down here in Latin America Down here I can recall many times the doctors spent a half hour an hour even more Just sitting with me going through all kinds of health care stuff. Of course a lot of shooting the breeze, too Now you can certainly chock a lot of that off to the gringo advantage because stocks Just do not have many gringo patients here and when you're off the gringo tourist day

[08:06] Oh, wow You might be the only gringo the doctor is seen in an entire week of patients and since most of them speak some English And don't get a chance to use it when a gringo patient comes in man It's all home week. One thing I've noticed is that since doctors here in Latin America are in the upper middle-class Socioeconomically almost all of them have been to the States whether it's shopping vacation or seminars are just plain going to Disney World Man are Latinos obsessed with Disney World. I'll tell you Latinos think when they die and go to heaven It won't be st. Peter at the pearly gates It'll be mini goofy and Mickey and it won't be pearly gates. It'll be the Magic Kingdom Yeah, that's right every upper middle-class Latino I've ever met has been to Disney World Some like doctors and their families over and over again

[08:52] And you know, you just go into any Latinos house doesn't have to be enough scale house could be dirt poor There'll be Disney paraphernalia somewhere in that house Disney clothes cups nap sacks ashtrays I remember when I first came down to Latin America 30 plus years ago visiting an MD or a dentist They had Disney paraphernalia in the waiting room. I was so impressed. I wanted to gag. I know I know to us It's ridiculous who wants to hear about someone's trip to Disney World, please get a Life, huh? But you grinned Barrett What can you say when your docs bragging about his latest Disney trip while he's got his finger up one of your orifices? Anyway, the point is here in Latin America doctors will spend an ungodly amount of time with you during an appointment

[09:39] Though they never see you on time. They're always late That's the universal doctor problem when they see you they never rush and when you walk out to the front desk and get the bill and it's only something like 30 bucks or Five or seven or zero if you've got insurance you can hardly believe it. Oh and about insurance I know all of you guys and gals up in the States are used to the fact that when you walk into a physician Or dentist's office. There's a whole team of ladies there behind a stack of giant file cabinets and ten computers Just to sort out insurance coverages and claims I know my sister up in Chicago has got at least six Auxiliary ladies working for or doing that kind of stuff actually five ladies and a gay guy Anyway, it's not like that at all here in Latin America here. For example, let's say you go and see a gastroenterologist and

[10:28] You've got insurance you walk in yeah hand the receptionist your insurance card and your passport or settler She gets a whole the insurance company right then in there She phones him up or gets him on what's up takes a snapshot of your insurance card and within a few minutes She's got the authorization that your insurance is all paid up That's it. That's all she needs to know that you've got your premiums paid up You go and get your appointment come out give the receptionist your co-pay or whatever Zero five or seven bucks and you're out of there now suppose your doc says they want an upper GI Well, you have to get that pre-authorized, right? That's how insurance companies work But down here in Latin America, it's quite a bit different and more streamlined the docs don't have a staff doing that for you

[11:15] Not at all like up in the States. Here's how it usually works down here Seems like every hospital or a major hospital that is has a couple little insurance desks right on the main floor Let's say in your Latin American country. They've got five or six main insurance companies you could choose from Let's say you're covered by one of those companies called seguros Universales you just go to one of the big hospitals closest to your house Or maybe your doctor's office is adjacent to one of the big hospital. That's often the case often There's a whole suite of doctors in a section or a floor in a big hospital So anyway, you ask the receptionist. Where's the desk for? seguros universales You head over there. There's usually a couple of chairs in front of the office

[12:01] You sit down take a number oftentimes they take you right away You walk right in give them your insurance card your passport or your cellular and the doctor's order for in this particular case an upper GI You sit around for 10 minutes have a cup of coffee. Whatever. They process your stuff give you an authorization form You just sign on the dotted line just once no more forms are in for necessary And now you're good to go You don't even have to bring the info or any of it back to your doctor You just communicate back and forth with your doctor's receptionist set up the appointment go to the designated clinic or hospital get that upper GI Done and hopefully it'll be okay. By the way, if it's an emergency situation You don't have to get it pre-authorized. You just go to the emergency room and they'll do it all there for you So are you getting the differences here doctors don't have a staff of six or ten people running around with their heads got off

[12:52] Fighting it out with insurance companies trying to get paid for procedures and pre-authorizations, etc Believe it or not down here in Latin America when it comes to health insurance. There's not much bureaucracy at all. It's pretty streamlined Sort of like it was back in the 60s 70s and 80s up in the states before patients doctors and big Pharma Figured out how to game the system. They've all got their ways, you know But back to dr. M's email. She says Johnny Doctors in the United States are no longer able to put up a shingle and work for themselves in the past Yes, but these days no way they are now pretty much forced to be employees of a clinic or hospital Plus she says the worst part of it is that most new graduates have close to a half million dollars of educational debt

[13:39] Elsewhere in the world you never graduate with that kind of debt in most of the world you go to dental or medical school Right after high school because high schools at least in Europe are institutions of real learning That teach math physics chemistry biology to foreign languages and social studies every year not just one year every year She says I've often wondered why does a prospective MD need physics or calculus to enter medical school? Hmm dr. M just a little rebuttal here from me Johnny You know doc I took a ton of calculus and physics all that's required for an engineering degree, you know And if you're looking to any hospital or or laboratory, they're just loaded balls to the wall with

[14:26] Sophisticated machines. Do you ever look at the control panel of a cat scanner or tomography machine looks like mission control for a moonshot? so I'd say Calculus probably not but physics I'd say is a good thing as a prerequisite for a medical and dental school because you know physics Really does teach you a lot about the real world mass volume Trajectory velocity momentum friction cryogenics Thermodynamics just saying anyway, she goes on to say Johnny today admissions offices want medical and dental school graduates to have even master's degrees to be admitted Some admissions offices even put importance on if you volunteered to draw blood at clinics Or did weekend charity work at a soup kitchen, etc

[15:13] Is it really necessary to have to show that you've read to the blind or did a mission to Haiti to help you get into medical school? Then she says of course, there's nepotism It's all over the world and in every profession and I wouldn't consider that a hindrance to someone's ability Chances are bright child had bright parents. There is that genetic component bright parents generally instilled good habits in their kids, too The other factor she says is that in most of the world parents take care of their kids much longer than we do in the states It's not babying them. It's the fact that the frontal cortex of a human doesn't develop completely until we are in our mid-20s Hmm. Yeah, I guess it's 26 for men and 22 for women Yep, it's me Johnny here button in again, which is why neurologists will tell you women almost always prefer a guy

[16:04] Who's a little older? It's not just about money It's because it takes him longer to mature no girl wants to end up with a man boy Though if he's tall dark and handsome, they often end up marrying him anyway and live to regret it But I digress as usual Anyway, dr. M says Johnny most of the world takes care of their kids longer than we do in the US It is not babying them It's the fact that the frontal cortex doesn't develop till we are in our mid-20s and are having a mature Adult to help you navigate life is not detrimental to a child's development Those children will eventually move out and get on with their lives and not live in the basement To top it off most medical schools in the world are six-year programs and students who attend them get more exposure to real medicine Whereas US dental and medical schools have four-year programs in foreign programs

[16:54] They're allowed to assist in surgeries, which would never happen in the US with a sluttiginous society Hmm. Did I say that right? There's a 50-50 chance. I say the word litiginous correctly I do have trouble with that word and others to Anyway, dr. M goes on to say not to mention this left-leaning nonsense that has permeated our schools She's talking wokeness. Of course. Imagine having to do a pretend pelvic exam on a man in a dress. Don't laugh It's come to that and you'd better not snicker and finally she says Johnny by the way being a doctor myself I will tell you that engineers are smarter than doctors She says all the best John, please don't use my real name. By the way, dr M is a doc in the US though She was born in Europe and emigrated so she knows the system on both sides of the pond

[17:45] Now one thing I'd like to add is that here in Latin America and I guess in Europe and Asia too You don't take school loans out to go to medical school For one thing universities don't cost a tenth as much as in the US even the best most exclusive medical and dental schools only cost four Or five thousand bucks a year whereas up in the states ten times as much But you knew that already right because I mentioned it in a show probably five or six years ago now And you were paying attention weren't you by the way as this show first goes out on January 21st That's a Sunday That means you have a little over a week to take advantage of the early bird discounts for my March expat insider seminar If you sign up early, you'll save 500 bucks over the regular pricing which goes back into effect on February 1st

[18:32] 2024 you could check out the agenda the itinerary all the details for my week-long March 2024 seminar just go to expat plan B comm and click on the seminar link Moving on in keeping with the ugly, you know, we talk about the good the bad the ugly and the great Let's talk about some ugly Here's a little article that just came out that made me sick and as usual a paraphrase and cut out the boring parts It's entitled a secret look inside the world of ultra wealthy Latinos who own exotic pets It starts out Amelia is a two-year-old spider monkey who wears jeans crop tops and Armani perfume Yep, that's right Armani perfume She's a popular tick-tocker and her tick-tock account documents her busy life trips to the spa at the gym and

[19:25] Sure. Yeah, she goes to church as well as elaborate birthday parties for other pet monkeys in the neighborhood Where she can be seen cavorting with other monkey friends in an inflatable bounce house Smashing her face into her favorite meal carrot cake. Listen, this is real. This is not a joke The article goes on. It's illegal in Mexico to own spider monkeys Which are critically endangered and trafficked from jungles in the country's south at the Guatemalan border but since there are no monkey police that has to stop people from the northern city of Culiacan home to one of the world's most powerful drug cartels and known for ostentatious displays of wealth to have endangered spider monkeys as pets According to Zumala Alea a 34 year old florist who was gifted Amelia two years ago

[20:13] She says so many people here have them spider monkey said is it's all the fashion. It's like having a Rolex It says I have the money to own and support a monkey The article goes on to say primates aren't the only Exotic animals popular here at private homes and ranches in Culiacan and the rest of Mexico It's not uncommon for people to keep lions tigers And yes, even bears the problem is though when the owners get tired of them It says the practice began decades ago in Mexico as local Narcos sought to emulate Colombian drug lords like Pablo Escobar who famously stocked his private zoos with giraffes elephants and now unwieldy populations of hippos who have multiplied causing great environmental damage and now it says wealthy Mexicanos of all stripes

[20:59] Show their wealth not by owning Ferraris, but by owning exotic animals and exotic animal zoos It says in certain parts of the country You'll see owners walking tigers on leashes down city streets Parading them around in the backs of luxury cars and beds of luxury pickups, too It says in certain cities socialites have even formed private monkey clubs gathering for extravagant Christmas parties and pool parties Social media has made it even worse with the internet fueling the tick-tock phenomena with influencers showing off their exotic pets Social media makes it easier than ever to acquire a monkey or any exotic animal that you wish Illegal or not a quick search of fake book turns up local vendors selling lion cubs pumas lemurs and rare white tiger cubs, too

[21:48] It says according to veterinarian Rory Contero Exotic animal specialist he has patients including Amelia the spider monkey and others His phone often rings off the hook from anxious pet owners who don't know what to do when their exotic pets get sick He's got many strange stories. He says for example one day He treated a monkey that it accidentally consumed fentanyl He managed to save it though. He says he's helped other owners track down big cats like tigers who've escaped at Times the veterinarian finds himself high in the sky in a helicopter or prop plane alongside a 300 pound