hdkane

"trickle down" is a term of disparagement used by liberals to diminish the real importance of "supply side" economics...supply side economics works quite well...if businesses are left alone to flourish, they will do so...and employees and public will benefit...just think...which is a better investment for society...give 1,000 usd to 1million people or give 1 billion usd to a few "bill gates and elon musk" types...which will better the economy and society...the difference that exist in a thai economy is pervasive corruption...this is why the united nations and other organizations are worthless...if you give a billion usd to a corrupt country (e.g., thailand or south africa), then you have only lined the pockets of the few corrupt...trickle down or supply side economics works, but only if the economy is a meritocracy...

26 minutes ago, Been there done that said:

Orchard Road in Sings, have a look there for her.

in bkk, there are plenty of sports bars/english pubs that employ servers...the girls do not engage in bar fines, etc...there's an american sports bar near the nana bts, as i recall, called the game...start there, as the manager is farang, and does a very good job of actually training the staff...keep in mind that "real" jobs require "real" work...so your gf may not want to actually work...

Hello,

Does anyone know of a club, venue, or bar that has live Luk Thung music in BKK, Chon Buri, or Pattaya?  I'd like to find a place that offers Luk Thung on a regular basis. Also, are there any upcoming special events that may feature Luk Thung?  Thanks in advance.   

I've bought several items from Thailand on ebay...many shipped to the USA...never any problems...ebay has a pretty good refund policy and buyer protection program...so don't worry about it...

as an aside...I had a friend who tried to be an ebay vendor in Thailand...he experienced so many problems in dealing with ebay's efforts to prevent fraud that he finally just gave up...so while Thailand is a land of scams, ebay does a pretty good job protecting its buyers.

i have had 5 thia gf in the past 15 years...i can honestly say that 3 were with me for money...each tried to "hide" their feelings (or lack of feelings), but it doesn't take a genius to see a thai's motive clearly...none of my gf were prostitutes or bargirls...they were teachers, govt workers, business women, it professionals, and military officers...but the money motive was obvious...i am pretty traditional (by western standards), so i tried to make these relationships "work"...doing whatever i could to engender a real genuine relationship based on respect, love, and honesty...but the relationships simply crumbled under their subtle greed and resentment...in each case, the girls tried to reconcile...but that just indicated to me that they were never really serious about a relationship or their life decisions...presently, i have a relationship that has lasted more than 2 years...she knows my assets, but has never asked for money...she makes her own living...i pay for food when we dine...and i buy her clothes occasionally (these are really gifts for me, as i enjoy seeing her in particular styles of dress), and like many thai women she is so pretty that expensive clothes are unnecessary...and of course, there are the obligatory holiday expenses (xmas, bdays, valentines day & anniversary)...her gifts to me are more understated...primarily, she gives her valuable time...usually catching a few hours of needed sleep on a van/bus just to come and see me...she will work overtime daily, just so she can take a couple days off each week to spend time with me...most real men are easily satisfied by a few simple things in life, and my current gf understands that concept and really makes an effort to make me happy...so if someone were to ask me which thai women are really worthwhile, my personal experience informs me that about 20% of thai women are capable of being in a mature relationship...this is about the same  as i experienced in my home country...

I started losing packages last year (2016)...it's been a steady increase in lost packages...I no longer order anything from ebay, simply because only 30% of my orders arrive. For me, the problem is with packages from China...items from elsewhere seem to arrive very quickly...for orders within Thailand, I usually get things within two days, which is pretty amazing...I do not live in a big city, so perhaps the postal staff struggles with written English.

3 hours ago, jeab1980 said:

Funny im married to a Thai lady and have never heard those stories or been asked for money or been hinted at for money.

But hey dont let the truth get in the way of a good story.

I'm betting that you are the exception, if you met a good thai lady without having to endure the throngs of thais who are only interested in money...your good fortune is surely the exception and not the norm...i've never even considered a relationship with a bar girl or prostitute...and out the 5 or so serious relationships with thais (i.e., lasting more than 6 months, with an expressed expectation of monogamy), i've only had one that did not lie, cheat, or steal...and the women i had relationships with here were teachers, govt workers, attorneys, bank employees, and factory workers...this isn't a criticism aimed exclusively at thai women...the women i dated in the usa were the same...very few "good ones"...so you are truly lucky and blessed...

On 9/7/2017 at 9:05 AM, YetAnother said:

might be careful; old friend of mine did similar things in cambodia and some locals accused him of pedophilia, perhaps just because they didnt like him; he was scared enough to leave the country

I was thinking the same thing...I had a few neighbors who accused a workers of theft just to avoid paying the bill...and on separate occasions I had two Thai gf who each threatened sexual assault before, because they didn't want to separate...and I cannot count the times that my gf have been told by a "kind" neighbor or local clerk that I was cheating when she was gone...Thais will lie easily simply for spite or entertainment...I would never put myself in the position you describe, simply for fear of someone wanting to extort you or just wanting to gossip about the local farang.

My SO believed in ghosts...until I asked a few simple questions...why do the ghosts have clothing?  Do clothes have ghosts too?  Where are all the ghosts of the tube socks and underwear I threw away?  She got silent and thought for just a few moments, and changed her mind. Very proud of her....she is always willing to change her mind based on facts, even on matters of culture and history.

Go to the embassy and insert some new pages....a one day trip.

7 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Sounds you have a perspective of Beirut Lebanon not Thailand,  of none of the above happens in the UK of course.

Try travelling all over Thailand not just main areas.

So...where are the places to be where the very real problems listed above do not exist?

I think the OP is interested how Buddhists and Muslims think about each other...

People tend to wrongly conflate religion and race...so if you dislike Muslims you are not racist, because Islam is a set of ideas and not a skin color...

that said, most of the Buddhist Thais that have indicated their thoughts on the matter to me don't like Muslims...beyond the stone age thinking, the attacks only anger most Thais...my best friends in Thailand are Muslim, largely because they speak English and are expats as well...and the feelings are mutual...

i'm sure there is a different sentiment in BKK...

i regularly do my 90 day report at big c lad phrao road location...in and out in 30 to 60 minutes usually..never more than 60 minutes

I truly hope this move impacts tourism here for the worse...it seems that  our dollars is all the Thai government cares about...sine the Chinese have been coming more often,  Thais treat white foreigners with a bit of contempt...they do not realize that most of us make significant contributions to the economy...beyond beer and prostitutes...when they realize that ALL tourists/expats can take their money elsewhere, Thais might be more open the idea that they need to clean up their act...

Greetings...I am an American researcher, and one of the blessings I've had since making the Kingdom my home is the chance to have an occasional casual conversation with fellows from the UK, Australia, and other English speaking countries...in my professional life, I interacted with exceptional people from these nations often, but talk was always professional and dense (the people I knew only worked voraciously, and had little else in their lives)...I really have enjoyed the chance to just chat with some people who have no agenda or opportunities for work...

part of that has been that I was introduced to quite a few entertainment people who are remarkable, but escaped my attention previously...Karl Pilkington, Stephen Merchant, Peter Kay, etc...

I've really enjoyed watching some TV shows that are not usually available or known in the USA...not only the original Office and Extras, but "Life is Short", "
the IT Crowd", "Luther", "I'm Alan Partridge", "Mid Morning Matters", "Cold Feet" from the UK...and recently "Letterkenny" from Canada...

are there any other gems (English speaking) I'm missing out on?

Also...is there a website that offers viewing or a download of these shows, as well as the Sopranos, Breaking Bad, and Fargo, with Thai subs? I'd like to introduce my SO to some of the entertainment from the West that  isn't based on a Marvel comic book character...

thanks to everyone...

Three years ago, I knew a bar girl who worked in Nana. She got a salary of 7,000 a month, if she worked each day assigned. Absent days meant a fine against her salary.  Obviously, she also made money on drinks and customers. My friend pays his restaurant staff 10,000 a month for the server (Thai food, very basic place). Cook makes 18,000 a month (had so many problems with changing staff that he "overpays" the cook).  Outside of BBK, I know a server who has a salary of 15,000 for a 40 hour week. I have no idea of "benefits" that come with jobs, such as free room, etc...

In the USA, the death has been a failure as a deterrent to crime...but this is probably because it enforced so sparingly...as I recall, the average wait time between sentencing and imposition of the penalty is about 10 years...I'm sure that if it were imposed in a 12 month period, it would dramatically reduce some crimes...

but most crimes are committed by low IQ individuals who grant little consideration to the consequences of their actions, so most crimes of impulse would probably remain unaffected...

an interesting fact is that blacks usually get the death penalty more often, but whites are executed more often...perhaps the only situation where blacks are not rioting for more affirmative action...

19 hours ago, ocddave said:

Hire the hitman first, problem solved.

I know you are being facetious, but that would probably work...I have been threatened before here, and my response was to inform the fellow that he would be much easier to kill than I would be, simply because my nationality would attract a lot more attention...as noted above, I gathered the evidence, and gave it to my gf and attorney...and instructions/money to retaliate...the attorney contacted the fellow with everything in hand, and I"ve never heard from the guy again...but to be honest, I'm older with health problems, so my attitude about these things is not very reasonable...if I thought I might live another 20 years, certainly I would be more cautious...

anyone can find the Thainess inside them if they don't really care about consequences...

On 12/10/2016 at 6:04 AM, Crossy said:

Assuming it is actually a bank loan. If you're in Thailand it's easy enough to visit the lending bank and get the lowdown. Since it seems you're not here at present there will be associated paperwork and demand letters, ask to see them (emailed scans/photos). Obviously they will be in Thai, you can get them translated ask at a local (preferably Thai) restaurant.

 

Banks do tend to take a long time to actually foreclose, but since we don't know how aged the debt actually is it's difficult to say what will happen next, or when.

 

Of course there are other, more shady, lenders out there whose collection techniques are less subtle and whose interest rates are also unsubtle.

 

And of course, the buffalo could be sick.

for you, this matter is well worth investigating...foreclosures do happen...each bank's website has a load of properties for sale...perhaps more importantly, it would let you know for sure if you can trust your gf...if she is lying, then time to flee the scene and find someone different...also remember,that documents should be available immediately when you ask for them...any delay may mean that documents are being photoshopped or forged...i personally have seen a forgery shop in pattaya...so that happens too...another alternative is to hire an attorney to verify the situation for you...a few thousand baht, and no time investment on your part...if you wish the name of an attorney, please email me. good luck

ubonjoe always provides direct, succinct, and helpful advice to anyone and everyone...he's better than any official or attorney in dealing with the changing formal/informal rules of expat life here...

I've always thought that an internet business would be perfect for someone here...selling things on ebay or facebook...i've looked, and some people are making huge money...for example, there is a guy/girl on ebay  who sells motorcycle parts, primarily to the usa...a mirror in the usa would cost 20 usd...here it costs 50 baht...the same with amulets, clothes, and such...the secret is finding the right items that are actually in demand...browse ebay for differnt items and see which ones are actually being purchased...also, many thais abroad are absolutely loyal to particular brands of lotion/food here...totally off the radar is to be a notary...i had to notarize some documents here, and you can be charged 2000 to 5000 baht   for the service, per signature...literally, 5 minutes of time demanded, and no skill whatsoever...and most attorney offices do not have a notary onsite

21 hours ago, YeahSiam said:

 

BS

If they don't want to make promotions available to white people, they shouldn't have to.

I don't see farangs up in arms when black Africans are denied entry to certain bars around Sukhumvit.

yep...if there was a boycott by farang against pizza co, i'm sure they would change the policy...private businesses should be able to determine their customers...and reap the benefits/consequences

There is an orphanage in Pattaya, and I'm sure several throughout the country. Establish a scholarship fund to send worthy students (particularly girls) to school in Thailand and abroad. You would affect generations of people, even if you only help one person.  That's my plan.