Xircal

1 hour ago, Canceraid said:

Hilarious! Only in the Southern Resorts and Provinces mind you.

 

What's 'hilarious' about reading about somebody who died in a horrific accident???

2 minutes ago, sanemax said:

 

   Although the huge majority of tourists prices are exact;y the same as Thai prices .

A few places do charge more for foreigners , but they are so few, that its Hardy worth mentioning .

Many Western Countries do also give concessions to locals .

It is also not a "rip-off" , prices are clearly marked and its up to you whether you want to pay that price or not

Prices are not clearly marked in Thailand. Farang prices are listed using a Western alphabet. Thai prices are written in Thai. Unless you know how to read prices written in Thai, you won't realize how you're being ripped off.

So if Trump wins he can say something like: "You see, the election was rigged in my favor".

1 hour ago, petedk said:

My wife called a luxury hotel in Rayong advertising room + compulsory New Years Eve Gala Dinner. 10,000 Baht.

 

Those compulsory New Years Eve Gala dinners need to be taken off the menu. If a visitor wants to attend one they can buy a ticket, but forcing people to pay for something many aren't interested in is a ripoff.

2 hours ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

"May or may not have been incompetent" are you kidding? Compared to what he should have done making the BoE independent is insignificant.

 

That's beside the point. But we're straying off topic here so let's just agree to disagree like gentlemen shall we?

53 minutes ago, MiKT said:

 

why - can't you use a mouse to scroll up a few posts? 

You want me to look at a post which you wrote elsewehere. Fine, I'm happy to do that provided you provide a link to it. Otherwise I won't bother.

1 hour ago, 4MyEgo said:

 

This is a common thing, the Thai's just bring it out in the open, and I am not agreeing with being charged any different because we are falangs, but hell, it happens all over the world, Greece, Italy, Australia, Germany, people rip off tourists, falangs, or whatever you want to call us, I don't hold it against them, I just avoid the places that they charge 10 x the Thai price, seriously there is an upside, the woman are cheaper by the dozen 555

Nobody rips off tourists in Western countries. I live in the Netherlands for example and tourist prices are the same as the locals pay. If other Western countries were perpetuating the kind of overcharging that takes place in Thailand it would be all over the news media in no time at all.

5 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

The Thais are a lovely & benign people/culture - easy to accept & get along with.....The country holds a lot of beauty....This makes both an easy target for the whiney bitchers......

Would you include tuk-tuk drivers in the "lovely & benign" group? What do you think of the concept of the "Thai price" when buying any local produce for which farangs are charged double what the locals pay? Or how about entrance fees to national parks? In the images the 20 baht ticket was for my Thai girlfriend and 200 baht one was for me. So I had to pay 10x the price for the same amenities. And then there's the proposed tourist arrival tax to consider: http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2016/01/proposed-tourist-tax-under-fire/

That said there are indeed many Thais who are amiable and easy to get along with but I wouldn't say they were all like that.

5 hours ago, MiKT said:

 

Duuuuuuu......That's why I have them inoculated  ............see post 152

Why not post a link to it?

14 minutes ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

It looks like we are at cross purposes. You seem to think Brown did us a favour by making the BoE independent. I am making the point Brown was incompetent and allowed the whole banking system to crash while he announced: "No more boom and bust!".

Brown may or may not have been incompetent but the fact remains that making the BoE independent was a good move in my opinion. You'll no doubt disagree with me but that's your prerogative.

Make sure they pay the Thai price. In this particular case, double what everyone else pays.

1 minute ago, NongKhaiKid said:

Look at the last line " What you hope for will come true. "

If the majority of people admitted what they hope for there'd be a 10 year waiting list for AA.

 

Yes I saw that. Another blatant lie.

With Viktor Yanukovych, the former Ukrainian president with leanings towards Russia ousted in February 2014 it became almost inevitable that Putin would invade and finally annex Crimea on the pretext that Russians living there wanted to retain their Russian heritage and not become part of Europe.

The real reason I suspect was losing access to the port of Sevastopol which is home to the Russian Black Sea fleet. Russia was leasing that from Ukraine and although the lease didn't expire until 2042 there was a real danger that the Ukrainian revolution would nullify the agreement when the country acceded to the EU as is the country's intention.

I note that the hacker group have published an image of Surkov's passport to support their claims: https://liveuamap.com/en/2016/25-october-cyberhunta-hacker-group-as-proof-of-surkov-email

10 minutes ago, MiKT said:

 

I already do!

Some of them might be infected with rabies.

Definitely not medical malpractice. The Center for Disease Control recommends one immediate shot of immune globulin followed by four shots of rabies vaccine. http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/

So it sounds like the doctor treating you was following standard procedure even though your pet appears to be healthy.

Well, there appears to have been a tentative agreement over CETA at least with the Walloons sounding quite happy now that their demands have now been met: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37788882

9 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

Prayuth has a lot in common with his nemesis Thaksin.

Biker boys and singing stars.

 

Prayuth has the better voice, better even than the super hot Arisman Pongruangrong. Thaksin isn't even in their league when it comes to vocalizing.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FekmQL5EZmQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NHQlt7OMxQ

 

Prayuth isn't the one singing: it's Sgt. Maj. Pongsathorn Porchit according to Khaosod.

Quote

“Hope and Faith”

Lyrics by Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha
Composed and Directed by Maj. Surachai Tawinphrai
Sung by Sgt. Maj. Pongsathorn Porchit
Produced Maj. Gen. Kissada Salika

 

Hope and faith create great power
Holding hands and hearts, walking forward towards the destination
Don’t give up or be shaken, though tragedies obstruct us like thorns
Combine our powers to get through this, for Thainess

Two hands, one heart of all the nation’s Thais (repeated)
Let’s hold hands and declare our nation glorious eternal!

Just be honest, just be united, steadfast in goodness forever (repeated)
Just have faith, just have strength in your heart / What you hope for will come true

37 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

All of the above does not amount to all that much unless seen as a credible threat by Russia. If posters on this forum are able to come to the conclusion that there will be no direct military action taken, it can be counted upon that this was factored into Russia decision making. There is no indication that they will role over, play nice or accommodate the US wishes, if it doesn't suit them. Conditions may change, of course, but short term, not very likely.

 

With regard to the operational side (and disregarding other considerations), it is not so much that the Russian setup is impregnable. More a question of cost. I think the US military is quite aware that something of the sort will not be a joyride. Not half as gung ho as some posters seem to be.

 

There will be no confrontation (and certainly not WW3) initiated over Syria. There will be no swift solution, diplomatic or military , for the plight of the Syrians. Campaign trail statements and posturing is all it is.

From a moral standpoint I don't think the US is going to stand idly by for long while the Russians decimate the Syrian population. Probably what's working in Putin's favour at the moment is the US election in 12 days time with the country's attention divided between one candidate who seems to be a sexual predator and Clinton with her own Pandora's box which she'd rather not open.

Just now, MiKT said:

 

Give them good homes!

 

OK. Are you going to volunteer then?

13 hours ago, Ostlund56 said:

kill every stray dog in Thailand. it is as simple as that !

There's an estimated 730,000 stray dogs in Thailand. How would you dispose of them all?

Is the Thalang Police Chief (left in the photo) looking at a very tall reporter in the press pool?

I'm tempted to say 'poetic justice' considering the way tuk-tuk drivers ripoff visitors. 

I would imagine Putin was just testing the waters by requesting refueling facilities in Spain. He doesn't need them since Russia signed an agreement last year with Cyprus to allow its naval vessels to use Cypriot ports to refuel and re-supply.  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31632259

1 hour ago, Morch said:

 

Where did you see me saying anything of the sort?

 

I'm merely pointing out that realistically, there's little that can be done about it. There's no immediate leverage, no apparent will to risk a confrontation, and the time tables are problematic as well.

 

Russia getting its way in Syria does not necessarily imply it will take over the world, or that it will be in a position to try something similar elsewhere. Most of what we see in Europe is posturing. Initiating a confrontation in Syria might change that. No one wants to gamble.

 

 

Well, I disagree with you when you say that little can be done to stop Russian aggression in Syria since you're basing your assumptions on Russia's missile defence measures in the area such as the S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft missile which although formidable aren't invincible.

If you look at the enormous US military budget you'll note that it spends twice as much as the Russians do and a large part of that will be employed to develop countermeasures to missiles like the S-300 and S-400. The F-22 Raptor already incorporates those kind of defence measures and would likely be the aircraft which would be employed initially to clear an area of the S-300 threat so that the B-2 bombers can go about their business unimpeded.

The US could also employ the standoff air-to-surface missiles such as the AGM-158 which can be launched from up to 600 miles away. If employed in sufficiently high numbers they would overwhelm Russia's anti-aircraft systems on the ground. The US has 2,000 of these missile systems in its arsenal. The same missile can also be employed in an anti-ship role.

France also has an aircraft carrier off the Syrian coast which is being defended by two American destroyers both of which carry a formidable amount of weaponry. There are also likely to be US nuclear subs in the Med which can add to US firepower if needed.

I'm sure Putin is aware the odds stacked against him though and will likely back down if it came to a confrontation.

11 hours ago, DM07 said:

That REALLY wasn't the point!

That doesn't answer my question.