Gumballl

You're children are without a doubt Thai (because of their mother). They can obtain Thai passport at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Chaengwattana Rd., BKK)

Because the children are also related to you, you can report the birth of your child(ren) at the ACS (American Consular Services) at the US Embassy in BKK. I believe that you will need to schedule an appointment. Prior to this appointment, the ACS will send you a packet of forms (one for each child) that you will need to complete.

If all of your children were born after you were married, then the process of acquiring citizenship is almost guaranteed. If not, then the ACS will advise you as to what documents are needed to prove the child is yours (i.e. your name of the child's birth certificate would help immensely).

If the ACS approves your application(s), then at the same instance you can apply for the US Passport and SSN-card for your children. Expect to shell out lots of money (about $125-$150 per child).

The "18-year old" rule is not true anymore. Just make sure your children obey the laws of both countries. The US also would frown upon your child's citizenship if they were to find out s/he joined the Thai military or government.

Btw, the infomation above is not comprehensive of all details of the process of acquiring US Citizenship, but the gist of it is. I hope it helps you.

Here's where to go for more accurate info: The ACS unit's fax number is (02) 205-4103, and the e-mail address is [email protected].

The first thought that came to my mind is... why don't you develop yourself an app to do what you want? It is not that hard.

Blogs... what an utter waste of time! I can see it now... some poor bloke saying "I do not have a life; therefore I am going to live out my existence reading about someone else's experiences." Yeah, what a joy that must be.

OP... get a life. And also please share with TV why your personal problem is Thai related. Are some Thai school children plagiarizing your work? If I were in your position, I would be happy that someone paid me for my work and that others find it worthy enough to use.

Sanam Luang demonstrators burn replica of constitution to show displeasure at CDA decision yesterday

Government opposition conducting demonstrations in front of Parliament expressed their disapproval at the Constitution Drafting Assembly's decision to approve the 2007 constitutional draft.

500 protesting members of Sanam Luang demonstration group traveled to Parliament and remained in the area throughout the day as a sign of their disapproval of the Constitution Drafting Assembly's decision to implement the 2007 constitution. Demonstrators alleged that the CDA's decision will aid the Council for National Security in maintaining their power and allow the nation to fall into dictatorial rule.

Demonstration members set fire to a replica of the constitution, before dispersing for the day. An altercation also took place when supporters of the government entered the area, resulting in thrown rocks and bottles and an exchange of verbal tirades.

Authorities were able to control the situation and no casualties were reported.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 07 July 2007

Onto other news.... large rats and numerous cockroaches were discovered today in Nana Plaza... without work permits! The interim government promises a crackdown on these illegal vermin. However it has not been decided if these creatures will be relocated to another location or if there legal status will be changed. Thousands of protesters gathered this evening at Nana to demand that these creatures be deported, but their voices were overshadowed by the dancing troupe at the north-east corner strip bar. To calm the protesters, 1000 police officers were stationed in the far south of Thailand. Radicals from a non-sectarian group, that have it in their plans to overthrow the government, were fortunately vacationing in the Philippines. Thus it was a quiet and restive day in the South and at Nana.

Advertisement..... Drink Chang beer! It make you strong and bullet proof. If wife give you trouble, offer her a beer. After she refuses, drink it yourself. You will feel better. Thai promise.

Back to the news....

after what another user posted about VISTA (that it sends any personal data u can imagine to MS) its actually time to change the OS.

unfortunately, I am a computer dummie and I am sure I would not be able to get all the programs and utilities running, and I can not call the COMP-AID-SERVICE all the time.

but if there would be a LINUX introduction course somewhere in BKK, I would for sure try to make myself familiar with it.....

Thank you for the "idea". Maybe I will be able to teach Linux someday (in LOS) and I can become one of the proletariats so desired by the Thai elite.

Gary A - Sorry to hear about your awful experience with Linspire. Although I have heard of that distro, I do not hear much about it compared to other distros. If you are still interested in Linux, try out Ubuntu or Fedora. I think that Ubuntu is probably the easier of the two for Linux newbies. In fact, I find Ubuntu easier to deal with than with Windows. Either way, choose a distro that is updated regularly, because these are most likely to contain (updated) drivers for a wide variety of hardware components.

That way you avoid some stereotyping that tends to go on with both the Thai and US consulate employees.

She (the spouse) will have to go someday. What difference does it make if the first time is when the OP goes to the ACS at the Embassy to complete the affidavit? IMO, none whatsoever.

ding, if you really want to make your life easy, take care of the Embassy thing first. Then go to one of the Thai-English translation places right there on Wireless Road (near the intersection with Ploenchit). Tell them what you need (that is, you want to get married to your TG), and they should be able to help you out whilst you sip on a beer or two.

I went to a translation place (I forgot the name) and they took care of translating all of the docs, taking the docs to get them certified (at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs??), and then escorted my and my fiance to the local Amphur. The whole process took about 3 hours, but I got to sip on a lot of Chang beer during the wait. The cost was something like 5000 baht. Some might think that is a bit steep, but for me it was worth it considering the hassle of travelling all of the way out to Chaengwattana Rd (for the TMoFA).

Nice to read some good posts. I for one have been using Linux since '97, where not knowing any better, I fiddled with Slackware on a Tatung notebook PC. What a pain it was to get X11 working on the thing, but I got it working after a couple of months. From there I went onto another distro for a "regular" PC, but for the life of it I cannot remember what distro it was. Now I am using Fedora Core 5 on a Compaq Presario notebook and just recently I gave Ubuntu a shot on a Dell E1505.

I have found Ubuntu to be easier to manage than FC5, however because old habits die hard, I still reach for my FC5 system when doing development work.

Until just recently, my career never offered the opportunity to work with Linux. However, that is not to say I dealt with Windoze. Aside from 6 months out of the last 17 1/2 years, I have dealt with HP, SGI, Novell (Interactive Unix?), and Sun Solaris. When I brought my work home, Linux was there to fill in the gap till the next working day.

With my Ubuntu system, I installed VMWare Server and found it to be awesome. I can install pretty much any distro. I still have my Win XP distro, and even though I have pondered installing it, I cannot think of why I would need it. Linux meets all of my needs, which at this time are: hosting my personal webpage, SSH server for remote access, development tools for C++ and Java, media playback, Email and of course Web browsing.

Anyhow, anonymous_unit is probably correct... If you rarely use Windows, it's hard to relate to all of the problems that people complain about. For me, I just find it somewhat annoying that's all.

Well I'm off to go see the fireworks. Cheers everyone!

It's too bad that there is not more posts in the Linux sub-section of the ICCTT forum. It seems that after a TV member successfully installs their Linux distro onto their system that not more is heard back from them (with issues, discoveries, etc).

I understand that very few people in the TV forum actually use Linux, and for the ones that do, they probably seek technical advice elsewhere (e.g. linuxquestions.org).

At the same time I find it hard to understand why the average computer user (those who only browse the web, listen to music and videos, etc) rely on Windows variants, when in fact Linux can perform all of these tasks the same (if not better) without the concern of being affected by viruses, malware, spyware... or the bug of tomorrow (bacterium?).

Some argue that Linux can be too challenging for the average PC user? Surprisingly the same people who tend to support this argument will go to all ends of the Earth to solve a Windows problem, yet will not take the same effort with Linux.

Anyhow I guess everybody has a choice. As for your thoughts, what do you think? Is Linux ready for the mainstream? Do you get annoyed seeing so many posts concerning issues with MS Windows?

I for one am surprised that Thailand has not embraced Linux over that of MS Windows. It is free, robust enough to support most systems, and is not that difficult to use. In this new age, with many documents being stored in XML, HTML, or other standard format, the distinction between Windows and Linux is becoming a blur. Yet there are those who will not abandon their costly OS and costly applications.

Many "laptops" sold today are not meant (ie. designed) to be used on ones lap. The reason is because the vents (where the fans blow out the warm air) are located on the bottom and sides of the laptop. Any obstruction of these vents prevents the fans from doing their job. Most (if not all) vendors today use the term "notebook computer" (or PC)... you never see them use the term "laptop" anymore.

Legally, www.ikeyclub.com

That site is cr*p. I visited it, clicked on the image to the right of the screen (which looks like a music browser). Firefox prevented a pop-up, and then from there FF (or something else) began to grind my hard-drive. I lost control of my system... even apps outside of FF (i.e. Gnome) could not launch anything because of the heavy activity on the HD.

I'm running FC5 with FF 2.0.0.4. If I were running MS-Windoze, I probably be spending hours resuscitating my system.

What's a floppy drive?

Just kidding... I didn't know they still make these things. Why do you need one? Couldn't you just store info on a CD or DVD or Thumb-drive or ???

Chiangmailaw.com says that a baby born in Thailand to a Thai mother and a foreign father is not considered a Thai citizen in Thailand. The father of the baby must be a Thai citizen in order for the baby to be a Thai citizen.

Here is what it says:

"Children born in Thailand of foreign parents have a legal status all by themselves. They are not Thai citizens (even those born to a Thai mother and a foreign father are not automatically Thai citizens - only those born to Thai fathers qualify, regardless of the nationality of the mother). Children of foreign parents, even if both are just tourists, are not classified as tourists.To be considered legal residents, children also don't need a residence permit. Immigration officers say that those born in Thailand can stay indefinitely without any formalities, until they leave the country for the first time on a non-Thai passport. Those born in Thailand do not need a residence permit but must be holders of a Thai birth certificate."

http://www.chiangmailaw.com/visaresidency.htm

Jeez, your first post to TV... and it is complete mis-information.

My daughter was born in Thailand to my TG (who is now my wife). Before I was married, I applied for a US passport and a Thai passport for my daughter... both on the same day! Both were approved. So not only is my daughter a US Citizen, she is also a bonafide Thai Citizen. When my daughter reaches the age of 15 (?), my wife and I will take her to get a Thai ID card.

It would be interesting to see the Thai reaction if a North Hollywood-style bank robbery were to take place. The police would probably run away and wait for Sonthi & Co to bring in their tanks.

If you are not familiar with the robbery attempt in North Hollywood (California) that happened over a decade ago, click here to see a video-documentary.

As everyone knows, TV is still the most popular and cheapest form of entertainment.

For 2000 baht I can think of other entertainment that costs a wee bit less.

The ICCT forum contains countless posts about web sites being blocked and ISPs providing slow internet speeds. I cannot imagine what an iPhone would be used for in Thailand, other than for making phone calls. Seems to me you could do that with a less expensive phone.

How about this: I am not a politician and have considered this subject for only 2 minutes. Hopefully applying common sense.

1) To cut back on road deaths - how about a driving test and enforcement of drink driving laws. (a driving test - not a colour blindness test!)

2) A public awareness campaign on the affects of overconsumption

3) Ban on advertising promoting alchohol as part of a lifestyle to the young and impreshionable.

prohibition doesnt work. Drugs are prohibited full stop - if you prohibited their

consumption during certain times of the day or in certain areas what affect would that have! PROHIBITION DOESNT WORK!!

Prohibition doesn't work?? Hmmm, did you lift that quote from another source or did you think that one up on your own?

Let's see, there are countless murders, rapes, and thieveries occurring every year. I guess the laws banning these must not be working. I've got an idea... let's just scrap the entire law book. Seems like the prohibition of these actions is not working either.

As for your 1-2-3 points above, yes those are all worthy goals that should be implemented. Here's some more thoughts:

4) Enact a law that would make it illegal to have an open container of spirits in the vehicle, regardless if the driver is consuming or not.

5) Ban drinking in public places (e.g. sidewalks, outside mini-marts, etc).

6) Educate Thai people to be more vocal in their government's affairs instead of merely acting like cows that are herded about.

Let me explain 6) for those who find offense at every little thing, including free speech. People, regardless of where they are from, need to stand up and voice their concerns when they see a "wrong". They must be able to offer constructive criticism to make the "wrong" a "right". Without the courage to do this, a person is nothing.

I've flown Thai quite a lot during the past couple of years (from LAX and JFK). Usually the food on the flights to BKK is pretty good, but not as spiffy on the return flight. The free drinks are wonderful, and I have never had trouble getting extra; I just hop out of my chair and head for the galley. The flight attendants have never been a problem... always with a smile.

On the Airbus 350 (-500?) each passenger has their own mini-LCD screen with on-demand video. I'm not sure what the complaint is about in this case.

I can only surmise that passengers expect the same when traveling from BKK to KL, HK or wherever in the "local" vicinity, and that is just not going to happen. The smaller aircraft cannot offer the same amenities as the larger ones.

Want to board a bad flight?... fly United (from Narita to Seattle). During a period of turbulence, all passengers were required to remain seated. Flight attendants were adamant about this. Yet the same attendants were wheeling up and down the aisle their little cart with duty-free items. I came very close to causing an incident with one of the old hags (attendants) when my daughter (who was only 26 month old) needed to have her diapers changed. The attendants would not let my wife take my daughter to the toilet. Yet at the very same time, here comes the duty-free crappola.

Ok, I've added the necessary lines to my fstab, and it shows up in Konqueror as "Unmounted Samba (Microsoft Network) Share". A simple "mount /media/NAS && mount /media/NAS_USB" will mount both though. What am I missing?

Relevant /etc/fstab entries:

//10.0.0.7/DISK	/media/NAS		cifs	guest,rw,iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777,dir_mode=077,auto 0 0
//10.0.0.7/usb_hdd_1_1	/media/NAS_USB		cifs	guest,rw,iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777,dir_mode=0777,auto 0 0

Try using smbfs in lieu of cifs. Also, it appears the dir_mode in your first entry is missing a'7'.

I found the OP and replies interesting. It seems that the best solution is to avoid Windows altogether. I'm doing my part to save humanity.

I should add that I live not too far from where the Redmond Virus is created.

I have two different laptops, a Dell E1505 and a Compaq Presario X1050. The screen on either one of them cannot be viewed well when out in the bright sun. Hence taking it to the beach and getting internet service would be the least of my troubles.

Does anyone else have this problem (not being able to see the images on their screen while out in the bright sunlight)? I've read somewhere that some of the higher-end models have a light sensor to tell them to transition to a black-white screen when in the sunlight. Is this true?

Was it a "warning" that Vejjajiva gave, or advice? What could he possibly do... he is not the one holding the guns. Personally I could care one iota who sees who. If baffles me that anyone on TV would care either.

If you have that much money to spend, then presumably you can afford the time to go to a (high end) electronics shop and see and listen for yourself what's available.

Taking advice as to what to buy from a magazine or a forum, albeit somewhat convenient, is not always the best choice. You must examine for yourself the equipment before you buy it. There are many factors to consider, including the size of the room you will place the equipment in, the ease of use of the equipment, installation requirements (e.g. will you require new stereo cabinet), aesthetics, and most importantly how it sounds to your ear.

What you should focus on is purchasing an AVR (Audio Video Receiver). This can be a separate unit or integrated with an amp. The integrated units are more common. An AVR will allow you to easily switch the input from various sources, including a cable box, DVD player, VCR (do they still make these?), iPod, or whatever other external devices you have. The "R" in AVR is for the AM/FM radio receiver.

The last thing you need to consider is cost. The cost for high end electronic equipment is jacked up in Thailand because of the high taxes (import duties) the Thai gov't places on all products their populace is too incompetent to make themselves, and thus must import.

Anyhow, good luck with your search. I wish your OP would have stated that you were already looking and were evaluating products A, B, and C. Then it would be practical for the folks on the forum to give you good advice on the pros and cons of the products.

Btw, I used to own a Denon AVR with Paradigm speakers(cinema series, 4 satellites + 1 center), and subwoofer of which I cannot remember the manufacturer. The total cost was about US$1700... or about 60K baht. A couple of years ago I gave it away to my brother. Now I do not have anything... I have 2 1/2 year old kid and another on the way.

Congratulations. It's after the fact, but it's too bad you waiting in line so early! When you have a scheduled interview, you do not have to wait in line. Of course, in the case of a K3 (CR) visa, she had to be there at 0700 to turn in her paperwork.

Btw, your wife was lucky. My wife did not have her interview until about 1130. Talk about a long wait!

Also factor in how much traffic is affecting the server from which you are attempting to obtain streaming media. The quality of the remote server is also a factor.

Consider downloading the media (without listening or watching it), then play it back at a later time on your own system. Or try to see if there is a "mirror" site that carries the same content.