Gumballl

I just read the other day that a public advocacy group is suing KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) because they use trans-fat oil to prepare their fried chicken products, and are not informing the public. Hopefully KFC will follow Wendy's direction and come up with a substitute.

Perhaps word got out that LOS would be providing spotty coverage of the WC and only in Thai. This might be the reason why many Euro farang are not coming.

Next we will be hearing that LOS wants/needs to become a futbol hub.

Daily/weekly/monthly limits are generally imposed by your gov't, and then secondly by your bank. I don't think LOS will care how much money you bring in, although I believe they have rules governing how much you can transport in a suitcase.

Does anyone know which companies provide IT support for the Thai Gov't and Military? I'm not referring to system administration work, nor what Bill Gates and company provide. Instead I am curious as to which companies provide software development support for unique, one of a kind programs.

The US gov't has a strong dependence on software and systems contracting firms (e.g. Lockheed, Northrop, Raytheon, etc). What about Thailand? Do they outsource to foreign firms, or is everything done "in house"?

Makes me wonder in many of the airlines arriving into LOS, from say the US, have an agreement with the hotels. It seems these flights always arrive during the wee hours of the morning, thus requiring the tourist to book a hotel for the night they arrive... even if they arrive at 5am! Such a sham.

When I was in Vientienne in July 2004, they only offered the single-entry visa. I doubt much has changed.

greenwanderer -

I sympathize with your desire to be with your son, but sometimes the hard decisions need to be made. In my case, I am only able to see my daughter for about 2 weeks every 3 to 4 months. It is not much to form the "bonds" that you refer to, but it is the best I can do for now.

I have a BS degree (in Comp Sci), and it is near impossible for me to get a job in LOS. I have enough savings that I could live in LOS on an O-visa for a few years, perhaps more. However I do not think that it is prudent for me to just hang out, while watching my savings balance slowly erode. Plus removing myself from the US market for an extended period will not look good to prospective employers when/if I return to the US. This is the evil of the field I am in.

Anyhow, do what you think is best. At the end of the day though, if you run out of money I think you will find out that LOS does not want you to remain. Don't expect to ever have the same privileges or support like you will have in the US.

P.S. In my previous post, I was referring to the uptick of the number of pregnant tourists from Japan, Korea, etc that can manage to get tourist visas to the US, and then give birth in the US. For them, it is like an investment; in 18 years, their kid (who is a US citizen) will be able to petition the US to allow these foreign parents to immigrate to the US. Unfortunately no such thing exists in Thailand.

One thing I find interesting is that in LOS I can find sugar-free Gatorade at the mini-mart, yet in the US it is non-existent. The Gatorade products in the US are chock-full of sugar. Yeccch!

Just go get the ###### bike. What difference does it make if you are in LOS or another country. The mechanic owns a business and you are the customer. The customer always has the upper hand.

If you owe the mechanic money, pay him for whatever services he has performed thus far. Otherwise you are under no obligation to remain with this person.

Screw face. Let your principals guide you.

chiangrai57020 -

I agree with some of your statements, maybe perhaps all. Nevertheless, I would not point fingers directly at Thai only. There are similar (stupid) people amassing in the US and other western countries. These people have more interest in the weekend football game than in their own situation in life. They demand higher and higher wages to raise their purchasing power, with no one in sight to educate them that this is self defeating. As wages rise, so do prices. An idiot should be able to figure this out, but yet...

Couple this with the degrading educational systems in the west, the lack of health care, poverty, and then perhaps you will realize that the true issue is the unseen conflict between the haves and have-nots. As humane as some folks are, the majority of people are out to serve themselves and to push their agenda over that of another.

I for one am not so naive to believe that someone will provide for me as I get older. Therefore, if I see an opportunity to make a dollar, even if it means selling something for more than I think it is worth, I will take it. The "elite" Thai you wrote of are no different. And I do not blame them one bit.

Jeez, I just realize I wrote a lot. I am really getting sick of reading the TV forum. It seems today it is all about complaints. Never anything positive. Never any worthwhile suggestions to make things better. It is always about gimme, gimme, gimme. Very pathetic.

A lot of TV members are farang, and hence they do not have a true voice in LOS. But many of these same members are married to Thai. What do their spouses do? Absolutely nothing!

I bought a genuine version pf wxp pROF a few years ago.

Recently I fryed my motherboard and off to a well known shop in Pattaya and new motherboard and fans etc.

They reinstalled XP Professional.

I recently got the the non valid message so rang via skype microsoft in the states.

Very helpful but still would not give me the 25 digit code because my original version was not installed and since then even though I had the original registry key number handy because the microsoft dat would not recognise because it was not installed . No go

No good installing original as the service pack 2 would not validate as the newer version had sp service pack 2 or what ever.

Any way searched for cracks which I'm not that sharp at this stuff really.

Emaile Microsoft with the help code twice explaining situation after the 1 hour skype telephone conversation.

Basically I think I'm down to buying a new XP Professioal because I can't get the new Explorer 7 or the Vista or next generation.

They cracked me.

I wish I new more about Linux but a colleague tells me it does not import any data from Explorer/Windows.

Any whizz kids and I've tryed all the the little tips and tricks suggested on the different sites.

I don't mind paying it's just once you're in trouble and can prove legitimacy.

Bill still wants the buck

Oh and the friendly guy who was probably in India at the Microsoft call centre never emaile back.

I sent it twice.

Which reminds me I'll do it again now.

Chok Dee

WGA not but was!

Wax your HD (ie. reformat it), then reinstall the Windoze XP that you have on CD-ROM. Then update with Svc Pack 2. If you have any issues, you may need to contact MS. Just tell them that you are reinstalling onto the same PC as before but with a new motherboard.

I recently went thru this when I upgraded my HD on my laptop. One simple phone call to get a new activation code and that was that. Piece of cake.

I have a Samsung 50" DLP, and it is great, especially with HD content. I just saw it and the matching stand listed at $2000 here in the US (I got mine a year ago without the stand for $1700). Being that LOS is a bit draconian and do not believe in lowering taxes on imported goods, this television will probably cost 1 billion baht.

Although I do agree that the gov't should be payed the taxes owed by these businesses, it really amazes me that they are specifically tailoring these reporting proposals for the scuba dive industry alone.

Why not just make a general proposal that covers all businesses equally? I thought that laws regarding business operations were already in the books!!!

I hope someday to hear that there will be a crackdown on Thai stupidity.

My advice is to always honor your debts to the best of your ability, even if that means making a monthly payment of 0.001% of the remaining balance.

I'm not sure what the credit laws are in LOS, but here in the US, banks retain "ownership" of recuperable property (i.e. houses, cars, motorcycles, boats, etc) until the loan is satisfied (payed off). For credit cards, banks merely rely on a person's name and good faith to repay the debts. The better the person's reliability in paying off debts, the more credit they are extended.

There is nothing a credit card company can do should a person decide to buy 10,000 bottles of whiskey for a town party to celebrate "elvis's" birthday. Once the product is gone, the creditor(s) can only mark the person as a bad borrower should this person fail to honor the debt.

Anyhow... time for futbol... Holland vs. Ivory Coast. Should be a good game!

greenwanderer -

I'm in a similar situation like you. I have a daughter (18 months old) that lives in Thailand with her mother. I would love to be with my daughter right now, to be a "good" parent, however I feel that I can best serve her and her mother (my wife) by remaining in the US and working! My daughter now has a US passport, but my wife is still awaiting a visa to come to the US.

I think you ought to follow my example. Please stop whining, leave Thailand, and get a job in the US. Apply for a K1 for your GF, and bring both your kid and her here to the US. You can sort out your Thai citizenship issues at a later time.

By the way, I am not sure if you are aware of this, but if a foreign woman were to give birth in the US, the child qualifies for US citizenship... but not the mother! Nor can she (legally) stay after her visa expires regardless of the child's status. This seems very similar to the laws in Thailand. Just because you are the father of a child in Thailand does not imply that you will be granted special treatment. If you cannot afford the 400K baht (which is slightly more than $10K) to get the O-visa, then get a job! Get it in Thailand, or preferably back in the US (where the pay is higher and their is no bullsh*t).

My $0.02 worth of advice.

i recently ordered some stuff from Victoria's Secret in the US, which i have done several times before with no issues. this time i got a message saying that i owe customs and duties fees in the amount of 1700b for women's clothing and my package is being held in surat thani (nowhere near me). it's just a few pairs of underwear and some yoga pants- combined total of maybe $70... how do they justify charging me more than half that amount again in customs fees? is this normal? why hasn't it happened to any of my other shipments? do i have any choice but to just pay up?

two choices: 1) pay up or 2) do not pay and and lose the opportunity to receive your goods.

Should you choose option 2, you may have a way to get your money back. Since you are from the US, I presume you paid for your goods using a credit card. Contact VS or your credit card company to indicate that you never received your goods. Then you will be able to get refunded for your costs.

Just a thought.

Do you need a Work Permit to do-it-yourself??

My understanding is that the answer is "no". WP is only necessary if the work is for the purpose of earning money (although the bartering of goods may also be considered).

Imagine if a person needed a WP to wipe their a*se... work involved, but unfortunately no money received.

TheeRak, you are right... getting a K-1 visa is much easier than getting a Visitor visa, at least in your situation.

You do not have to be in LOS to complete and submit the K-1 application to the USCIS. However, you will need to include personal information about your fiancee. Such things include the parent's names, place of birth, etc. You will also have to list the location where your fiancee works, and her occupation, which I would imagine she is a "waitress". Lastly, you will need to get your fiancee to personally sign some of the forms associated with the K-1 application.

You can expect that eventually the US Embassy in BKK will send your fiancee a packet (Packet 3?) that she (or you if her English is not that good) will need to complete. She will also be instructed to obtain a Police Report and a medical examination (at Bumrungrad Hospital). When all is complete, she needs to notify the embassy, and then they will schedule her (not you!) for an appointment. If all goes well, she will be issued the visa.

The entire process takes about 6-7 months from the point when you submit the K-1 application to the USCIS.

Here's what you will need:

I-129F

G-325A (one for you, and one for your fiancee)

Good luck!

The OP probably has a bad liver. Too bad if true.

My favourite type of non-alcoholic "beer" is A&W Root Beer.

To be honest, I didn't think I was lying! On the application form it does say:

"O" = Visiting Relatives/Friends in Thailand or extended stay

All I want is an "extended stay" in thailand, but i'm not sure what evidence i need to produce to gain this visa. I don't wish to enter the country under false pretences.

There is probably a typo in that statement. It probably should state "... for extended stay". Otherwise, everyone would be getting the "O" visa instead of the multiple-entry tourist visa.

(Using the North American mortgage calculator - if they use simple interest it's way more)

What is the N.A. Calculator??? I've owned several properties here in the US (unfortunately, not all at the same time), and the mortgage companies always amortized their loans using simple interest.

I have heard so many different stories. My wife thinks it's a booze free day today, other people think not. Anyone know for definate.

And please no smart-ass comments like " I can drink beer today in my cellar in Poland"

Have you thought about going for a stroll, leaving the mushroom villa behind, and going to see for yourself?

I see similar questions like yours all of the time. Doesn't any of the expats in LOS plan ahead, or simply keep a stash of alcohol in the home? I guess it is all of those tiny refrigerators that do not leave much room for anything other than left-over food and perhaps a lonely bottle of water.

Bud is awesome beer, Jack

I agree with monochaser that American beer is vastly superior to warm British piss/beer, but not sure that I would choose Bud as out standard bearer.

How about Michelob?

Michelob is just fancified Bud in a fancy boddle (another Anhaueser-Busch product)...but I likes it well enough...

to all the yanks here...when dealing with brits be advised that US beer is known as LAGER in the UK...the term 'beer' is reserved for what is known as bitter, involving a completely different brewing process (top fermenting as opposed to bottom fermenting)...and it must be drunk pulled fresh from the cask in a warm and comforting 'english pub' environment...not out of a can while cruisin' up California Highway 1 accompanied by other stimulants and wild american music on the box...

apples for apples, gentlemen...

Rubbish!!!! I love being able to practice my "English".

There a numerous micro-breweries in the US that most foreigners (including UK ######s) have never heard of, much less tried the beers from these locations. Don't knock something that you know absolutely nothing about. It sends a strong signal that you are naive and uniformed.

Well, Bill Clinton did jack cig taxes to the moon in the 90s to "save the children". all that did was bring cigs more into focus among the young and encourage more youthful smoking. Clinton's cronies became millionaires off of those taxes

Next time you know the answer, don't bother posting the question, ok?

I agree , why ask if you have your own explanation to it????

American Beer is not Beer but yellow water therefor you shoudn't compare the Price...

rcm

Actually, you are probably referring to Budweiser, Miller, Coors, and all of their variances. I agree, these are not the best of beers.

However, the US sports more varieties, and better quality of beers that you will ever find in LOS, perhaps even in Europe. That said, I suppose it is up to an individual person to decide what is "real" beer.

Probably another thing to do as well... always photocopy the front pages of your passport (the one with the photo) and another of the departure slip. Although it is supposedly mandatory to carry one's passport at all times when out and about in LOS, I personally never do. I just carry the photocopies.