CMHomeboy78

She has been very quiet since the vote....though for some reason this is the only Poster of the Year thread still open.

She and David48 ran off to Cambodia together.

You're not old enough to remember Aimee Semple McPherson, are you?

You are living in this country and you are asking if you should learn the language?

Back in your own country, I bet you insist that foreigners should learn your language if they want to live there?

What is different here?

Or it's the usual thing.........everybody in this world should speak my language......I'm not going to do the slightest effort to learn theirs as they are beneath me?

What you are missing?

Everything, as you can't communicate with the native people and you will never know about them.

But don't worry it's always TVF to bash them on, as you will never understand them.

Excellent post, Costas. Insightful and concise.

To me, you are the real P.O.T.Y.

They were also extensively used by the Thai government in the fight against the Thai communists, because the Thai military were pretty well useless - -- seems nothing much changes.

Your statement that "...the Thai military were pretty well useless..." in the fight against Communists is untrue and shouldn't go unchallenged.

When I first came here in the late 1970s large areas of the North and Northeast were controlled by Communist insurgents. The border regions of Laos and Cambodia were no-go areas. They were just outside Nan, and as close to Chiang Mai as Samoeng.

Thai Army units and BPP rangers throughout the 1980s fought courageously against this threat until the Communists were decisively defeated in the early '90s.

Your uninformed comment is an insult to the thousands of Thai soldiers - including two from my wife's family - who lost their lives in the fighting.

Without setting out to re-write history or to go over known facts, the Thai military didn't decisively defeat the communists, by the time the military finally got on top there were only a few handful's of active communist fighters left. The "defeat" as you like to call it, came from improved economic and social reforms and other factors aimed at bringing the problem to an end together with input from the very top.

Members of my wife's family also lost their lives in the conflict as did many other people from both sides including the Kuomintang recruited by the Thai's in an effort to bolster the militaries expertise.

You're wrong, the Thai military did indeed decisively defeat the Communist insurgency of the 1970s and 80s.

Economic factors contributed, but the role played by the Thai Army, the BPP, and the Village Defense Volunteers was the most important and shouldn't be minimized.

"Caramel apples or taffy apples are created by dipping or rolling apples-on-a-stick in hot caramel, "

Taffy apples ...that must be the Welsh version...Toffee apple possibly...best "lost in translation" I have seen for at least 2 days

For some weird reason, Taffy in America is Toffee in the UK. Its an aluminIum thing, with a little coloUr thrown in for good measure.

That said, who the hell in Thailnad eats toffee apples? Never seen them. And if so, why on earth would anyone import them into thailand. Its not as though they cant dip an apply in toffee

As a kid growing up in the Northeastern US, taffy and toffee were two different things.

There was taffy, usually white, but sometimes fruit flavored. The best known being from Atlantic City, Saltwater Taffy.

Then there was toffee. Quite similar to taffy, but softer and light brown, with a coffee-like flavor. The best was usually a UK import.

History lesson: They were widely known to be in the pay of, and under the control of the CIA who were using them to try & overthrow Mao. There were 10s of thousands of them from Lao to Burma, and many were killed in skirmishes with the Chinese. Although some (few) were repatriated to Taiwan most were eventually abandoned by the CIA after Nixon got pally with the Chinese and the political wind direction changed. Read Air America or Ravens. You will love them. Learn things you never knew. I am on my third read in the last 15 years.

They were also extensively used by the Thai government in the fight against the Thai communists, because the Thai military were pretty well useless - -- seems nothing much changes.

Your statement that "...the Thai military were pretty well useless..." in the fight against Communists is untrue and shouldn't go unchallenged.

When I first came here in the late 1970s large areas of the North and Northeast were controlled by Communist insurgents. The border regions of Laos and Cambodia were no-go areas. They were just outside Nan, and as close to Chiang Mai as Samoeng.

Thai Army units and BPP rangers throughout the 1980s fought courageously against this threat until the Communists were decisively defeated in the early '90s.

Your uninformed comment is an insult to the thousands of Thai soldiers - including two from my wife's family - who lost their lives in the fighting.

My experience in late November was the same. They willingly accepted a $20 bill and gave me a crisp $10 back as change.

The whole procedure of entering Tachilek is much easier and faster than it used to be. Not only that, the immigration officers - both Thai and Burmese - seem to have received some lessons in basic courtesy, The surliness that was so common before is rarely encountered now, at least by me and the others I've talked to recently.

Jerry Brown is the greatest governor California ever had. Too bad he failed in his bid to be president.

He must have learned a thing or two from his old man. The Jesuits probably taught him some lessons as well.

Then of course there was Linda Ronstadt...

If you watched any of the winter Olympics they showed how far behind Russia really is . They interviewed a women that stated the games brought this area ahead thirty years.

Putin is killing Russia, Cuba is now buttering up to the US because of it.

Communism and socialism will not work.

Agreed, Communism and socialism don't work well... but once entrenched they can last a long, long time.

"Collective insanity" might be one way to describe the multi-day festivals in Thailand.

Like the Bacchanalia of the ancient world, you either join in with alacrity or you opt out.

It's quieter in the countryside... that's where I'm heading.

Helpful

You asked for it.

ThaiVisa in particular and Thailand in general are not idiot-friendly.

This will benefit the Farrangs who wish travel throughout South East Asia, as prices will come down (due to competition) over the medium term (2 to 3 years). It will also increase the number of available flights as well as the number of destinations.

America and Europe have been trying to do this for the last 30 years and are still at square one. We often criticize Thailand for it's lack of sophistication, but I think this demonstrates that given time they can make things happen.

I hope that what you foresee...lower prices... comes true, but I wouldn't bet the ranch on it.

5 - Why do people conform to Thai racism by calling themselves farang.

The term isn't derogatory when used alone.

The etymology is unambiguous; it comes from the Farsi word 'farangi' meaning 'Frank' and originated during the Crusades. It soon came to be used to describe all Europeans.

The Persians who were established at the Ayudhya court of King Narai in the 17th century introduced it to Siam. None of the historical sources record it being used as an insult.

Misunderstanding what it implies could lead to offence being taken when none is intended.

I should think that the best place to celebrate a "Western New Year" would be in a western country.

My wife and I are going to celebrate a real Thai New Year with neighbours. That means a barbecue washed down with copious amounts of Lao Khao and other homebrews.

By midnight we're usually all pissed and hogwild. The fireworks we set off are positively unsafe...

If I wanted to stay safe I would never have left my homecountry.

Sawadee Phi Mai!

We're going to be doing something very similar.

Last year on a visit home, my second daughter who is working and studying in the US, bought some land in Saraphi; part of a lumyai orchard that we are diversifying with other fruit trees and a fishpond.

My wife is having a Thai style house built on it. Acting as her own contractor, she bought two old teak houses and hired three local carpenters to dismantle them and build the new house. It's about 80% finished.

The guys are doing such a good job that we want to throw a New Year's Eve geen lee-ung for them and any family members who want to come.

My wife and I plan to spend the night in the new place on a mattress under a moong because I won't be in any condition to make the half hour drive back to town.

Happy New Year Chiang Mai... all the best in 2015 - 2558.

I stick by what I said, driving around with hitler on your bike next to a swastika is offensive. If you don't agree fine.

Some keep missing the point others have made. It's not offensive in general (all by itself) but is offensive to many (including yourself, obviously, and even to me to some degree) who have at least a reasonable understanding of what Hitler and the Nazis preached and did; however, to most Thais, it's not offensive at all and one can hardly blame them for not being offended when they haven't been taught anything or much at all about the second world war.

Another issue is whether the Thais ought to have been taught about the history of the biggest world war....including their own involvement (minimal or not) therein. I say "most definitely" but others (rather dumbfounding to me) have posted that they don't think it's at all relevant for Thais to know anything about that history.

They keep "...missing the point..." because they can only see and commiserate with the atrocities that were inflicted upon their own race/ethnic group/nationality.

They may give compassionate lip service to what befell others, but in their hearts they really don't give a tinker's damn.

It's willful ignorance of the most offensive kind. History is full of abominable exterminations and depredations. Our ancestors have all suffered at one time or another.

Do the descendents of Hitler's victims think they're unique?

If you don't like a post, or disagree with it, just counter with a concise and witty reply.

A lot depends on the couple in question.

If she acts like a bar girl and he is a loser then yes, people will look down on you.

If the couple act with some degree of 'class' then I down think many Thais will look down on them.

Good point.

Another thing that might be said is that having children will change most Thais perception of a mixed marriage.

If it is seen that the offspring are being well brought up, that is a big plus, and it will reflect favorably on the parents.

Look you wanted to get all lecture'y while giving a dumb wrong fact.. Thailand was invaded by the Japanese.. Thailand was occupied.. Thailand was involved in WWII and Thailand even declared war against the allied powers and was involved in the Burma campaigns and malay conflicts. Your wrong.

And once again.. I keep saying the burden of the problem is not on the Thais who are going to the school.. Or even normal people acting out of ignorance, even tho it is ignorant (surely your not suggesting ignorance is a good thing ??) its on the educators who failed to understand what they were allowing to happen, in a private catholic school, which has an international english language program, was offensive. They received terrible international press and condemnation, and rightfully so.

I dont think its too much to expect, a lack of ignorance, in a educator or an faculty of education. Its pretty much the definition of those things that they should not be ignorant.

Your arguments are becoming incoherent.

Incidentally, before you start lecturing and educating other people, you should learn the difference between your and you're.

This is something that has puzzled me for the past 36 years.

Original artwork that consists of lines and colored areas can be printed by the silkscreen process. Originals with halftones and shading must be done on a digital to garment [DTG] printer. Another option is digital printed heat transfers. The print size is limited to A4. They also have a glossy texture and are not as durable as silkscreen and DTG prints.

Chiang Mai has many good silkscreen printers, notably:

Chiang Mai Thanakorn [Jipata]

8 Sirimangklachan Rd. Soi 9, A. Muang.

Tel 053-400847

I've never found a DTG printer in Chiang Mai. I have had work done by:

Chang Anan Co., Ltd.

140/168 Soi 7, Sampran.

Tel 02-814 3025

They are located out near Buddha Monthon, and are about the best.

If you are only having a few T-shirts done, the digital heat transfers would probably be your best bet. There are many small shops around town, mostly in shopping malls. Check out the one on the ground floor at Pantip.

Good luck.

Some facts......

-The swastika, oriented differently, is an ancient Buddhist symbol and can be seen all over the Buddhist district of Kathmandu, for example.

-Hitler sent teams of researchers to Asia to discover anything about the reputed power of monks and other adepts as well as power symbols. There were Nazi researchers in Lhasa, for example.

-Western students know nothing of the crimes of Mao or Pol Pot for example and the West can not understand why a Tibetan would burn himself to protest Red China's repression. Ignorance abounds around the world.

So you are saying the bike painting is cool?

If so; utterly pathetic if you support Hitler next to swastika imagery flaunted in public. No need to discuss anything, it is plain and simple pathetic and in direct support of a racist fascist regime and evil murderous leader. Whether Hitler did any good in Asia is utterly irrelevant.

No, he was not saying the bike painting was cool.

He was pointing out Western students ignorance of Asian atrocities.

Thai students ignorance of European atrocities comes under the same rubric.

Education is the way to solve both problems - not becoming fascists ourselves.

That looks like a symbol used by Hindus. It's a reverse image of the swastika. It used to be a high award in Scouting. (US=Boy Scouts).

I mentioned to a couple of Thai friends what Hitler did with any Asians found in the occupied countries. They were shocked.

Don't be too hard on the Thais. Their knowledge of foreign history is about as good as our's was of Thai history before we came here. The great majority have little knowledge of the geographical location of most Western countries. It's the same in Indonesia.

All the posts about the swastika and its various meanings are conveniently ignoring the fact it is right next to the image of Adolf Hitler. They are part of the same sticker. It is disingenuous to play the Hindu symbol card when it is far more likely the creator of the sticker just didn't know or care about the orientation of the symbol. And to my knowledge, Hitler is neither the source of a pleasant greeting nor an ancient good luck symbol.

It is easy to be glib and make various excuses when replying to this post and dismiss it as another wank about getting one's "loin cloth in knot" but you might feel differently if your family members were among those the Nazis abducted, robbed, raped and murdered.

I am not expecting Thai society to change overnight or for the country's education system to include comprehensive geography and global history courses any time soon. If you read the entire post, you will see I was pointing out the rather brutal irony that if Hitler had is way, Thais and all Asians would have been eradicated.

As for we farangs being unaware of Thai history, it would be safer to speak for oneself. I did not come here for the cheap retirement or the cheap beer. I was aware Nazi imagery was popular in parts of Asia but I hadn't come across it personally. Judging from the replies, I suppose this is the entirely wrong forum to have posted this kind of thing.

Some facts......

-The swastika, oriented differently, is an ancient Buddhist symbol and can be seen all over the Buddhist district of Kathmandu, for example.

-Hitler sent teams of researchers to Asia to discover anything about the reputed power of monks and other adepts as well as power symbols. There were Nazi researchers in Lhasa, for example.

-Western students know nothing of the crimes of Mao or Pol Pot for example and the West can not understand why a Tibetan would burn himself to protest Red China's repression. Ignorance abounds around the world.

I'm not challenging you on this point, but I am curious to know the source of your statement "There were Nazi reasearchers in Lhasa..."

It is well known that Heinrich Harrer entered Tibet in 1944 after escaping from a British detention camp in India.

What I didn't know was that there had previously been Germans in Lhasa sent there by Hitler.

Any further information you could provide would be appreciated.