SiamJai

I really would like to know if the owners and moderators of ThaiVisa.com have arranged to purchase the publication rights for all the full-text stories and articles that get posted here.

Strange. This doubt in the legal origin of these articles doesn't stop you from reading them here, apparently.

If it just happens that ThaiVisa copied articles to which it didn't obtain full publication rights (ie 'stolen' it), and you read the artcile (ie. 'used' it), then in fact, you are no different than the people who use other kinds of illegally obtained material, be it CDs, DVDs, or WinXP.

So, according to your own definitions, now you have two options, Farang:

- request ThaiVisa to buy legal rights to each and every article they post here. In the very unlikely case they'd accept your suggestion, buy the subscription service that they would inevitably charge for it to cover the cost;

- or, in the case of a likely denial, please terminate your membership with ThaiVisa, and start subscribing to a plethora of newspapers, magazines and news agencies, then spend all your time reading through them.

If you keep reading and posting here, you may risk using illegally obtained material, 'theft' by your definition.

Oh, but you didn't do the thieving, it's ThaiVisa's responsiblity to ensure that they have legal rights for everything before they post stuff here! You only read it, just used it, it's not theft, right?

If it's not, then the end users of, say, bootlegged programs are also not responsible. They didn't hack the warez, they are only users - just like you here.

Time to do a reality check on your principles, Farang.

What is "inappropriate content"? What is "dubious material"? A PDF of "The Revolutionary King", perhaps? Anything critical of the PM and his decisions? This very website?

How do they plan to "clean up" online games? Everything will be reduced to the level of Kirby and the Teletubbies?

These are just some of the questions coming to mind.

Rule of Triple P's: Phuket + Patong + pub = *insert any dirty sexual crime here*

... so, what's new?

Everyone and everything will seek its own level, TV no exception.

Excellent, Khun Larry. Short and to the point.

Maybe Thaivisa is the wrong demographic for this dating site.

On the contrary! It's a perfect match! Chaiyo!

...... he coughed , clenched his wrinkled buttocks and simultaneously broke wind and dribbled weakly from his warty member.

... who is saying this? Is it the same "Taxexile" who posted another message decrying that old men in Thailand are the butt of jokes and disparagement? Or are there two people sharing the same screenname? Or perhaps championing to rights of "older foriegn men who come to thailand and take up with local women , especially younger women and women in the service industry" is only fit when it comes to criticizing others?

So do you think that the subject of this thread, the old geezer who "took up on younger women", is he "entitled to partake of whatever they want in this world", simply because the poor old chap has such a difficulty satisfying his perversion at home? How come your comments such as "somebody is selling and somebody is buying.

are replaced by 'mean jokes' about the bodily functions of 'poor old men'?

Congratulations: you just became the person you were criticizing in that post of yours. Not to mention a hypocrite.

im afraid we will have to agree to disagree.

I'm not sure that we really disagree as much as you make to be, Taxexile. While the original post takes a somewhat serious humanistic tone, I already had some doubts of its sincerity given a previous topic of yours, where you severly criticized another group of people simply based on a personal choice of their traveling method - and their age.

i stand by every word of my original post.

I'm sorry but I find that even more doubtful, considering that this also came from you:

its the older generation that lead the way both in social skills and responsible behaviour whilst the younger generation preen and pose , boast and bluster , sweat and smell and imagine they are columbus , magellan or scott of the antarctic , all the time behaving like a bunch of dumb bleating sheep.

Is that criticism based on nothing more than age? Do you stand by every word of this post too?

So you are a critic of the younger generation, praising and defending the older one? The poor souls who are always the butt of childish jokes? Things like

...... he coughed , clenched his wrinkled buttocks and simultaneously broke wind and dribbled weakly from his warty member.

... a comment made by a poster called Taxexile after starting this topic.

After all this, I have only one word for you: it starts with "h" and ends with "yporicte". Debating any issue with such a turncoat is a waste of time.

This is Paradise, with a capital P, for an older guy.

You ain't kidding there, Moog.

Hey Tax, have you ever heard of the Chinese proverb "A picture is worth a thousand words"? I don't know if it's true, but your wailing tirade about the poor old whoremongerers can be summed up by one simple picture Exactly what you said, but much easier on the stomach.

I won't bother challenging your apologetic post point-by-point, seeing how JSixpack did a pretty good job on it already - and that you didn't bother to answer his points either, but merely made a few sweeping comments on them.

I only state my main point, echoing the quote below:

To find an easy way out of poverty is a powerful motivation to do what one

otherwise would never contemplate. What is exploitation, exactly?

Indeed. Some people, including the original poster, couldn't care less, or perhaps cant even fathom the desperation due to extreme poverty. This desperation makes people do things otherwise they would not even contemplate doing. Like a young girl sleeping with the Farang version of her grandfather. I already made my point concerning this issue.

It's a pity that some people are taking verbal abuse due to their appearance only. However, I do not have any sympathy for the ones who in turn abuse others - not verbally, but physically, by taking advantage of their desperate situtation. Comments like "someone's selling, someone's buying", and "they are entitled to partake of whatever they want in this world" are the signs of insensitivity and just making feeble excuse for extreme selfishness.

At least Mike Baird sees it as it is - another thousand words.

Oh... My favorite Turok game.. simple... from the N64 - Turok, Dinosaur Hunter.

Yeah, Dinosaur Hunter was fun! It's not my fav only due to the lack of multiplayer, and weapons like the Cerebral Bore and the Chestburster.

Man, I wish I still had an N64.

Me too! Well, I do have one -sorta. Except that it's collecting dust in the attic of an old American house, while I'm in Thailand. Great games, great memories... nowadays I just try to re-live them by playing N64 games on my laptop, but it's just not the same.

The Legend of Zelda of Ocarina of Time made miss sleep for nites on end.

. Yes, same here! What about Majora's Mask? I think it was pretty good too.

I've got Perfect Dark for my N64 here (again made by the same people that made Goldeneye!).

Perfect Dark was awesome! It really shines especially in the multiplayer. My friends and I spent endless hours of fun with this game. Rare really knows how to make a good game.

Speaking of Rare, I'm surprised to see that no-one mentioned Conker's Bad Fur Day - one of the most hilarious games I've ever played! It's a timeless classic, IMO.

Turok, I see your GC-list includes Animal Crossing, which I think was really good, but underappreciated due to its design. Good to see that someone else also saw through the looks and saw the real gem that it is.

However, I find it strange that you didn't include Starfox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet in the list - especially considering that it is very similar to Legend of Zelda: OoT in many aspects. Also, it's a game by Rare - can't go wrong with that!

I cant think of a better 4 person fighter than Super Smash Bros Melee.

Yes, it is really good. Which one is your fav character? Let me guess: Link?

The Mario games are rated at 3+ in Europe, and Legend of Zelda Windwalker is rated as 3+. Metroid Prime is rated 12+, hardly x-rated.

These are the lower limits. That's what the + sign stands for. Everyone from that age up can safely play the game.

When I talk about "kiddie games", I don't mean the ESRB rating. IMO a game is geared towards children when its gameplay/storyline only interest children. The Teletubbies would be a good example of a kiddie game.

From this definition you can also see that an ESRB "mature" game is not necessary geared towards mature gamers. There are plenty of games out there that only satisfy the interests of teen adult-wannabees, therefore carrying the M- or X- rating. To real gamers, such pieces of software would be merely a waste of money - IMO.

Nintendo didn't use DVDs for their console, so no one bothered bootleggings their games as it would be too expensive.

It's not the hardware that's a problem. I have a few of those writable miniature disks that fit into the GC perfectly. AFAIK the problem is that they use a proprietary writing method, different from the way traditional burners record data. However, as konangrit said, the format has been probably cracked already. I don't have any bootleg GC or PS2 games, so can't talk from experience.

The insanity meter was a riot and they did such a good job with that.

Yepper. It was truly ingenious - and downright creepy at times.

Did anyone here play Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine for the N64? It was not available for retail, only for rent, so I had to get one from ebay. Rarest game I ever owned.

I also like the GameCube, and the trusted quality of games was a major factor in my decision to get one.

Games are hugely more expensive and generally aimed more towards children than PS2 or X-Box games. Take the games you mention above as a prime example.

I disagree. First, the cost of games is very relative. An unpopular Xbox game could be cheaper than a popular PS2 or GameCube game. Also, it depends on where you buy it, and on whether you buy the original or just a bootleg copy, etc.

Second, the "Nintendo is for little kids" argument is old as dirt, and based on nothing more than fanboy rant. You say that Metroid Prime is an example of a game meant for children - I don't think so. BTW, have you heard of GC game called Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem? How about the Resident Evil series?

Sure, the GC has its share of kiddy games. And so do all other consoles ever made. Given the huge library of PS2 games, I could compose a long list of kiddy games and make the PS2 look like a console geared towards children. But it isn't. Neither is the Gamecube. Consoles are geared towards gamers.

(slightly OT here: Turok, which one of the T-series did you like the most? My favorite was Seeds of Evil.)

Can you tell us which one?

Maybe the one that can be accessed only either from the rooftop helipad, or from the yacht marina...

Wow! You must be the world's first guy to have met a Thai girl this way!!

Congratulations.

Small corrections naa... I also met several Thai women this way. They are all really nice, but I prefer friendship.

Hmm.. I guess I also should say that I met them as colleagues at various universities - no "middle man" involved. So you are at least partially right, as it's very rare to see Farang in these circles for sure. I haven't talked with any for months!

Not that I'm complaining...

In this day and age, everything boils down to PR, (not humanity).

Exactly. If I had 50 satang for every vice committed and allowed for the sake of the almighty tourism dollars, I could buy Thaksin out by now.

Have fun!

Where did you read that, Otto? If it's true, that would be unfortunate indeed. ...

Well, look at it this way: if you prefer a large variety of exciting games over staring at pretty graphics, do yourself a favor and avoid the Xbox. As others pointed out, it has an inferior choice of games when compared to the PS2. But if you are all ga-ga about jaggies, framerates and other specs, an XBox should make you happy.

Today's games and these top-of-the line consoles all churn out pretty impressive graphics. Don't let yourself be concerned about the "inferior" graphics of the PS2; it's not like a NES, lol. See it for yourself. Just check out some FFX or FFX-2 clips from the Internet.

Like DP 25, I have both a GameCube and a PS2. I played the Xbox at my friend's house. Personally, to me the controller feels like a large potato with handles. The PS2 controller is okay, and neither could come close to the GC controller, which feels as if molded into your hands.

I could have had an Xbox as well, but decided to use the same money on quality games for the other two consoles. Much better investment.

Best of luck.

Or you could get a gamecube, and pay 2500B per game like I do...

Lol, another hard-core gamer!

Why is that farang blokes with Thai girlfriends have always been rejected by farang girls in the past ?

This is also true for the other way round.

I would submit that if that is the case... when it happens... it's because of the shortcomings of the farang girls that they choose to pal around with.

I'm not sure if I understand you correctly, John: are you saying that when a Farang-Farang relationship goes Deadside way, it's always due to the "shortcomings of Farang girls"?

Why does anybody fall in love with anybody?

How about the simple answer that TRUE LOVE does not discriminate??!!

I agree Shola - when it comes to true love. However, the question we discuss here is Why Would A Thai Girl Get Involved With A Farang? "Getting involved" covers a lot more than just true love.

Of course, all the above are generalizations.

To the lucky ones who got together based on real love: Best of luck.

Now the Thai side:

“Thai women form the hind legs of the elephant”, the old saying goes. Despite Western cultural influences increasingly penetrating the fabric of Thai society, the saying still holds true in many aspects of Thai life. The result is an uneven share of burdens, always to the disadvantage of women, placing them in a very vulnerable position. Consider the following:

- there is a strong sense of filial piety in Thailand. Children are expected to take care of their parents and other elder family members as soon as they are capable. To take a chunk of income and give it to the parents is the norm.

- in economically disadvantaged families there are not enough funds to send all the children to school. When the parents are forced to choose, they will usually send the boys to school, keeping the girls at home for a variety of reasons.

- there are considerably less opportunities for uneducated women to get decent jobs than for their male counterparts.

- from these labor-intensive jobs that yield very low wages, Thai women cannot adequately fulfill their duties of helping the family. This will create a sense of urgency to find alternate methods of getting money. Depending on the individual, some might end up being prostitutes, but let’s leave that Pandora’s box for another discussion. Some others (or the same people!) marry Thai men, hoping that this will alleviate their problems.

- in Thailand, marriage is held more stable than it is in the West. Couples don’t divorce on a whim; it takes unusually bad situations to make Thai couples even consider divorce. Now, it is well-known that many Thai men are unusually fond of alcohol, visit brothels, have mia noi [minor wife, mistress] and cause a bunch of other problems. Despite this, Thai women used to be very resilient and willing to hold on to the marriage for the above-mentioned reasons. However, nowadays some are not so lenient anymore; they finally start to realize that they don’t have to put up with all that just because a monk sometime tied a white rope around their hands.

- Divorced women are looked down upon; they are not considered good women. Their chance of marrying another Thai man is practically none, simply because they are not considered reliable marriage partners anymore. Note that divorced Thai men do not have this problem at all. They are “just being men”. Divorce is always a woman’s fault, for not accepting that. (See “hind legs” syndrome, yet again.)

Now you see where these women get their desperation from. Here is where the white prince enters on the white horse: a little balding maybe, but with a fat wallet that is a cure for many of her problems.

The two together: an incorrect solution (0 x 1 = 0)

So, they found each other. What happens now?

-Thai women got their cash cows; they are now able to sustain their families: both that of their parents, and that of their own. The expectations placed upon these women are now fulfilled. They even get national recognition and appreciation, according to the latest news.

-the Farang man made it to seventh heaven now. He got a wife who tolerates all his vices, serves him every way, every time, and obeys his whims. He can live like a king due to the generous exchange rates. Forget Mark Twain’s “Prince and Pauper”. This is the real story of how a wishy-washy nobody gets a king’s ego.

why does a Thai girl get involved with a farang?

That's a question I've pondered on for quite a while. Even though I don't 'get involved' with Thai women more than on the friendship level, others who do affect me and my reputation.

I think that this question should be approached from two sides since it's a relationship involving two, with entirely different reasons.

First, the Farang:

- “It takes two to make a relationship work”, the old Western saying goes, and this must especially be true for marriages.

- Westerners are known to divorce easier.

- a Western man with repeated failures in his relationships might allege that something is wrong with all Western women, quite understandably. From the neutral observer’s point of view however, which one is more likely: that millions of women are not fit to form a healthy relationship, or that the one complaining man has a serious problem handling women who grew up with Western values?

It was a rhetorical question. Of course the man has a problem. Now, what are these Western values I just mentioned?

- - strong sense of self-esteem

- - open nature, outspokenness

- - insistence on equality: a fair share of burdens and privileges

These values are the hallmarks of modern times. Times when it is no longer acceptable to view and treat wives as inferior creatures, slaves, sex-toys and housemaids. They are equal to men in every aspect, except one. They are also the bearers of life, and as such, they still deserve the extra care and attention that every gentleman gives them. Men who accept and live by these rules are capable of forming happy relationships with Western women, and in turn, get the same love, respect and happiness from their wives.

- on the other hand, some men still cling to the old days when cavemen-values were the norm. They wish to have a submissive wife who observes the wishes of her lord ( I mean, husband), never complains and lets him do whatever he wants. Perfect housemaid, action-ready sexpartner, or a silent dummy at times when His Lordship gets home drunk and wishes to beat the **** out of someone.

- the stereotype of submissive Asian women is still very much alive in Western circles, mostly due to the media.

- unable to form a lasting relationship with Western women, these guys turn their eyes to the East. (Those who are not Asiophiles tend to look at Russian mail-order brides, like someone mentioned on the boards).

- Thailand has an international reputation of its women.

- in real life, there are Thai women in vulnerable situation - I will talk about this next. The Farang man comes to Thailand to exploit this vulnerability, and uses the economic disparities to his advantage.

One winds up with a girl taking over his bank account, the other finds ads taking over his computer. Software can be downloaded to protect dumb people from themselves, unfortunately common sense is something you can't upgrade

This is an excellent analogy!

As long as almost every Thai is looking for the fast track to riches, pedos will come here, and other sex tourists for that matter as well.

I disagree - I think that as long as there is demand, there will be supply as well. But I see your point too. I guess it's a chicken-and-egg question - which one came first? Which one is to blame?

However, let me just say one thing: immense poverty has made otherwise decent people commit crimes unknown to the well-off. It's easy to judge them from high above, but true understanding comes only when destiny puts that person in their shoes.

BTW: "almost every Thai" does not do such things. If that's your impression, you surround yourself with the wrong kind of people.

Much of Chiang Mai’s air pollution is caused by forest fires and burning in agricultural land.

Heck, no kidding there! I haven't seen so many burnt fields anywhere else in Thailand.

Inside they found around 500 items in breach of Thailand's stringent laws on copyrighted items.

Wait a sec... when did the word 'stringent' become synonymous with 'lax' ? I must have missed that English lesson.