willyumiii

Looking at your post for the umteenth time, I now think your question is invalid.

You are assuming that just because an OP does not comment on his post after his original post he has abandon the post.

This is a false assumption.

It is very possible and likely that he checks the replies to his post, but does not comment on your replies.

Many replies are not worth commenting on!

Attempts at humor..

,

Drunken ramblings...

and those who try to morph any thread into something off topic that they want to discuss..

Why bother commenting on garbage?

This is a poor attempt at a troll post.

But look at how many replies you have received!

Feel better now?

I've been a model rocket enthusiast since I was a teen.

These rocket competitions are just one more reason I love living in Thailand!

I say, " if you can't handle a little water over the Songkran holiday..take a brake and go to a place they do not celebrate Songkran.

If you do not like rocket competitions, again, take a brake and go to a place where they don't fly rockets!

This is Thailand.

If you do not like Thailand...take a a brake and go to somewhere that is not Thailand!

Let Thailand be Thailand.

We have no right to change it!

I know Thailand is a popular choice for retirement.

Limited incomes go further here and even plump, wrinkled, grumpy old men can purchase the company of pretty young women here.

But, if you are too old and grumpy to enjoy life and let others enjoy their lives....

Maybe you could have made a better choice of places to retire.

Thai people love to have fun and do not mind taking some risks to have fun.

If you don't.....5, 4, 3, 2, 1,....blast off!..

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT BABY!

Forget the UV and Ozone.

Save money.

I use the LEO system for drinking water.

It is prefiltered and safe.

Drink beer!

P.S. just a little humor.

This has been a very interesting and informative thread!

Put water in a pot.

Heat it on your stove.

Old fashion and easy too!

buy a new pumper when you can.

I asked the same question of an old Buddhist monk once.

He replied that most Christians try to be good people and there is no reason they could not be Buddhist too!

Being raised a Catholic, I was told that if I even considered following another religion other than catholicism, I would burn in hell forever!! ( but bring as many people to the Catholic church as I could! )

Can you guess what path I decided to try and follow since then?

I was there just this week.

You check any items you can not enter with when you first get admitted.

Put your name on a piece of paper and they give yu a bracelet to wear with a tag and number on it.

When you leave, you return the bracelet and your items are returned to you.

It has worked this way since my forst visit to the embassy years ago.

I have never had a problem.

Thanks nzexpat.

The question was on behalf of a friend who has a Thai wife of 6 years, who I've finally convinced to apply for an extension based on marriage. He's lived the last 6 years getting Multi entry Non Imm O's from Lao.

Another friend has used the same Embassy Income letter for the last 4 years to get his marriage extensions at Immigration, but they have been married for almost 50 years and lived in Thailand for the last 26 years, so he is well known to Immigration.

With Immigration now applying the rules more stringently, I think he'll have to get an updated letter this year.

With regard to your friend that has been using the same income letter for 4 years: seems to be working for him, don't need to fix what isn't broken.

He seems to have a good relationship with the immigration officers at his office. I would try using the same income letter again next year, but I would go 30 days before the end of my permission to stay. If it's accepted, then great. If they ask for an updated embassy income letter, then I would go get one, and have almost 30 days to complete that process and re-apply for the extension. Embassy letters are expensive and possibly inconvenient to get. It seems the immigration officers dealing with your friend have decided to treat him favorably. I don't see the reason to rock the boat.

(In defense of the immigration officers, if your friend's income is derived from pensions then they are justified in accepting the out-of-date income letter because once started pensions seldom go down (isn't that true?) and the only thing that would affect his income in that case is the exchange rate.)

By his own admission, he needs to get a new letter.

After 4 years of being folded, crumpled, stained and stuffed in a drawer it's looking the worse for wear now.

I doubt Immigration would accept it this year and so does he.

In the past favouritism may have been extended to certain expats because of longstanding relationships with the same Immigration officers, but I think those days are coming to an end, as Immigration has to be more accountable for it's actions these days.

A new income letter is not much of a chore.

I just got mine this week, for the umteenth time.

As an American, I just make an appointment with ACS ( American Citizens Services ) at the US embassy in Bangkok.

Fill out a very simple form

Take the form to the appointment and pay $50 usd, or 1600 baht.

Wait 5-10 min for the document to be notarized and you are done.

The whole process takes less time than the drive from the hotel to the embassy!

You need to spend a year in the shoes of a rice farmer with both government and weather working against you before you have earned the right to criticize one.

In fact, I challenge some of you keyboard experts to spend one full, hot, day working in a rice field

I have done it and I respect and sympathise with them.

I wold bet that some of you older guys would literally not survive a full day working in the hot sun on a rice farm.

So many experts, so little knowledge...

To all out there I do not think this Geller women is a worry to kill any of us

However I wish I can say the same about certain other groups

We should worry about the real killers not just some women who tells us to worry

I hate to say this but to many did not worry about Hitler and Stalin.

Please I pray you wake up before it is to late

She incites others. Charles Manson didnt kill anyone either.

She is as dangerous as the Imams that practice hate speech. Do you think it is ok for Imams to incite hatred? Im sure you dont want them in the US, and rightly so. This woman is no different.

Was Charles Manson a cartoon drawer then? As for your ridiculous equivalence argument Islamist ideology chalks up thousands of dead bodies worldwide each and every month, how many murders have been committed by anti-Muslim extremists inspired by the combined output of every right wing activist?

There is no equivalence, never was, never will be, all of our esteemed members know it hence have to resort to slander and character assassination to counter facts they can't refute.

You may want to ask that wanabee cowboy from Connecticut about this.

How many thousands of innocent Muslims have been killed in the unjustified wars GW started in the middle east?

" Mission Accomplished" ! ???

What WMDs??

This event was staged for the purpose of enraging and inflaming Muslim people.

CNN first labeled it a "Free Speech Event". but quickly changed their call to "An Anti Muslim Event" after other networks disagreed with their call.

I think she got exactly the reaction she wanted to get.

Is there anyone left in America, for that matter the world, who does not know what wacko religious extremismist will do if provoked?

The extreamist can not be controlled.

But I hold her responsible for knowingly providing them.

Look how much publicity she has received this week.

and all it cost her was a couple of other people's lives.

What exactly do you mean by "come back"?

I am notified of any replies to my post, or any that I have commented on, via my email and can read them there.

Yes, if I need to reply to a reply I must log in to TV to do so,

But many times, input, reaction, or advise is all I want, and get that just fine from my email account, without ever actually going t the original thread again.

A brief 'thanks' is always appreciated or perhaps a follow up with further issues or information that may be useful to others.

None of us gets paid for doing this so a positive stroke or a like is our only reward.

Yes, no one gets paid for replying.

Some reply just for the gratification of writing down their own thoughts..no matter how bizarre.

How often do you read replies that have absolutely nothing to do with the topic, or those who try to morph any topic into one that is about their own interests and not those of the OP?

No one is paid to reply and also no one is required to reply.

What exactly do you mean by "come back"?

I am notified of any replies to my post, or any that I have commented on, via my email and can read them there.

Yes, if I need to reply to a reply I must log in to TV to do so,

But many times, input, reaction, or advise is all I want, and get that just fine from my email account, without ever actually going t the original thread again.

If you walked up to someone, asked them for help, or information, they answered you, would you then just ignore them and turn your back and walk away ? No, I would hope not as that would be very ignorant and rude. Why should a forum be any different.

In my opinion its reasonable and good manners to at least acknowledge the replies or response you get to your question, especially if it has helped you in some way.

Sorry...

I should have mentioned that I will thank individual posters who provide good information or advice.

Usually when I feel I have received enough pertinent replies and people who don't read other's replies start repeating the same information,

I will post a general reply thanking those who did help and even suggest to the "TV power people" that it is a good time to close the thread.

They almost never do.

Then I will start ignoring the topic.

What exactly do you mean by "come back"?

I am notified of any replies to my post, or any that I have commented on, via my email and can read them there.

Yes, if I need to reply to a reply I must log in to TV to do so,

But many times, input, reaction, or advise is all I want, and get that just fine from my email account, without ever actually going t the original thread again.

This past year, I had the privilege of getting to know two female teachers from Mainland China pretty well.

When one told me she had both a brother and a sister, I told her that in America we are told that Chinese are only permitted to have one child, and since most couples want a boy, many girl infants "do not survive".

Her first reaction was to smile and tell me that she suspected that Chinese people were probably told many things about Americans that were not true also.

She then went on to explain that it is an economic issue.

Families who do not have the financial resources to raise more than one child are not permitted more than one.

Families like hers, who have the means to support a larger family are not restricted at all.

This does not seem like a bad policy to me when I think of my home country and how many large families are dependant on government ( tax payer ) support to survive and just continue to have more and more children.

Before all of you TV racist get carried away with this one...

I request that you start your reply by stating how many children people from your home country are permitted to have...then go from there with your comments..

Do we really need more people from your country in the world either? (sarc )

Previously, I strongly believed in "Global Warming" or what I prefer to call " Climate change influenced by humans".

Recently, I read a very good novel by Michael Crichton titled " State of Fear", and as a result, I now question what I strongly believed before reading it.

Yes, it is a novel and it is fiction, but....

It refers to, and quotes a lot of actual data collected that both supports and debunks the theory of climate change.

Probably most important it points out the bias involved in all data collection and interpretation in any research done..

Most research finds the conclusion they expect to find when the research is started!

Most research is strongly influenced by the source of funding for said research as well.

It also demonstrated the financial motivation for coming to the desired conclusions with research.

No, it has not convinced me that it is a good idea to rape the environment for the sake of profits.

It has convinced me to take what research and the media present as facts with a very large grain of salt.

No matter what your point of view on "Global Warming" I highly recommend you check out this book.

I found it enlightening and a very good read as well.

I must be born lucky ,have had many items from uk ,non went missing

How do you know nothing has has gone missing?

You only know that items you were expecting have arrived.

Could it be possible items you are unaware of have never arrived?

reptile91602, on 08 May 2015 - 17:40, said:

I actually lived across the street form Newman, Wayne Knight, for 7 years in Los Angeles and I only lost my mail once.

who ??

Watch some television lately?

No..

Should we?

Has it improved any?

Postman fired after lost mail found at his home

Fired and Lost???

I would feel much better if it read " Imprisoned and Stolen "!

Like others, I have had important mail go "missing", had letters opened , valuable items removes, and then delivered without the valuable items.

This month I have a very important letter and document from my home government that has been " misplaced" somewhere.( I have been able to deal with it on line, but only because I knew it was way overdue to arrive.)

I have read threads on TV before about the Thai postal service and choke everytime I read a post abut how reliable it is.

I only rely on the Thai postal service to be unreliabe!

Any idea what the cost of extra pages is?

I'm glad I was never young and stupid!

I have not been this disappointed in a 'happy ending" since my last massage!

tragic.....but whats more tragic is the truly caveman approach to treating mental illness in thailand...

but then caveman do what caveman do

I strongly disagree with your statement.

My Thai wife while in America, had a mental break down..

The American medical system,s idea of treatment was to prescribe about 20 different drugs per day that kept her a zombie, only able to sit and stare,and not function at all.

They only tried to prevent her from being a danger to herself and others and not to recover from her illness at all!

I won't even start to discuss the astronomical cost of the "medical care" in the U.!!!!

We knew of a friend in Thailand who had had a simular problem and responded very well to her treatment in the Thai medical system.

We took a gamble and relocated to Thailand for what we hoped would be better treatment at a reasonable price.

Within a month of starting treatment in Thailand, my wife had made amazing progress and was only required to take one pill per day.

Within a year, she was fully recovered and now only checks in with her doctor every 6 months.

Being a Thai citizen her treatment cost us almost nothing!

We are very pleased with the results.

She is now fully functional, working and happy again.

If still in theU.S., I fear she would still be a disabled zombie with unbelievable medical expenses.

Doctors here in Thailand don't seem to drive mercedes or spend most of their time playing golf, but they do seem to get the job done.

Your comment leads me to believe that it is you who is the caveman.

Do you have any experience dealing with mental illness,

or are you just another TV keyboard warrior, who loves Thai bashing??

.

Just read an article that Vietnam was lowering the Dong but not much impact on the xrate against usd.

Meanwhile we get less intrest on our 800K !

Why does an retirement extention expat have 800k on his account ( with 1 mouth to feed ) , and a married expat only 400k , with at least 2 mouths to feed ?

Could it be because the married expat is obviously spending more in Thailand and injecting more into the Thai economy?

Feeding families, building houses,purchasing businesses for wife and family;

Investing in more than beer, viagra and bar girls...

TV is such a secure web site that the labor department and Thai Immigration can never monitor the post here on TV!

Maybe they are just sitting there , smiling and waiting for you to come in and file a complaint about your school who is breaking the laws?

Go give it a try