lapd

They are . Germany gets up to 50% of their energy from wind and solar on a good day. The Netherlands are way ahead there as well. I think they get up to 40% of their energy from wind now. Things ARE changing but it's still going to take decades before oil/gas reliance becomes a non-issue.

Where do you get this nonsense???? From Bloomberg Business Week, 14 August 2014:

As Europe struggles to ease its dependency on Russian gas, Germany is getting ever greener: During the first half of 2014, the nation generated 31 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources, according to a recent report by the Fraunhofer Institute (PDF). Excluding hydro, renewables accounted for 27 percent of electricity production, up from 24 percent last year.

“Solar and wind alone made up a whopping 17 percent of power generation, up from around 12 percent to 13 percent in the past few years,” according to Renewables International, which provides a helpful rundown of the Fraunhofer report. The country’s solar power plants increased total production by 28 percent compared with the first half of 2013, while wind power grew about 19 percent.

Germany still derives most of its energy from coal, though consumption of brown coal dropped 4 percent. Power from natural gas fell 25 percent, while nuclear power decreased by only about 2 percent.

The U.S. produces far more renewable energy than Germany in terms of quantity. But as a percent of total energy production, America falls short. In 2013 wind accounted for 4 percent of total electricity generation, and solar made up 0.23 percent, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Geothermal was at 0.41 percent; biomass, 1.48 percent.

Germany’s government and population are famous for their environmental zeal. “Green, do-gooding Germans have long been at the sharp end of jokes, often for good reason,” writes Rose Jacobs in her Newsweek piece, “Doing It the German Way.” “Their water conservation efforts were so enthusiastic in the 1990s and early 2000s that by 2009 sewage systems were suffering from too little water running through them.”

There is nothing wrong with electricity produced from the sun or wind, apart from the fact that it is unreliable and costs 2 to 5 times as much as fossil fuel generated power -- it all turns the lights on. To have power when you want it, at a reasonable price, fossil fuels (and nuclear) are the only games in town and will be for generations to come -- sorry to burst your illusion/delusion. There is a big push now in Europe to reduce the dependence on Russian gas, which is probably a good thing. But it will come at a significant cost. Let's see how long that drive lasts when it starts to affect their pocketbooks. Germany can probably afford it, the rest of Europe clearly cannot. And as the article says, to suggest that Germany pursues any social policy in a correct and positive manner is likely a mistake and not one to be followed, unless you want to end up bankrupt. Next...............

I guess you don't understand how renewable energy like wind and solar work. I didn't spell it out because I assumed people are smart enough to connect the dots. I said "on a good day" and "up to". Reading comprehension much?

Add spain to the list as well. 38% of their demand was met by wind/solar in July. JULY...as in SUNNY in SPAIN JULY. Get it!

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/15/38-of-spains-july-electricity-demand-was-met-by-wind-and-solar-power/

They do, but not their security dogs.. They breed certain dogs for eating. Every home has a security dog.

There was a good business going on of Thais rounding up stray dogs and shipping them off to Vietnam. Everyone wins. Unfortunately they shut that down once word got out last I heard. I'm sure it still happens on a smaller scale on the the down low.

Pattaya is boss, always loved coming down from Isaan but last week was absolute murder for traffic. Stay central, take the baht bus, eat at great restaurants and get pissed, happy days.

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So just normal traffic then. On beach/2nd road around Klang blame Central Mall. They put in a giant (for Pattaya) mall and didn't improve the road infrastructure. What could possibly go wrong. I see Klang can get pretty bad now at times. The thing about Pattaya that was so nice was how you could get around quickly on baht busses. Now I end up walking a lot of the time because it's often faster.

It's almost all the time around Klang and 2nd rd now. On Friday afternoon coming into Pattaya and Sunday afternoon leaving it's nuts.

Overall I reckon the changes are a positive.

It is easier to walk along the beach as there is more room now.

There is less seating but I only really walk along the beachfront and don't miss the huge amount of riff raff that used to congregate wherever there was a place to sit so I vote this as a positive as well.

If I want to sit for awhile I sit on the beach in a vendors chair and kick back with a cold coconut and the newspaper.

The traffic generally flows better especially around Central which was becoming a bit of a problem.

The only real downside I see is the trees that have been cut down that is a shame.

As for no pickpockets in Pattaya that really is a laugh. I had to help a Russian guy who had just arrived in Pattaya and had all his valuables taken including his passport. And it was by ladyboys in a spot that they regularly frequent. Very distressing for the young guy.

Boy you guys must be really something walking around Pattaya getting your pockets picked all the time . No offense but some guys just have a sign on their forehead.

And after the rainy season the strong North to South long shore current is going to finish the job on that segment in front of Holiday Inn at North end.

In addition to the normal quantity of sand that goes South for the winter. Those giant decaying sandbags will cause (again) current slowing, sand deposited ,

then as current picks up velocity its capacity to transport sand increases. And that new walkway is just a glorified road. Ill be glad to see it wiped out.

What a fine apocalyptic prophecy, worthy of the highest TV standards! I can hear a chorus of applause from the gallery.

Doomsaying here has such an extraordinarily poor record of actually coming true, however. In fact, it always seems to backfire. But, of course, never admitting defeat, the prophets themselves continue to wait . . . and wait. Yet the very utterance itself is so cathartic, giving great solace & comfort amid the stress of daily life in Thailand. Here ya go:

Alert! Pattaya's Long-Predicted Future Imminent!

Meanwhile, life goes on! Cheers!

LOL. Of particular note are the doomsayers waiting for the imminent collapse of Central Festival shopping mall.

Says the doomsayer who said I'll be sorry when I do get my pockets picked....

Been going for 10 years and living there on and off....buuuuut....aaaaaany day now boy oh boy you just wait says doomsayer tropo.

Any of you chaps in the area use a push-bike? Any problems?Thanks

I love to ride a bicycle here in Thailand.But in Pattaya it's like " Russian Roulette " riding a bicycle as the roads are dangerous enough almost everywhere!

But if you are living ( or thinking about ) on the darkside my advice is to take a stroll down to " Pattaya Railway Station " and the Train arrives from Bangkok at around 10.30 - If you get on board with your bicycle and just a few minutes down the track will bring you to some wonderful country railway stations " perfect for your bicycle " and you can go on your bike ride through the fabulous countryside and then catch the train back about 2 hours later all for about 3 baht each way !!!!!

Good Idea?

Farang Jaidee

I heard a few people mention the train (or maybe just one guy) so I looked it up. There is ONLY 1 train a day from Bkk leaving at the very convenient (NOT) time of 7am. Other way it leaves Pattaya at about 2:30pm and gets in Bkk at 6:30. 3rd class (non-aircon only and uncomfortable seats). Oh and also takes twice as long (4 hours) as a bus. In other words train is NOT an option. Why would anyone even mention it? Just because it's cheap??? Can't spare an extra 100baht to get to Bkk a lot faster with aircon and busses every hour???

Don't know about going the other way towards Rayong or wherever but doubt many people would care about that either?

Seriously, it's NOT an option. Why would anyone even mention it? If they ever have high speed trains leaving every hour to Bkk or Airport let us know....mkay.

There is less than zero reason to even consider the location of a train station on the dark side as a reason to live there. Less than zero. If anything it's a negative because of the inconvenience of waiting for a slow moving 3rd class train to go by.

Let's put this into a different, but ABSOLUTELY TRUE scenerio,,, Many here are somewhat laughing, that a man got beaten up by a woman/lady,, make NO mistake, they are NOT, NOT WOMEN!, they are Thai MEN!,, So lets say you're walking along, a Thai man, bar tout, tries to pressure you into a bar,, you politely say, "No thanks" and continue walking, they follow you, step in front of you, AGAIN try, you side-step, try to continue, they then grab your arm, your crotch, reach a hand in your pocket,, Do you STILL remain calm/polite?,,, or firmly, voice your disspleasure?,, YA,, you tell them to F-OFF!,, they then argue with you, and pull out a pointed weapon and smash you in the head with it,,, Sooo STILL your fault?... Many are assuming, tits means, woman,, How diluted is THAT?... I gotta laugh myself at the many here, OBVIOUSLY not American,, "Oh dear, when will these stupid Americans learn that when confronted, you simply tuck ones tail between ones legs, cow down, appologuise for doing nothing wrong, and simply slink away?,, Lolololol These same posters, seem to have NO problem with us, "stupid" Americans, standing up for what's right, taking a stand, and NOT cowing down to a bully back in the 40's,, WHY are these posters so passive now?,, or have they ALWAYS been?,,,

We call people who always tell you to avoid confrontation and tuck our dicks "Whimps" They the same type, if they witness a girl being raped, or any chap getting his ass kicked, that will stand by and video tape it while cheering it on. They have long lost their humanity, if they ever possessed it. For me, when I see things like this I don't care what country you are from or what gender you are I will stop the action without thought of my own safety. You don't have to be American to feel this way. I have met many people who have displayed courage and Valor to help complete strangers in distress. Men like us don't see color, race, gender nor country... No. We see people and that triggers the humanity inside to act.

That is more likely to get a multiple person attack on you, and you won't win. You may also be knifed.

Like I said, Whimps don't need to apply. If one day you wife or gf is being raped and I see it occurring, you can rest assured that she will come home to you. I have intervened in a number of assaults and with the help of God I'm still here to talk about it. I expect death so cuts and bruises... Never mind. The thanks expressed by the victim seems to make my injuries a second thought.

The guy you responded to hit the nail on the head. Clearly you will not listen. Best of luck and with your god helping.

And clearly you and the other guy lack courage and would last a minute on a battlefield. I don't expect you to understand.

Have you even been to Thailand? Seriously. I mean besides a 2 week vacation once or during cobra gold or whatever.

Best response to any Thailand bashing conversation is "yea it sucks here, I think we should go back home. Much better back there". Usually snaps people out of it and shuts them up.

Let me guess, he was just an innocent victim. When guys are jumped by a group of Thai guys it's usually because they deserved it. If not for anything else because they were being a drunken ass thinking they could get away with the same things they do back home.

I saw a guy in Big C extra the other day. His face was all black and blue and he was hiding in the corner feeling sorry for himself eating his noodles. Looked hung over and I could just tell he probably deserved it because he looked like a real wan ker in general. He was wearing some stupid punk rock tshirt that you might see on a punk 20 years younger than him. There are ALWAYS 2 sides to the story. Guys come to Pattaya and get confused by the culture thinking it's this wide open wild west assh0le festival where they can set their inner assh0le free. They don't realize there are still 'rules' and certain lines you do not cross.

Let's put this into a different, but ABSOLUTELY TRUE scenerio,,, Many here are somewhat laughing, that a man got beaten up by a woman/lady,, make NO mistake, they are NOT, NOT WOMEN!, they are Thai MEN!,, So lets say you're walking along, a Thai man, bar tout, tries to pressure you into a bar,, you politely say, "No thanks" and continue walking, they follow you, step in front of you, AGAIN try, you side-step, try to continue, they then grab your arm, your crotch, reach a hand in your pocket,, Do you STILL remain calm/polite?,,, or firmly, voice your disspleasure?,, YA,, you tell them to F-OFF!,, they then argue with you, and pull out a pointed weapon and smash you in the head with it,,, Sooo STILL your fault?... Many are assuming, tits means, woman,, How diluted is THAT?... I gotta laugh myself at the many here, OBVIOUSLY not American,, "Oh dear, when will these stupid Americans learn that when confronted, you simply tuck ones tail between ones legs, cow down, appologuise for doing nothing wrong, and simply slink away?,, Lolololol These same posters, seem to have NO problem with us, "stupid" Americans, standing up for what's right, taking a stand, and NOT cowing down to a bully back in the 40's,, WHY are these posters so passive now?,, or have they ALWAYS been?,,,

We call people who always tell you to avoid confrontation and tuck our dicks "Whimps" They the same type, if they witness a girl being raped, or any chap getting his ass kicked, that will stand by and video tape it while cheering it on. They have long lost their humanity, if they ever possessed it. For me, when I see things like this I don't care what country you are from or what gender you are I will stop the action without thought of my own safety. You don't have to be American to feel this way. I have met many people who have displayed courage and Valor to help complete strangers in distress. Men like us don't see color, race, gender nor country... No. We see people and that triggers the humanity inside to act.

That is more likely to get a multiple person attack on you, and you won't win. You may also be knifed.

Like I said, Whimps don't need to apply. If one day you wife or gf is being raped and I see it occurring, you can rest assured that she will come home to you. I have intervened in a number of assaults and with the help of God I'm still here to talk about it. I expect death so cuts and bruises... Never mind. The thanks expressed by the victim seems to make my injuries a second thought.

The guy you responded to hit the nail on the head. Clearly you will not listen. Best of luck and with your god helping.

I live in Naklua but i walk absolutely everywhere.I sometimes walk to jomtien but most days at least 10 KM. Great weather for being outside and you get a nice tan too! That's one of the great things about living here is that there is no need to be " trapped indoors " only during heavy rain! The more you walk the more you will realize that you don't need a motorbike,its also much more sociable too! and when you are walking you see so many different things! For long distances (over 10km) i would recommend an I Pod fully loaded with some " cool tunes " ( Today's tunes are " Jackie - The long Hot Summer " )

Happy Walking Viewers!

farang jaidee x

Please explain to me the route you take going from Naklua to Jomtien...lol. That is quite the expedition. Wouldn't be so bad if you could follow the shoreline the whole way but you can't. Also on a hot day that would be brutal. I'm assuming it would be 1 way then baht bus back? I have walked to Naklua and back from Pattaya Tai but always take a baht bus to/from Jomtien. Just going up that hill would be brutal on a hot day and there is no continuous sidewalk. I've gone as far as Kinaree Place and won't do that one again. Not as easy as going the other way from Pattaya Tai because of the hill and more dodging and weaving with no continuous sidewalk.

Feed the dogs dark chocolate. It's poisonous to them. Chances are they won't ever eat enough to kill them but it will make them sick and probably get them to leave you alone.

Do you really think a dog will remember that you gave him the dark chocolate a couple of hours before he became sick?

They teach that at LAPD?

Lol....why do you think they train dogs with treats?

Yes rarely but I can guarantee that I have spent a lot longer in Pattaya than you have.

Now, if you go back and read my post you will see that my experiences with pickpockets in Pattaya was not limited to reading about it.

I said in my earlier post (as have other posters), do a little research about pickpockets and Pattaya (Google is your friend).

I also stand by what I said earlier;

If you have never heard of anyone getting pick pocketed in Pattaya then I'm calling bullshit on you EVER being in Pattaya.

Well alrightey then. As long as you guarantee it....lol. Continue believing that since it seems to be an important thing to you for some strange reason. All the expats I know who live in Pattaya and have never been pickpocketed will get a laugh out of it. The "I know Pattaya and you don't" guys who think they have it all figured out even though they "rarely go there" are always fun to talk about.

Looking at the business perspective, this meant less income for the hotels and restaurants, less food, drinks, cleaning materials etc. Ultimately it affects the economy. Combine this with the drop in Chinese tourist due to the clampdown on zero dollar tours, and the damage done by all the travel advisories, many long suffering hotels and businesses will close down in the coming months if tourist numbers do not increase.

I wonder about 10 or so years ago............no Russians and the hotels were all full like they are today.......think again !!!

10 years ago, Thailand was a totally different place altogether. The times are a changing, and definitely not for the better.

Yea, 10 years ago everyone was complaining about how Pattaya has gone downhill in the past 10 years...oh wait a minute...hasn't changed at all!

10 years ago you were 10 years younger and that is basically what has changed.

They should build more wind turbines 555555555555555.

They are . Germany gets up to 50% of their energy from wind and solar on a good day. The Netherlands are way ahead there as well. I think they get up to 40% of their energy from wind now. Things ARE changing but it's still going to take decades before oil/gas reliance becomes a non-issue.

I think the average is almost 3 deaths a day in Pattaya only, with almost 30.000 deaths a year in Thailand.

You thought wrong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_Thailand_by_year

Deaths per 100,000 is about the same as the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year

When you take into account a far higher percentage drive motorcycles in Thailand and considering how much more chaotic the traffic can be with much poorer infrastructure be that should tell you something.

the seats are missed, now we cant sit and watch the pickpocketers working any more

In all my years going to pattaya I have NEVER had anyone try pick my pockets, not there not anywhere. I have never heard of that either. So I call bullshit! Go back to the PI if you want to watch that.

Some time ago there was a guy in the motoring forum who said that he never had seen a road accident in Thailand in all the years he had stayed here . Was that you by any chance ?

I have seen very few. Considering how they drive it still amazes me there aren't a lot more. Most of the time it's farangs in accidents. Know at least 2 guys who were killed in motorcycle accidents in Pattaya.

Some people just have "L" stamped on their forehead with a giant "Please pick my pockets" sign on them I guess. Like I said. I have NEVER had anyone try pick my pockets in Pattaya and don't know anyone that has. Been going there and living there on and off for 10 years. In Manila/AC I have people try almost every day. So anyone who thinks it's common in Pattaya must think it's like the PI which it most DEFINITELY is not.

I have had almost the exact opposite happen. I've had a thousand baht note fall out of my pocket unknown to me and had a Thai pick it up and run up to me to give it back. I've heard of that happening to other people as well. Thais don't want to steal your money. They want you to give it to them! So a jet ski scam is ok to them but stealing your money out of your pocket is very bad.

I've had those Ladyboys that are always out there near Nana in Bkk try pick my pockets in the evening. Everyone knows about them. Just do a wide semi-circle around them and do the "I know what your up to" body language stance!

I walk by the ladyboys on Walking street near Mikes Mall all the time and they never bother me. I know there are some shady ones that hang around near Klang late at night but I'm rarely down there at that time. When I am they generally leave me alone. Again, don't act like a stupid farang tourist with no street sense and they won't bother you.

In all my years in Thailand there is one thing I can tell you for certain. Some people are just magnets for attracting trouble, problems, grief upon themselves and don't belong in Thailand. Thais seem to be able to smell that kind of weakness on people.

I have worked /lived in Pattaya for 10 years now and have observed the transformation of this important community "park" going through three changes. I must admit, I was not happy this year when the "extra" lane was added to Beach Road when there were a few moments when the traffic was bumper to bumper (Friday evenings...Saturday and Sundays after 11am). There was already another lane that could have been used (on the East side) for traffic but the motor bike rentals and vendors occupied this lane. (too bad this was initiated before the coup). Because of the widening of Beach Road and for better security (according to city officials) , the old indigenous trees that dotted the Beach Rd promenade (and were important for preventing erosion) were removed without much thought.

Despite this fault, I must admit I like the new lay-out and here are the reasons: 1) Wider walk area to freely jog or walk on instead of the narrow zig-zag lane that would trap in the water when it rained 2) Nice to be able to observe the sea from the road, or along the walk-way where as before the numerous planted palm trees blocked the view of the sea 3) because of the more open space of the Beach Road promenade and less dark areas for "scum-bags" to hide, Thais and tourists feel more secure and use it at night time...walking as a family, picnicking, or just freely sitting and relaxing.

True, there are less benches to sit on. True, less shade. True, less "scum-bags" hanging out in the area.

I have said this on a forum before...sad the Pattaya police department cannot have walking policeman patrolling this important tourist area. This would keep the locals from riding their motor bikes on the Beach Road walkway; lower the crime (sorry City Hall, those security cameras do not prevent crime...they film the crime--if the camera is working); and the walking patrolman would give everyone a good impression of the police department. The only time I see them in action is when they are stopping the poor Thai on their motor bike demanding 200 baht.

Adding lanes does not help when you have that bottleneck at the corner of walking street. They need to make it baht busses and motorcycles only. No big busses or other vehicles allowed. Those big busses take up 2 lanes trying to make that turn and imho they are the main source of the congestion down there.

the seats are missed, now we cant sit and watch the pickpocketers working any more

In all my years going to pattaya I have NEVER had anyone try pick my pockets, not there not anywhere. I have never heard of that either. So I call bullshit! Go back to the PI if you want to watch that.

If you have never heard of anyone getting pick pocketed in Pattaya then I'm calling bullshit on you EVER being in Pattaya.

Go onto any online Pattaya newspaper and look through their archives and you will find thousands of incidents of pick pocketing in Pattaya.

I visit Pattaya very rarely with my family and I have had my wallet lifted and my wife had her phone lifted, also just off the top of my head i know of 4 other people who have had their wallets lifted.

The 2 favourite places for pick pockets are on the Baht buses and on Beach Road, which is the area that slygeeza is referring to..

What do you do for an encore, deny that the jet ski scam exists?

LOL...so you read about it and that is how you know? I've been going to Pattaya for over 10 years. Thanks for the laugh Mr. "I visit Pattaya rarely".

One of the first things I learned is that you never try treat ladyboys different. Don't react strongly to them like you think they are a freak or whatever. It tends to set them off quite easily. I think they want to think that you don't know they are a guy. If you make them think that they don't seem to get pissed at you.

The only real problem with upsetting Russia is that several EU countries have become largely dependent on Russian-controlled energy supplies, notably the piped natural gas, thanks to long-term deals negotiated by their pea-brained governments. Quite what insanity drove them to trust Russians at all is beyond me.

Err, necessity, the EU has no choice than to purchase 30% of natural gas supplies from Russia. In Germany's case, 60% of their oil an 30% of their gas comes from Russia... Who do you think Merkel will side with when push comes to shove? Like I said elsewhere, it's going to be a cold, cold winter in the EU...

It would sure be lovely if they could find alternative sources for all of their gas and oil. Tell Putin to go take a hike into Siberia. Would it be that hard? I sure would hate to be dependent on Putin.

Spidermike

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They can and will. LNG terminals are slowly popping up in North America which has vast quantites of inexpensive natural gas that they want to export. LNG terminals are very expensive and take years to build so it will be awhile still. I'm guessing it will still be cheaper to get nat gas from Russian pipelines but at least there will be alternatives in the next few years.

I actually witnessed them in action last weekend,,, Walking along beach road, right where it pretty much starts off walking street,, I saw a young Russian guy ride one in, and beach it where the operator indicated,, IMMEADIATLLY the operator starts yelling, pointing at, "damage",, within seconds is pulling out his phone, to show pics, (of course when brand new),,, I was about 30 ft away, standing on a balcony, acted like I was taking video, only holding my phone on the railing,,, got acousted by the

scammers buddies for taping it,,, They demanded to see my phone, I refused,, they continued several times,, threatened with, "give me your phone or you have big problem",,,, So you're attempting to rob me of my phone in BROAD DAYLIGHT, with people EVERYWHERE!?,,, F off,,, THEN the "beach police" arrive,,, I then did the same,,, I was then accousted by their buddies the, "beach police" for the SAME reason,,, demanded to see what I videoed, "REALLY?,,, I'm not allowed to video tape on the beach?",,

,AGAIN,, "delete,, or you have big problem",,, "REALLY?,,,, let's call the REAL police,, you know,, the ones with GUNS AND BADGES,,, I'll show THEM my video,, You want

that?",,,, of course not,,,, "Oh you have big problem with police here now",, So you're threatening me?,,, he finally just walked off,,,

If it amuses you then you can watch the scam going on daily without fail. Around the area where all the speed boats pickup/drop off to go to Koh Larn. I think it's near the Police station. About half the time I walk by there in the middle of the day I see the commotion of another tourist victim surrounded by the jetski mafia and a couple police waiting for their cut.

Just follow the money. The Russian rubble is around .87 to the Thai baht. In Jan it was at par. There is a lag effect so Russian tourism is probably gonna be way down for this high season. I can't say I will miss them although they didn't really bother me that much.

I think some of you need to get out and start " Walking " everywhere! There is no excuse as we have an " outdoor climate " perfect for lovely long walks! Or are you just being " Lazy " viewers....?

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It's not an outdoor climate as much as an indoor sauna. I walk way more than your average Farang. I regularly walk all the way from Tuk Com/Friendship down Buakao or 3rd Rd to Big C extra on Klang which is a pretty good hike. Walking over to the dark side is a whole other ball game compared to that. Everything is much more spread out.