MrWorldwide

Cyprus's problems were caused by the Euro Zone. They were doing well until the Greek debt slate was wiped clean.Cyprus had bought a lot of that debt.

Wrong. Cyprus caused its own problems by putting all its eggs in one basket. They put the whole country at risk by investing in one dodgy country (Greece). A country that everyone knew was dodgy. But they didn't care. What did they expect to happen? People have been warning about this for years before the current crisis. No excuse for their bad decision.

FWIW Cyprus was the last Net Contributor to join the EU. The Euro was an idea based on idealism instead of finance.

IMO, it was Germany's attempt to exert financial control over countries it had no political control over - and now the Germans are reaping the reward for that short-sightedness. Its well documented that countries like Greece lied through their teeth in their submission to join the Euro zone, but Germany was desperate to get as many aboard as possible.

In this case I understand this topup2rich is run by a Kenny Zea whom flashes Master Degree from Mahidol University, Polymer Science and Technology and he looks asian, at least to me. He is also into "vnetglobal.net" and "vnetglobal.org", all websites filled with big cars, big houses, dollars, gold, happy families, big smiles and lots of big figures.

Wow, it worked for him so it must be good. How can I give him my money?

Give to me and I'll see that Kenny gets it - Mondays are his day on the yacht with the bikini-clad women and 2 kilos of blow. Priorities, man.

Thread of the week. Priceless.

Stick around - he does 3 shows daily and works without a net. Or a clue, apparently.

I dont know about the Thais, but the embattled Cypriots seem concerned that the new 'tax on deposits' could drive Russian investors away from their shores. Note the claim re Russians actually living in Cyprus - not tourists : residents. When a country becomes so heavily dependent on another country for it's financial well-being, is that not a form of colonisation ? Those investors may now be looking for another country to launder, er, invest their money.

Further along the promenade, some bristled at the charge in Europe that Cyprus, flush with Russian cash, was a conduit for money-laundering and that the European decision-makers felt the rich Russian depositors should be made to pay. More than 25% of bank deposits and about one-third of foreign investments in Cyprus come from Russia. So many Russians now live in the port city of Limassol that it has been dubbed "Limassolgrad". "We need foreign investment and it could now shrink," said one student, arguing that most savers in Cyprus were Cypriots.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/17/cyprus-bailout-seize-savings-deposits

For me, it kicked in somewhere in my mid-40s, but I guess its different for everyone. Much happier with only one year remaining as a wage slave - that prospect seemed so very far away at 45 and I think that was a big part of my dissatisfaction.

If the OP knew the Russian BM's board name, why not simply PM him ?

Almera, I agree that photo is shocking, but if she had been a Filipina servant in Singapore or HK she could easily have 'fallen off the balcony'. In one case, Mrs Singapore beat her Filipina maid so badly that she needed to be hospitalised. Her crime was that she didnt answer the phone 'properly' - this shit goes on all over Asia, and its doled out to Thais as well as people from poorer countries. Doesn't make it right, but the Thais arent the only offenders - the notion that money allows you to do whatever the hell you want is as old as the Pyramids.

I do wonder if the powers that be in Thailand realize that a strong bht is something to proud of, surely the penny will drop that its a 2 edged sword and needs to watched.

Any attempts to intervene in currency movements is also a 2 edged sword taking UK for example which long defended the GBP against downward pressure until that pressure became overwhelming. How much of UK government debt came from defence of GBP in the era when Tony B Lair was running around with GBPs falling out of his over-stuffed pockets shouting loudly FIGJAM!

I think the present incumbents think its great that the baht is so strong, "look at us we are strong, our currency is strong and rising, everything is going well, tell the people!" But what about the cost of Thailand's exports? What about them? I'm for some karaoke!!

If they did get it would they know how to deal with it? Does anyone or is it out of the control of one country alone?

This has been discussed, at great length, in each of the threads on this subject - by my count, there are at least five such threads. Ultimately, unless you have a crystal ball, no-one knows when market forces will impact exports or tourism or the price of Som Tam on Soi 4 at 5pm on a Friday night. My own experience tells me that any reaction to said impact, if and when it does happen, will be slower than most here would like to see. Most economists are conservative - they seem to look for two consecutive quarters of a rise or fall in a given metric before making any pronouncements. I have no idea if Thailand has a 'Financial Review', but it may be a better source of information than this thread - just my two satangs worth.

OP - I'd be interested to know the board name of even *one* Russian on this board. Just one. All this thread will do is generate more stereotypical bullshit 'answers', and to what end ? Your OP doesnt point to anything positive - if anything, its insulting to the very same Russian board members you claim post on AK.

Those options sound serious, diddums - its clear that you've come to a fork in the road, and I can only suggest that you need to make your own forking decisions ! Hope this helps.

Bigotry...???

Absolutely. One of the cornerstones of Thai society.

Life as a Cambodian or Burmese in Thailand, a situation not worth thinking about.

Having spent time in Cambodia, I can see why they go to Thailand, whatever the prejudice. Have to ask the Burma cadre here about life in Burma today, but I get the distinct impression that they also see Thailand as 'The Promised Land'. The Burmese kid sweeping up around the resort I stayed at in Koh Chang didnt look particularly thrilled with his lot in life, but they were giving him a roof over his head and food in his belly - how he got from Burma to Koh Chang is anyone's guess, but I'm sure there are many in Burma who didnt make it across the border.

It's easy to start banging on about 'illiterate women from Nakhon Nowhere' - I wonder how many TVers would last a single day in a ricefield or on a construction site in Bangkok ? How about a week's worth of 12-hour shifts in a factory ? I actually have more respect for the ladies who pass me dressed from head to toe to protect them from the heat than the pampered princesses strutting around Emporium, but I guess its easy to sit in your Upper Suk condo and sling shit at 'half-retarded Thais'.

I started out thinking the average age on TV was somewhere around 60 - increasingly, I've revised that downward to about 16. Keep it up and we could be into negative figures by next week - how 'retarded' would that be, dudes ? Like, totally.

Just not sure where the OP is coming by *any* currency. Who employs someone with so little understanding of the world ? Jesus wept .....

Yep, and they do some very odd things in Malaysia and Indonesia - cant deny that those things irritate us more as we get older, but for me I cant see myself living in someone else's country if I'm going to 'sweat the small stuff'. Smokers annoy the living shit out of me, and most Asian males seem to be serious chain smokers : I have to deal with that or wear the consequences. It goes the other way - some Thai people think that anyone who has a toilet without some form of bidet might as well be squatting in the woods, and its no secret that they consider our general hygiene to be sub-par : all I can do is take care of my own briar patch and ignore the rest. Logically, can a chain smoker who has been standing in the gutter selling t-shirts for 6-8 hours seriously question my hygiene ? I dont think so, but its irrelevant - mai pen rai.

I dont pretend to understand women (of any nationality..) either, but life would be awfully dull without them. Sparta, anyone ?

It would be nice to see every shop stop selling them.

Filthy habit for weak minded people.

It would be even better if people stop butting into someone else's life and minded their own business.

Clearly, you've never lost a relative to a smoking-related illness. As a society, we butt into the lives of heroin addicts and alcoholics all the time, but smoking is a bridge too far. Pop back in and let us know when you've moved to an electric (ie smokeless) cigarette - till then, I have no respect whatsoever for the opinion of an addict who doesnt give a shit about those around him.

I don't hate 'Thailand'.

I just don't like Thai culture, society or the average Thai.

Which is why I'm perfectly happy having almost zero interaction with them while living here in a nice, pretty country.

Works for me. But I guess haters gonna hate.

This mirrors my sentiments almost exactly.

The is nothing wrong with living here, minding your own business and having a nice peaceful life.

I also despise having to deal with any of the locals in any way shape or form.

It would be interesting to hear from the posters that "love Thailand" how long they've been here.

I have been here 15 years and don't think i would live anywhere else however had i know 15 years ago what i know now about the country & people i would not have stayed!

I have the distinct feeling that you would be saying exactly the same thing about Australia, Brazil, Indonesia or wherever. Thailand IS the Thai people, whether you or I like it - no, I don't live in Thailand, and I don't plan to, but I wont be on a board in 12 months banging on about 'lazy Malays' either ....

Push comes to shove, some of us just hate people. Believe it or not, people sense that and it impacts the way they act toward us, and that applies whether you live in Southampton, Sydney or Sakhon Nakhon. Might be time to move to that shack in Montana and be done with it.

Many have achieved far less after '10+ years of trying' ....

I plan to spend most of my my money on booze and loose women, and waste the rest.

Wild broad-brush predictions that make no allowances for the fact that Thailand has significant infrastructure which Vietnam does not. As for the Chinese tourist thing, why would you 'fear for Thailand' if more tourists are on their way ? Xenophobic, IMO.

I eat Pad Thai exclusively. And dress in loud Hawaiian shirts cause my Tilac likes to see me looking so hansum when we go to the gold shop. I think I'll buy her a bar *and* a salon in Pattaya. Please don't hate me for being a success story, OK ?

The key point for me is that - whether it's Thailand or Malaysia or Indonesia - nothing I say is going to make any difference whatsoever. Even the locals often feel powerless - I've seen variations on 'mai pen rai' in each of the above. The problem, as I see it, is that when the locals do finally decide they've had enough, things get nasty in a very big way - even nastier than the rioting in Britain a couple of years back.

I'd be really interested to know what percentage of 'serial whingers' live in Bangkok - I doubt that anyone who lives in a city of that size is going to be a wide-eyed optimist. Still, give any of them a week in Jakarta and I guarantee they would see the Big Mango in a whole new light. Too many people in one place is never a recipe for happy chappies.