thaigirlwatcher

Solution is obvious. Hire effective animal control officers. Haven't seen stray dogs in America in 50 years. All dogs of owners must be on a leash and any poop must be picked up immediately by the owner or he/she is fined. There...is that so hard???

In the US power cuts following wind storms are quite common because the power lines are above ground. Compare with Germany where all the lines are buried and power cuts are apparently unknown. This is what happens when a rich country decides to neglect its common commitment to infrasctructure of which the power lines are only one example among many.

Yes there are often power cuts after winter storm or high winds but that does not mean by any stretch of the imagination that the electrical infrastructure is bad. You might want to look at the distances involved in the electrical grid of the USA vs. Germany. It would be impossible to bury all the electrical transmission in the USA. While the politicians of both strips may use decaying infrastructure as a political football, for the most part things work pretty well in the USA. For the size of the country, I would put the USA up against just about anywhere as far as to the general safety of structures. Sure there will always be new airports and rail systems that are better but in general I would still take the roads, electrical, gas, water and sewage treatment systems, in the USA over just about anywhere. Just about everywhere I go in Asia, one sees poor quality workmanship in general and lack of maintenance in particular. In most of the structures in Asia (outside of Japan and So. Korea) I certainly have reason to question the amount of cement vs sand in most concrete as it is certainly evident from the decomposition in many cases after about 10 years. Not sure the quality of the steel rebar is much better either. Most small buildings in SEA would not pass inspection in the USA.. So say what you will, and certainly nothing is perfect here, but I'll take the infrastructure and standards of the USA any day.

After having made 15 trips to Thailand and the Philippines I couldn't agree with you more.

Being very boring, I keep track of how often the power goes off in our village.

Just checked my extensive records! In the past two years we've had twenty-two power outages, ranging from ten minutes to nine hours.

Ten minutes the shortest, really?

We often get the 0.5s power cut, appliances and light bulbs really love that.

You might want to look into a UPS for those utilities that can attach to it

I find this hard to believe. I have bought handbags for my TGF at the local Coach outlet. The staff is highly trained and in no way could they be fooled by a fake. I think this is true of other high end retailers in the US.

My TGF from Lamphun spent 3 weeks with me in the States in April. She asked me where are the soi dogs. I told her that we have effective animal control officers and laws that are strictly enforced by the authorities. She was surprised. In fact, I couldn't tell you the last time that I saw a stray dog in America. On the other hand, I was disgusted on my 14 visits to Thailand where packs of wild dogs roam freely and attack humans like this case. Is it <deleted> IMPOSSIBLE to improve this? Like most things in Thailand, there is only a lack of will to improve the situation on the ground. By the way....there will NOT be a 15th trip.

I followed the aftermath of the fire in Tiger Disco closely after the tragic event since I had gone there myself on several occasions. The fire in Tiger Disco was proven to be caused by an electrical fire from an overloaded light assembly in the dancing area. It spread to the foam objects that surrounded the stage. They were made of non approved material and actually fueled the fire. There were photos posted BRIEFLY in the Gazette of the light fixture but it quickly disappeared e never to be seen again. Photos of the four badly charred bodies next to smiling policemen were also posted briefly then also disappeared from the online pages within hours. There was an investigation but the coverup started in earnest in the subsequent days. Four people died in the fire. It was more of a case of manslaughter than "negligence." None of the Thai owners was changed with serious crimes. The New Tiger was built and the past was quickly forgotten by almost everyone...except me. I had been to Patong 10X before the fire but I will never return. The complete disregard for human life and the corruption on that island is appalling. I travel elsewhere in Thailand now. 

Hey...I'm bored here in farang land.

Raotis,

Thanks for the intel. That's the kind of shop that I use here in the States. I prefer a shop like that to a random barber shop.

Mike

Can any of you recommend a Western quality haircut in CM? Quality is more important than cost. I will be in town from Dec through Feb this coming high season.

Thanks,

Mike

USA