sambum

45 minutes ago, scoutman360 said:

 

I grew up in a generation that didn't have plastic bags. Paper worked just fine. No handles on the bags, we carried them with both hands. I don't recall anyone complaining.

Bit difficult to carry a bag with no handles on a motor bike - which is probably the most used form of transport in Thailand!

9 hours ago, bluesofa said:

If you're Thai and visiting Finland don't be offended when Finns say 'hello'. It's the same word as pubic hair in Thai (assuming they say it with a rising tone).

And if you're getting on a plane in New York - don't say "Hi Jack" even if you know who you're saying it to!

7 hours ago, happy chappie said:

A few are.

And even less than that in the big city "ghettos"!

Footnote:  "coffee colored people by the score" (Blue Mink  - Melting Pot - 1969)
 

13 hours ago, sstuff3 said:

Plastic is used in nearly everything today. Vehicles, computers, cooking appliances, food packages, drinks, etc... the list is inexhaustible yet we are supposed to believe that banning plastic shopping bags is going to make the difference. The Facts don't add up!

Stop drinking the Koolaid!

I think that the area of concern is the amount of plastic that ends up in the sea, or in garbage dumps where it can cause water to run off into the surrounding areas and end up polluting the very soil where crops are grown.

Of course plastic is used in many things today, but I don't think that the plastic from obsolete computers or vehicle car seat covers is the problem!

1 hour ago, NightSky said:

If you had described your thread better with a more descriptive title telling us what exactly your thread is about, I.e plastic bags, then I wouldn’t have clicked on it.

So you have no concerns about the damage that plastic bags do?

And when you clicked on it, it should have been apparent what the post was about! 

4 hours ago, Guderian said:

The Baht's predicted to continue strengthening well into 2020, in spite of Praytut's pleas for somebody to do something to make it stop. What new era?

That's why I put the question mark after the comment!!!

Seriously - the era of awareness? Many shop staff (as pointed out above) are now asking if you want a  bag, and thanking you when you say no. And it's not just 711 - I first noticed it months ago in nearly all pharmacies, and Tsco Lotus are now packing shopping in paper bags.

However, I think that one problem will arise when people get hit by a sudden downpour, and their paper bags disintegrate and dump their shopping over the road/pavement. (OK - before someone gets in first -  get a a canvas bag!)

4 hours ago, Reigntax said:

Same on the 11th of last month. blocked up and queues to the base of the inclinator and more than an hour to get processed.

"inclinator"? What a lovely word! They should have more of them so that people can have a lie down while they are waiting in the queue! 

"Half of foreigners" don't pay their hospital bills; director points finger at three nationalities

"One major hospital director in Phuket has even said 50% of tourists leave Thailand without paying up." 

So which is it? I would be inclined to think that it's the tourists are to blame as ex pats/retirees/residents here are easily traceable via Immigration, but once again somebody is trying to stir it up for people who live here. 

An ex pat friend of mine had to have a minor operation here a few months ago and they wouldn't do the surgery until he paid for it - and I think that is the norm here. Tourists may have insurance cover for the initial cost of any accident, but are they covered for what may be weeks or months of post op care? 

And to be honest, I am very sceptical about the "50%" claim - it sounds to me like a figure plucked out of the air for effect. 

5 hours ago, Docno said:

Why protect his identity (appearance) in the photos if he is a wanted fugitive and his name is known/revealed?

Innocent until PROVEN guilty?

4 hours ago, emptypockets said:

Come on boys, only two pages of essentially Thai bashing. You can do a lot better than this.

The content of the article being what it is - what did you expect?

On 11/23/2019 at 9:23 AM, Old Croc said:

At least 4 of those killed were Thai.

Sorry, but where do you get that info from? The post/article from the Nation reads:-

“We were informed by police from the Thalang district station that a concrete slab being used in the conversion of a building in the Sai Si Ngyen complex into a gas station collapsed, killing seven workers from Myanmar instantly and severely injuring two more.”

1 hour ago, luckyluke said:

After 19 years Thailand, and the same number of years living with a Thai lady, I know that everything is relative. 

 

My Thai wife still have to regularly tell me :

 

"Why do you think that your approach of things is the only right one?

 

Why do you think your understanding of common sense is the only right one?

 

It may be the case in Western countries, not necessarily in Thailand". 

 

I have to admit she is right, however I still can not understand her approach to many things. 

 

I suppose when one not understand, one would consider it easely as being wrong. 

 

 

 

 

Nice post! It sounds like your Thai wife is quite wise!

We all make the mistake of thinking that we are right at the time, but some of us will listen to the other side of the discussion/argument before making an "informed" opinion.

Slightly off topic, but it reminds me of something that was said to me many years ago when dealing with "The Taxman".  In my case, I had been making a little bit of money "on the side" and not declaring it to the Inland Revenue (USA - IRS) They found out, and I was sent an "estimate" of what they thought I was making. which of course was FAR in excess of  the true amount! I had to acquire the services of an accountant (who was also a personal friend of mine) He said that the "estimate" was in actual fact,  a "guesstimate" and was intended to be a "frightener", as if I did not reply with in 30 days I would have to pay the full amount demanded. However, if I appealed against the amount, and sent in some figures of receipts and expenses (which didn't have to be 100% accurate because of the nature of the income) then "The Taxman" would be inclined to be a bit more lenient. He said:-

"Always try to put yourself in the position of the person at the other side of the desk".

His logic was that the guy (person?)  at the other side of the desk had a superior who had heard that I had been making income and not declaring it, so instructed him to follow it up. He did so, and he could now turn round to his boss and say "I have been  in touch with "Mr White",  and he has given me some records of income and expenses - I have rejected one or two items as unacceptable, but by and large the amounts seem reasonable, so I suggest that we accept the figures"

This did actually happen to me, and the amount that I had to pay was app 5% of the original "guesstimate". The lesson to be learned is that if you make the "person at the other side of the desk" happy, then he in turn will try to make his boss happy, so all parties are happy:- 

 "Let's move on - next case please!". 

16 hours ago, KhunFred said:

"Opportunity Cost" . The word "bribe" is a western concept which has no validity in Thailand.

Took a month to think of that one?

And I would have thought that more than a YEAR (October 2018!) would have been long enough to get over the confusion? Sorry - I forgot - TIT!!!

4 hours ago, Vacuum said:

"world travels" 

 

You mean domestic travels, as most/very many Thais don't ha ve a passport?

 Danger! Sarcasm alert!

6 hours ago, colinneil said:

So Kai Issacs thinks i can make serious money out of this, just stretch the truth make it sound dramatic, ker ching.

“There were people from 47 different countries."

Well, I suppose he had time to count them all! ????

4 hours ago, mikebell said:

Why don't they do what lots of old Chinese/Thai men do?  Eat ground up rhino horn or tiger bits.

Don't understand the belief that animals have to die to get an erection; sildenafil is available over the counter at most pharmacies in Pattaya even half a tablet works 100% . .... . so I've heard.

Q:  "Can you get it over the counter?"

A: "I can if I take 2!"

2 hours ago, CanterbrigianBangkoker said:

I would disagree there. I think there is a very strong argument for a link between the two, as do many.

 

People are becoming dumbed down in many instances because of excessive use of technology. Yes, you can of course use it to good effect by using it as tool to teach yourself and become better informed, as many people do including myself. But just as many people (in reality probably a lot more) all too often use technology to satisfy their own addictions to social media/gaming and other banal pursuits. The indulgence in such an array of mind-numbing vapidities - exhibit a - 'Candy Crush' is staggering today. There are hundreds if not thousands of examples, we can all think of many I'm sure. Before this tech existed a lot more people were forced to interact socially in person; rather than remotely, virtually or anonymously - much better for one's mental health and social ability/cognitive capacity too.  Fewer and fewer people read or devote time to intellectual pursuits these days, simultaenously the change in our now very dubious values and our radically reduced attention spans have in large part come about because of the advent of the social media age and the instant gratification culture that goes along with it.

Tech is near-solely responsible for this shift - well, our utter obsession with and dependence on it anyhow, but you can't have one without the other, can you?

 

Not to mention the exposure to EMR-RF (which wireless devices emit en-masse all day every day) has been shown to dull the senses in many animal test subjects as well as impair cognitive ability when subjects experienced overexposure to high frequency RW. There is a plethora of medical / scientific data out there from over 10,000 independent peer-reviewed studies which show evidence of the malign effects of overexposure to EMF-RF. We are insane to allow the rolling out 5g (totally untested) and for the IoT / smart-tech to take a hold of our lives even more than it already has.  

I agree with your post, but I do wish people would stop using abbreviations for some of these technological advances e.g. "EMR-RF" - <deleted>?

5 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Might want to make them a bit bigger and more numerous. Not one, but two tragic deaths in the same spot, for the same reason.

So maybe a sign in that same spot saying that 2 people had died there and for what reason?

9 hours ago, FinChin67 said:

I believe the strong bath and much lower income from tourists will hit Thailand pretty hard. On top of that China is feeling the pain from the trade war and it will affect Thailand which depends on China. Manufacturing (incl. me) is moving out from China but not to Thailand.. (Vietnam, Indonesia and even back to Europe). Car industry is choking in China and I am sure in Thailand as well.

 

What they are going to do about it is the big question mark. So far nothing..

 

China’s 2020 growth to drop below 6.0 per cent, says government-linked body
https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3037562/chinese-think-tank-becomes-first-government-linked-body

We used to have a strong bath when I was a child - made of zinc I believe, and used it in front of a coal fire!

7 hours ago, marcusb said:

This is what gets me.  I am always on my motorbike, so I always have my backpack on. I haven't used store bags for a couple years. When I empty my backpack out at home I am dismayed by all the plastic on the table. 

 Plastic bags are a start but we need to get the manufacturers cutting out the packaging or using plastic alternatives. 

Correct! I got "slagged off" a while ago for buying cheese slices where all the slices are separated by thin sheets of plastic. There are types of cheese slices available without, but almost impossible to separate, and I don't like the brand anyway. Could they not use some kind of greaseproof paper instead?