MarcIssan

I think if you approached any Thai person about an outstanding loan you would get it right 100% of the time.  Ask about an outstanding motorbike loan and you would get it right 98% of the time.  Likely fake coppers!  

Getting all the free doses...$30 million worth from the USA alone...was probably Prayut's end game in not ordering jabs earlier.  

I think it was an alien attack or an accidental discharge of their Death Star laser.  That is about as likely as an accidental drowning.

On 4/7/2021 at 1:00 PM, VocalNeal said:

 

Maybe they are simply laid back and not overly concerned about misdemeanours which they don't see as crimes.

The system is the problem.  MayPhenRi!  It's a free for all on the motorways and all the drivers are self-managed since there are no enforceable laws to consider.  The police come into the situation after-the-fact.

On 3/28/2021 at 9:35 AM, ThailandRyan said:

Or land you with a Job....

Would that be a job breaking rocks on some remote stretch of land??

On 5/10/2021 at 11:22 AM, placeholder said:

What he is not is a virologist or epidemiologist or, in fact, a scientist of any sort. 

Zubin Damania (born April 23, 1973)^[1][2] is an American physician, assistant professor, comedian, internet personality, and musician. He also has been writing and performing comedic raps as ZDoggMD, an internet celebrity known for his music videos, parodies, and comedy sketches about medical issues, as well as systemic issues with healthcare.^[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zubin_Damania

Yeah his podcasts are not the stoic white coat drivel you get from the CDC but they do make common sense of complicated material.  While he is not a virologist he brings the  lot into some  of his podcasts.  If you don't like them, go back to watching the Flintstones.

I own a 350 SX which has a smaller pressure tank but is still rated at 63 LPM max.  I had a problem with mine and decided to pull it apart on my own rather than wait for the local 'expert' to sort it out.  They are really simple machines.  A motor, an impeller, a pressure tank, and a pressure switch.  All you need is a phillips screw driver and some pliers and maybe an adjustable spanner or two.

The issue with mine was caused by a small mesh wire screen somehow got wedged sideways in the input port and some stuff got wrapped around it blocking the flow.  That stuff was pieces of teflon tape and some glue residue from when the pipes were initially set up.   Also I did notice some of the motor shrouding was loose and by tightening the screws some of the operating noise went away. 

I also have a 1 hp irrigation pump which began to make an odd noise and upon disassembly I noticed a small stone  stuck in one of the impeller blades plus I found some pieces of a spring from the pressure switch got lodged in the centrifugal switch mechanism and their removal solved the  issue and increased the flow noticeably. 

Try cycling the pump on and off to notice where the  noise is coming from.  Could it be noise from normal vibration so maybe a rubber mount or shock mount foot is loose or missing? Is the tank a bladder type?  Bladders can wear and not hold pressure.  Do you get a surge of water when you open the faucet but before the pump actually spins up?  If not, the bladder may need a check and the tank may need replacing.  Has the noise just started or has it been there but gotten worse?  It there a pipe that gets slammed to the hard surface when the motor starts or stops due to water cavitation?   

If you want to try a self repair is to remove the inlet and outlet pipes to see if there is something in the impeller.  Do you have a filter like a Big Blue to catch that stuff?

Fluid dynamics is so crazy interesting and I know oh so little of it but there is inertia in the water as it moves and when the pump stops all the weight of the water in the piped between your water source and pump has to disperse every time the pump cycles.  You might consider putting a T fitting along that  line with  a 60 cm vertical pipe with a cap on  the top to form an air pocket that gives the water a cushion when the pump turns off.  

It's hard  to tell since sight and sound provide input to help locate the problem and on a blog that part is missing.  I hope this helps.

And what about the 'fully vaccinated' bar girls and other workers that help make Phuket what it is?

Recently I received a link  via Facebook to ZDOGGMD aka Dr. Zubin Damania whose bio includes being a hospitalist.  Not being familiar with the term I read hospitalists are medical specialists who most often earn a residency in internal medicine and

are certified in hospital medicine. 

He has some very interesting fact-based podcasts on the Covid situation, on vaccinations and their efficacies, about mask wearing outdoors, about one's temperature as a test for the presence of Covid, about asymptomatic cases, about what they learned about Covid in Iceland and what is now happening in India, and more.

FYI for those seeking another point of view.

On 4/23/2021 at 11:49 AM, Pattaya Spotter said:

I can see both sides of this argument...and no one is forced to come to Phuket.

Covid is a public health crisis due in part to how well the Thai government responded to and is currently responding to it.  I think the city or provincial, or national governments need to step up to whatever it takes to keep the population safe.  We didn't cause the crisis any more than individual Thai's have but I guess the concept of 'fairness' doesn't exist here.  If Phuket wants people to be tested upon entry, they should be willing to pay for it in the interest of public safety.  Covid shots protect others too not just the ones being vaccinated and the government should pay the cost of that as well...for everyone who chooses to live here. ..in the interest of public safety. 

The ex-pat contribution to the Thai economy is substantial enough for them to give us two $20 jabs I think.  Maybe I fail to appreciate the simple-minded approach that seems to rampant here where farangs must pay extra for everything.  We are first-class when it comes to attracting us to their country but we are last-class when it comes to any benefit we might expect as a result of our contribution to their economy.

"An adviser to Thailand’s Deputy PM, says he aims to bring in 1 million retirees or pensioners over the next few years. He says expats could collectively contribute as much as 1.2 trillion baht to the economy each year. " Thaiger April 13, 2021.

But bilking us at every corner isn't the way to do it.

On 4/23/2021 at 2:42 PM, Kinnock said:

Yes ..... to get maximum benefit you really want to vaccinate the most active spreaders first, irrespective of nationality - which is a totally irrelevant factor in any real vaccine strategy.

 

If logic was applied rather than politics, you'd start with health workers and sex workers, then schoolchildren, then the working population, then the elderly.

 

Us old-uns can be comparatively isolated while waiting for our vaccines with no impact on the economy - and we may also get the benefit of the health and sex workers being vaccinated. ????

So logic tells me if a sex worker gets jabbed then I jab the sex worker, that may count as my first of two jabs...or am I off base a little. :)!

I was thinking about that the other day and concluded it is a systemic problem.  What good are motorway rules if no one is held accountable for breaking them?  Let's see..don't ride or drive on the wrong side if the motorway, don't ride your motorbike on the sidewalks, don't speed, wear helmets, no more than 2 riders on a motorbike and each rider must wear a helmet, make sure your vehicle or motorbike is up to safety standards and all lights operate properly, all headlights are white all taillights are red, both signals work front and rear, don't drink and drive.  All are good ideas but where are the police to 'train' offensive and unsafe drivers and riders?  Where is the system to track repeat offenders and either incrementally fine or impound the vehicle if the driver or motorbike rider keeps offending?  And if offenders can pay-and-go, how can repeat offenders be tracked and properly managed?  CCTV cameras provide evidence of an event but the police, via patrols and proper ticketing, can eventually teach or take off the motorways the drivers who habitually do not follow safety rules of the road.  But that will never happen here!  Either the system is too broken, too entrenched, or too corrupt.  Please edit out any of my comment that might be offensive or might land me in jail!

19 hours ago, mancub said:

Ubon Tourist Police...( Immigration won't issue said form) insist there is a 'service charge' of 300 bt.  They refuse to offer  any form of receipt or show any paperwork regarding this fee. Is this normal and accepted practice now or was it always thus ? 

I visited a Thai legal services website not long ago and they discussed what we farangs might call bribes and labeled them as 'customer service' fees.  These ad hoc fees are to assure our paperwork gets process expeditiously and without error.  The government agent to whom you paid will then take a personal interest in assuring everything goes smoothly.  The site mentioned these are customary fees and the price can vary between provinces and among officials within a province.  So if a person wants 'expedited' personal service, pay the fees.

Every comment here has more valid and achievable ideas to reduce road death than the officials have.  How stupid are they to overlook the obvious.  Where are the <deleted> police during the  day?  We all know they are doing night stops to catch the drinkers and fill up the tea money cup but during the day where are the 200,000+ Thai police and what are they actually doing?  And the head idiots bring in the underling idiots to mull over the same thing with no actionable plan as a result.  Is this just for the publicity of it?  What happened to the joint venture between Thailand and WHO to tackle the same problem?  No word on that effort.  It would seem to me that if they really wanted to solve the problem they would invite people from civilized countries to discuss how these countries manage their highways...at least for ideas.  To me, the daytimes here in Udon are pretty much self-policed and the only 'control' is the one we put on ourselves...the driving public.  If the police do not catch, ticket, fine, and track repeat offenders with increasing penalites leading to the suspension of the right to drive or jail time, the problems will never be solved or controlled because self-policing does not work for those who do not follow common sense much less driving laws currently in place. This is one think I love to hate about Thailand.

On 2/15/2021 at 1:49 PM, Crossy said:

Mothballs (naphthalene balls) seem to discourage most wildlife if you can get them into the space.

 

Get the big ones from makro and put them in cloth bags on fishing line so you can get them out again once the beasties have moved out.

I tried moth balls on the window sills to no avail.  The Geckos came in anyway and laid their eggs in the sliding window tracks.  My wife put them on the inside as well and the only thing they drove out was me!

So 15 years ago I paid a sin sod so maybe it was different then.  I paid what I could afford and am still happily married.  The MIL sponsored about 15 kids at the local school for a year or more so at least some of the money went to 'help those less fortunate'.  The sin sod served many purposes.  It showed my bride-to-be that I was not a cheap Charlie and that she could look forward to a decent life.  It gave her and her family certain bragging rights in the village and it eased their life while the money lasted.  And since she was 'the one' for me, I didn't want a few thousand dollars to interfere with our future.  The impression I got was that the 'value' the family placed on their daughter was the sin sod they requested.

But, on the down side, I think it also set the stage with the family that I was the newest ATM in the village too.  I got hit with many loan requests following our wedding and I agreed to some but not all.  It was hard for my wife to tell her family NO so we agreed she would say "It's not my money...it's my husband's money so it is up to him".  Then I would say NO and she passed my decision on.

Eventually we moved to Udon and at first the loan request lines were long and steady out the door of my rental home.  The day of reckoning came and I held a family meeting where all the smiles quickly turned to frowns.  You see I pointed to each and every one of them and said they had bad credit with me for not paying the last loan and than any further loans would depend upon my first receiving full payment of the prior loan(s).  Two loans were paid, one was not but I sold a plot of land I got in the settlement of debt and the proceeds paid all the loans in full plus some.  One family member's loan is still outstanding now 9 years later.  I'll never see his money for sure!

Now everyone knows not to ask for money....ever!  My wife finally realized that given the chance, family would take everything leaving us with zero for the future so she in turn is as tight with money as I am.

So for me, I found a balance.  I offered what I could afford for the sin sod, future loans (gifts), and educational assistance for the kids but now a penny more.  I set a limit and cut off the flow once that limit was hit.  My wife has the satisfaction that we helped each one of the family members but I refuse to make further loans because 'family forgets to pay'!

I explained that when I married my wife I promised to take care of her and that our savings and investments are for that purpose.  I did NOT agree to take care of them and if I continued to give money and make loans that don't get repaid, there will be no money for our future when we need it.  I found that if I controlled my money I also controlled my wife and her family. It took about 6 months for them to GET IT and now we live among the family in our own house on our own plots and are never bothered with support requests.  Life is good, my wife is happy, and I manage all financial issues.  My wife has access to only her account and the money I put in there.

So one size does not fit all.  It is a matter of what you can afford, what if anything are you willing to do, and how you plan to handle 'support' issues in the future.

On 12/16/2020 at 1:47 PM, soi3eddie said:

 

Yellow book is not needed for Electric, Internet, TOT phone or bank account. I previously had all these in my name just using passport. 

 

As for your wife's house/land, on her passing simply do nothing. You may want her to make a will in advance of her intentions for you to remain. Maybe also get a usufruct or 30yr land rental as further protection. 

 

Try to keep friendly relations with neighbours and family. 

 

As for yellow book and pink id card then definitely advise getting it if you can (makes vehicle registration in your name as easy as a Thai). Each Amphur office has different requirements. Took me 3 visits +embassy verifaction of passport and MFA certification and 6 weeks to get mine. 

The only reason I live in this village is because of my wife and if she passes before me I may want to move.  It is not unlikely that the family will want a cut of my house sale if it involves them having to sign anything or go out of their way to help the process along.  If I'm moving away then I might be just another farang to them.  If they feel they have any leverage, well the price goes up or ultimately they don't have to do anything since I don't own the land and if I move anyway well there are lots of family members willing to move in after me.  I think a Will is the best strategy so at the very least they can see what my wife's intentions were.  Thanks for the idea.

My wife went to the Tessabaan  in Udon and came back with "Same as marriage visa" which helps me ZERO considering I never applied for a marriage visa. She was shown a paper regarding procedures and documents but was not given a copy.  I think something was lost in translation and will have to go again myself.  Thanks for everyone's input.  It may make more sense once I learn more.

Sorry for the late reply as I don't check this for messages as often as I should.  Your grass looks great and no weeds is a gift.  I still have them off and on but I spot spray with Glyphosate after pounding a 1" PVC pipe over the weed top to control the spray from hitting the surrounding grass.  Zoysia is fantastic...so soft to the feet and hardy for full sun.

I suspect Chinese influence in the matter since they plan on taking over in the near future.  A Chinese coup would bring global recrimination but to fund a coup then slide in along side the 'new guy' is easy.

My contractor suggested getting a yellow book in the rare case that my wife dies before me as in a car or motorbike accident.  Not having a yellow book prevents me from switching the electric, internet and other accounts to my name according to him because I have no proof of residence.   We own plots of farmland etc which I don't care about but my main concern is the land and house we just had built.  My wife owns the land of course but what happens to that in the case of her death?  In America all assets go to the surviving spouse but since I cannot own land in Thailand, what happens to the ownership of our house and land plot in the case of her death?

So in case my wife gets run over by a sugar cane truck, I don't want any trouble from members of her family regarding my right to live here or to sell and move someplace else at my choosing.  So in trying to solve that problem, he suggested a Yellow book to show residence, a land lease from my wife giving me the right to own a house on her land, and a joint will (involving an attorney) that lays out what happens under various survivor circumstances.  I don't have problems now but I have had issues with family over money (I have some and they don't) and I don't want her brother(s) to attempt to extort money from me to pay for the right to live out my life on the land and house I paid for.  You never know!!!

If anyone has an experience in the above, please weigh in.

Wear gloves to limit your exposure to the chemicals in gas and oil.  When I don't, my hands smell bad for days. 

On another note, since you work on motorbikes...do you know what happens to crashed bikes here in Thailand?  I'm thinking of building my own buggy either 2 or 4 wheel drive powered by a motorcycle engine.  I plan to use it around the village and do not plan to license it for the road.  I'm thinking of a 250 CC engine maybe larger but I cannot find any junkyards online or any separate engines advertised on Craigslist, BahtSold, or Kaidee.  

On 5/25/2020 at 8:13 AM, AlexRich said:

You’re wasting even more money with legal action. I’m surprised you need to ask.

Yes I agree.  I have a similar situation with my brother in law and the attorney wants 25,000 for going to small claims court (under 300,000 bt). But since the court does not enforce the findings, what have I won?  For me it's not the money but the point of being screwed over but spending 25,000 + + + + + and not collecting any more than if I go over to his house and ask for a payment seems to be a waste of money.  Right now I'll just repossess the truck of mine he uses and sell it off and that will bring down the balance some and I'll just walk away.  By the way, I have a signed contract and proof of monies dispersed along with family witnesses but in the end he has 'no money' and no willingness to make it right.  

5 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

What I posted goes into effect tomorrow. And is dated the 19th of this month.

Source

 

Yup, Glyphosate is not on the list (but maybe it should be considering all the successful lawsuits in America regarding disease related to use) and none of the Nutsedge chemicals are on there either.  Thanks for posting.