walt

Lovely people, all.

Walt

Watching Fox "News" tv my blood came to a boil watching the Mike Huckabee show ...

Jingthing,

Your interpretation of Huckabee’s “rant” doesn’t make good sense. His opinion of people who feel offended by the mere presence of the American flag doesn’t say anything at all about American expats, much less about any of the reasons many people choose to live abroad. Your description of his words doesn’t even come close to bashing expats.

It seems to me that your being upset about what Huckabee may have said shows more about you and your own biases than anything about Huckabee, Fox News, or the right wing demonizing anyone.

Walt

I telephoned The Norton Utilities people, and they said that their product "Norton Internet Security 2010" was compatible with Windows 7. They also said that the 2009 version of this product was NOT compatible. If you have a current valid Norton package that you have registered with them, you can do an upgrade to the 2010 version for free on their website.

Walt

I just ran the Windows 7 upgrade Home Premium version on my 64 bit HP desktop with lots of memory running a 64 bit Microsoft Home Premium VISTA operating system. I was optimistically looking forward to having this new operating sytem that even the Wall Street Journal praised.

The result, however, was not exactly wonderful in that afterwards I could no longer get either Firefox or Internet Explorer to open any pages on the Internet. In other words, I got completely cut off from accessing anything on the web. After about an hour and a half talking with the kind MS people in India, their conclusion was that it was either the fault of an incompatible version of Norton Utilities or the fault of my ISP (AT&T). In other words, it wasn't their fault, and I should take my problem elsewhere. Thank you, Microsoft.

So I did that. I talked with the Norton folks who helped me get rid of my old Norton and replace it with a 2010 Windows 7 compatible version, but I still couldn't connect with any internet pages. So, after hearing my sad story, they also suggested I talk with my ISP.

So I did that too, and as a result of that discussion and a modem reset that didn't work, I ended up with the single option of a broadband manual connection (needs to be established at each bootup) - hardly satisfying to say the least. They also suggested that perhaps the install did not go well, and that I could try it again. Aha, ... try it again.

So I did a reinstall of Windows 7. But since the broadband connection had to be established at each bootup and the installation requires several automatic restarts, the install could only be done as a "custom" install instead of the standard automatic install.

For you folks who have not yet had the pleasure, a custom install treats the machine as if it were running Windows XP, that is, all files and programs, ALL PROGRAMS, will be wiped out and replaced by a bare-bones Windows 7 OS. So I lost all my personal files along with applications like WORD, EXCEL, POWERPOINT, ACCESS and any other program. I was finally able to reset the modem and reestablish a regular DSL connection, but I had lost everything else.

I went back to Microsoft to plead with them, and I was put on hold by some jerk for an hour and a half. I gave up on that guy and started over with Microsoft. I was looking for a replacement of my lost Microsoft applications. I was informed that unless I had the original disks, there was nothing they could do. Since my setup was done by an OEM, Hewlert Packard, I did not have those disks. So sorry, they said. Go away. Eight hours of suffering, so far.

So I contacted HP. They listened to my story and said they could help with the lost programs. They are sending me a disk (for $29) to put my machine back to where it was two years ago. Better than nothing, I think. Then I can have pleasure of trying a Windows 7 install again (this next time without an outdated Norton package installed).

My clouded conclusions: The Norton Utilities people were helpful, the AT&T people were helpful, and the HP people were helpful, but I want to shout that the Microsoft people WERE NOT HELPFUL, and they have caused me to have bad feelings about them. Too bad they are not withing spitting distance.

So, take what you can from this story, but in any case, be prepared and backup all your files if you go the Windows 7 route, even starting with VISTA.

Walt

I don't know what kind of insurance you have, but my BC/BS (FEHB) plan from the U.S. demands a line by line accounting, i.e., a statement listing the cost of each test done, in order to evaluate how much their reimbursement will be.

When I asked for such an accounting at Bumrungrad, I got that wild-eyed look of confusion, followed by a telephone call to their accounting cost department, and then came the statement, "No can do." I was really surprised.

So I went to Phyathai 2 Hospital over on Phaholyathin Rd. near Victory Monument, and they were happy to provide a line by line accounting statement. You can check out their program on-line and compare it to Bumrungrad's. The costs are about the same. I was quite satisfied with their program.

If you go there you will probably notice that our Middle Eastern friends have not yet discovered Phyathai 2

Both Lumpini park and Benjasiri park (next to emporium) have 25 meter lap pools.

Turn up with a cheap medical certificate from any side street clinic, a bunch of passport photos and your passport (and a photcopy) and you'll be allowed to join. Shouldn't cost more than 100 or 200 baht.

Hi Samran,

I just "Google Earthed" both places, and I see them. The one at Lumpini is not far from our place. Thank you for pointing them out to me. Made my day!

Best,

Walt

Does anyone know of a place where I can do some daily lap swimming? I generally stay in Bangkok for about four months, and where I stay there is a small pool available, but I was thinking it would nice to have access to a 25 meter pool, or even bigger, for distance swimming. Is there any place that offers temporary memberships for such swimming?

Clearly, the big names, those with multi-year waiting lists are not going to work for me, but maybe there are other options that I don’t know about.

Thanks for any ideas? (And no, the Chao Phaya is not an option for me.)

Walt

With a similar condition as yours, I had a good experience with the main dermatologist at Phyathai 2 Hospital, 943 Phoholyothin Rd, Bangkok. I found the atmosphere there to be more comfortable than at Bumrungrad.

Walt

Most retirees never pay one cent of US income tax on SS benefits. If they do, they're not being double-taxed.

PeaceBlondie, that’s a little misleading – it's true that MOST SS recipients don't pay tax on their benefits, but about ONE THIRD do. You don't want to be seen as being too kind to Uncle Sam, do you? In other words, a lot of people pay income tax on their SS benefits.

According to the latest issue of Money magazine (Oct 2009, Vol 38, Num 10, p.90), currently about one third of Social Security recipients pay income tax on a portion of their benefits. If your total annual income, including benefits and even exempt interest on muni bonds, is greater than $32,000 ($25,000 for singles), up to 50% of your benefits are taxable. If your income is $44,000 ($34,000 for singles), then up to 85% of your benefits are taxable.

Check it out.

Walt

ok you guys have realy helped me understand this. So when I retire next year it is based on 2007, 2008 and 2009 earnings upon reaching 62

and apply 3 months early!

thanks so much!

Now, can I apply in Sep. 2012 at the embassy in Bangkok?

I will be dealing with direct deposit to a bank account in the United States.

Midlifecrisis, Stop! The amount of your social security benefits is determined by your entire earnings history, not just the last three years! Go to http://www.ssa.gov/ for full information, including the earliest date that you can apply in your case. All the information you could want is at that website.

Walt

For a Farang, having a considerable age difference between him, no matter how many years apart, and his Thai spouse is not reviled by Thais and will not be frowned upon.

This is because they view the situation as that the old Farang has money and the apparently sweet innocent younger Thai girl is only trying to improve her life and secure a good future for her and her family. But on the other hand, these couples, the beauty and the beast, so to speak, will never be seen in the light of a normal married couple romantically involved with each other and the relationship could be taken as more of a novelty and a bit of a joke by many.

So what this means is that in most cases the couples form more of a business partnership rather than a romantic loving relationship between a husband and wife. The old git has his regular hot totty which is about the most these girls can offer, if the guy can manage it, and the girl gains financial security and some status within her family and community.

If the old Farang is content with this sort of set up, especially keeping in mind that in the majority of cases there is no guarantee these girls will remain faithful and will probably never have any true respect for the guy, than that’s fine. But if the guy is seeking a more permanent, sincere, caring and loving relationship, than he must be realistic and consider all the facts first.

Khun Sassienie,

Peple here should pay attention to what you wrote since your response is THE ANSWER, and a very practical one as well. In addition, there is an old, and well-known, Thai saying that the OP might want to consider if he is still with us. It goes something like this:

"If you see a snake and a Kack, which should you kill first?"

Answer: The Kack, of course, since you can never trust a Kack while you generally know how the snake will behave - something the original OP probably never thought of, or maybe knew of.

Walt

I'm coming to Bangkok soon and staying for a good few months maybe a couple of years.

Is there anything I should bring with me I can't get over there?

I guess most things can be purchased in Bangkok - they have Tesco don't they?

I'm bringing lots of t-shirts and shorts and some trainers and shoes so that should be ok.

I hear protein powder is hard to come buy but not sure if I want to bring that through customs!

Thanks.

Things to bring with you:

1. Inoculations against hepatitis A and B, typhoid fever, flu, and Japanese encephalitis (if spending any time in jungle areas).

2. Electronic items - computers of any type, cameras, stabilizing binoculars.

3. If you are a sports person, then bring your own equipment.

4. Shoes - for hiking, for running, and also your regular street shoes.

5. If you are going to be outside a lot, then bring along a supply of high-content deet repellent.

6. A small medical kit with a good supply of medicines you typically use, including antibiotic creams.

Just about all of this stuff can be substituted with local items, but what you lose is quality in the product, variety of selection, and sometimes significantly higher prices because of import duties. If you choose to substitute with local products, then consider the time you will need to spend searching and searching, sometimes in vain, for an item you could have easily picked up at your corner shop back home. Don't forget about those inoculations!

Walt

I would like to know about my country in your opinion.

Allow me to give the OP the answer he is looking for:

I love Thailand. I love the weather, the food, the bus system and the taxi system, and I especially love all the warm smiles I see everywhere I look. It's true. And I love the current governmental powers and their heroic efforts to help all the people who grow food and to give a proper education to those other up-country people as well. I feel very comfortable walking the streets day or night, and I never have to worry for my safety or about being cheated. Of course, there are some difficulties with the sidewalks and the driving situation and traffic, but nothing is perfect.

Walt

Sorry to post yet another TOT thread, about to try my laptop out the window troubleshooting this dam_n TOT connection, just want to prove its something my end before I upgrade or shout at them..

Open up a Command Prompt (the black/white DOS like window), or Terminal for Mac OS X users.

Type the following and press return/enter:

ping -n 50 118.173.20.1

It will take about a minute to run. Can you let me know the summary, highest, lowest, average, dropped etc..

I post in Koh Samui form as the above IP seems to be the gateway for Samui TOT users.

Thanks

For comparison - this is from Ohio in the U.S.

For 50 pings: Minimum time = 308ms, Maximum time = 311ms, Average = 309ms

I guess that's what about 10,000 miles distance will do for you.

Walt

just curious how does GW make any difference to you? looking for higher inflation? higher taxes? or are you planning on going on the dole?

That's a very good question, Mr. Maccaroni Man. I was thinking the very same thing.

Walt

I want to get my gf an inexpensive laptop and wonder if it is better to bring one from USA or buy in Thailand.

Thanks

I think you will find that for just about all electronic products like computers, printers, LCD TVs, etc., the selection is better, the quality is better, and the price will be less expensive in the U.S. compared with Thailand. You get original software as well, not pirated stuff. But in your case, the keyboard may be paramount. You can get a keyboard adapter for Thai characters, but you need to install software to go with it. So, I think Thailand is your place for the purchase!

Walt

And, I don't mean just dropping a few coins in a beggar's cup.

What can we do to make life a little more comfortable or pleasant for those people in our neighborhood? Most of us are guests in Thailand and rather than just take (and pay for) what little things can we do to say that we care?

If we go out of our way to do something every day...any small thing...we will make that person feel better and we also will feel better. Just being polite and smiling goes a long way.

Post your ideas of what would help.

Hey Corkscrew, have you ever been walking in a park and come across a band consisting of all blind musicians? I have seen such groups numerous times in the early evening in Suan Romaninat (sp?) Park located on Thanon Mahachai right near one end of China Town. They probably play in Lumpini as well, though I don't walk there often enough to know for sure. They are pretty good musicians. They don't do hard rock or anything like that, but instead stick to more traditional Thai music, and they don't set their speakers to maximum volume either. In other words, it's pleasant to hear them and nice to see them.

They never ask for money, but it seems to me they could use it. Sometimes I walk up to them, thank them for the music, and give the leader, or maybe the nice girl singer, a few hundred baht. They seem surprised every time, they smile, and I get a good feeling from it.

I think you would get a good feeling from that too!

Walt

tip them 2,000 bht for a big meal and piss-up?

I agree group tip but don't give any single person the money, just pay the bill and let every one see.

That's right! Pay it, 2,000 or even a bit more as you are a farang, to the main worker IN FRONT OF the other workers.

Walt

Hi, does anyone know where I can find the cheapest flights from Newark, NJ to Bangkok? I plan to travel around Christmas time. Any help would be very much appreciated! Thank you.

Try this website:

http://www.farecompare.com/fare-display/index.html

Walt

Hi! Thank you so much for the ideas. I'll be following up with them and will report back here if I make progress.

(Sorry for the delayed response today.....my email notification of replies here didn't show up. I'll try to "stop tracking" and then restart "tracking" this topic.)

CHEERS!

D

Also have them look at Fraser-Urbana Place serviced apartments on Soi Lang Suan - that's near Central Chitlom. Their prices just about match 90,000 Baht/month. Here's the link

http://bangkok.frasershospitality.com/

Good luck.

Walt

After reading these posts, I went to the US Bangkok Embassy's website. Two clicks later I saw this:

Note: Due to security considerations, there is no information window for walk-in visitors at the Embassy. Only those with scheduled interviews will be admitted to the consular section.

(I can't post a url but you can find the page by going to the US Embassy at Bangkok's website, then click on the "visas" link, and then the "non-immigrant visas" link)

It's probably a good thing that you didn't raise a ruckus over being denied entry. The way bureaucrats are would almost guarantee the visa would be denied in response to your actions. Also, as an American I am aware that we always complain about incompetent government employees. It seems you encountered one that was competent enough to remember your face from when you first tried to enter with your wife and turned you away with a smile when you tried lying your way past her.

A US passport isn't even a guarantee that you'll even get through immigration at a international airport in the US. You still have your little informal interview as you wait for your passport to be stamped. Say the wrong thing, and see if you're let through right away.

This has nothing to do with keeping US citizens out of the Embassy. It merely says there will be no visa interviews unless they are prior scheduled. They will perform no visa interviews without an appointment. It's been this way for years.

Did you find anything about precluding US citizens from the Embassy grounds during a visa interview?

If you are a U.S. citizen and see some procedure at the U.S. Embassy that you view as unfair and not justified, you can get a reasoned written explanation if you are willing to do your homework. Prepare a well-documented letter to the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy. At the same time you send this original letter, dispatch copies of the letter along with any documentation you may have plus a letter of explanation to the following people:

The Secretary of State

Your representative Senator(s)

Your representative Congressman in the House

Chairman of the Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee

Even if the DCM ignores your original letter, he/she cannot ignore a query from a representative of the House, Senate or State Department.

You WILL get a response.

Walt

Your assumption is that this judgement is going to be ruled against the government.

Maybe it will, maybe it won't, from what I have read it's highly likely but it's not a foregone conclusion, is it ?

Hi UKRules,

How else can the people who are important be happy?

Walt

Here’s a scenario all of you TV folks can pick apart:

1. Tomorrow, Tuesday, the Supreme Court will decide that the PPP is guilty of spending money where it should not have in order to get elected, and, therefore the PPP has to disband.

2. Khun Somchai, the now leader of the PPP, will then by order of the court have to relinquish his position, and since he was/is a judge and has a gentle demeanor, he will do so.

3. Then a court-appointed commission, with approval by the army, the police, and the PAD, and other powers will take over the reins of the government.

4. There will be no election since if there were to be one, the results would be the same as the last three times, and that would not be acceptable to all the powers concerned (minus all those people in Isan and the North – but never mind them).

5. The PAD and their friends win, everybody goes home from the airports, and a five-day cleanup of the trashed main airport begins which means that the airport will be open inside ten days from now.

Then it will be congratulations all round to all concerned, and life will return to normal just like we all want it to.

Walt http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/style_images...icons/icon1.gif

The supine Democrats deserve to be trounced in the (likely) next elections, and they will be. They have showed they have no leadership or statesmanship throughout this crisis, and if elected they would simply continue to be the conduit for the shemes and interests of the Bangkok elite.

But that's academic, because they will be beaten even more than they were in the last election, when they at least had some credibility, by whichever party represents interests opposed to the Bangkok elite. The march of progress and political disaffection will see to that.

my bold above.

I agree that the role of the Democrats, to stand back or sometimes mildly criticise the PAD-actions, has been very disappointing. They are simply keeping their hands clean, showing no leadership at all, and must be very glad they chose to let the PPP form this very weak coaltion-government, in January.

How they might fare, in another election, is a very moot point. Ditto the PPP, who brought Thaksin back to the country, but then let the courts find him guilty of corruption ! That must have lost them brownie-points with the North/North-East voters.

The only way to test this opinion is of course to call an election, but PM Somchai seems curiously reluctant to do so, which suggests that either his brother-in-law has forbidden it ( democracy anybody ?) or that he himself fears being overthrown by his party, as PM Samak was, if he calls an election before the constitutional-ammendments have been passed.

An election would end this impasse, and buy several months for further developments, even if it just resulted in the same situation again. At least there would be fewer grenades, bombs & airport-closures meanwhile.

Hey Ricardo,

What makes you so sure that there is going to be another election?

Walt

You can apply at any immigration office for a 30-day extension of stay. The fee is 1900 Baht.

--

Maestro

Thanks, but I knew that. My question is more towards "Has anyone experienced this yet?"

Walt

How could anyone have :experienced this yet" when the disruptions you mention have not happend?

TH

Uhh .... Phuket?