Asheron

I would find it odd if anyone was deterred by a Jesus sticker, so yes.

But you seem to be subscribing to Saan's unsubstantiated and self-projecting assertion in post #97 where he states that Muslims wouldn't eat food labelled kosher. As long as the food was also halal, I doubt that any Muslim, except narrow-minded silly ones, would balk.

Out of curiosity I looked it up.

For most Muslim sects, kosher is a subset of halal; accordingly, Muslims can generally eat kosher food, but Jews cannot eat all halal food. Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani rules that kosher meat is not halal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Islamic_and_Jewish_dietary_laws

Surely you mean halal is a subset[1] of kosher.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subset

You're in Thailand. Resent all you like, boohoo.

It's not random sampling is it? You look dodgy and if you've nothing to hide, what's the problem?

I have protested when stopped. Thai law does not allow the police to demand a urine sample from me as a passenger in a vehicle if there is no evidence of illicit activity. Thai law still requires a search warrant for civil matters. I am more than willing to make a case out of it too.

Don't waste your fingers trying to tell some people on this forum about civil liberties or in their eyes "silly" things such as search warrants. I have noticed in my "short time here" that many on this forum would love a PAPIEREN BITTE! society. That kind of mentality is what you get when you inherit your freedom and don't do any kind of "digging" into how you actually got your freedom and why.

The biggest issue is that in general thai people have absolutely no interest in history, religion, "philosophic pondering", politics or anything else a "normal" western male has plenty of. And i'm certain the school system is at fault here as it's bad for you to "tink too mutt".

I don't know jack shit about many things but i love to have a discussion with anyone that knows something i don't know or even have a discussion with someone who knows as much as i do or less about subject X. After about a decade and half of daily contacts with different "normal" thai people (thai person with university degree from USA is not normal) the only conclusion i have gotten is that discussions centre around money, food and TV.

There is a dog in my soi that goes wild when I, my son and a couple of others walk past the front of its house. Neither I nor my son have done anything to antagonize it but it hates us, with a vengeance. Going crazy growling, barking and running back and forth in a frenzy. Others in the soi think it amusing when they see it do this but I am waiting for the day when it manages to get out when I am walking past. It is definitely going to attack me and I just hope I can kill it before it does too much damage to me. The owners know how it behaves and who it seems to have developed a hatred of but do nothing. It previously bit a child when they took it to the common area to walk so now it is not let out. It is just lucky that the dog is not clever enough to understand that it would be easy to climb over the fence. My dog was like a bloody monkey but was totally non-aggressive.

I got the same issue where i live.

Never ever had any contact with a dog "in my soi" and it's very aggressive running besides the motosai trying to bite my leg. This happens to every single person that actually walk or drive past the house where the dog belong. The dog has several times bitten (4 times that i know of and seen the bite marks myself) people but it's still there. I have stopped driving that soi in that direction now. Only "action" i have witnessed was when the dog bit a higher ranking military officers son and they had a "discussion" (i guess someone got money) but the dog is still alive.

It's an animal and it is hurting humans. It's very easy: put it down.

The heat in itself isn't any issue for me, it's the "small" issue that i sweat like a pig right now if i do anything even remotely taxing on my body such as wash dishes or cook food. I even sweat just walking under 50 meters in the sun or even in the shade. And i'm not fat or obese as that tend to make people sweat more easily.

Sitting down with a fan directly on me from about 1 meter is the only solution to the heat.

Even though swedish schools are pretty damn bad nowadays they are still light years a head of Thailand and when i did pay taxes in Sweden i paid less for each day at school/daycare for my child. I could in theory move to Finland, get the best education in the world for my children, and still pay less than that each day.

Because yourself or others already paid through taxation... not sure how this is at all relevenant to what I wrote.

Well, let's put it this way...

3000 baht for a normal working thai person is quite a bit of money. For some it might even be a third of their entire monthly salary. So a 3000 baht a month for daycare/school is quite expensive in Thailand. As it is expensive (for Thailand) you would except that your child gets better than average care/schooling. How much a white monkey make or has each month through pension/whatever has no bearing at all if 3000 baht is much for him/her.

How hard is it for you to understand that for nearly all non Muslims consuming halal certified food is not considered a "religious activity", only by those holding extremist views such as you

It's not hard to understand that is because most non-muslims have no idea what they are eating. If i told "everyone" that they are actually eating food that was slaughtered in "Allahs name" then i can assure you that most would understand that it is in fact religious food. But let me guess that you are a muslim as you so adamantly object to halal being religious food.

there are no laws in non-muslim countries that forbid halal and/or kosher food. you need to stop immediately having hallucinations

Yes there are, you are just showing you total ignorance by stating such a thing. For instance kosher is forbidden in Sweden as any animal that is being slaughtered has to have anesthesia first.

Eating halal food is in no more participating in religious activities than eating a chocolate egg in April that people call "an Easter egg" or a fruit cake that was made in December and was dubbed "a Christmas cake". Eating halal food is no more participating in religious activities than eating anzac biscuits is participating in geopolitical activities.

I see where your problem is now...at first I thought your dislike for halal was simply a conduit for Islamaphobia.....please excuse me for that error. You're failing to see that eating food, no matter how it was blessed or chanted over, is not a religious activity. The blessing was religious, and the chanting was, but that is where religion stopped. The food is still the same whether it had had the ritual or not, and no religion seeps out of it into your body. You don't join in the ritual. You don't believe in the ritual. The ritual was done days or weeks before you ate the food....all the magic has disappeared.

When you eat, you are not participating in anything religious whatsoever.

Your amusing notion that by eating halal you are participating in a religious activity is redolent of some of the more animistic Thai superstitions.

If someone mutters religious words (in this case bismillah) then yes it is religious food and a religious activity. And don't even try to blend superstitions into a discussion about real things that are really happening because that is just plain dumb from your part.

Why aren't we forcing muslims to eat pork or non-halal? Because they are doing exactly the same to us by forcing us to eat halal. For instance most schools in Sweden only serve halal food and if you as a non-muslim parent complain to the school, municipality (they "control" schools) or Department of Education that you do not accept that your children are forced to eat ritual food you are either ignored or thrown the RACIST-card.

Poor you, who is forcing to eat halal? You must be under some heavy drugs or a 24 h subscriber to bar... Go get a sleep to rest.

i don't think he is under drugs but has not taken his daily dosis what the good doctor prescribed

"ritual food" =

No, no drugs needed here but you do need a dictionary. Please send me your name and address and i'll send a physical copy to you free of charge. If you don't want one then you can Google "dictionary".

Another "fascination" thing with traffic in Thailand is that not a single thai person EVER give way. A classic example is when two roads merge to one. The normal civilized thing to do in such a situation is that the drivers alternate merging to the road by doing something like this: car A on road X, car 1 on road Z, car B on road X, car 2 on road Z.

If someone says "yeah, i have experience such nice civil way of merging into one road in Thailand" then they either dreamt it or are lying.

The horn is infrequently used here. Certainly compared to India where all trucks carry a sign "Horn please". As a generalization most people hate being beeped at - it startles and it seems to indicate that they made a mistake and we know how people enjoy being told they are doing something wrong. Appears you were right to use the horn. Certainly seems you did so with someone that either has a screw loose or was on edge in a major way. At least there is less of a chance here of being shot by an irate motorist than back in the US

Don't know who you are talking about in general but i don't know anyone (non-thai that is) getting upset if someone honks at them when they did something wrong or maybe didn't pay attention that it had been green for 10 seconds.

skewer.jpg

For God's sake, this is doner kebab meat in a kebab shop. In England, tens or hundreds of thousands of men get pissed (get drunk with alcohol) on Friday and Saturday nights, and eat a kebab on the way home from the pub or 'nightclub'. Anybody who is from England will know this, anybody who has visited England will also know this. Yes, the above picture is a familiar sight in England. How many kebab shops are there in England ? Loads.

Now, let's just stop this ridiculous hysteria about halal food and Muslims taking over the country. It's almost an insult to our intelligence. It's embarrassing having people go on about how dangerous halal food is.

No, what is emparassing that you do not understand that freedom of religion or lack of gives everyone the right not to participate in religious activities. To be forced to eat halal is forcing people into religious activities. How can that be so hard to understand?

I don't know which country you are from but I would contest that British drivers are by default " Better " drivers than the Thai's. I used to drive around 1000 /1100 Miles a week in the UK. It was very stressful and I hated it but it was part of my job. I'm now back in the UK and things haven't changed any since then. Give me Thailand any day. You mention Thai's can't parallel park but the vast majority of British drivers can't either and their attitude on the road goes from the majority driving at 25 MPH or under as they are fearful of getting a speeding ticket to the arrogant bullies that think they own the road and have one hand attached to the horn at all times and if you ever venture onto a motorcycle here you do so at your peril.

I took my nephews R1 for a spin the other weekend and it was scary. In the UK drivers just don't see or expect motorcycles to be on the road. Again give me Thailand any day for a nice ride on a Bike.

I can't wait to get back to the Thai driving again. It can't come quick enough for me

I don't know details about how you get a drivers license in the UK but i can bet it's not a "test" (more like a joke) like in Thailand.

For instance the "issue" with Somchai or Bualoy coming into a big road from a soi... what do you do in UK/Europe when you do that? Well, you check that it's safe and when you actually get your car nose pointing in the direction of the road you actually accelerate so that you don't drive 20 km/h on a 50-70 road for 500 meters which is the case in Thailand every single time. I haven't yet witnessed any thai driver accelerating so they "get up to marching speed" when turning into big roads and i drive 20-70 km every day in Thailand for a couple of years now.

Use the horn to make others aware of you approaching especially motorbikes coming out of side roads. Driving is not about being pleasant its about being safe and making sure others don't hit you.

Just travel with Taxi driver and see often they use the horn. You will find they use a quick little polite pap not a long blast.

It also says in the Thai highway code "If approaching from the rear make the person you intend to overtake aware you are there" In other words a little polite pap.

I was on a country road riding my motorbike and lorry about to overtake me gave a little pap and I appreciated the fact he made me aware of him about to overtake me.

And here i thought i had three mirrors in a car and two on a bike to see what is happening behind me not to meantion the head turning when changing lane either with car or bike. I guess the mirrors in Thailand are for women to make up while driving and for men to fix their hair.

As has been said already. A quick pip pip on the horn is the norm in Thailand, done as a thank you more often as not. What Farang tend to do is use the horn as they did back home as a method to tell other drivers how p%ssed off you are with them as in a long blast or more of the horn.

You just need to change the way you drive in Thailand to how you drove back in your home country.

In the end it makes your driving life so much less stressful

I value my life a bit more than that

A fact, bona fide fact, is that people from western nations are better drivers than basicly all the thai drivers. When i took the so called drivers license test in Thailand not so very long ago (something like 3-4 months) the only thing i had to do to prove i could drive a car was stop near a curb, drive straight between two rows of cones and reverse then stop at stop sign and parallell park, that was it.

I was watching in horror mixed with amusement that not a single thai driver knew how to do a parallell parking even though the space where to park was about the length of three cars but they were all still passed but one lady how couldn't parallell park after trying for 10 minutes.

Just the fact that about 0,2% of the thai drivers don't use headlights at day time shows that there isn't much activity behind the eyeballs when they sit in a car.

What are you talking about you waaaaciissst! Thais are just as good, humble and careful drivers as in the west!!#%#!!

There, now i wrote the thing you will hear from many on this board so they do not have to write it.

The hilarious thing about thai people viewing horn as aggressive (which is true) is that if you do actually use it then they themself turn into "me Hulk, Hulk smash you".

It would've been disgusting if only it wouldn't be so common -

nearly 240 posts and not one of them even remotely reflecting the OP:

UN says will engage Israel on "realistic options" for talks.

All we have is a bunch of emotionally stable Haters of Israel forever locked horns with equally emotionally stable Lovers of Israel

their posts freely interspersed with generous "likes" traditionally given within the two camps by relevant and predictable cheer leaders.

God Almighty! With so much energy wasted on both sides I don't understand

A. How come Israelis didn't conquer the World yet?

B. How come the Muslims didn't manage the same (YET)?

C. When our Moderators will get sick of this pandemonium?

This Forum is for having fun and showing our opinions.

Where is the fun?

Where are new thoughts/opinions?

Where are UN 'realistic options'?

Oh, yes.... In case somebody has any doubts, - I am unconditionally for Israel.

A: because they aren't muslims and don't have a "dream" of a world wide caliphate.

B: because after around end of 1600's (basicly after siege of Vienna) muslims have sucked, like a looooooot, when it comes to war.

C: this forums pandemonium is awesome sauce!

"Where is the fun". I think most people that hang around any forum long perod of times have some kind of masochistic tendencies

"Where are new thoughts/opinions". Pfffft, old school is the right school!

"Where are UN realistic options". I think Saudiarabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, kind of Syria, kind of Al-Nusra, kind of ISIS and Iran have some "ideas" and "options" for Israel.

Oh yeah, and i also unconditionally support Israel as i would feel dirty supporting the barbarians surrounding Israel.

Why aren't we forcing muslims to eat pork or non-halal? Because they are doing exactly the same to us by forcing us to eat halal. For instance most schools in Sweden only serve halal food and if you as a non-muslim parent complain to the school, municipality (they "control" schools) or Department of Education that you do not accept that your children are forced to eat ritual food you are either ignored or thrown the RACIST-card.

Poor you, who is forcing to eat halal? You must be under some heavy drugs or a 24 h subscriber to bar... Go get a sleep to rest.

Poor you for not getting out of your barrel more often then maybe you would know that for instance children in Sweden are FORCED to eat halal food weither their parents like it or not.

This story as many others are just fabricated by the hordes of paranoid racists and islamophobists. There is not one serious media in Sweden reporting on what you take for granted from suspicious websites....

Anyone with average IQ and common sense will not believe in the B.S. you are reporting.

Ah so my child who on her first year was forced halal even though i objected to it wasn't actually forced halal? And if i'm a "racist" for telling the truth about halal in Sweden then i guess i'll make some crap up and call you a paedophile. After all, fair and equal crap throwing should be fair and equal crap throwing... right?

I don't need media to know "stuff" about swedish schools. I can just call (or e-mail) any school in Sweden and tell them that they are required to tell me (by law) who supplies them their food and if it's halal.. and voila, then i know. Google "offentlighetsprincipen" and then learn either swedish, norwegian, latvian or german to understand what it is.

So, with that said i assume you have lower IQ than average and no common sense?

Why aren't we forcing muslims to eat pork or non-halal? Because they are doing exactly the same to us by forcing us to eat halal. For instance most schools in Sweden only serve halal food and if you as a non-muslim parent complain to the school, municipality (they "control" schools) or Department of Education that you do not accept that your children are forced to eat ritual food you are either ignored or thrown the RACIST-card.

Poor you, who is forcing to eat halal? You must be under some heavy drugs or a 24 h subscriber to bar... Go get a sleep to rest.

Poor you for not getting out of your barrel more often then maybe you would know that for instance children in Sweden are FORCED to eat halal food weither their parents like it or not.

So you are saying that we should force muslims to eat pork or non-halal?

Mmmmm, no. I'm pointing out the ridiculousness of fearing eating meat that has had mumbo-jumbo spoken over it.

And in so doing, I'm also pointing out the silliness of suggesting "we should force Muslims to eat pork".

If your religion forbids you to eat halal, I would love to see the scripture that makes that prohibition.

So what you are really saying is that any non-muslims should <deleted> and accept what they demand and muslims shouldn't accept anything at all non-muslims "demand" (which usually never ever happens). And where the hell did you get the idea of "fearing" to eat halal. Are you just making this crap up as you go? As you don't seem to understand i will tell you that it has absolutely nothing to do with fear but everything to do with being forced religious activities. And since when do i have to have a "holy pink unicorns book" to have some kind of saying on if i have to do something or not?

I don't think I have the eloquence to talk reason with someone whose lack of logic and rational progression is astounding.

I'll give it a quick try, but then I give up.....

No, I'm not really saying that...read again, slowly this time.

I am sure I do understand completely...you don't want to eat halal.....because a man said some words while killing the beast.

What I don't understand is how those whispered words affect the meat, in your eyes, your mind, your taste buds.

I mentioned "IF your religion....." (and I assume your reference to the holy pink unicorn book is a response to that) because I can see no other reason to not to want to eat meat that's been mumbled over than yet another fantasy belief that prohibits it. There's no rational reason not to eat it, so it must be irrational.

But you didn't get that, at all.

You may still not get it...as I said...I don't have the eloquence.

You very clearly do not understand what i am saying so it is you who lack the logic here.

What you are saying is following: "Person X shouldn't whine about halal as it doesn't affect their taste buds (where the hell did taste buds come in to this again? Stop making crap up.). Person A only eats halal food and because of this Person X should also be forced to eat halal food.

What i am saying is: "Person X shouldn't have to be forced to eat halal for whatever reason it may be just because Person A eat halal. Just as Person A cannot be forced to eat pork or non-halal because person X eat non-halal".

Do you get it?

If not, here it goes again.

Taste buds has nothing to do with it not wanting to eat halal. Nor fear, nor Batman, nor pink unicorns, nor nothing. It has to do with freedom of religion or lack of religion. No one can be forced into a religious practice against their will. Forcing halal on non-muslims IS FORCING RELIGIOUS PRACTICE ON PEOPLE. Get it?

So you are saying that we should force muslims to eat pork or non-halal?

Mmmmm, no. I'm pointing out the ridiculousness of fearing eating meat that has had mumbo-jumbo spoken over it.

And in so doing, I'm also pointing out the silliness of suggesting "we should force Muslims to eat pork".

If your religion forbids you to eat halal, I would love to see the scripture that makes that prohibition.

So what you are really saying is that any non-muslims should &lt;deleted&gt; and accept what they demand and muslims shouldn't accept anything at all non-muslims "demand" (which usually never ever happens). And where the hell did you get the idea of "fearing" to eat halal. Are you just making this crap up as you go? As you don't seem to understand i will tell you that it has absolutely nothing to do with fear but everything to do with being forced religious activities. And since when do i have to have a "holy pink unicorns book" to have some kind of saying on if i have to do something or not?

Why aren't we forcing muslims to eat pork or non-halal? Because they are doing exactly the same to us by forcing us to eat halal. For instance most schools in Sweden only serve halal food and if you as a non-muslim parent complain to the school, municipality (they "control" schools) or Department of Education that you do not accept that your children are forced to eat ritual food you are either ignored or thrown the RACIST-card.

So, a few magical words are uttered as the lamb is killed, and it or the slaughterman faces a particular compass direction....and suddenly the meat is tainted?

"Yikes!!!! Don't let my child eat that beef stew, it has had magic words spoken over it!!!!"

So you are saying that we should force muslims to eat pork or non-halal?

OK, Here's another

Started my 3 1/2 year old in what's supposed to be the best kindergarden school in Udon Thani.

3,000 baht per month school fee.

after one month, teacher takes the nanny to the side and says for 3,000 baht per month to her my son will receive "special" treatment.

I just ignored it and the matter dropped.

Previously out in the countryside it was normal for the teacher to do the same in the playschool

Doesn't suprise me

you actually thought you were getting the best schooling possible at the rate of 100 baht per day?

Even though swedish schools are pretty damn bad nowadays they are still light years a head of Thailand and when i did pay taxes in Sweden i paid less for each day at school/daycare for my child. I could in theory move to Finland, get the best education in the world for my children, and still pay less than that each day.

I'm assuming you were educated in Sweden or Scandinavia.........but it seems that the system, however good passed you by.

You arguing back-to-front - You are referring to some sets of figures and mistakenly relating them to confirm your own prejudices.......

finland no longer rates as the "best" (whatever that is) education system in the world and Sweden has slipped but still remains in the top 25....this doesn't necessarily mean drop in "standards" but a raising of standards of competitors.

I also see you are mixing up the idea of "schools" and an education system.....any system by nature of it's size will have both good and bad schools and if like yourself you have little or no knowledge of eduction then it would be very difficult to determine which school is best for your children.

the main problem with these "league tables" - is they generate the football supporter mentality - education is not a competition it is a serious business of raising ADULTS who are rational people who can contribute to their own societies and eve the world in general.

as for you efforts to cost education, well everyone pays - but in general a state system is the preferred method and everyone pays from their taxes - Sweden is noted for it's very high taxes levied on it's citizens and they bear the fruit of this......

those who think they can lie outside the state, pay no taxes etc etc and be "free" - can also reap the benefits of the consequent health and education systems in countries where taxes are low......

in the end when it comes to education "everyone's an expert" - well they aren't! and like any other profession if they aren't part of it they probably know diddly about it.....ye eduction is one of those things that regardless of how little people really know they are determined to voice what they mistakenly believe to be a opinion.

Hilarious that a person who himself doesn't know anything about education tell other people they don't know anything about education. Keep up the good work "champ".

Maybe i'm dreaming in "la-la-land" but it should be a goal for all humanity to embrace the fact that boys and girls are "created" equal and that girls have exactly the same rights and responsibilities as boys. But i realize that it's pretty much a pipe dream... unfortunately.

Some cultures just are superior to other cultures but there isn't anything anyone can do about that.

Protestant Christian ideas,

Buddhists and Muslims and Jews and Hindus certainly don't agree that male/female are equal, and they make up most of the world.

Not sure Catholics do either ....... original sin and all that.

Claiming you have the right to choose the aspirations of the rest of humanity, is a little at odds with your posted views.

You can't have it both ways, you're in the minority, but want to tell the majority of humanity what to do, that's a very slippery slope.

I never claimed that i have any right to choose anything for the rest of the humanity, i said "should" but i do have the right to wish that people did have other views. If some people want to view women as lesser human beings, "fine", they can do that but they can expect normal humans with normal brains to ridicule them and tell them to stop acting "challenged".

Why aren't we forcing muslims to eat pork or non-halal? Because they are doing exactly the same to us by forcing us to eat halal. For instance most schools in Sweden only serve halal food and if you as a non-muslim parent complain to the school, municipality (they "control" schools) or Department of Education that you do not accept that your children are forced to eat ritual food you are either ignored or thrown the RACIST-card.

ritual food =

Either take a dictionary and read what "ritual" means or read what Tchooptip wrote.