boppia

There's hope. Great post Ray. The feeling of helping someone or making someone happy can't be beat.

Storms are much more exciting in the countryside!

I'm the last person to introduce myself, but I'm happy to talk to anyone. As for the article about avoiding certain people, well I'm sure you would avoid them back home. But then again it could be you don't see so many of these strange people back home because they have their bars and you have yours. Or it could be that they don't feel welcome in your favorite places. There are some places in most big cities in the west which pick who can and can't enter.

Anyways if you find yourself around people you don't like too much maybe you are one of them.

I've looked for Epsom Salts around BKK but I couldn't find any. I wish you luck.

Looks like rain to me. Nature at work. Makes me feel alive. Fresh. It's the best thing on earth 99% of the time. Bring it on.

I can't respond. With my current income I will never retire. I'm hoping they stop the flow of illegals into the US so I'll have a job as a janitor there when I am 75.

I've heard endless how people plan on retireing here yet I see very few real old timers here. Do foreigners just die young here or do they eventually go back to their home country? A lot of posters are passionate in their writing exclaiming that they will never leave but eventually a lot do prefering to live in the Wets and visit regularly. I wonder if anyone on this board is like that.

The poorest people have no chance of going to a place like the US unless the happen to be a genious, marry someone from that country, get in illegally or something like that.

It would seem to me that many of the illegal filipinos and Thais in the US are from middleclass or upper class families. They had to have some way to get through the embassy. Why do the embassies make so many mistakes? Are their staff on the take or is their screening system a failure?

And I thought I had seen everything! Gotta check out this section more with stuff like this going on down there.

FC, I think you mixed that last one up. I swear I saw that a few weeks ago titled 'Pork Galore' in your 'What delights the palate this week?' thread.

I wonder if the employees working at the embassy are content with the system they use and their work. Embassies and ambassadors like so much of the government seem to focus on helping the American haves and the foreign haves. They just don't care about average people.

SriRacha times change. The philosophy has never been true just so many other things in this world. Besides America is not looking for 'wretched refuse'. Who would want wretched refuse. Was the writer proslavery? Just playing the devils advocate.

All I want to know is that when I do something at a government office the government makes sure its policies and workers are fair. Why should any citizen have to feel like they are gambling everytime they do paperwork with the government. Th US embassy etc needs to be better than it is. I expect to play roulette when dealing with the Thai government but not with my own. If people can use connections at the embassy to do things something is wrong.

Prakanong I've heard that about people having antibodies. I've also heard that some have resistance to Malaria.

I guess the dengue problem is big this year. Last year there was a bit more rain than in the previous few years so maybe that has somethign to do with it.

I once asked a Thai doctor why people don't use more aspirin here. If I remember right he said that if you have dengue fever and take aspirin it will make it worse. Anyone heard of this?

I haven't applied for a visa for my wife yet but the US embassy scares me. What I have seen and what I have heard has created an image in my head of something that is against "Freedom and Justice for all." At the same time i think it has a record of doing a terrible job screening people as so many 'tourists' or whoevers overstay their visas to the US. Change is really needed. The embassy needs to be clear as to who it will offer visas to and why. If it were it could reduce the massive flow of people who apply and so make its employees a bit happier.

Some other issues realted to the US embassy. When did some paperwork for my marriage there the person at the window who was either Thai or American Thai asked me where I met my wife. I don't like to lie so I told her at a bar. She let out a slight sound of regret. it also bothered me that despite there being some sort of a light door on the room everyone outside in the section for Americans probably could hear our conversation.

At the time I was registering my daughter's birth as well and signing some paperwork that I will be responsible for her. My wife's two other daugthers were with us in the small room. After that the Thai worker asked me why I don't sign to be responsible for my wife's other children. Some might think this is a normal question but I don't. I absolutely care about my wife's children but I don't think I should have to immediately sign to be responsible for them until they turn 18 years old. With time I may take over responsiblity but not at this point. I felt that this person had no right to ask questions like this. I should have asked her a sensitive question about where her personal devotion is Thailand or the US or maybe why she doesn't adopt some Thai kids herself. Anyway it pissed me off.

Another thing I wonder about the US embassy is whether there is any corruption in the embassy staff. I hear of foreigners going to people who supposedly have connections to get help to do visas. I met a filipino who used to live in LA and he said that people there used to pay 2K for greencards. I guess I am ignorant in many ways about government. I thought the US government was better than other governments when it did things.

Lets hope that someday the US visa system, embassies, and staff improve. I would also like to see better enforcement on the home front. For too long the people that follow the rules and are honest seem to be the people who suffer.

What does 'colonized' mean to you?

In this month's Bangkok Metro Magazine, one writer noted that Thailand has never been colonized. It's true that Western powers and people's haven't controlled the country but I wouldn't say the same about Easterners. Thailand's population is 30% Chinese from what I have heard. Some Chinese people I have met say Bangkok is 90% Chinese. It is the city with the highest Chinese population outside of China. Chinese people seem to control a lot of Thailand's wealth and businesses. They hold many powerful positions in the government including the position of Prime Minister and have on and off for a long time from what I gather. Lots of food seen as 'Thai' really isn't. It would seem that most stir-fried foods are actually Chinese, the silk industry here came from China. Lots of Chinese holidays seem affect the Thai nation. How Chinese is Thailand.

China never invaded Thailand but Chinese people seem to have. In the past (quite a while ago)the Chinese were discriminated against from what I've heard. Today they seem to own Thailand(not to mention other countries in SE Asia) But they did it slowly without violence. Does this sound like an accurate picture? I guess it's a lot like Singapore. Singapore was colonized by the British, right? And the Chinese?

It bothers me when people think Westerners are the only people who have ever controlled foreign lands. To me it seems that much of Asia has been taken over(colonized) by others who aren't Westerners.

What does "colonized" mean?

From "Bangkok Metro Magazine" May 2006

Article "WaiOHWhy"

" This is why Metro has posed the question "Wai Oh Why" to our readers. Don't be fooled by the Ronald Sawadee - it's as synthetic and contrived as the plastic it's been sculpted from. And don't fall for the Colonel's "Tom Yum Pik Gai" - because isn't this a form of colonialism? One of the proudest attributes of the Thai people is that Siam was never colonized. Let's keep it that way."

Everytime I hear this line about 'never being colonized' I just don't agree that Thailand hasn't been colonized in some way.

Seems to happen pretty often out here. I think I remember a similar story a few years ago.

Lampard, what's your favorite dish at your place? Everyone has got to have one or two the have more often.

I'm sure I would enjoy all that you have but I really love Italian food. Do you have any?

Didn't the 'Blair witch' have feet that were backwards?

The more I hear about TRT, the more I think of Wat Thammakhai?, the temple in Pratumthani which seems to be a cult. It also reminds me of North Korean and its great leader or god?

Is TRT a cult?

If you visit the library add a few books with alternative opinions to the shelves.

What's this thread about?I don't have time for this! I'm leavin'

It's funny how those 'morally higher' than most of us are happy to let the Devil dance so long as the soldiers are working for their cause.

My wife said that Thaksin was in Texas and there were people from both sides doing their thing - cheering him on to fight and telling him to leave. He has lots of connections there. I'd bet he even has property there. (Of course, it's probably in someother family member's name)

Thaksin is one of the coalition of the willing. He's important to Bush and Blair. with the Italian mafia guy going down Bush probably wants to advise him how to hang on. Maybe Thaksin will make a deal with Bush for support. Thaksin will send 2,000 Thai soldiers to 'help with democracy' in Iraq and GWB will offer all kinds of great trade deals for Thailand.

Funny, how the US government just has to come to Pattaya every year. Is it really about training? George Bush loves Jesus but he sure has no problem with American GIs in cash-for play.

Don't get me wrong if I were in the militray I'd be happy as hel_l we were having a stop-over in the city of sin.

Thanks for the info. I will check it out.

If we all are on our own paths to enlightenment then I guess we shouldn't worry. Eventually (with endless time)we will all end up closer to something.

We're just looking at now. Now comes and goes.

Personally, I feel Buddhism is doomed for the short term. It can't compete with Amway's high pressure sales and thrilling seminars. All Buddhists can do is carry their seeds and plant them as they go. Some will grow. People change.

But then again there are new sects of "Buddhism" which the traditional Thai path doesn't completely agree with. The golden temple in Pratumthani has a different way of attracting followers. Who knows where things are going?

So if you support Thaksin do you think he made the right choice in leaving? Or was this just a stupid mistake? Should the protesters just have been locked up as there really are so few as you say.

What is Thaksin doing talking to Blair? I also heard he wanted something at the US embassy and wanted the embassy people to visit him at his house. Is he trying to find a new home? If he were to move overseas would he have to pay tax on his lottery winnings if he did?

If his son has duel citizenship and is American does he have to pay any tax on the sale of his business? With the sale done in a tax haven, would that allow him to avoid tax? Why do US companies base their offices in places like the virgin islands? How much tax do they avoid? Sorry for the questions.

Just a note about the election. A lot working poor and others in BKK did not vote on April 2. They waited to go home for Songkran instead. Thaksin asked them to choose between his style "Democracy" and their families. They chose their families. Most people don't want to travel 8 hours back and forth(16 hours total)and can't afford to two weeks in a row. Just a note.