lostoday

It's culturally institutionalized here - part of the Thai social contract, and hard to escape. Here it is meant to make sure each and every person recognizes authority, obeys orders and keeps to their place in the feudal hierarchy.

Comparing to fraternity hazing in the U.S. is laughable.

Uh... and it isn't in the U.S.? I'm both highly critical of the Greek system and Greek myself. The reason these two facts are not mutually exclusive is because bluntly put, Greeks are represented disproportionately at the top levels of the U.S. society. This means even being a progressive individual who finds the level of hazing, alcohol and substance abuse, misogyny, racism, and classism appalling recognises that the system is a product, not a generator, of these issues. If you want to reform the system, you need to be listened to, and the fastest way for a the system to listen to you is... well... for you to be Greek yourself.

Just how much of the U.S. elite is Greek? Uh, most of it.

Of the nation's 50 largest corporations, 43 are headed by fraternity men.

85% of the Fortune 500 executives belong to a fraternity.

40 of 47 U.S. Supreme Court Justices since 1910 were fraternity men.

76% of all Congressmen and Senators belong to a fraternity.

Every U.S. President and Vice President, except two in each office, born since the first social fraternity was founded in 1825 have been members of a fraternity.

63% of the U.S. President's Cabinet members since 1900 have been Greek.

The first Female Senator was Greek

The first Female Astronaut was Greek

All of the Apollo 11 Astronauts are Greek

I'm a Beta

It's even worse where i come from.

An 18 yo student died after they made him drink 1 litre of 40% alcohol.

Another one died after he had to drink 6 litres of water

Others got poop smeared into their hair.

One got burned severly because they put him on fire.

Some had to crawl through corridors full of rotten meat/guts.

Others were forced to drink animalblood and were forced to have sex with chickens.

Another one wasn't allowed to drink for 12 hours and after that they pushed his head in a toiletbowl.

Some had to sit in icewater for many hours.

They also had to drink water with goldfish in it.

And yes i come from a developed country.

At least it wasn't with sheep.

What can you build for a million baht? Maybe buy one taxi? Maybe a bamboo beer bar? Anyone have any ideas for the villages on what infrastructure projects can be accomplished for one million baht?

Whatever. Take the number of retirees multiply it by the amount you think they spend and multiply that times 10 because none of the money comes from inside Thailand.

Whatever the amount is it is substantial; far more than any other group staying in Thailand and easy to calculate because they are not employed or those that are are too few to count.

Thailand knows how many are staying and I would imagine could get an accurate estimate by tracking a couple of thousand bank accounts which are also readily available.

If I was a banker at Bank of Bangkok I could give you a number plus or minus 5% with 99% accuracy.

If Thailand does not know it's because they don't want to spend the few bucks for the labor to perform the calculation.

Define and quantify "signifcant"

70 to 140 thousand in a populuation of 67 odd million is insignificant irrespective of the way you try and dress it up

I agree that was my point.

Thank you

Hello Mydee,

OK I take your point , however I will try to quantify .

First fact is that the last Thai census was taken in 2010 . That stated there were in excess of 200,000 retirees and foreigners on extended tourist visas etc . The ethnic Thai population within Thailand was 75% . The remaining 25% from Chinese 18% and other Asian countries .

Monetary calculations of contributions to the economy cannot be based simply on populus . E.G. a retired westerners income will probably exceed that of a Thai earner many times over . Also lets not forget the wealth of the Chinese .

Second fact is that 1% of the richest people own 50% of the global wealth . That analogy could be applicable here .The expat retiree could be out numbered by 100 million and my statement would probably still be accurate .

Finally I do appreciate your valid critique . It is good to know that some reader's digest the posts and are able to offer an area for debate .

Many thanks ,

Superal

Actually it was me who posed this question, make it 200k then, but give me the number how much does the average retiree contribute to the Thai economy ? most of your post is just flim flammery

Since 100% of retirees money is from outside of Thailand 10 x multiplier @800,000 baht each that's about 45 billion USD per year.

I haven't met a dog owner yet who didn't say, "He's really friendly, he never bites, he is only playing."

In addition, Thais are trained from an early age to scare animals with loud noises. You may be confusing the shouting of a Westerner which is connected with loss of temper with Thais shouting simply to scare an animal.

My dog is not friendly. He bites. He is not playing. If you see him run. Now you can say that you have met one.

Speaking of Chicago as one knowledgeable poster brought up. Chicago has an endemic problem with poverty and a high concentration of segregation," Siska said. "The persistent problems with violence are rooted in poverty, lack of education and lack of opportunities. The city has abandoned some neighborhoods and doesn't care what happens in some communities."

A bloody end to the summer pushed the rise in homicides to 23 percent by Thursday, up from a 14 percent increase as of June 1. On Wednesday alone, eight people were shot to death in homicides, the most in a single day in Chicago in more than 12 years.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-chicago-violence-end-of-summer-met-20150904-story.html

If it was me I'd try the injection ED meds but not to worry. Thai women give up on sex earlier than in the West.

Bought a NZ ribeye today (Lotus). 300 baht. Minced in the food processor and sauteed the burger in NZ butter. Not too bad but needs more fat. Next time I'll add some.

"How may guns have you owned?

Have you had any self-defense training? If so, how many hours?

Can you disassemble and reassemble a variety of firearms?

How much time do you spend at the range?

Can you name the various parts that comprise a semi-auto pistol?

Or a semi-auto rifle?

Do you even know that basic rules of firearm safety?

Are you familiar with the Tueller drill?

Have you ever reloaded your own brass?

It's also obvious that this discussion is veiled America-bashing."

QED!

The amazing thing is this guy is so wrapped up in his guns, he has no idea he is actually part of the problem!

Amazing how many people read a few articles, and think they know something. You don't, and are oblivious to your level of ignorance.

However, if you truly are concerned, I invite you, to go to Chicago, start a door to door campaign, asking them to surrender their weapons. You may learn something.

You mean Chicago? my father's home town?....Maybe I should just get my Dad to do that.....he'll find your comments quite risible.

But you just keep on making assumptions about other posters - it just shows how poor your critical abilities actually are.

If you stopped oiling your guns and did a bit of reading yourself you might even feel the benefit.

BTW - I had a gun licence too.

Your post makes no sense except as an insult. There are parts of Chicago that police or firemen don't go. There are parts where only millionaires live.

Why write to only insult? No one is going to give you their guns in Chicago. Chicago is going in the opposite direction.

CHICAGO, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Chicago on Wednesday reluctantly abolished a 45-year-old requirement that gun owners register their weapons with the city, marking a victory for advocates of gun rights such as the National Rifle Association.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/chicago-gun-laws/

Everyone I know thinks training in gun safety should be a pre requisite to gun ownership. http://www.nrainstructors.org/search.aspx

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/840635-3bb-router/

It's been working fine for a couple of weeks now.

The US a failed country.

In the Netherlands we had 3 murders per week (most of them not gun related)

Think something is seriously wrong there, the US and Thailand look quite similar.

The Netherlands is a tiny country. How can you conceivably compare that to a country that is much larger?

Immigration. Give them some more immigrants from violent countries.

Why should I be paying a woman in Thailand to be with me?

Because you're old, fat and bald, and she's young and slim?

(that's why we have to pay ours)

Post a photo of yourself, I'm sure it will reveal many reasons for you to pay her.

Or because you are young dumb and uneducated and ugly. And she is bright, beautiful and educated.

The essence of democracy is choosing leaders by election - full stop.

By FAIR and Free election right..... impossible to have one of those things in Thailand where the huge majority of peoples sell their votes for 500bahts...

A recent survey by students in Khon Khen where peoples in Issan were asked for their views on Abhisit... 76% of those same people asked did not know who Abhisit is..

For crying out loud! How many, well researched reports, many of them by prestigious firms, do you have to see that have clearly stated that "vote buying" has absolutely ZERO effect on elections, before it finally gets through your head?

Even Korn, one of the few Dems I have any respect for, stated in a televised interview that vote buying had no effect, adding the the Dem Party spent MORE than PTP in the last election, and they still lost.

Give up on the "vote buying" line, because no one with a lick of common sense believes that b.s. any more.

Invite one Western pollster here and do one honest poll. You will get the same results as the last election.

The OP has a problem if he is preaching Darwinism to anyone... The linch-pin of Darwinism is the infamous "missing link", which has never been found, leaving a gap of hundreds of thousands of years in the genetics of the ape and homo sapiens... Darwin's evolution of the species is a theory and nothing more... Nice try, but no cigar...

So is gravity... a THEORY.

Yep its a theory,

Until the dark matter or MoND dispute is settled.

I guess you don't know anything about that though?

It is obvious you don't know that a scientific theory is different than your definition of theory. They are two different things.

A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is acquired through the scientific method and repeatedly tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation.

Edit:

In my other life as an Assistant Inspector General for the US Defense Department,I had on numerous occasions dealt with high ranking General officers.

I just wonder how this man could ever have been a General officer as his mental attitude is quite lacking in all respects.

Sorry for the earlier mistake!

I remember that the current PM mentioned that he was not a politician and never had the intention to become one. After being in the armed forces for decades it is difficult to adjust to principals we regard as democratic. No army on this planet is run on democratic rules but on orders issued and the fact that lower ranks execute these orders. For a military man with decades of service years and moving into politics it will be difficult to come to terms with the fact that the rules of the armed forces cannot be applied to a nation and all her people.

If the head of the armed forces of any nation, does not have the foresight and mental aptitude to be able to adjust their style to new settings, then i would surmise that they are probably dangerously mentally ill-equipped to be in a position of head of a national army as well.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, Charles De Gaulle, Winston Churchill.

A year ago 30 Rubles for a dollar and now 70 ha ha ha, ya right.

My sainted grandmother God bless her had an old saying which might apply in this case "He who laughs last laughs best" and it ain't over till its over. The world still churns. Not a fair fight but the world is starting to gang up on the "worlds policeman" Just look at history how empires rise and fall. For some reason the Chinese are getting 2 kicks at the can. Ghengis Khan had the first one. From the looks of things out of China by next year we could be saying "My how the mighty have fallen" another of her wise phrases. We are in a debt/greed Supercyle/cyclone and where she stops nobody knows.

The US dollar is going up and the Chinese and Thai and Russian currencies are going down. Not hard to see.

Granny was not a forex trader I'll assume.

As Charlie Chan said do not judge the world by today there is also tomorrow to consider. No Granny was just a hard working Mennonite lady who lost her husband and 3 sons including my father by the time she was 45. She struggled alone till she was 91 and then past on. She was wise in many ways and fortunately there was no Forex in those days only love and understanding not greed and buggar your neighbor. A much kinder world than this dog eat dog version we have today. After The Donald takes the helm next year of yea good ship USA look out. His flag could be the skull and crossbones. He will also be the new croupier at your casino economy.

Nothing to do with the topic.

"Evolution is not proven.

We share DNA with almost every living creature, so that doesn't mean much."

and as it can be shown that DNA has become more complex over time and the corresponding lifeforms too, that is... evolution

Q.E.D.

Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers. - Aristotle

putin is going to get rid of the USA dollars.

soon nobody will want the green money.

A year ago 30 Rubles for a dollar and now 70 ha ha ha, ya right.

My sainted grandmother God bless her had an old saying which might apply in this case "He who laughs last laughs best" and it ain't over till its over. The world still churns. Not a fair fight but the world is starting to gang up on the "worlds policeman" Just look at history how empires rise and fall. For some reason the Chinese are getting 2 kicks at the can. Ghengis Khan had the first one. From the looks of things out of China by next year we could be saying "My how the mighty have fallen" another of her wise phrases. We are in a debt/greed Supercyle/cyclone and where she stops nobody knows.

The US dollar is going up and the Chinese and Thai and Russian currencies are going down. Not hard to see.

Granny was not a forex trader I'll assume.

The vast majority of Thai consumers are against the wall as far as spending goes.

For many years cheap credit, and loans have been readily available to the consumer, but now due to ever rising NPL,s, increasing household debt, and the reigning in of lending by the banks to SME,s ( self employed ), and the employed, there is very little cash being made available to spend on anything but essentials.

A sharp realisation is starting to hit the country, and that is, if money is borrowed, it needs repaying. And with extra money as interest.

A walk around your district will tell you how tough things are getting for Thai people.

Cars for sale everywhere, more BBQ chicken stalls on the sides of the roads, closed businesses, shophouses for rent / sale, and an ever increasing number of houses/condo,s for sale or rent.

Like many other countries, Thailand is seeing a sharp downturn in its fortunes, and needs to adjust to what will be the new norm.

A few weeks ago. Boy are you wrong (and they were all buying).

Go to the big museum in Bangkok. I guess its the Natiinal Museum. In the Natural History portion. There is a relief that shows the evolutionary transition of life on earth. from the ocean to the exit from the ocean that eventualy....the last , Homo sapien is a modern man wearing the typical Thai farmer outfit....I was there with my first gf here and she was crestfallen when I pointed and said......See!.........

I can understand wanting to keep the Thai people in the dark in terms of education. Given the situation it is obvious the less educated the better for the process of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. But what excuse do the people from the UK have? MY gosh it is illegal to teach anything but biological evolution in UK schools.

What happened to all these folks here? Is everyone a dropout?

The essence of democracy is choosing leaders by election - full stop.

And that has worked an absolute treat in the past.

The point I was making was not whether it worked but what it is called or what it is.

Democracy may not work in Thailand but one can't call a dictatorship a democracy and be correct.

Thailand may want a government like China; OK.

Thailand may want a government like Japan; OK.

China is not a democracy. The essence of Chinese government is the Communist party telling everyone what to do.

Japan has elected representatives that tell everyone what to do.

My opinion would be that; you can't fool all of the people all of the time.

The essence of democracy is choosing leaders by election - full stop.