Meerkat

most mp3 players mount as a drive

Yup. I connected my daughter's ipod to one of my PCs last week to charge it up and my AV software immediately picked up four viruses.

just missed the TOP ????

My friend, you are YEARS late....you should have bought gold at $400 or so ,.....that would have meant making a big profit....

I didn t buy gold, but I bought euros when they werent VERY MUCH lower than 1$.

I remember in 2002 guys like you (it is not meant to offend, of course !) were saying the dollar was SO strong and it was unstoppable and would destroy the euro, a currency without any future...

I was laughing at these stupidities and I bought euros when everybody was buying EXPENSIVE dollars thinking it was gonna rise forever....

Now after 5 and half years,,,history will repeat...

Considering that I didn't give you any clue as to what my investment pattern has been, I have absolutely no idea how you came to the conclusion that 1) I'm years too late getting into gold (I've actually been long both precious and industrial metals for the last couple of years), and 2) that I have ever said that the USD was so strong and unstoppable.

If you read my post again, I simply asked you why you thought the USD was going to turn to the extent that it would be "stupid" to bet against it.

There are some principles in stock market and currency exchanges which is always advisable to learn and follow....

when everybody is selling ..just buy...when everybody is buying, just sell

If you buy and than sell and make profit,forget it and dont regret if the stuff will rise further :Keep the profit and switch to the next investiment .

anyway the $ can still be affected for awhile but the bottom is near.... I am not saying you have to buy $ dollars right now, but in a few months...obviously I don t mean you have to keep $ still in an account and gain nothing...I mean investing again in dollar area...

Interesting. Whilst the contrarian approach does - very occasionally - have some merit, my nigh-on 20 years in the interbank market (mostly interest-rate derivatives, but also FX and equity derivatives) has taught me 2 things:

1. Cut your losses and let your profits run. In practice I use trailing stops to protect those profits; buying an out-of-the-money put to protect a long position would also work, especially when the markets are whippy (rarely a bad thing to be long volatility in times like this). And,

2. The trend is your friend.

The few industry-professional contrarians I have known during my career have not remained industry professionals for all that long (or have dumped the contrarian trading method). Your mileage, of course, may vary.

Selling $ now would be very stupid.

You should have sold $ in 2002 not now.

Now it is almost time to re-buy $

You need to sell expensive and buy cheap.

It is very stupid and pointless to sell cheap and buy expensive

That s why so many small "investors" get ruined. They simply do the wrong things, just the opposit of what it should be done.

Upon what basis do you consider the USD to be undervalued against its peers to the extent that it would be "very stupid" to sell it now? One might have missed the top, but why might it not continue its broad decline?

Were I being investigated by a tribunal, I'd hardly go on record as saying, "those that are about to judge me are partisan/biased/bent-as-a-three-bob-note". I'd be much more likely to suck up.

I wouldn't read too much into those testimonials.

The way I see if the PPP deserves it since they were pratically gloating about their TRT connections after they won the election. They acted as though they were untouchable and that if the people wanted a proxy for TRT then let it be.

Fair enough, but if the people really do want a proxy for the TRT (and despite my being somewhat nervous at the prospect of Samak as PM, from what I've read of him), my democratic ideals can only lead me to one conclusion.

Let them have one.

Samak and the PPP are far from inspirational, yet I still can't see why so many on this forum delight in what appears to be going on. Namely a party despite obstacles wins the largest vote. Next the military appointed EC starts to disqualify some members without them even being able to respond to the charges. Now we see that another 60 from the PPP are flagged for "investigation" with 20 from other parties tossed in to seem equitable.

Add to that the losing party seeking the courts to nulify PPP entirely claiming they were a nominee party of the military overthrown former PM. Seems this could have been better done prior the election, oops forgot, they weren't supposed to win. So if this plays out then we have half the countrys electorate disenfranchised. But there again as some of the elite members here have pointed out they are only ignorant Issan farmers any way.

Agreed. Assuming that the PPP is dissolved, things could really start to get ugly. You'd have to expect, for instance, that some form of martial law would have to be extended in the ex-TRT heartlands - I seriously doubt the "great unwashed" would take it all lying down. How's that for "national reconciliation"?

After refusing to participate in one election which they knew they'd lose, then attempting to disenfranchise a large section of the population in another (for that it exactly what is going on - even if there were a new election without the PPP, any party stepping up to take that part of the vote could be seen to be a proxy for Thaksin and thus subject to dissolution), does anybody else see the delicious irony of Abhisit's party calling themselves the "Democrats"?

Cheers for the link Crossy.

I'm pretty sure I read in the BKK Post technology section a week or two ago that a company is planning to incorporate traffic data in a format that in-car GPS systems can use, similar to how it has been done in the west for a few years. Will be a boon when/if it happens. In the meantime, that site is sweet!

Sorry to hear about your misfortune Corky. It's one of the reasons that I keep my Jag in HK and drive a Fortuner out here. Whilst it wouldn't survive the worst of the potholes, it gets away with (comparatively) a lot.

It would seem, looking through this thread, that it's just pot-luck as to how you're allowed to name your child, according to who's on duty at the time!

We gave our Thailand-born son an English first name, Thai second, English third and then my English surname! No problems initially registering the name nor when applying for his Thai passport.

By the way if you do decide on a foreign name always take great care that the Thai translation is correct as this may cause complications later when applying for your child's British or other foreign passport.

Indeed! The only hassle we did have was that the nurse who took down the details at birth mis-transliterated our surname into Thai script and we didn't spot it until we were about to apply for his passport. So in the end we then had to "un-register" him and get a new, corrected, birth-certificate. An hour or so and 30 baht at the local Amphur's office straightened that out.

Slightly OT (more of at a tangent really):

I've had a Garmin 2720 for around 18 months and have been largely extremely happy with it. A week or so ago, it suddenly wouldn't lock on to any satellites. Sent it off to ESRI (who it seems is responsible for Garmin repairs as well as Thailand maps) on Tuesday this week. Thinking it would be a few weeks at best until I heard anything, I put it to the back of my mind. Anyway, I got a brand new unit delivered from them today, at absolutely no charge (apart from the EMS fee to their office). To top it all, the replacement has the updated map installed (v. 8.0), also at no extra charge.

Without a doubt the promptest customer service I've ever experienced in Thailand. Thumbs-up to ESRI.

It's only available to citizens of APEC countries so i doubt if the UK guy has one - perhaps something similar, but not APEC for sure. It's certainly not available for PRs. Also, Myanmar isnt APEC so they wouldnt get one.

Not sure about Singapore, but Hong Kong Permanent Residents, regardless of nationality, are eligible for the APEC card:

http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/hktraveldoc_4.htm

I've got a few mates there that use it that aren't APEC citizens.

You can buy special auto air con deodorisers - spray it into the system and a few minutes later all should be well.

I was put onto one over on another forum:

http://www.jaguarforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=7779

Might need to get a friend to send it from abroad though.

But am wondering what happens if I'm abroad when its time to renew for 90 day thing and cannot renew at a Thai immigration office. Would also need to have re-entry permit? If elite card good for 90 days then would I be able to get multi re-entry pemit good for a year or need to get a new one every time I renew the 90 day tourist one?

No need for re-entry permits or anything like that. You only need to do the 90 day reporting if you are in the country for 90 days uninterrupted. If you tend to fly in and out fairly regularly, as I do, then it's simply a moot point. The next time you fly in, you get another 90 day stamp from scratch. A travel pattern like that of course means that I never have to pay any 1,900 baht fees. In that sense it sort of works like a series of 90 day visa-exempt entries and exits, akin to how some people used to stay here before the 3x30day rule was introduced last year.

One more point.. Does the literature about the card clearly not say that this card is not for residents of Thailand ?? That its for visiting high net worth people ?? I was sure that was the whole slant on it.

Visit, easy visa, fast immigration (does this happen outside bkk ?? I cant see any special lanes on Phuket for this service) limo laid on, golf included, spa and massage included, concierge service to help with things, and fast track immigration out again to your HOME !!

I seem to remember that was how it was designed no ??

Sort of. It was designed as a way of facilitating visiting/staying in Thailand for non-residents, although of course the visa does allow one to become quasi-resident (whenever one of the TE girls picks me up at the arrival-gate, it's always "Welcome home Khun Meerkat"). I don't know it as gospel, but I believe for instance that one couldn't use the visa to rack up time towards PR. Just to confuse matters though, when it was originally launched, there were two price levels depending upon whether one was based in Thailand or not, but I think that policy was fairly short-lived.

(Regarding the fast-track immigration/limo, it's for Suvarnabhumi, Phuket and Chiang Mai airports only.)

One thing I did not when reading in detail one of the Elite program applications I got off the net was that it said the visa was a 5-year TOURIST visa. For anyone who has one, or Sunrise, is this true? This is not the most ideal visa as for many government offices and some business (i.e., banks) prefer to see some type of non-immigrant visa for whatever service you need them to perform. Why would not they issue a non-imm O (other) visa category?

Also, if it is a tourist visa, it must be renewed every 2 months rather than 3 months for non-imms. The material I read was self-contradictory as it stated the visa received was a tourist one (therefore must renew every 2 months) but then later in the application it stated that the elite card holder could stay for 3 months and then extend in-country (as if they had a non-imm visa). So which is it?

OK a slight clarification. The visa is marked as a "Special Entry Visa", rather than a tourist or non-imm one. Each entry stamp gets you 90 days, and that 90 days can be renewed either on-shore at an immigration office, or automatically each time you fly back in. I've never tried to renew on-shore as my travel pattern means I'm in and out of the country every couple of weeks/months anyway.

As one of the few TE members on the forum, I'd say that:

1) Yes, it's been a great scheme for me and thoroughly glad I bought in (about 18 months ago).

2) If money was really the point, you'd save a fortune by doing most of your visa-runs by bus to Cambodia/Laos. That was almost the last thing on my mind when I joined - I thought of it as buying a suite of services (the visa being one), rather than a way of saving money.

3) Were I in the market for membership right now, I'd probably hold off until the new government is in place and see how everything settles. The scheme is still tainted (not least by some on this forum) by its affiliation to Thaksin, and the purge may continue. Whilst I'd like to think your views of what might happen if they close the scheme are prescient regarding grandfathering, we simply have no idea of what might happen.

Thailand Elite is (contrary to many a prediction on TV.com) still alive and running. 1m THB for a visa that in theory lasts for life; more realistically lasts for the life of the programme, but you pay your money and take the chance...

For just the 100 baht more, it isn't a big deal.   But the point isn't whether foreigners pay 1 baht more or 1000 baht more.  The point is its institutionalized racism.  Thais say, its our country, if you don't like it get out.  That is wrong to the core.  Do Thais ever stop to think that people have invested significant time, savings, emotions, and everything else to be here?   People have homes, children, jobs, lives, families here.  Foreigners can't simply just "get out".

I know Thais resent foreigners butting into their affairs.  I can totally understand that.   But in Thailand, nationalism can never be wrong no matter how it tramples, and the mere attitude that "This is our country, we can do what we want" is totally wrong, totally intolerant and extremely offensive.   This applies to anyone...whether they do it to Burmese, Hmong, or Farang. We in America used to do this a long time ago...until the masses marched in civil rights movement.   The point isn't bending over and making a compromise for certain groups simply because they make a fuss isn't satisfactory.  The point is that despite individual people having racist beliefs, institutions are promoting division based on race, and that is unacceptable. 

Again, the same fees, but based on something like taxpayer status, is totally acceptable. The part that makes it unacceptable is the "race" part.

It's got nothing to do with race at all; a caucasian with a Thai passport is just as eligible to the lower fees as someone of the "Thai" race. Call it nationalistic or xenophobic if you must, but realise that it is simply incorrect to call the policy "racist".

I've yet to experience fog in Thailand. At times other than when there is a serious visibility reduction they are just a major pain in the backside (well, the eyes anyway) for other road users. No matter whether they're red, white, blue, or shocking-pink. Especially shocking-pink.

Um...which is probably why they are prohibited for use at times when they are not needed in many other places, e.g. the UK:

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19891796_en_4.htm

We got the land office to do an "official" survey. Had to give them a month's notice IIRC and it cost a couple of thousand baht. They posted new pegs as we didn't entirely trust the old ones (and they were slightly differently placed).

For inland, you might want to think about Khao Yai. Seems to be getting more and more popular with Bangkokians and foreigners alike. There is currently only one high-end resort that I can think of, Kirimaya.

Bear in mind that they're not flawless. My unit (Garmin 2620 IIRC) occasionally gets mixed up in BKK because of flyovers (ie the accuracy is not good enough to work out if you're on one or under it). Also, it's quite common to lose the signal because of tall buildings and those same flyovers, so it's always a good idea to have a look at the screen from time to time to work out where you should be turning next, rather than just relying on the voice prompts.

Having said that, I wouldn't think of driving anywhere I hadn't been to before without the gadget. Done many a road-trip around the country and it's only mucked up very occasionally (once insisted I should try and cross the River Kwai where there wasn't a bridge...).

as money would naturally flow out of Thailand and towards safety(the U.S. markets and the U.S. dollar) as it always has done in times of crisis!

i (not so) humbly beg to differ Vic. recent years (2001 to date) and various crises do not show any flight in USD or Treasuries as it happened during decades before.

The UST market is still very much thought of as a "safe harbour" and regularly gets bid up when other markets hiccup. Sounds like flight to quality to me.

I could be wrong, but I thought Bangkok was voted the World's third best city, rather than the Third World's best city.

I'd find it hard to believe that the term "Third World" would be used in any survey in today's PC climate.

They used to be called "Tin Pot Little Dictatorships", then worked their way through "Third World" to "Lesser Developed Countries" and finally "Emerging Economies".

Is there anyone out there who has the card who has been disappointed by any aspect ?

Not here. Been extremely happy with it so far.

The funniest thing about the discussion of TE on the myriad threads here on the subject was a few months ago, when it was erroneously reported in the press that the price was going to be dropped from a million baht to something around 50,000. The cries changed from, "it's unfair that somebody should be able to buy a visa" to, "ooh, I'll have one at that price"...

It may last, it may go. Hopefully none of us that bought one have forgotten the adage about putting in more money to an LDC than they're prepared to walk away from.

Does this report refer to Business & First Class food? (I've never flown on Thai long distance, on B & FC, but when I do, it will be at the pointy end.)

F has gone down so sharply in the last six months that I've switched where I can. No more caviar, no more wine-lists (the FA said that it was because of the no-advertising laws being introduced, but when I showed her that there was still alcohol listed in the duty-free booklet, she admitted that it was a cost-cutting measure), and the quality of both the food and wine has dropped. I've heard that long-haul amenity kits are now worse than the kind you'd get on Virgin in Y. The usually wonderful crews are a lot less attentive than before, and I suspect it's because they're sick of the complaining...

Minor points I know, but added up it shows a degradation of service that TG can ill afford, especially with SQ and CX rolling out their new premium products.