DirtyDan

Living in Thailand sure opens one's eyes to local prejudices... this isn't about sexual orientation, it's about discriminating against rich farangs! Have they even tried offering more baht? Buyer beware when in a "business" environment without any regulations.

But on the flip side, why are these characters buying designer pets when the shelters are putting down soi dogs? The orphanages here are overflowing and it would be so easy to go and pick up one of the million babies that are just looking for someone to love them!

I think the legal drinking age is 20... and I agree they should just enforce the laws already in place.

This can all be easily cleared up by simply looking at the cab's internal video camera and correlating the time stamp with the car's GPS the way 1st world governments require their professionally registered taxi companies to operate....

I always assume innocence until proven guilty as it's pretty hard to prove the guy didn't do something if he didn't do it... but due process be damned! this is the internet, grab the pitchforks!

I'm thinking of a case in back in Sydney, Australia 2007ish where a cabbie did the same thing and was found guilty through medical evidence. But I'm also thinking of a case in Canada where two drunk girls refused to pay the taxi bill and called the police claiming rape - which would have ruined that driver's life if he didn't have their argument recorded on video from inside the car. To run a taxi these days without a camera is a liability nightmare.

The people of the USA and also the people of the EU aren't going to buy fish products that are produced with slave labor. They'll boycott the products. End of.

You give too much credit to the people of Walmart that just want a can of Chicken-of-the-Sea. Most of them couldn't put Taiwan Thailand on a map.

So now ever swinging Jackaroo and his Sheila have to pay taxes to support this guy behind bars? Better to let him go to his war games if that's what he wants.

I was at this show - wonderful! The selections were a little modern for my ear, Mrs. Dirty loves the modern dissonance though, but were all excellently executed and the guitar soloist was inspiring. Also, the Thai traditional piece was outstanding!

I cant get over the variety of music this orchestra continually plays in this world-class venue. These concerts are truly one of this city's hidden gems. I'm looking forward to the next show (August 8th) and the Leningrad Symphony!

Please! Let us not get into this AGAIN!

Every country seeks and begets profits.

Every country sells arms.

Many countries give the arms for free to obtain profit in the form of influence.

This includes Russia and US.

Right as we speak US intends to give money to Iran to buy arms. From Russia, from US, from China, etc.

And centrifuges. And Ovens to reduce U-oxides. And triggering devices.

These can and will be sold with pleasure by any of: ... list of many countries.

And what does this have to do with exclusion of Russian SOB from solution of ME problem?

I like them not more than you. But the Reality is - no solution can be enforced without them!

OK, fair statements. I was under the belief that Russia was excluding itself from interventions in the ME? (and, due to my news-stream being Western based, for reasons I believe are purely profit motivated - direct sales - as opposed to other governments trying to gain market share, etc. - I agree they're all profit motivated in some way). Nobody has ever tried going in with out Russia (via the UN), but Russia has never stepped forward to offer help and has actually used its security council veto multiple times to prevent anyone from helping.

Look what happens when we don't actually help countries or actually repress them - WWI saw Germany severely punished for the entire war (rather than helped to rebuild) and the people turned to extremism philosophy leading to another world war. A proxy war was fought in Afghanistan for generations and only ended up incubating Al Qaeda (which I remind people is so ingrained into the culture to be considered a "legitimate" political party there). We ignored 30 years of brutal racial war in Sri Lanka which ended up "inventing" and successfully exporting the idea of the suicide bomber. We walked away from Somalia and Al Shabab is now spreading across northern Africa. We were prevented form going into Syria for years, as 100s of thousands died, and now ISIS/Daesh have a foot hold with global reach thanks to technology. Not helping people today just leads to more trouble tomorrow.

The longer people keep telling themselves that only the lucky get ahead, the longer those same people can continue to find a reason they themselves are not ahead. It's called being in the lower-loop (the victim's mentality to make excuses) and allows a weak person to continually find ways to accept why they're not fixing their problems themselves: it's easier for a person blame luck than to actually look within to correct their own problems.

Newly discovered Arctic fields? Newsflash - we were drilling in the high Arctic 60 years ago. The test oil that was pulled from the wells was so clean it looked like honey and was burnt straight into our boilers (no way of transporting it to market and no disposal sites up there on the ice). The problem has never been a supply of oil - it's the price of developing and transporting remote oil that's the limit. I can't see oil hitting single digits again as even the "easy" oil in the US costs $15-18 per barrel to produce and most shale oil can cost 3x as much to fracture and pump. If you know a place that can produce single digit oil, let me know as I'll buy in at the ground floor!

OP - Engineering or even physical sciences if you have the disposition for graduate studies - but you won't make near what construction, manufacturing, or energy engineers make. Full stop. And money may be the motivator to get you through an undergrad program, but good luck 5 years into your career if you hate what you do.

Why go the degree route? Simply serve an apprenticeship as a welder / rigger, get qualified as an inspector & job's a good 'un! Then you can earn tons of money working in Singapore, supervising the local tradesman & holiday in LOS between contracts. Only one problem - 50% youth unemployment in the west & there's been no such thing as an apprentice for 20 years, at least in the UK. Tony Blair basically gave the nod to engineering firms that they didn't need to spend money on training indigenous staff, as there was a ready supply of 'qualified' workers from Eastern Europe.

On second thoughts, better to do an engineering degree, be one of the lucky 1% that passes the entrance to a graduate training scheme, graft for 20 years in Africa or worse...then with a bit of luck get a choice posting out here.

Good luck.

"... be one of the lucky hard-working 1% that passes the entrance to a graduate training scheme.... " There, fixed it for you. However, I agree with you on the inspector route. Lot's of apprentice positions in the colonies still (maybe after the next uptick in oil prices at least).

No comparison with the remuneration from engineering project management to hospitality or NGO work. If OP truly has limitless college options (and he'll find out that trying to apply yourself to non-interesting subjects is not that easy) than why mess around with options that are less than the best? Soutpeel quoted some base engineering salaries for comparison - those are inline with Medical specialists and don't require the 10 years of schooling to get there.

This is what happens when you raise a generation of "little angels" by doing their homework for them, punishing them with "time-outs", letting them sit around doing nothing but playing Nintendo all day, and allowing them to disrespect you from a young age. Children should be taught to respect their elders - if that requires corporal punishment, so be it. All I'm saying is that I don't remember these horrific things being this common back before the days when PTA members could have you arrested for back-handing a lippy punk. Teenagers shouldn't even know what the words "I'm bored." mean. Here's a lawnmower push it until your boredom goes away.

And seriously, when did home-schooling become an acceptable option? Your entire life is about interacting with society, sheltering a child this way will lead to nothing but lifelong issues.

At risk of being spat on by many members here:

Like it or not, - problems of Middle East will not be solved without Russia joining efforts of

NATO, US, Turkey etc. even Israel... Believe it or not!

Actually I can not see why it is so far excluded? Just because it will make some Obama look piss weak?

I agree with you whole-heartedly. But as long as Russia can continue to profit from arms sales to dictators (who were the ones that used their UN veto to stop Syrian intervention all the time selling billions of $$s worth of arms to the country's government), then nothing will happen.

It was outsiders going in and drawing lines on maps that caused our modern days issues in the first place! I recommend understanding the Treaty of Versailles after WWI by reading the book Paris, 1919.

Of course, that's just the catalyst "modern" reason for the current political situation and doesn't account for the previous 2000 years of bitter tribal warfare in the region.

This fire controlling corn husk burning invention is revolutionary!

Shame it's so heavy. If there was only some kind of round rolling thing we could put under the corn-husk burner-thing to help us move it to new places... technology defeats us again!

Quick - to the crack think-tank at CMU to see if they have any ideas!

So it's not actually a "connecting" flight: you have 2 separate, completely independent flights. You will be liable for any excess baggage charges when you check in for the second flight.

Now... if there's some way you could get the Emirates airline's check-in agent to forward your checked the bags to your final destination, that would be perfect - you wouldn't even need to pick them up in BKK. But as neither airline is in the same alliance, I'm not sure if they can do it. Won't hurt to ask.

Engineering. But don't plan on coming straight here out of college as you need experience and most likely some supervisory skills.

Hopefully another shopping mall! I was walking around yesterday thinking if there were only a few more high end shops like Coach or LV....

If you're from one of the 52 countries that can get a visa on arrival (or one of the 11 that don't need a visa - Thai?), I would recommend just getting the visa in the airport when you arrive. Will take 15 minutes tops vs. the hassle of going to the embassy twice here.

http://www.visabali.com/visa-arrival-countries.php

For all the classical lovers out there, do any of you ever go to the shows at Mahidol University? The Mrs. and I love them despite being moderately difficult to get to from down town (BTS then to bus/shuttle: http://www.music.mahidol.ac.th/salayalink/)

Always an eclectic mix which often includes a piece from a Thai composer. For example, Saturday, July 24th they'll be playing Mahler and some Spanish guitar pieces. http://www.thailandphil.com/mahler-villa-lobos/

Tickets are only 300bt for a 2 hour performance. Next year, we plan on buying the season's pass.

As a note, the first time I went out there I was thinking school auditorium / gymnasium and was completely (and I'm continually) blown away by this world class venue! Gorgeous building and well air-conditioned (no need to wear shorts like I originally thought...)

I find it mind boggling that a government faced with 7% of its GDP under threat* is not jumping through hoops trying to solve the problems!

* I realise that Thai's 41 registered airlines are not the only planes that bring people into the LoS... but yikes!

So the only evidence that the landlord was colluding in the crime was that he was collecting rent money from the tenet of the apartment.... Yikes! Looks like the LoS might be a rough place to be in the rental-income business!

Unbelievable! A lot of you here leave me speechless! If this had been a farang ripped off by a Thai, you'd be all over it with comments of "Thainess" "TIT" "you can't trust Thais" etc. Instead people are mocking the victim and going so far as to mock his "nice haircut"

What a bunch of absolute hypocritical t)rds

you can take the colonial out of the colony... oh wait.

Thanks for the tip, I'll try it when I get home.

What does "resetting the winsock" actually do?

Transfers for Canadians.... Any good advice???

Same process as listed here using the NY BKK bank. The only difference is a Canuck needs to open a US dollar account (CIBC/TD) and then wire transfer to BKK bank (although it could be done in C$, but with the USD account, you're saving the int'l fees).

One of the gentleman said that tranferring the funds to a stock account..even while buying no stock, would be a way to repatriate your money..if I recall accurately.

Is there a way to make money by buying another currency that is pegged differently..such as dollars to baht to sterling..or swiss franks..or aare they all relatively equal.

Just wondering..not to hijack the thread..

Aloha to All

There is most certainly a way to make money buying another currency: currency trading. Large institutions will move billions of dollars worth of cash amongst several different types of currency to play the 0.00001% differences. But it is incredibly risky even when autistic geniuses are using super computers. And especially considering some posters here can't figure out if you divide into the exchange rate or times by the exchange rate, I would recommend us average people avoid speculating in this way - seriously, we'd have better chances at cockfights.

Sri Lanka is beautiful and I highly recommend going. Find out which side of the island is currently in the rainy season and choose your beach accordingly.

Galle and southward area are nice for the Western Side or drive over to the Eastern side for Aragum Bay for great surfing.