jing jing

I still have yet to hear of a single foreigner who has had his land deed taken away due to a "bogus" corporate ownership scheme, which is not to say that it hasn't happened or won't ever happen. At this point there's been some saber rattling but it remains to be seen if any of the many thousands of folks "owning" property by this method are affected in any real way other than possibly a softer market for their property if they intend to sell it.

I was considering going that route but in light of the current situation have decided to hold off indefinitely.

Corky must be out watching Jeeves wax one of his beloved chariots, but in fairness to him I believe his OP was only quoting someone else's statement, and then making the profound observation of, "Wow."

Or MONEY.

Hard to take seriously that Corkscrew wants to start a discussion to delve into the human psyche and asking for compasion for the humaqn conditon, when he flaunts his wealth in his signature.

And have you checked out the avatar? Apparently subtlety is not a prerequisite for Benz ownership.

I've been riding motorcycles for over 30 years (yes I started very young ), mostly on very powerful sportbikes, and feel the need to put in my 2 satang regarding mirror usage. It's true that there are limitations to what you can see in your mirrors but experienced riders know how to adjust them and move their elbows in when necessary to get a better view.

The fact is that, as someone mentioned already, there are so many things happening right in front of you and the following distances are so short here that by the time you've looked over your shoulder you could very easily plough into an errant food cart, soi dog, or someone who just pulled out into traffic without looking first (as they usually do).

I still look over my shoulder when I know there's no possiblilty of a surprise in front of me, but not using your mirrors at all - or worse yet, taking them off entirely - is a very bad idea IMHO. As a rider you need every bit of visibility you can get, and since we don't have eyes in the back of our heads, mirrors are the next best thing, imperfect as they may be.

it's not about nationalism and anti-Americanism - it's about the american state militaristic policies all around the world.

yes, I do know thai who are not happy with that

I'm sure once you've lectured your Thai friends on the evils of the American military state's world domination scheme they'd be hard pressed to refute your arguments, so I'll just take your word on that account... nevertheless, I somehow doubt they'll be taking to the streets in protest. The occasion is a celebration for the King, ferchrissakes...

not much time to organise - but I do expect anti-american demo close to the kings palace. Might be a noisy place

Who would attend? There's not much anti-American sentiment in Thailand with the exception of a few expat malcontents.

Sorry to disappoint you but Thailand and the United States have an excellent diplomatic relationship, and I've never heard a Thai person speak negatively of Americans... although I've heard quite a bit of vitriol expressed towards other nationalities which shall go unmentioned.

That said, if Dubya himself were to make the visit there might be some possiblity of a few angry Muslims getting themselves arrested on the streets of Bangkok...

Extremely simple job, I did it in the house I'm currently renting. You don't need any plumbing as they make sit-down toilets that you flush by scooping water in, just like a squatter. Just break the old one out and slap in the new one - they don't use a flange with bolts, just concrete to secure it - good quality (Karat brand) fixtures are available for less than 1000 baht. An honest laborer would be thrilled with 400 baht for the job, as labor rates are about 150 baht for a full day's work and this job shouldn't take more than a couple of hours.

A decent pizza.

Americans aren't really affected much by what folks from less productive countries think of us. We're usually too busy doing stuff like going to the moon, pioneering new musical genres, inventing personal computers and the internet, removing evil dictators from power and such to give a flying fork.

We understand that when other folks feel the need to bash us it generally stems from ignorance, jealousy, bitterness, or a combination of all the above.

From the AA (Americans Anonymous) website.

"Hello, my name is Eric, and I'm an American."

"I used to be embarrassed to admit I carried a U.S. passport, and ashamed in turn to be embarrassed about that. These dark secrets led to feelings of guilt and to a vicious cycle from which I couldn 't escape. That's when I discovered AA (Americans Anonymous)…

"Thanks to this 12-step group, and to the fellowship of like-minded people, I have learned true humility. I have had to face up to the truth. The sad and uncomfortable truth. I now realize that as Americans, we cannot, and never will, measure up to Europeans (among others) in the areas of honesty, generosity, tolerance, solidarité (en français dans le texte), clear-mindedness, humanitarianism, infinite wisdom, true democracy, world peace, and the love of one's fellow man.

And here I thought Brits were able to appreciate a bit of irony... obviously it's not a universal trait.

Interesting that there is a place for this on the board yet no place for one concerning Americans.

Just an observation.

You seem to have quite an obsession with Americans. Jealous are you?

After seeing Americans Anonymous — an organization for expatriates who are ashamed to admit that they are U.S. citizens i just find Americans comical.

unfortunately, you must face the truth, your an American.

Americans aren't really affected much by what folks from less productive countries think of us. We're usually too busy doing stuff like going to the moon, pioneering new musical genres, inventing personal computers and the internet, removing evil dictators from power and such to give a flying fork.

We understand that when other folks feel the need to bash us it generally stems from ignorance, jealousy, bitterness, or a combination of all the above.

By and large, Americans may not be the most be the most worldly group of folks, but they're usually quite friendly and aren't known for going out and starting drunken brawls - with a few exceptions of course - unless you go out of your way to piss them off.

Personally I've never had any trouble with a Brit... now Germans, on the other hand...

Read all the Bond books when I was a kid, was a huge fan of Connery's earlier Bond work, my favorite up to this point was On Her Majesty's Secret Service with Goldfinger a close second, but...

Got a new favorite Bond film!

Craig is nothing short of superb in the role and the film is a throwback to the days before "special effects" took the place of a plot, interesting dialogue, and good acting. This one makes the Moore, Brosnan, and Dalton versions look even weaker than before, if that's possible.

Casino Royale will be a hard act for Daniel Craig, or anyone else, to follow.

Cool... so, 9 pages on, what have we learned? That girlfriend is a 25 year old Filipina, she has a pretty good tolerance for abuse, and that being flashed is a rather common occurence for females of all ages, shapes and sizes.

The only question remaining is, did your post provoke the reaction you hoped for, GF?

Whenever the Thai central bank intervenes it has a temporary effect of bringing the baht down slightly, then it continues to rise unabated to wherever the market takes it. Why do they even bother?

I might have done it if only Mr. Eaton hadn't put "sportsbag" in quotation marks. That's just odd. Come to think of it the whole affair is rather odd.

7 pages of jealousy - wonder how many pages frog/gerry/nordic bashing would get?

Right, but what about the other 10 pages? Legitimate commentary on the sorry state of the Empire and her less-than-sober-and-well-mannered citizens, eh?

Just kidding... good and bad in every bunch, the Brits seem no better or worse than any other nationality as far as I'm concerned. As a Yankee I get a kick out of the classic penis envy exhibited by some of the less powerful and influential countries' townfolk... as if anyone in the rest of the civilised world really gives a flip about what goes in on some Godforsaken oversized penal colony where the Brits sent their human refuse wot couldn't even cut the mustard as Yobbos.

exhibit A -- Donzie

I rest my case.

Just kidding again... love ya Donzie... Oz has got some passable surf, a few decent athletes, and Kylie Minogue is somewhat shaggable.

Can u rent a go cart?

Yes, but they're expensive... they wanted 800 Bt for 10 minutes in an underpowered 100cc Yamaha. If you want to rent karts there's a good indoor track running 270cc 4-strokes at RCA, or go to Pattaya for 2 or 3 outdoor tracks and karts with proper high revving 100cc 2-stroke motors (but rather sketchy maintenance).

It seems (by her posts on this site and photo "portfolio") that Miss GF is a girl desperately seeking attention, and one way or another she manages to get it.

Perverts and predators often have an instinct for finding folks who fit the "victim" profile -- draw your own conclusions. Better watch what signals you're sending out would be my suggestion... if bad things keep happening to you on a regular basis it may not be a coincidence.

Today's the day that, if I were back in the States, I or some friend or family member would assume the task of cooking up a huge turkey and all the trimmings... stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes (yams), and at least fifteen other side dishes of all descriptions, and probably a baked ham as well just for good measure.

Folks will stuff themselves silly, go back for seconds, thirds, and for the truly fat gluttonous bastards, as many times as their host will permit them to refill their plate.

Beer, wine, and whiskey will be quaffed. Massive headaches and stomachaches will result. Leftovers will be eaten as a midnight snack.

It's a ritual that, disgusting as it sounds, I will sorely miss, being here in the LOS.

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Yanks out there, and anyone else who cares!

I remember when eating in Cambodia that many places place your utensils in a cup of boiling water before you use them. Don't recall ever seeing that in Thailand.

Never been to a food court in Thailand?

Meanwhile, as far as eating in Cambodia is concerned, your utensils are the last of your worries. Have you ever seen their butchery/food storage/sanitation/waste disposal practices? Makes a Thai street food cart look surgically sterile.

I do not stand up for them.

Obviously you must be of that subforum persuasion (not that there is anything wrong with that) OR you aren't on the at the time of train loads of Bangkok U and ABAC students going to Siam/Central World/Gaysorn.

I know I experience some standing sometimes.

Ten-HUT!

Why not just invite them to sit on your lap?

Or do you move it now, expecting the dollar to continue tanking, for a long term?

Leave it - $ will increase.

britmaveric, I notice you've always been bullish on the USD... ever since it was 40THB, 39, 38, 37, and still now at 36.5. Don't get me wrong, I certainly hope you're correct, but I'm just wondering -- is there any particular knowledge or information you're basing this prognostication on or is it just wishful thinking?

We know that currency values are cyclical and tend to fluctuate just as do the values of gold, real estate, and stocks... sometimes that cycle can be rather protracted, as we saw gold stagnate around $250 for the better part of ten years, and real estate values were down from 1990-95.

I'm sure eventually the dollar will recover, but as my investments are dollar denominated I'd hate to see it sucking ass for the next ten years while I try to raise a family here in Thailand.

This one will either be moved, shut down promptly, or end up being one of the longest topics in the history of TV.

I can see that you all are having a lot of fun with this but it is a serious situation. The way I see it is that I have one goal and that is to get her to break it off with the other guy. I know the whole thing sounds crazy but this is what I have been trying to get done unsuccessfully. Surely there is a way to get this done.

Maybe if you send her another 5 million baht... and if that doesn't work, try sending 10 million baht since money doesn't matter to you and you're making that kind of cash.

Someone please put this troll out of his misery.

I also get frustrated when someone tells a story asking for advice and then totally ignores what is given him !

That's exactly why people make these stories up and post them on Forums.

Yes, the OP is not a particularly believable piece of fiction, and it's beyond me as to why folks would make the effort to compose a serious reply to such an obvious windup.

Could anyone actually be so devoid of common sense as to send 5 million baht to a bar girl to build a house in her village?

Totally absurd.

I will add another vote in the "seek legal advice and get rid of her immediately" column.

One thing that hasn't yet been mentioned is her phone containing all the text messages -- that right there is powerful evidence of her infidelity which could prove invaluable in any future legal dispute over the reasons for the breakup, i.e. her possibly claiming domestic violence as a precipitating factor.

funfunfun, you really need to snap out of the blind lovestruck stupor you seem to be in and face up to the fact that, as ray23 said, you have just gotten a major league butt kicking and your response to it will determine whether you move on as a winner or get trampled over as a (please forgive my bluntness) rather pathetic loser.