Wanderer555

The number of negative and judgemental comments here is disappointing. 

I purposely post in the Buddhism forum to hopefully avoid the negativity and callous nature of many posts on TVF.

It is my belief, that should you not have anything constructive to add, leave things to those who are truly interested.

Peace....

32 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Wanderer555, take off your rose tinted glasses.

I have an ex who wanted to go to a temple, over 400 ks away to meditate.

When asked what temple, where is it, all i got was BS, then she finally told me, so i waited a few days, went to the temple.

Asked where is my wife, ohh she was here left 2 days ago.

Drove home, she arrived 3 days later, where have you been? At the temple she said, i went there you were not there, you went to the wrong temple.

Sorry for your experience.... Not all people are the same.
No rose-colored glasses here, this is a regular part of her life 3-4 days at a time with supporting evidence.

Why think so lowly of everyone because of your own experience?

3 hours ago, Pilotman said:

Just leave her be. My wife goes for a month every year to dress in white and look after the lazy sods in the temple. I just leave her to it.  I would be a lot more impressed if the tenants of the temple spent more time helping the poor in the community instead of leaching off them every morning with their rice bowls. Good luck with your study of them mate.  I'm sure that you will be a better man for it. Live by the principles of a religion,  not necessarily  by following  the example of its adherents.  

While I can understand your cynicism regarding many at the temples, she is attending a meditation center, with a desire to further her personal growth.  Like you, she believes in supporting the poor or disadvantaged through direct donations to community aid groups. or volunteering her time. 
There are many forms of Buddhism and like many other philosophical teachings, it is usually men that come after the original teacher that corrupt it. No neophyte to Buddhism, but still learning about Thai Buddhism, I seek to understand and respect their beliefs, but that does not make them my personal beliefs or practice.

Peace...

2 hours ago, BobBKK said:

Yea give her an Iphone to play on  lol. Look no Thai can keep quiet for 10 minutes let alone 10 days. I had a girl go on one of those and they all chat all day only broken up by an hour or two meditation when the monk is around. It's 90% BS.

Your comment is often valid, but such generalizations are not helpful, though you are entitled to your own opinions.
She has an on iPhone that she paid for herself... and currently turns it off for extended periods of time while meditating. She is attending a meditation center, not a temple and not going with a group but alone.

Maybe not like many Thai, but I have witnessed her personal resolve...
Peace...
 

14 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Thanks, that will be my next step if I can't find relief from natural products. Problem is a lot of medications that treat Parkinson's etc have some serious side effects, but it may be the only way.

Yes, I agree with the many negative side effects. I have struggled with that for many years and now take very low dosages after finding a balance between Presciption meds and natural remedies. 

Now, I take natural supplements, exercise and practice yoga / meditation. This is really helping me. 

I would atill recommend seeing a specialist to get a diagnoses and rules out anything more serious. 

From there, maybe use any prescribed meds with caution to find relief and then develop your own treatment plan ( including the above mentioned therapies). 

Please stay strong and avoid self medicating with alcohol etc. 

I have tried that and it did not go well...

best wishes

I would recommend visiting a movement disorder specialist. 

They are neurologists that have extra training for RLS, Parkinson’s and more. 

Sheryl recommended I go see the following doctor for Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease and I plan to see h next month. 

Best wishes, hope you can find some relief. 

https://www.bangkokhospital.com/index.php/en/find-a-doctor/doctor-profile/?id=423&doctor=Dr._APICHART_PISARNPONG

Good day, 

My GF will be going to the temple for 10 days of silent meditation.

Is there something I can give her or do to honor her commitment?

I  am still learning about Thai Buddhism and would like to do the proper thing. 

Thank you for any positive assistance. 

On 8/20/2018 at 2:57 PM, buick said:

i agree completely.  the issue in thailand is many pharmacies sell tramadol and i wouldn't be confident of their supplier.  it could easily be the 'back street factory'.  if the pharmacy is inside a major medical facility, like bumrungrad in bangkok or a major hospital in smaller cities in isaan, it should be okay.  i can name several pharmacy locations along sukhumvit rd in bangkok that regularly sell tramadol to tourists.  where is it made ?  no one knows except the guy in the pharmacy.

 

 

I completely agree with you about using a proper supplier. I go to AEK Udon Thani and my specialist there prescribes a 2 month supply of  medications ( pain & parkinsons).

I am very happy with their level of care and professionalism. 

Cheers

Applied for and received my annual USA Income Affidavit at the Chiang Mai consulate last week. 

No verifying income statement was required and the affidavit was issued within 10 mins. 

Last week, I also inquired at the Udon Thani immigration and there are no changes from last year for my Retirement extension of stay. 

I will submit the paperwork this week and update the forum. 

Cheers 

On 8/14/2018 at 8:36 AM, sandyf said:

" a name change back to her family name on her Passport, Drivers License and similar."

 

There is a procedure for changing the name, my wife did it recently to her married name after nearly 10 years of marriage. It is done at the amphur and they will issue a certificate with the new name, once you have that, housebook, passport etc are straightforword. I would suspect that any Thai national could change their name to that shown on their birth certificate without a problem, but that is what would need to be clarified. The divorce could well be a separate issue.

Thanks, it seems the post #2 is a place to start. I will forward her the information. 

Cheers

On 8/12/2018 at 9:02 PM, happylarry said:

I have talked with my wife and basically you are correct with what you suggest with a couple of additions.

The divorce certificate will need to be certified as genuine by the German Embassy in Bangkok, then translated and then stamped by the MFA (ministry of foreign affairs) in Bangkok. 

Then she will be good to go.

HL

Thank you for the advice, this sounds reasonable and I will forward her the information.

thanks!

17 hours ago, Ron19 said:

I wish you could have witnessed what it did to my mother.

She was never the same after she received it following an operation.

Sorry to hear your mother had an adverse reaction. Like many medications, it is not perfect with some having difficulty and others finding it beneficial.

Personally, I have been 100-150 mg daily for almost 10 years for muscle pain associated with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease. 

While not stopping the pain 100%, it lowers it to a point that I can function instead of staying in bed all day. 

The abuse of this medication gets a lot of media attention, while for millions of responsible patients it is of great benefit. I just hope the media hype and over zealous agencies understand the need for effective pain medications and continue to support those who need it. 

Cheers

Good day,

A Thai friend who has recently returned to Thailand is getting a divorce from her husband in Europe. Her lawyer there is asking her what Seals etc, are required for the documents to be accepted by the Thai legal system for a name change back to her family name on her Passport, Drivers License and similar.

I am thinking a properly executed Final Divorce Decree from another country  (with relevant stamps etc), and then having the Final Decree translated into Thai from the original German-language should be acceptable.

Does anyone have any experience with this type of situation, and advice on what she should to do?

Thanks for the assistance.

Cheers

On 8/3/2018 at 11:42 AM, lannarebirth said:

 

A centrifugal pump to pump 60 meters straight up a hill?  I wouldn't think so.

The use of centrifugal pumps to pump to a height of greater than 60 meters is quite common, one just needs to match the correct pump(s) to meet the required head & system pressure while maintaining the desired flow rate. 

In both Wildland firefighting operations and High rise firefighting operations, it is normal practice to use centrifugal pumps (the most common type of pump in US based fire departments) either with a single pump or in series (using multiple stages on the
same power source or 2+ individual pump/power units) to pump water to very great heights.

It should be noted that as the Head (height of fluid to be pumped) increases the Flow will decrease.

-------------

For the OP, there seems to be 3 choices. Option (1) Have a low rated pump (head rating) work for an extended time to either directly irrigate the plants,  or fill a hilltop storage tank that could then be used for irrigation needs, Option (2) use a higher rated pump (head rating) for a short duration to fill a storage tank, and then irrigate using the stored water. Option 3 would be to use a small pump at the rice paddy and then provide a booster pump at about 30 meters to boost the flow up the remainder of the hill. This is common agriculture, industry, and wildland firefighting operations.

This option also provides the option of using smaller pumps that are less costly to purchase, operate and repair. Whatever your choice, I would recommend that you try to maintain the normal operation of the pump(s) at no more than 70-80 percent maximum operating capacity as this will increase longevity, and reduce maintenance costs.

Choice of pump will depend on supply needs, head, budget and the time one has to monitor the system, and of course availability of the pump here in Thailand. Hope this helps, and good luck with the project.

Cheers!

This problem is not uncommon when using a credit card issued from a foreign bank for a large purchase. I had the same problem last month when purchasing a new bicycle. The total amount for the purchase was rejected, even though it had worked at the same bike shop the previous day for the bike deposit. 
 

I checked my credit card via the bank phone app and it showed a near zero balance with ample credit available for the purchase. I then asked the bike shop owner to run a smaller amount (20,000 baht),  which was then accepted. He then ran it an additional two times for about the same amount and it worked.  Everybody happy! 555

When I checked with my bank in the USA, they said the entire purchase amount was acceptable to them but may have been rejected by the vendor bank, VISA etc.

Cheers
 

3 hours ago, seajae said:

every 33' is one atmosphere which is what I was eluding too, go 1 atmosphere/33'/10mtrs under the water and pure oxygen is toxic, pressure effects are the first thing you learn about when diving

 

You are correct, but I think there is some confusion in the use of terminology. ?

When describing 'atmospheres' in regards to the depth in which oxygen may become toxic, it is helpful to also use the terms Relative or Absolute. Most Depth gauges are calibrated to read '0' depth at sea level. If you are reading the pressure in atmospheres at a depth of 33' saltwater, it will read a 'Relative Pressure' of 1 atmosphere.  The actual pressure or 'Absolute Pressure' is 2 atmospheres.

When diving in fresh water (less dense than saltwater) or at altitude, the gauge needs to be recalibrated (manually or automatically) to provide an accurate reading.  

      Absolute pressure at sea level:              1 atmosphere
          Descend to 33' in saltwater::            +1 atmosphere
               Absolute pressure at 33' :              2 atmospheres

Cheers!

On 6/23/2018 at 6:32 AM, Muhendis said:

You may benefit from reading this article:

https://pugnatorius.com/usufruct/

You will note that more than one usufructuary can be named against the property but it also seems to say that each one must be independently added to the land document and I suppose each usufructuary has to have the agreement of the land owner in order for this to happen.  

1

Thank you for the reply and information, 

Cheers

19 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Sorry, but somebody saying 'this also happened under Obama' is not taking a balanced approach. Your earlier posts here, also saying 'this is not new' say the same.

Please explain the logic behind your reply. ?

4 minutes ago, jcsmith said:

I agree with the general sentiment of no child should be caged. But this has become a conservative talking point but it's a false equivalency. That's not to say that Obama doesn't deserved criticism for it either, but they aren't at all the same thing.

Politifact covered this earlier in the week: http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2018/jun/19/matt-schlapp/no-donald-trumps-separation-immigrant-families-was/

And their conclusion was:
 

I understand your point and agree that they are most likely not equal. I posted the picture to draw attention to the fact this is not a new problem, nor unique to the Trump Administration. 

Ironically this image was used by some media outlets to condemn Trump while ignoring their duty as journalists to research the origin of the image. Had they done this, they would have realized it was indeed from the Obama era.

As an independent, I try to take a balanced approach to things and believe there is plenty of blame to go around concerning problem, and hope that our country can somehow step away from Partisan Politics and develop a sensible Immigration Policy.
Cheers

On 6/21/2018 at 10:56 AM, xylophone said:

There follows a very interesting article from the NZ Herald newspaper...………please read it.

 

 "The greatness of a country can be measured by the manner in which it provides for the most vulnerable among its people, especially the children born into poverty.

 

 

When it comes to those who request asylum of a country — safety from persecution — there exists a special obligation recognised under international law, to treat such claimants and their families with particular discretion.

 

Instead of following international norms and the better parts of its own history, US President Trump has ordered the detention of refugee asylum seekers arriving at its Mexican border, criminally charging them for illegal entry, and separating them from their children. Since May 2500 children have been removed from parents.

 

The legitimacy of asylum claims can be open to question. However, these immigrants subject to family separation are not economic migrants, nor, unlike in Europe, are they a threat of returned ISIS fighters.

 

They're not coming directly from Mexico, which has seen a net negative migration since 2014. Rather, these families are coming from Central America, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, where they're trying to escape social disorder and drug-related gang violence.
The governments of those countries bear ultimate responsibility for the chaos, but the United States has also made a significant contribution.

 

The over-zealous anti-communism of Kissinger along with Ronald Reagan permitted the atrocities of the 1980s and the conversion of drug thug "Contras" into saintly "freedom fighters" in the spirit of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend".

 

Those "friends" have forced ordinary citizens to flee their home countries, and — along with their children, — trek 1000 miles of Mexico in the hope of safety in "the promised land", Reagan's "City On A Hill."

 

Trump, sensing a coming firestorm of disapproval, seeks to reassure his flock by claiming falsely that he is the victim of policies created by Democrats.

 

In fact, he could end this disgrace with a few strokes of his shark's teeth signature.

 

Meantime, he is enabled by his Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, who unashamedly chooses the biblical verse Romans:13, 1-7 to defend obedience to authority and thus rationalise the inhumanity of the policy with a Pauline doctrine often used in the past to defend slavery.

 

The actual architect of this evil is Trump's senior political adviser, Stephen Miller.
Miller, who also authored the first Muslim ban, wrote the "Zero Tolerance" policy that authorises Sessions' agents to arrest and detain asylum seekers for their illegal entry, contrary to international law.

 

The parents' detention leaves the children "unaccompanied aliens" and subject to removal to foster care or wherever. It's designed to deter asylum seekers.

 

As if insufficient ironies exist herein, Stephen Miller is the grandson of Jews who fled persecution in Tsarist Russia to come to the US in the early 20th century. Those forbears would be turning over in their graves at this travesty of justice coming from their descendant's hand.

 

The moral imperative posed by the barbarism of Trump's family separation policy is clear cut. Some major religious groups are meeting it by their condemnation.

 

The US Council of Catholic Bishops has strongly urged reversal of the policy as has the Reform Jewish Confederation. Even some evangelicals like Trump supporter Franklin Graham, have spoken out against it. Significantly silent have been those right-wing groups, Catholic and protestant, calling themselves Right-to-Life or Family Research Council, or Focus On Family.

 

These latter groups, staunchly anti-abortion and anti-gay rights have appropriated the words "family values" to lend credence to their causes. Those words ring hollow in the present crisis".

 

 

 

I agree that legitimate asylum seekers have the expectation to not be detained and treated in a humane manner. I have not seen the reports as to why these individuals were treated as illegal immigrants and not asylum seekers.

Do you have any direct references or reports as to what happened?

Having traveled & worked throughout Central America while providing support services to a variety of humanitarian based NGO's, I have witnessed the conditions many people live in on a daily basis in the barrios of San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa, Managua others. It is a terrible situation that the local people and governments must do more to combat while other countries such as the United States should assist those seeking asylum, and continue to provide aid and assistance to these countries. I am not blind to the damage the United States has done to other countries in the name of democracy, but have also witnessed first hand the good Americans in general have done in this region, whether it be through the efforts of the Federal Government, NGO's or the efforts of individual citizens. It will take the combined efforts of many to solve the situation.

Part of the problem is the huge corruption culture that exists throughout the region and many people accepting it will never change. I do believe these countries can change, with both increased safety and improved economic futures. An example of this would be Colombia, a country that 25-30 years ago was widely considered unsafe for travel and dangerous for its citizens due to the narco-terrorist driven civil war, and the drug cartels. Today is a safe place to visit with a relatively healthy economy.
This changes did not come overnight and was largely the result of the Colombian people demanding change, the efforts of former President Uribe and the assistance of concerned nations such as the United States.

I believe the same can happen in Central America but it will take a serious effort by all stakeholders and the compassion of others to assist those in greatest need. To be successful, the local people will need to stand together for the greater good and demand change... This is the path that many successful nations have taken and if we remember events such as the collapse of the Soviet Union, it is my belief it can happen in Central America.

On 6/21/2018 at 11:04 AM, Chomper Higgot said:

Your question assumes we agree that ‘illegal immigrantion’ is a significant problem.

 

I take the view demonizing immigrants has lead directly to children caged in concentration camps.

 

Unless an American is a direct descendent of a  First Nation family and only of a First Nation family then it is almost certain their forefathers arrived in America either as an immigrant looking for a better life or as a slave.

 

The American Dream, freedom, a chance to work for a better life.

 

That’s what’s drawing immigrants to the US.

 

I trust you are not wanting to join those who wish to restrict the American dream to those immigrants who arrived first?!

The very presence of this current crisis, along with the very disparate viewpoints on how to handle the crisis clearly indicates that 'Illegal Immigration' is a problem.  The immigration system in the USA is seriously broken with politicians and past Presidents doing much to avoid significant reform for decades.

As a man who has travelled to over 50 countries for my work, and held work permits in 4 countries, and now on a Retirement Visa in Thailand, I understand and support the right of a sovereign nation to control its borders and determine who shall be allowed to enter. I do not support an Open Border policy and believe illegal immigration into the United States can harm the communities they settle in by over-whelming the local resources, and creates unacceptable risks, (rape, robbery, murder etc) for those traveling through other countries to illegally enter the USA. Furthermore, the system in place to traffic humans to the USA also allows for increased trafficking of drugs, and acts of terror.

As California born American citizen, I openly support a multi-tiered legal immigration system, that includes but not limited to:

1. A Guest Worker program that increases the number of guest workers, but is not a direct path to citizenship, and requires all family members traveling with the guest worker or born in the USA while the worker under the guest worker program to return to their home country, (I do understand this would mean changing how the courts interpret the 14^th Amendment, or revising the Amendment)

2. An immigrant quota system that includes:
- Guest workers who apply for permanent residency
- Workers with specific talents or expertise and whose presence in the US would not take jobs from qualified American workers. The current H1-B program is a mess and needs serious reform.
- People from the general population of all nations that wish to immigrate to the USA for any legal purpose regardless of economic or social status.
-DACA: Path to Citizenship for the group of illegal immigrants commonly referred to as 'Dreamers'.
( I personally have 2 friends that were brought to the USA as small children without documentation and I believe they deserve a level of compassion and opportunity to stay in the only country they truly know)

3. Strongly enforced illegal immigration policies, that would call for prompt court hearings and repatriation to the home country of those found to have entered illegally. Unaccompanied minors or those attempting to enter with persons who cannot be confirmed as their parent or legal guardian is a special case and one that I am conflicted on how to address.
Allowing unaccompanied minors legal entry could open the doors to increased child dumping at the borders, and could cause serious damage to the children being dumped, (I have seen the results of child dumping first hand while working in Romania after the collapse of the Soviet Union). Alternatively, if there were a program to place these children in permanent homes and adopted into a new family, that might be a reasonable solution.
 

Yes, I agree the United States is a nation of immigrants and support continued immigration into the United States.
My first wife is a naturalized US citizen who left her native Colombia to work in the USA as a medical professional. I met her in Miami about 2 years after she became a US citizen. Something she worked very hard to make it happen, and had to make serious sacrifices in regards to family connections at home. Furthermore, approximately 30% of my extended family is Latino and/or First Nation (Miwok), and I am well aware of the concerns of how the USA was populated by Europeans and the damage done to the Native Americans.

As previously stated, the system is broken... The actions of the Trump administration to detain and then separate families is not acceptable, though to be fair, I must also include that this was also happening under the Obama administration. Our elected officials, (Democrat, Republican and others) need to take credible action to reform the immigration system with a program that allows for humane treatment of illegal immigrants prior to repatriation while securing the border as demanded by the Constitution.

I do feel President Trump's executive order to not separate families, and give them priority for immigration hearings is a solid first step and would like to see credible action by Congress and the courts to solve this problem.

Mistakes have been made by many parties and both sides of the aisle in regards to immigration policy and I would call for the end to partisan politics and get the job done.

On 6/21/2018 at 1:49 PM, Chomper Higgot said:

He can’t get away with caging kids!

No child should be caged, and we need to fix this problem.
I ask this...was it ok for the Obama Administration to do the same thing?

Mistakes have been made by many on both sides of the issue, I feel it is time to quit the blaming and demand our elected officials take credible action to solve the problem and cease the obstruction of efforts to move forward.

This photo is from 2014 during the Obama Administration.

On 5/26/2018 at 7:01 PM, Khun Jean said:

Who said anything about it being passed on. When you include your heirs on the usufruct then it is not passed on. There is nothing from stopping you to do that. There might be a limit to how many people but it is absolutely more then one. In case when you married it also gives extra security because  those extra people (3rd party) makes it impossible for the spouse to cancel it.

Doesn't have to be a heir also, the person can be anyone. 

So imagine you are 50, your kid is 25 and your grandson is 2. In theory you can include them both, in practice  only your kid. The usufruct is then valid for life for the longest living.

Good day,  Have you personally done this type of Usufruct, and if so what documentation was required as ID  for the additional parties? 

I am currently considering doing an Usufruct and would be like to include my 25 year old son how is an American citizen.

Thanks

4 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Let’s start by not demonizing immigrants, remove the language of hatred and fear.

 

Then we can have a reasonable discussion.

 

While some on the right wing are stoking fear and hate no reasonable discussions can be had.

 

Trump’s partial U-turn is a direct result of decent Americans (the majority are decent) speaking out against Trump’s abuse.

 

When decent people speak and are listened to we get decent outcomes.

I agree that the rhetoric by some on right is not helpful, just as the speech and actions of some on the left are not helpful.  While we work towards improving communication between the two strongly opposed groups, what happens to the illegal immigration problem that is directly addressed in the article and which you refer to in your original post?
Which over 2,000 children separated from their parents at the border between May 5 and June 9, this is not a problem that is easily solved.... What is your solution?