AlphaSoiDog

"The right side of history", for the benefit of the US...

Recently there were about 7000/day trying to get into Europe, almost all were fighting age men. The reason for the sudden upsurge was tracked down to a huge number of posts on twitter about how good and easy Germany was. Nearly all of those messages came from the US and UK. (sorry, forgot the exact percentage)

The problem for non Muslims is that "Islam" is more a law than a religion. It teaches that it is the only law to be followed. So having a bunch of Muslims move in and breed really is an invasion. Their "religion" is designed to do exactly that.

Other than whether the guy "deserved it" or not (of course not), the main point I see is a perceived rise in violence against foreigners. We have anecdotal "evidence", but no numbers.

If we live on sites like this then confirmation bias (look it up if not sure, it's really good to know about) will convince us there is an exponential increase. How much of that perceived increase is just the increase in recording devices?

We have no numbers and this discussion seems to have devolved into a belief system based flame war between foreigners on this forum. It seems we have:

1. "he must have done something to deserve it".

It does not appear that he was in any condition to do anything much and nobody "deserves" what they did in any rational society.

2. "Thai people would never do that".

Just like they wouldn't try to kill that German with farming tools for watching the sun rise.

3. "It's the same violence as in any other country".

I can get beaten for harassing someones dog. I can get beaten for calling someone a buffalo who just ran into my car or bike. And very little recourse to the law. Doesn't seem the same to me.

4. "Thai's are a violent bunch and you had better watch out"

We have no numbers on this, just some sensational videos and a lot of anecdotes. Certainly Thailand is not all smiles.

What we do know is that a bunch of foreigners will flame each other incessantly with opinions lacking in evidence. Good thing we don't live together.

I'm new to TV, how does one remove oneself from a particular forum? Never mind, I'll figure it out....

I lived many years in Pattaya.

Never, never have I seen Thais men beat a stranger for no reason.

I believe that this information is incomplete.

So the comments that follow will be pure fanciful speculations as usual.

Nice 1! Agreed 1000%

1000%? That's a lot of agreement!

HappyJoe hasn't seen it (yet), so any claim that it exists must be a fanciful speculation. Hard to fault that logic.

I've been treated well, so far, in Thailand. I am also very respectful and careful. Yet I've been warned by a Thai that I might get beaten up for yelling at and harassing a dog that could put me under a truck (cycling, see previous post). No drugs required. There is violence in Australia, but I would not get beaten for harassing an unrestrained dog there.

I'm guessing that HappyJoe hasn't seen everything yet...

I loved this bit:

"Mr Watana was not locked up in a detention cell but kept at a place equipped with all the conveniences".

What the heck is he complaining about! He was detained somewhere that had running water and stuff!!!!

I've been regularly cycle training in a northern village recently. Each time a dog chased me I yelled, stopped, and chased it back.

I was warned by my Thai partner that "if" a Thai "dog owner" didn't like me retraining their unrestrained dog in a harmless (to the dog) way, they might beat me up. And this is in a small quiet village.

So, in some cases these dogs threatened my life (and others), but I could get bashed for discouraging that. Yep, the bad falang MUST have caused it.

Meanwhile all the other manufacturers quietly cover their tracks....

Shows perfectly how Americans are slaves to Saudis till oil and coal are replaced by renewable energy but don't tell that to general public.

Recently - American petroleum companies and drillers had to drastically cut back on drilling, pumping and processing due to the low oil price ... The U.S. does not import much Saudi oil ... just an Urban Myth. The U.S. imports most the needed oil not met by domestic from Canada and Mexico and it has been that way for years. 'Ya really have to keep up if you are going to make snappy comments.

Really? A net of 4.6 million barrels per day imported in 2015 is hardly insignificant. 11% of that came from Saudi Arabia (about 185M barrels for the year from Saudi). And that is with the US producing more oil than they have in 40yrs.

http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=727&t=6

Yes, a larger portion of imports came from Canada but the Saudi component is high enough to push their agenda.

(i.e. the US could not function as it currently does without it.)

"four policemen did not submit traffic fines back to the division in accordance with regulations"

Really? I find this hard to believe. No Thai would do such a thing

I should restrain myself, because I see three gobshites other people "liked" your post, but I just have to ask. Do you really think this is witty? Really? Are you aware of all internet traditions, too?

Witty? Absolutely! I still have a smile on my face.

Your irrelevant and ungrammatical retort indicates that you may have difficulty understanding why.

Perhaps you should restrain yourself from flaming when you don't understand the humour, aren't you aware of the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Today coming into town at about 30km/hr on a bicycle (full bright lycra kit and lights) a large truck started to overtake maybe 10m from the petrol station it was about to pull into. Apparently he expected that I would do an emergency stop as soon as his cab was next to me with it's feeble blinker on.

By then of course if I stopped I'd be right at the driveway and still risk getting run over. Thankfully he had a lot of passenger side glass to see me yell at him and he held off turning. At the risk of killing me he would have save less than a second...

I dream that he feels a slight loss of face as I drew the attention of locals who had full view of his "impoliteness". I'm trying not to think that the locals will think I'm just another complaining falang. Please don't burst my bubble with your superior experience.

Bubble feeling fragile?

No respect for lycra these peasants. And to have had his impoliteness pointed out publicly by a farang wearing same. I don't know how he is going to live with himself.

I have no superior experience but seriously enjoyed your post.

Glad you weren't hurt.

Nice!!

I think you have elegantly shown that any dream of improvement in this case is about as insubstantial as my lycra armour....

A chance for a bitch?

I enjoyed it.

I'll go now....

Today coming into town at about 30km/hr on a bicycle (full bright lycra kit and lights) a large truck started to overtake maybe 10m from the petrol station it was about to pull into. Apparently he expected that I would do an emergency stop as soon as his cab was next to me with it's feeble blinker on.

By then of course if I stopped I'd be right at the driveway and still risk getting run over. Thankfully he had a lot of passenger side glass to see me yell at him and he held off turning. At the risk of killing me he would have save less than a second...

I dream that he feels a slight loss of face as I drew the attention of locals who had full view of his "impoliteness". I'm trying not to think that the locals will think I'm just another complaining falang. Please don't burst my bubble with your superior experience.

Huggers of the outside lane _isses me off.

Wow! They noticed a lane?!

My woman is terrified when I drive on the highway. I don't have to slam on the brakes for every curve or corner and I don't have to drive through/around them on the wrong side of the road...

I'm a big believer in consequences, they are the great teacher. The trick is to learn with small consequences so you don't have to pay the big ones.

In Thailand there don't seem to be small consequences. Someone overtakes then immediately slams on the brakes, stops in the middle of the road and goes shopping, and they don't even get a horn blast.

Even stupid people will learn if the consequence has an obvious association (so do dogs, and they aren't so bright). If a cop booked a few people in town at random times and days? It would have a visible effect in a week. Instead socially polite people (because there is a consequence) learn that they get a "reward" for driving/riding like .

In my Australian country town kids brought up without consequences (yay gen Z) are now psychopathic drivers, some of whom don't seem to understand that they aren't the innocent victim when they kill or maim someone. If they survive long enough then the regular consequences (police who actually do policing, and a lot of vocal people) will eventually teach them some manners.

Extension cables on markets also don't need engineers to install them but i see damaged cables laying in puddles on every market.

Streetlanterns don't need engineers to close the lid of the wires, but why are they ALWAYS left open so children/rainwater can easy touch them?

You guys can order solarpanels first, after 10 years i might buy them as well and get them installed. Don't want my house on fire.

So what you are saying is that solar panels cannot be installed in Thailand because your house might burn down after you hired the local market merchant to install it in a high traffic area using scraps of old wire? But that if someone else hires the same merchant and it doesn't burn down for ten years then it is safe? Interesting logic.

As for house fires, that is a much higher risk in Australia using very well trained electricians. Germany thought that putting a DC isolator on the roof, in the weather, would be a good idea. It wasn't, and caused a lot of fires. After the Germans banned that idea the Aust. govt. made it law to do the same thing. Now Aust. houses with solar installations are going up in flames, and if you make it orders of magnitude safer by not having the rooftop DC isolator your insurance is void.

My apologies for saying "hybrid" in a previous post, I should have mentioned "micro inverters". If using a micro inverter system you really don't need any training to install. The sparky in my local village does very good work and is more than competent to install these. His level of training is also quite sufficient to install DC systems.

There is no real need for University training either, it can all be easily covered in a two week course. This stuff is not rocket science. The only thing the Thai govt. would need to think about is doing inspections before people can connect to the grid and having some consequence for shoddy work, just like any other country. That last one might be a sticking point for Thai's but no reason not to use solar.

Solar installations do not need engineers. I'm an ex sparky that has done a couple of installs. All the "tricky math" can be done with a simple lookup table. The rest is very basic electrician stuff. Even easier and safer with hybrid panels that output AC instead of DC. All the smarts are in the panel and they can literally be connected to the switchboard with a circuit breaker (or isolator and fuses etc) as you would for any other power source.

BUT, in Thailand you have to get accepted in a quota to be allowed to connect to the grid, then you need an electrical engineer to approve your particular installation (even though I know of no other country that requires this). Then you have to bribe various people to get it passed. So the installation could end up costing more than you could make back in several lifetimes.

Meanwhile Thailand is buying power from Laos who are about to risk killing all the fish with a dam using experimental tech which will also destroy a major tourist attraction. The Mekong feeds more people than any other river in the world, that may be about to change...

Quota's are a method to deliberately limit solar, not promote it. And if you actually want enough power for your whole home including a couple of AirCons then you would be classed as "industrial". I'm guessing there is an extra level of difficulty and bribes for "industrial".

Yep, let's make solar near impossible to connect to the grid, then make it appear that we are doing something by getting people to spend money they don't have.

Could this be more about trying to make the economy look better than it is by promoting spending?

And my growing Thai cynicism is twitching at the "homepro" connection.

Agreed about the pipes, I really didn't like my previous pipe burns.

I had a look at the Stallion dealer in Mueang Chiangmai today. Unfortunately they had "sold out" of 400's. The Iron thingy (pretend chopper) had stupidly heavy steering while stationary (I've never sat on a chopper before), and the seat wobbled in a somewhat disconcerting way. Like me it hung a little more to the left as well. Probably fun for a little fang though and I could probably get used to the relaxed peg position.

The other 150's where taller than I expected. At 5'11" I could just get my feet flat, a touch tall for the average Thai. Some bolts too long, some too short, a little more rust protection required, hard seat, and needing some setup adjustment (the dealer clearly doesn't know about symmetry). But overall they look great for the price and not hard to improve.

Can I ride one?. No. Is there somewhere I could hire one? No. And that last question had to be asked in numerous ways by a Thai as even the concept seemed incomprehensible. They could rent out a demo bike at say 700b/day and be well in profit after 100 rentals while actually promoting the bike. Sigh...

Magnesium.

I recently did a lot of (google) research into Magnesium deficiency. It seemed I might not absorb the stuff well (in my case, depression, arrhythmia and cramps), though it turns out a high proportion of western people are deficient in the stuff (can be related to just about every common issue from diabetes, heart issues and arthritis to depression, memory issues and lethargy).

There is a lot of BS about a lack of it being the cause of ALL sickness etc. and if you use the "Ancient Salts" blah blah, some horrid sites even use the word "magical". Xxx'ing spare me.

However, there is a great deal of correlation in actual studies that show it's importance, widespread deficiency with related consequences and difficulty in absorption. One of the studies I read was using it on ADHD diagnosed children. Sorry, I don't have the link here, but from memory it was about 115 children, and 95% showed significant improvement in 1 (or 2?) months.

A starter on supplementing for those that give a rats (there is MUCH more to know)

Don't bother with "elemental magnesium" supplements (e.g. blackmores) as we can at best absorb 4% of that. Chelated is good (up to around 95% depending on which chelate from memory), but more expensive and the milligrams listed on the label includes the chelate (look for the "equivalent elemental" amount. There is also lots of stuff about "transdermal magnesium oil" which is mixing a strong brine of magnesium chloride and water and rubbing on your skin. Some studies show that there is absorption this way but no science I saw on how much actually gets through. I brush my teeth in the brine twice a day (then swallow it) which is just enough to keep the arrhythmia away (you should use food grade Mg Chloride for that though).

Epsom salts are good too (but not to swallow... there's a joke here, but just don't... , and I've heard of these being used on the crops giving a much higher Mg content in the food. If this could be procured cheaply enough it would be a good thing.

An SR400 is an easy win and lots of customising parts available for things I can't make. A new one is currently pricey enough for me that its a disincentive to pull it apart. So it becomes a problem of how to check for a dodgy green book. So far I get the impression that there are not many legal old SR400's, but then an impression is hardly fact.

Pity I'm not in Pattaya, if the CX was legal it would be even more tempting to me than an SR. They were such an ugly bike stock, but can be a gorgeous and unusual custom. I may have someone going there soon that could have a peek for me...

The Honda CRF 250 that Don Mega posted is growing on me too. Still a bit of a boy racer bike as far as the engine is concerned, but the good brakes would be nice.

Ok, so there are choices. I might hold off for a bit and see what legal old bikes can be found. In the meantime I'll get a few rides on current bikes to see if I can comfortably cruise on a pretend race machine. Perhaps I can get past my ingrained resistance to a 16,000 rpm engine. Though a very long time ago I built a custom XS650 (yamaha twin, triumph copy). It wasn't fast, vibrated too much and barely handled even with mods, but you could be lazy with changing gears, didn't feel any need to go fast and it sounded great. I miss that bike.

heheheh Always someone who complains about water usage, so much water is wasted in other ways that songran is a drop in the bucket

Please elaborate on this ridiculous statement.

Your terse reply "ridicules" moe666's comment, while also not justifying your position. Where I am the comment is not as ridiculous as you might think. Perhaps a little emotive with the "drop in the bucket" part and not exactly something that can be quantified. But does that make it worthy of flame baiting with "ridiculous statement"? Read on for my attempt at "elaborating".

There has been no water in the pipes every day for the last couple of months (turned on for a while at night) for much of the village. The dam is empty and quite a bit of land wasn't farmed due to lack of water.

However.

The locals love to dig up any grass and burn any fallen leaves (along with plastic bottles) so that they can sweep their dirt clean every day. Then they have to water it to "keep the dust down", every day.

There are dozens within a couple of kms that will spend at least 30mins every morning with the hose at full to "wash the dust" off "their" piece of road. And more of this variety who do as much of the super highway as their hose will reach, every day.

An unknown number of public toilets (e.g. petrol stations) take all the bother out of having to fill the flush bucket by leaving all the taps running 24/7. Same for the urinals.

The hardware has a lovely fountain out the front. Recycle the water with a pump? Don't be silly, just run the hose all day and run the overflow into the drain.

Run the grey water pipe another 5m to the garden? Don't be silly, there is a hose with nice "clean" water for that.

If you want a reality check then have a look at the non intuitive amount of water that can be wasted over a year from a single leaking tap.

I have no figures for the water wastage or how much extra is used during Songkran. But the dramatic amount of waste for much of the year is painfully obvious even in an area under enforced water restrictions. If this is typical for much of Thailand then I'd not be too fast to dismiss moe666's comment.

Not looking for a flame war. But that comment fits with what I see every day.

Great to know, thank you. And easy as well

"... easily bypassed."

Is that a "pay for the convenience of the stamp without the inconvenience of bringing the bike" kind of deal? If so how does one even broach the subject? I'm so used to following rules (at least nearly all of them) that I'm really not sure how to play the game here.

I'm told that during a visa run the officer was trying to get some tea money. I was totally oblivious and just kept standing there waiting, for quite a while, with a long line forming behind me. Eventually he stamped my passport with a show of poor grace and I was on my way. Hopefully I'll learn....

So after it is registered, and tax kept up to date, does it ever have to see the land office again?

If not then a previous suggestion of buying a new Stallion CT400 have it registered then start modifying might be a very good idea. (which has the added advantage of no problems from previous owners)

Too funny!

In Laos I was busted and had to pay tea money. They spent a long time trying to find something to bust me for. Licence? OK. Rego? OK. Bike? OK. Eventually, standing in the blazing summer sun on the footpath, I took my helmet off. I was immediately busted for riding without a helmet.

My first impression of Thai reform is "let's say we are doing something", and smile Is that about right?

So I'm guessing my options have been well covered here:

Build a gorgeous bike that the cops don't want. And pay occasional tea money.

Build exactly what I want, get better at talking my way out. And pay occasional tea money.

Compromise on customisation with only small changes. And pay occasional tea money.

Put up with a stock standard pink Scoopy. And pay occasional tea money.

Thank you all for the ideas and "attitude adjustment"....

It certainly is a massive improvement on the plastic boy racer look.

For those that didn't click the link on the modified ER6N, check this out:

Not Cafe Racer, but lovely. The local Police Boss just laughed and shook his head when he saw this