Seraphina

For the "righteous" who say, "he broke the law", remember that you break the law every time you go over 70 miles an hour in the UK or whatever the speed limit is where you live. 

I did a presentation based on primary research in 1985 at a Dubai Conference entitled, "The changing lifestyles and values of GCC females". I will be giving an update of this survey in Penang, Malaysia in 2017. My final slide says this:

Quote

 

Don't be a media sheep!

1.Be aware of your own prejudices and those of other people, including Arabs.

2.If this subject genuinely interests you, read books and do your own research so that you can form your own opinions.

 

Calm down everyone! All I said was this is a fuss about nothing. I never said the restauranteur was in the right. I said it's not uncommon in France for owners to be rude and refuse to serve you. for God's sake, I myself have been refused service in France (45 minutes is not enough time to cut hair before going to lunch at midday apparently), refused entry to a shop in the Middle East because I was a woman and refused entry to a building in Thailand! Unpleasant experiences every one, but did I make a big fuss about any of them?

And btw, 15 years ago, on nearly every flight I took, I was asked by Emirates staff to change my seat on the aircraft because a local Arab woman onboard didn't want to sit next to a man! Who knows, maybe a ranting feminist wouldn't agree to move?

When I said that different  Arab countries have different names for things, the attached is an illustration of names for veils. You will note Shawn, included is the name I used for a veil, "shayla", which you said was wrong! For your information, it is mostly used in the Emirates.

K. Armstrong’s “The Battle for God”, published by Harpers Perrenial, explores the rise of fundamentalism in the three main monotheisms (and why we didn’t foresee it) at the same time acknowledging that fundamentalists from other sects, such as Hindus, Buddhists and even Confucians, also exist. It explains why it develops and what it tells us about our own culture. ISBN 0-00-638348.

Don't get me started on French laws because the law really is "an ass" here. I live in France, a socialist country I might add, which pays its part-time university teachers 12 months after they've finished their last class. Since a scholastic term is 6 months, that makes 18 months to pay day! You couldn't get away with that in any other European country. So much for basic human rights in France! Hurrah for égalité! 

That's called, having the last word, dear. And I'm not arguing, I'm stating facts.

Fact: I've been based in the Middle East for 9 years. My region covers KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Egypt and Lebanon and parts of North Africa. So, now tell me I've no right to talk about Muslim issues... because if so, that says more about you than it does me.

@shawn000: I hadn't realised that you were both female and Muslim. I, at least, can claim to be both.

I know for an absolute certainty that I own more books than you on the history of the Arab people, Islam and the trouble with Islam; I also know I've talked to far more Arabs than you because that's the job I'm paid to do, so you need to do a little more research yourself. Get some Arab friends, and no...not the north African 'Arabs'.

And if you want to call me a 'feminist', go right ahead. I don't deny that I believe in equal rights for women - indeed, I know few women who support suffrage, so I don't know where this leaves you when it comes to ranting about what you call, 'sexist crap'.

I speak three foreign languages including Arabic, and you, what do you speak? Are you even aware that the names for different clothes are called different things in different countries? Do you know what a thobe, a guthra or an agal is? Do you know which gender wears them? No, I didn't think so.

I visit this forum only rarely. There are too many men like you on it. Poorly educated and poorly read. I go along with the quote, "Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."

19 hours ago, Jackie66 said:

So if this was indeed a new rule how would anybody be able to do a one year extension based on marriage or retirement if they can not open a bank account without a work permit and they need to keep money in bank for few months before getting the 1 year extension?

You're right. You know that. We know that. Unfortunately, there's no use trying to persuade an uninformed person by using logic or deduction, particularly a blue collared worker. It's like making love to a hedgehog. One pr*ck against thousands.

On 10/09/2016 at 4:31 PM, Shawn0000 said:

 

If it weren't something I had already read about in the news then perhaps I would have said,"how interesting", but as it were very much the previous days news, it was more of an "oh, how boring" and the point I made was valid, you have been going on about an erroneous issue the whole time, you just wont drop it about veils and burqas when that was not the issue here so it really is off topic as is anything that IS are up to.

On 10/09/2016 at 7:13 PM, Shawn0000 said:

 

What are you not getting Seraphina? This all started on social media, your newspaper report, regardless of the language it was written in, was not the original. 

 

And it is you who has come across as ignorant, ignorant of the event in question, ignorant of French law, ignorant even of the names of Islamic clothing. 

 

I am sure you now know that you have made a bit of a fool of yourself by going by a rags sensationalized take on the event instead of taking the time to watch the video and making your own mind up, but it is OK, you can be forgiven for that, but you would have done better to quit while you still had some dignity rather than resort to this childlike sexist racist crap.

The media is the media - whether racist or rubbish. Even CNN makes mistakes on a consistent basis. ALL of us take out the bits that we want. The fact that I actually live in France means I'm more likely to have my finger on the pulse about socio-cultural issues in France than YOU, by a very long stretch. 

The idea that ISIL intends to ban the veil after the assassination of two Generals is both laughable and, in light of some of the comments made on this subject on this forum, wholly ironic. If you don't see that, then I can't explain it to you.

The real difference between you and me? My friends may call me many things, but 'ignorant' isn't one of them. If you want to take things personally, go ahead with that chip on your shoulder. 

Actually, I live in France, so I probably saw this story well before you did and read it in the original reporting language.

Non-Muslims like yourself cast a great many aspersions about Muslims and what they think, feel and ought to believe in.

It's not surprising that some of us try and counteract the ignorance and suggest that NOT ALL things that go wrong in our lives are the result of religious bigotry. And if you read my posting, this is a fuss about nothing. I have been shooed out of shops before, but I didn't complain. I've been discriminated against in Thailand and though it irked me at the time, I didn't make a big song and dance about it.

People like to blame others for things that go wrong, but that's just life. Few are litigious. You're very quick to attack someone who tells them they're wrong about the thing they talked about. You sound like a Caucasian male who can’t handle it when an Oriental woman tells him he’s less than adequate. And while you may be called many things by your friends and enemies, erudite’ and ‘well-read’ aren’t among them.

On 06/09/2016 at 11:04 PM, Shawn0000 said:

 

What you just don't see to be able to grasp is the fact that the women in the incident were not wearing burqas, nor were they wearing veils, they were wearing headscarves which is not something anyone anywhere deems to be a security risk, plus the women were not turned down because he "just didn't feel like serving" them, he turned them down because they were Muslim, you posts are misleading and malicious.  Have you even seen the video or are you still just getting your nonsense second hand from rags?

Goodness me, your reading skills are extremely poor . Don't just look at the pictures! 

The text says that ISIL is BANNING the veil. An intelligent person would have said, “oh, how interesting”. Instead, you’ve had a knee jerk reaction which reflects your inability to read accompany text.

For your education, the word “hijaab” used by Muslims and Arabic speakers like myself in the Gulf States*  means: “

In England, I can’t speak for Glasgow, Scotland, only London can issue any type of O visa. It retracted O visa powers from Consulates last year according to my contact in Hull.

I can understand why you’re getting confused. The website and application form refers to an O visa based on retirement aged 50+, but the word ‘retirement’ doesn’t appear in your passport stamp. It simply says, “Non-immigrant 0”. So we all think we’ve got a retirement entry visa when, in fact, it turns out we’ve got a measly 90 day tourist visa (mine is a single entry, non-immigrant O) for which I had to submit a plethora of paperwork including proof of funds and residency before I even arrived in the country.

What the advisors here have omitted to tell you is that while it might seem simple to open a bank account in Thailand in order to transfer your precious 800k baht, it isn’t quite as simple as it sounds; at least, I haven’t found it so.

First, if you have questions about time deposits and rollover systems, you have to find someone who speaks a reasonable level of English unless you’re lucky enough to have a translator. Second, staff will indubitably ask you for a work contract or permit not realizing that the word, ‘retirement’ means ceasing work. Some assistants also don’t seem to realize that you can provide a rental contract in lieu of a work contract…but if you’re travelling around the country solo like myself, this is going to be an issue – I haven’t solved this one yet.

I’m looking at an Embassy letter unless someone can proffer a cheaper, practical solution.

This should put paid to some of the less informed comments. I did mention 'security risk' in one of my previous postings, et le voilà....

Quote

ISIS bans the BURKA after 'veiled female assassin' kills two terrorist commanders in Iraq

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/isis-bans-burka-after-veiled-8777819#rlabs=14 rt$category p$4

....and to those who have i) never been to France, ii) never lived in France and possibly never been turned away from a restaurant or any other institution because the French 'just didn't feel like serving you', I urge you to come to France and enjoy their customer service. Trust me, it's incomparable!

The Head of Deutsche Bank, who was initially against Brexit in the run-up to the referendum, and who later changed his opinion has recently states that London’s role will be “very different”, but it will remain at the centre of the financial world. Edited by me - for full story, refer:

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/706117/joseph-stiglitz-eurozone-depression-brexit?ref=yfp

4 hours ago, car720 said:

 

My understanding of the original story was that a French business man was refusing to do business with 2 muslim women on the basis of his belief that all terrorists are muslims and all muslims are terrorists. (quote).

My query was related to how his rant was suddenly changed from one of religious dislike to one of misogeny and therefore a matter of feminism.  As to me being a bigot.  I may or may not be one but considering the fact that you do not know me personally your remarks are simply vitriol and exhibit a desire to confront for any pretext whatsoever.

Your understanding of the story was WRONG and highly presumptious. Try reading the original story instead of reading your own agenda into passed down information.

You can copy and paste the French into Google Translate if you don't read French! It's not that difficult.

11 hours ago, Shawn0000 said:

 

The hijab is not banned from public places in France, we do not need to read the "original" report, we can watch the video that the women released themselves which inspired the French paper to take up the story and they are clearly wearing the perfectly legal hijab not the banned niqabs and they are clearly being subjected to Islamophobic hate speech.  It seems strange that a Muslim woman living in France would not be aware of the law.

Oh, and which newspapers are you reading, pray?  Certainly not the French ones. However, I'm sure you can read the following.

"France was the first European country to ban the full-face Islamic veil in public places." Source: BBC http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-13038095.

Alternate:  The French ban on face covering* is an act of parliament passed by the Senate of France on 14th September 2010. The original bill (No. 2004-28) was passed on 15th March, 2004 by Jacques Chirac well before the current troubles.**

Secondly, my brother works in national security and I have two other brothers in the armed forces, so I fully understand the security risks. If you've watched the film, "Eye in the Sky", you will start to understand that Westerners play by a set of rules including The Geneva Convention, among others.

Guerilla fighters don't have a set of rules. Such fighters often have no compunction in killing children, other Muslims, old people and the disabled. They have no moral compass when it comes to killing people in churches, hospitals or schools. Do I need to continue or are you getting the picture?

If you really want to comment on modern Islamic issues without looking foolish, I recommend a book entitled, "The Trouble With Islam" and maybe ask someone educated to translate the following: "La France est une République indivisible, laïque, ...et sociale" and then ask them to explain what the word 'secular' actually means!

* This includes Christian veils and is intended to include the wearing of ALL religious symbols. If you're a Christopher Hitchens fan, you'll understand that why he felt this should apply to ALL western societies.

** The interpretation of 'public places' remains a loose term, but currently includes all government property and places of education.

On 29/08/2016 at 8:47 PM, car720 said:

 

What about the part where the guy says............."all terrorists are muslims and all muslims are terrorists".............I would have thought that was fairly clear.  How has this subject become a feminist war cry?

Did you misread the original post? Unless the original report in the French newspaper put the restauranteur's comments together at the same time as his refusal to allow the women to enter - which it didn't, then there's no way any of us can know what the restauranteur was actually thinking. I provided examples to make that point. The fact that the two 'victims' were women was by-the-by.

If you read the French original story, you would know that the women were hijaab in a public place and you would also know that this is forbidden in France. I live in France and speak French, Arabic AND English. I am also Muslim. Do you hear me supporting the two Muslim women? So, where does that leave you now?

I'm on the receiving end of consistently poor service in France. I have been rejected for being 10 minutes late for a hairdressing appointment and also refused entry to restaurants because I arrived at 14.05hrs. That's NOT taking rejection as a female because these things could happen in France to any person, of any nationality, gender or religion.

When I lived in the Middle East, I was once "shooed" out of a shop by the owner when I tried to ask for directions. I could not have known, and still don't know to this day, whether I was rejected on the basis of my nationality, gender or religion. Did I make a big fuss over it? No, I moved on. That's why I said - in the same post you quoted from, "This is a big fuss about nothing."

People who don't live in France, don't know why such stories appear in the French press or know the first thing about the history of the hijaab ban in France - really need to keep their mouths shut until they're better informed. People like yourself, with your own bigoted ideas, just need to read English with far greater verbal reasoning skills.

Hi Jackspade, I'd like to respond to your second question (the possibility of obtaining a new passport) because , so far, only Ubonjoe seems to have addressed it. I agree with him.

As a general rule, if you apply for two consecutive passports, they are always linked at the issue source. Therefore subservient databases will have the same information. If you have a valid visa in an out-of-date passport, you would have to present both passports.

I know it's possible to have two concurrent British passports because I had two whilst I lived in Dubai and so did my partner. My original passport was issued in the UK, the second in China. You just have to be very careful about which passport you use for the entry and exit stamps. So, for example, you can't present a new passport with no entry stamp when you're trying to exit the country or you'll have some explaining to do!

In summary, consecutive passports are always linked. You would have to provide a very solid backstory to your Embassy in order to persuade them why they shouldn't be....but it's possible.

19 hours ago, Naam said:

 

the same thing happened in Germany and other countries Seraphina. changing to a formerly unknown and suddenly unfamiliar currency provided an ideal opportunity to dupe consumers with totally unjustified price increases. changing from Franc to EURo did not cause the price increase of coffee and baguettes.

 

biggest cheaters in Germany were the restaurants who thought they can charge the same amount of EURos quoted before in Deutsche Mark. but it was too obvious and did not last, at least not in the restaurant business. many consumers were treated like stupid cattle because they were stupid enough to believe the fairy tale "it's the EURo stupid!" and of course some consumers still believe this ridiculous claim.

All very good points. I believe you 100%. ....and poor Germany received a double whammy because it had to bear the colossal cost of reunification - yet look where they are now....still ahead of everyone else. 

You are talking about "life assurance" not accident "insurance". The terminology indicates they are very different.

I would suggest your best logical protection is to write a Last Will and Testament stating clearly who the Executor of your Will and how they can be contacted; and then lodge the Will in Thai and English with a reputable notary or lawyer. This can't be expensive in Thailand.

I would not inform your girlfriend of your actions until this is done. Sadly, it sounds like she's in it for the money, but you knew this when you wrote the post. You don't need us to tell you that!

On 30/08/2016 at 7:21 AM, sahibji said:

we can not have that in a civilized society. the anger of the relative is understandable but to express it at a press conference is not warranted.

....but understandable nevertheless.

The action of the perpatrators included kidnapping with extreme violence + false imprisonment + reckless endangerment (physically fighting with someone in a car whilst trying to drive away). Pointing a gun with intent at a 4 year old is extreme.

On 29/08/2016 at 9:57 PM, Red Parrot Fish said:

 

And sterling continues it's downwards path. You think this is a success? 

Unless you're living in the eleventh parallel universe or you're only 15 years old, you must know that currencies go DOWN as well as UP. 

If you want to quote currencies, you could have quoted short term, medium term, long term and very long term trends for context. Alternatively, you could have chosen to quote sterling movement using an index with July 2016 as 100. However, choosing a short time period after a particular event as proof of a sustained currency devaluation is both erroneous and misleading. It's what we researchers call, "cherry picking".

From an every day, EU perspective, France is one of many countries which suffered terribly - and is still suffering - from the effects of converting from its local currency to the euro.  Local prices in France rose by some 20% or more: the cost of a local cup of coffee rose from 2 euros to 3 euros (it's now 4 euros or more) and the cost of an ordinary 'baguette' - something we buy every day, not every week like they do in the UK, became ridiculously expensive overnight.

I would suggest that such price increases on every day items have a genuine adverse impact on the spending power of the common man on an everyday basis and therefore money circulation. To the best of my memory, the UK has never suffered from this type of event, though I wasn't in the UK when decimilisation occurred. Nowadays, the UK continues to import inflation from France, mainly due to the amount of wine and champagne it buys annually, based on euro prices rather than French francs. The point I'm making is this: if you earn in sterling and spend in sterling, you probably won't feel any difference, even over the medium term, unless you take 5 holidays a year in countries with stronger currencies.

6 minutes ago, 7by7 said:

 

A pub, bar or restaurant is not the same as a commercial office building. Even so, a pub, bar or restaurant in the UK does have the right to refuse entry or service; except

 

I suspect that it is the same in France; unless someone can prove otherwise.

 

You're probably right, but I think the women would have to pursue their case through the civil court and if you know French law courts, you'd have to have a Sheikh's ransom in order to afford it and a simple case can be drawn out for years.

I imagine racial bias would be very difficult to prove. Who needs the hassle of a court case? Women are covertly discriminated against all the time. It's one reason why many symphony orchestras now audition 'blind'.

1 minute ago, Shawn0000 said:

 

So you are saying that if they had of lied then they would not have been breaking the law?  Well, it is against the law to discriminate based on religion, that trumps the right to refuse service common law, and they didn't lie so it is clear that they were breaking the law, not that they wouldn't have been if they had of lied it just wouldn't have been so clear.

 

You sound very bigoted, my dear. How do you KNOW that he refused them because they were Muslim. He could have refused them because they were WOMEN, or because he's superstitious about the colour BLACK.... How very narrow-minded and presumptious you are!

How do I know that the times when I was turned away wasn't because I'm ASIAN? Who cares? I took my business elsewhere.

Don't sweat things you can't change! And ask for your money back from your therapist! 

7 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

Probably.....but a frenchman who does not speak his mind is not a frenchman. 

Very true! All talk and no trousers.

It all went downhill after Napolean in my view.

Was this the same Vice Chancellor who said, shortly after the Brexit vote, "Well, you know, this means that English doesn't have to be the common language anymore". After I stopped laughing, I thought of retraining as a lawyer because they would certainly benefit if everyone reverted to their own language. French would be a disaster and we already know that Esperanto was a colossal failure and French wouldn't be much better. Many French youngsters nowadays don't even know the plural of: 'the original'. Pfff, les  jeunes!

7 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

What is truly bizarre though is that lots of the posters who condemned the women wearing burkinis to the beach did so on the grounds that these women had violated the law.  Now that someone apparently violated the law in refusing to serve these women, they have apparently become recruits to the righteousness of civil disobedience.

In the UK, all commercial property owners, including office buildings, have the right to refuse entry to anyone except the police on official business and all Customs and Excise personnel. I live in France and this rule is absolute. I'm therefore not convinced that the resto owner has contravened any French law - modern or historic. However, I would certainly put him forward to win the stupid competition for drawing attention to himself.

He could simply have told the ladies, "We're closing in ten minutes" and that would have been the end of the matter. I have been turned away from restaurants at 2pm because the chef had knocked off at 1pm...I've been turned away from French hairdressers because my haircut would have taken the hairdresser past midday and 5 minutes into his lunch hour...

This is a big fuss about nothing!