MengWan

I see that this thread, beginning in a innocuous manner, is turning sour.

So, for me, I have to state some things, that always scratch me ...

This reference to "Caucasian" after talking of "nationalities" is totally irrational.

Only small, isolated places of this world can have a physical stereotype in a given nationality, and there are no such places in Europe for quite some time now.

If someone hopes to tell of one'nationality not by looking at one's passport, then it is a foolish hope.

More than that, I personally expect the world to mix more and more to make assumptions like that more and more foolish.

My wife is Thaï (from the south, i.e. "unfair" (sic) skin) and was acknowledged as a national in Malaysia, Indonesia, The Philippines.

She was somewhat thought to be Tahitian and Indian (in the US, she was asked if she could speak Navajo).

I just tried to show something here, not to hurt ...

Hi,

Given this lovely guy habits, I think one important thing is missing from the photographs ...

The FAN

It should be quite simple, by the language they speak ?

Russian -> Russian

Armenian -> Armenian

Georgian -> Georgian (this one is hard to guess) ...

I should not post because I am not from Caucasus, it's pure scolar knowledge

You are the "source"?

And this is based on what you have seen in Silicon Valley? How many companies have you worked for there? How "many" Indians, Chinese, Lebanese, even Canadians did you see? And how many "other" employees of Silicon Valley companies did you see?

Your statement is as hollow as if I said, "I have seen many idiots post on Thai Visa. Therefore, based on the number of stupid posts I have seen, I'm going to conclude that a 'large portion' of the people who post on Thai Visa are idiots." Hmmm...well maybe that was a bad example.

I see who's "upset" here ...

I can be a little nothing but many years of experience is enough for me to know what I know, and I know that a lot of R&D workers in the US are NOT US citizens !

I even saw demonstrations by angry people protesting this fact, may be they had some wrong statistics too ...

I know too that more and more of the R&D done by US firms is done abroad, outside of the US, in countries like Taiwan, India etc ...

But I suppose it is disinformation, spread all over the world by "idiots" ?

Think as you wish, but stay calm ... and polite, OK ?

"NB: A large portion of the people who do research in the US are NOT US citizens.

I'd love to know the source for this statement.

I (modestly) am the source ...

In the Silicon Valley, I have seen in some semiconductor companies "many" Indians (from India), chinese (from Taïwan), lebanese, even some Canadians ...

In "Finances" depatments, I saw only WASPs ...

Thanks Grant, good point. I think I will add Haagen Dazs to my list of expensive things that I am currently "boycotting". So far I have Ferraris, private jets, rolex's and gold toothbrushes.

I agree and applause to that !

Just can add 18th century samurai swords to the list ... (I keep my swiss knife)

I have a hard time understanding why anyone would get upset with a nation trying to protect the products its citizens make. Whether music or video, medicine or computer code, US citizens create products which are then stolen so the profit goes to criminals, not the innovators. And then to make this into a anti-US diatribe is ridiculous.

I think you took it wrong what was (often) said !

I did not saw anyone upset there, just people trying to tell that this initiative is futile !

Futile ..., OK, stupid, if you prefer ...

NB: A large portion of the people who do research in the US are NOT US citizens.

Unfortunately, this thread has moved more toward the ani-US area of discussion rather than the violation of intellectual property laws. Intellectual property is an important issue and it affects many, many countries. Champagne can only legally come from the area in France--in the US it is called Sparkling Wine. Jasmine Rice can only come from Thailand.

The issue goes far beyond DVD's and other 'non-essential' items, it extends to books (note the recent case of Thai textbooks being copied) and life-saving medicine. It also extends to silly things that will never probably be marketed, but they do belong to someone.

Eventually, these patents expire and the items become a part of the public domain. Let's look at the impact of intellectual property rights and violations more and a little less on the country that is bringing up the issue right now.

Not at all, I was simply trying to see farther than the end of my nose ...

France, as many european countries thrived by "stealing IP" from the Roman Empire.

The US thrived by "stealing IP" from european countries (empires).

Now is the turn of Asia, from which "the West" took so many things (from firearms to printing by pasta ...) without "paying" anything ...

This is History, not patent-law !

I think Thailand -as others- should ask the US to stop stealing "IP" first !

Stop to sell "Californian Champagne", US-made "Chablis", even stop calling "pepperoni" something not coming from Italy ...

This is the first step, the second would be to rename the BERLINs, PARISs, ROMEs and copycat-named towns of the US with names they find themselves !

Maybe find an amerindian name for them ... like Sioux-City, Navajoville and like !

I don't see the US is in any position to give lessons to anyone on this matter ...

I want some help in putting a stop to this

i strongly suggest you use a rubber sheet to protect your mattress from the results of your wet dreams

Yeah !

That's what I said to the people (sometimes policemen) who couldn't bear murders, rapes and so on ...

Bad behavior will always be, why bother, any action against those things is futile

I get into National Parks for the Thai price when I show a Thai Driving license, if the policy was racist my Thai driving license would mean nothing, I would still be white therefore I would be discriminated against because of the colour of my skin.

It isn't racist at all.

What is not said in your message is that you were (probably ?) asked for the falang price first, based on your face !

This is racism, you look "falang", I ask you "falang-price" !

Thailand is not the only place where this occurs, of course, but it is not an excuse !

I was once in Bali (off-peak) with my wife (which looks very much "indonesian").

Going to the volcano temple, I was the only one to be asked to pay, the only one to walk the slope, and the only one to be banned entry to the temple !

It is just plain human nature to try to get ahead.

It is what YOU think of "human nature" !

Personally, I think it is a chunk of animal (predation) nature ...

There are different conceptions of what is "human" nature, apparently !

Finally, all this discussion is worthless ...

Regarding discriminations, one can be against or favorable, it is not new under this world.

That's all, I keep my judgment and vow to myself never discriminate people in any way !

And sorry for some, I love Thaïland, but not the criminals, not the drug dealers, not the assassins etc ...

Is it so abnormal ?

NB:The most disgusting this pratice was to me was when I had to pay the tuk-tuk "falang-price" for the (thai, family) children because I took them to the swimming-pool to have some fun ...

(Sorry, I am late and did not read the whole thing ...)

The lawsuit seems futile to me, there are so many examples where the law is even never enforced !

But I have asuggestion : why not create a (public) database of places "to avoid", i.e. where double-pricing exists.

Such a data-base (on the Internet) could be checked by town, when one goes somewhere, take notice of the "places to avoid" since I beleive (publicized) boycott is the ONLY way !

Have you turned Thai - how?

Mai loo ...

Very interesting thread, thanks !

I have a question about "time to change batteries", how do you know it has arrived ?

I mean before failure when "faï dap"s.

Hi everyone,

This is felix, I adopted him august 2007 when he was 4 months old. Now he's all grown-up. Just wanted to share some pics.here is the link.

http://www.slide.com/r/sFprOdK71D9ejRKMBBsVmLAszLa-oRs0?cy=fr&view=large

Thanks,

BM

Sorry but for me the link doesn't show anything ...

I was just eating lunch in a freind's pleasant, air-con restaurant with no other customers. A group of 5 young Israeli men came in who looked like hippie backpackers and were of the age that they probably just got out of the Army.

I have seen all the hateful messages on the Internet about "loud, rude Israelis" and all the problems that they supposedly cause over and over again, so I thought that I would watch and see what happened.

I have a used book store and I have to say that in general they are a lot more well read and polite than customers from other countries, but many people claim that is because usually it is only one or two Israeli's rather than a whole group.

To make a long story short, these guys were quiet and polite and ate fairly expensive food and paid for it without bargaining or asking for a discount. In short, they were perfectly pleasant customers.

What I wonder is, if a good many Israeli's are just regular, nice people like these, how come so many people feel that it is OK - almost fashionable - to hate the whole race and behave like they all act exactly the same?

The real fun with this is that you apply the same method you criticize !

"In general", I suppose there are no two israelis alike, so this reference is absurd in one way, and absurd in the other ...

(The contrary of "all ??? are ???" is NOT "all ??? are ???")

Anti-Israeli backpacker sentiment is just another form of anti-semitism.

This is "incorrect" too !

There are 20/25 % of arabs in Israël, so either "anti-israëli" is inappropriate (and the sentence is a tautology), or the quotation is simply false.

NB:Projections tell that, around 2050, Israëlis will be in majority arabs !

I looked at the "site" and found some ridiculous story ...

Particularly this (quotation) :

The Baldheaded freak Knows that Soontaree is married,, but don't care. He can be sued and will be sued for having a relationship with a married woman.

:D

I think that the guys who made this fake showed by this their admiration of the Italian company !

So the choice of this kind of product (vintage cars) is very bad for what is intended to demonstate.

About the subject of "the east" faking and stealing "the west", I think that after all what we stole them, maybe they are entitled to a little revenge ...

For example, I would pardon the Greeks any fake British product they make, since their museums are full of stolen Greek artifacts !

I sent my wife home for 3 months out of the year and took 3 week vacations to Thailand together. So she got to spend around 4 months of the year next to mommy.

I have been here in the armpit now for 2 years, and I don't see a trip home until my 3 year here.... hmmm, somethings smells.

and we met in the states....

I see a great similarity, maybe there's a pattern here !

In my case we were living in Chinatown (Paris France), so it was definitely not the food she was missing ...

Family bonds seemed stronger in my wife's case, compared to mine.

Plane tickets were a lot cheaper too, now I prefer to buy me a top computer than go back visit the land-of-the-expensive.

For me I do not see software development in a large scale in Thailand !

Software development includes debugging which is incompatible with a mai-pen-rai culture ...

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone can shed some light as to how long thai a wife or girlfriend remains in the country of their foreign husband or boyfriend before wanting to return to Thailand permanently.

Cheers

Too many factors involved to speculate.

Like:

The Country involved, what she left behind, the man she went with, the food , the weather, does she have children in Thailand that she will miss, friends, will she live in a city or a village with no other Thai people..etc etc.

My Friend bought his GF to Tokyo, she hated it and left after 2 weeks. Another friend took his wife to USA, visited Florida , Vegas, California etc.....she hated it and was happy to return to Thailand

All people are different.

Sure, "mine" stayed 22 years in Paris with me, but is now permanently back to Thailand ... with me !

I just spoke to my Friend who was on the Mini Bus behind, he says it was 100% a blow out of the Tryre, he also says they were travelling at approximatey 130kmh...

As the types are about to blow any moment, the guy was right to speed ...

A long time ago, I had a friend with an old car, as I told him to slow at the crossings, he used to reply that, without brakes, he could not stop, so faster gave a smaller chance of collision ...

I have seen very good drivers here, especially minivan ones, they can drive an undriveable "thing" with one finger as they chat on the phone, smoke a cigarette and drink ...

Next month we're planning to go on a long weekend trip to Penang. We're not going for visa or anything... just visiting :-)

Anyways, we're planning to drive to there. I was wondering how long it'd take to drive from Surrathani to the border. Should we take highway 4 (in thailand) all the way ? I was told we'd need to get the plate translated, and buy an insurance at the border, so I guess we should cross the border before a certain time, right ? Anything else I should know ?

any help - experience - appreciated!

Thanks :-)

kevin

Hi,

I lived in HatYai for 6 years and wanted to have a trip to Penang too ...

It is very complicated indeed, all the papers you need, especially for the car and even you risk to be blocked if anything's missing at the last minute.

And all of this is costly !

Personally, I abandoned any idea of travelling with my car (I have a "truck" and malays do NOT authorize more than 2 persons in a 2-doors pickup !), preferred the bus or plane, then rented a car on site ...

This solution is easier, cheaper and much less stressful ...