fredwiggy

Try getting out more, and look at the daily news. Not only here, but worldwide, which covers things here also. I, and many others, have mentioned many things that need changes here, and it's not for us but for everyone who actually lives here. Just a few, since you think things are so great, is the driving habits and lack of enforcement of driving laws. 65 dead daily means things need to be changed. Most involving those not wearing helmets on scooters ,speeding and driving drunk. The exchange of money instead of punishment for crimes against others, a few baht and a wai and all is well, even though uncle was killed by a drunk driver. Men having countless children and never paying any child support, which lets them repeat this behavior as many times as the clueless young girls let them.

Complaining, again, is how things are changed. This means negative things. People with depression only help themselves if they are knowledgeable about depression, and know the steps to take, If not, another one who cares about them encourages them to take steps to change their lives, and thinking. Ask yourself, how exactly are things changed for the better. Complaining about them. If enough complain, things can be changed. If politicians want to get elected, they listen to the people's complaints, and if they are smart, they'll do things to encourage change. If they don't make changes, they're fired. My family and friends love me as I am. They actually complain also, just as most people who want changes do. Letting people walk all over you without complaining, is how depression takes a grip. It's called environmental depression, and comes from toxic people that constantly put others down. How do you stop them? By complaining when they try and tear you down, and not letting them take over.

I'm not moaning. I state things exactly how they are. I'm not miserable either, but this is not a good place for either myself or my daughter to live. If you don't understand what actually goes on here, you shouldn't reply. There are thousands of expats here that don't like living here, but do because they have a woman here that won't leave Thailand. Remember, you don't have to read, nor reply, on anything posted here. Unless of course you are wanting to discuss things with an open mind or want to give advice. Why, if you are living on an oil platform, do you feel the need to comment if that's where you spend most of your time/ There are many people that actually live here full time and have no clue of what goes on here daily, because they live in a small village outside population centers and rarely leave the house, nor watch the news.

You still have visitation rights as a father anywhere, IF you want them. The fact that most don't care once a child is born here nullifies that .

I'm making perfect sense. Again things that are bad can be changed by people complaining about them. This is how laws are written. This is how people are made safer on the roads. This is how gun control can be made to have people live safer lives. Because you visited 40 countries means you spent little time in any of them. You are mostly around a group of people, and not amongst the people who live in those countries, seeing what the problems are, and not knowing how those problems can be changed. You think it's only foreigners that complain here? That means you don't live amongst them, and hear what they say, daily, about the things that hurt this country. Corruption here is as high as anywhere on earth, and this hurts the populace. Human trafficking here is huge, and this hurts individuals and families, permanently sometimes. Why do you think so many protest downtown in Bangkok? For changes. Problem is, they jail or kill many who protest, unlike western countries where you can say anything you want, as long as it isn't threatening. If you actually lived here, and knew what actually goes on, you might understand why others complain. Westerners know a better way of life, and would like to see some things changed here not only for their good, but for the good of everyone who lives here. It doesn't mean you change everything, but things that are hurting the locals. It doesn't matter what you like about Thailand. This country is still many years behind the standards of safe living. The only way things will improve here is if ideas from other, more developed countries are put in place. The road system sucks here. The electricity one uses here is outdated. Laws aren't enforced and money can but off most any problems. The way children are cared for is appalling. The schools pass children who are failing, and fathers aren't made responsible for the children they conceive. You think this will change without complaining? Rose colored glasses and brown nosing lets things that are bad continue.

Without knowing the whole story the thing wrong with this thinking is it doesn't solve the custody problem and only permanently damages relationships between the children and their parents. It actually does happen it different fashions all over the world. Some dads just let their kids go if the woman stops visitation because they don't care. Some will fight for their rights which is the best course of action, until the court gives you those rights, which is their job, and some go to extremes, like this man did, and ruin everything. Fighting over the kids hurts them most, and some parents, usually women, don't care what happens to the children, as long as they hurt the dad. They forget their relationship and what happened, and only turn their anger on the ex partner, putting the kids in the middle. The children should have both parents, if the both parents are stable, and visitation of both, again, if both are stable. They should live with the best parental choice, and this doesn't mean the woman. It means where they will be taken care of best. Yes, women can be, and are, cruel when a divorce comes, but so can be men. Thailand usually gives the children to women, and this is ignorance. Granted, most Thai men won't fight for their kids like western men will, but this should still be taken into account when deciding where the kids live. A stable home means one where the parent can give time to his kids, train them, educate them, care for them, and be there when they need it. It doesn't mean taking off and going to another city and sending money back (sometimes), while grandma takes care of the kids.

To nip this in the bud. Blaming the woman might be a little short sighted but her not allowing him to see his child might have started him on this path of destruction. It happens to a lot of us fathers when custody is the issue. Women think they can do whatever they want and get away with it. Of course I'm not saying this is what happened, but it does start a fire sometimes. Going to these lengths is obviously wrong and no one wins here, especially the children, because they now lost an uncle, a dad and their thinking will be damaged for a long time to come. My ex in Texas took my children, illegally, out of school then out of state, and nothing was changed until I went back to court and showed the judge the paperwork showing she wasn't allowed to do this, and they were given back to me. I have nothing but respect for a good woman but nothing but contempt for those that do anything to hurt the relationship between a child and their father. The same goes the other way , although it happens in only a small percentage of the time. The best way to fight this, if she wasn't allowing him to see his children, is to go to court. A father has rights a court can't interfere with unless he's doing something wrong to the children. Saying this, this man might have just been jealous or hellbent on damage because of a mental illness, so we don't know until we know.

Lack of concern for children here is appalling. I see this daily where the buses are overcrowded and many students actually sit on top of the buses. This is prime example of the lack of concern for life here. If it's going to happen it will is the thinking, instead of doing things to ward off possible accidents, like spending money on better buses, better trained bus drivers, enforcement of laws already on the books, wearing helmets, not allowing children under 15 to drive without a license, not having more than two on a scooter and more.

It's the same reason New Jersey in August is unbearably hot. Close to the ocean. Houston has the same problem. Humidity is higher than inland.

This is among the many reasons I will move back to Texas. 4 seasons, cool and cold weather as a break, yet warm enough to do things almost every day outdoors. If it rains, it does for a few days then stops. A lot of rain might fall in those few days to cause local flooding, but it does stop, then back to warm.

My girlfriend says the same thing. When she goes with her tesaban for meetings in other cities, she doesn't like the AC in the hotels, but she'll sleep with only a fan and complain that it's hot and she sweats. Thais are used to bad living conditions because many cannot afford better. They'll eat with flies landing on their food outside and not try and take care of that problem. Build a sala to shade from the sun for a lunch break and endure the same things.

If you understood other languages, and lived amongst other nationalities, you would see that everyone on earth complains. Complaining is how things bad are changed. Complacency is how they stay the same, and how evil is allowed to prosper.

Inside and hot isn't near as bad as outside and hot in the sun.

37 is damn hot when you're working outside. I helped a relative building decks outside, and its not fun. I came here and understood what Thais go through working outside in the heat when I helped my ex's family and now my girlfriend's on the farm.

In the sticks in Texas is where the people who have money live. I lived there 32 years, worked outside in 100 degree heat, and watched thousands do the same. It's the same everywhere. People move to the hot areas and stay inside most of the time. I worked and lived, all around San Antonio, visited Houston, Dallas and other big cities, and never had any trouble. I lived in New Jersey, 15 miles from NYC, for 30 years. Worked and visited NYC and boroughs all that time, and never had any trouble . There of course is trouble in all big cities, but it's not what people think it is. More people are hurt here in 5 on 1 ,knifings, and intentional homicides than back in the US, although people do believe all they hear on videos and don't hear but a tiny fraction of what goes on here daily. I would not walk late at night anywhere in any big cities because that's inviting disaster. Unless of course I was armed.

Neal Schon (Journey) and Jan Hammer (Miami Vice soundtrack).....................https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIcdiNxC5KU&list=PL3327076FBB2C8FBE&index=3

From another of the best guitarists, a blues rock song.............. .

From probably the best rock singer of all time (I know, some think it's Freddie Mercury, who's also great), Paul Rodgers from Bad Company, another group not yet inducted that was better than a lot that have been................

Another folk song from the best folk rock artist..........

From the folk rock side.......

I think the best female singer ............

One of the bests from the southern rock genre...............

Carlos for sure. Saw him in San Antonio in the early 90's. Eddie was okay but somewhat limited. Hendrix gets a lot of credit but his work can be done by most good guitarists. Some were innovators and get a lot of credit. Knopfler was good in Dire Straits, and only got better.

I saw him in a small bar in Austin Texas, 10 feet away. He played without missing a note all of his earlier songs. I've seen most of the best guitarists or have listened to them for 50 years, and only Mark Knopfler is as good to me. Those others are right up there so it's hard to choose, along with Jeff Beck, Warren Haynes, Jorma Kaukonen, Michael Schenker, Brian May, Steve Hackett and Neil Schon.

Joe can play, and has, any of their music as well or better, and they are indeed good guitarists.