Richb2004v2

Departing states leader everywhere ...

When the freedom and liberty loving Americans stand up against Guantanamo Obama? Specially those who vote for him. He is a liar. His words can't be trusted. It damages Americas reputation.

Its about time.

I didn't like the Bush approach to the world, but he wasn't that dishonest as Obama is.

I could live with some hardcore military dude as long between his words and action is no discrepancy. But this laureate brother with his false promises, faux hopes, insulting apologies just makes one angry.

President Obama has not been dishonest. He cannot close Guantanamo because the U.S. Congress refuses to allow the transfer of those prisoners to the U.S. prison system inside the USA. If you blame President Obama for this, then you really have no understanding of the checks and balances inherent in the U.S. political system. The spreading of power between the various branches of the U.S. governments acts to ensure that it unlikely that a dictator like Gadaffi could rise to power. There is also an ultimate check on the power of the UK PM: The Sovereign. HM Queen Elizabeth has the perogative to dismiss PM Cameron and Parliament thereby forcing an election. These checks and balances are not present in Libya because Gaddaffi killed off most his opponents.

In respect to the topic at hand, the statements by the President and the Prime Minister were appropriate. They were asking that violence be avoided and that Gadaffi end the violence by ending his four decade dictatorship. If you are offended by the words of these gentlemen then you may have some bigger issues.

BTW your syntax and views remind of a chap from Thai Visa called Sergei.

The mature voice of reason. Well said.

"The Playboy mascot has become one of a galaxy of brands loved by Thai consumers, said anthropologist Olivier Evrard.

You don't have to walk far before you see little girls wearing Playboy t-shirts, but then you can also see them wearing Nazi Swastika t-shirts because it is so "cool".

Whoever accused Thailand of being sensitive to foreign opinion...."

You are aware that the Swastika is one of the holiest symbols of Bhuddism, representing the heart of the Buddha?

The use of it in Asia, has nothing to to do with Nazism at all. That is only in the mind of those like you who are willing to let the nazis keep

the symbols they for a very short period stole.

There's always one that like to bring that up, as if we didn't all know.

Very good.

Have you had a look at "the darkside", i.e. the part of Pattaya east of Sukhumvit? This is where most locals/expats live. There must be hundreds of villages to choose from, some very nice, some not so nice, all within 15 minutes of downtown Pattaya. For 20K/month you should be able to find a very nice house with very little effort.

If you're interested in other areas, i.e. Chiang Mai or Hua Hin you'd probably be better off asking in their local forums.

I have had a bit of a look at the darkside,didn't really take to it.I have researched chiang mai and am looking at hua hin in a few weeks,i guess before i move a long distance away i thought i would gather some information on areas around here.I like jomtien,but theres not much in the way of houses,ban chang i never reallly considered,the only knowledge of bang chang is the stories other golfers tell me of their infamous bang chang crawls,i'll have to go for a drive out that way.The area around the phoenix golf club is appealling,anyone have any knowledge of hua yai or areas near,is the beach at ban amphur ok.What about the beaches at bang chang.

How far is hua yai from rayong and bang chang

Oh it is but a stones throw. Anyway, about the price of my house in Ban Chang......

I strongly recommend buying. Ban Chang is 40 minutes east of Pattaya and has all the things you mentioned, including schools, beaches and hospital close by. It just so happens my own house is for sale at a very competitive price.

In my limited experience wooden flooring does not seem to be the strong point of Thai tradesmen. In fact they seem to struggle with anything wooden, at least if you want it to last.

If you want to be safe the last thing to do would be to take a taxi! In Bangkok they seem particularly bad. The last one we got ended up in a fit of road rage and almost came to blows with another driver, who reached into his car to grab something probably dangerous. Amazing! As others have said, the safest way is to drive yourself.

This guy isn't bald, or fat, but it's a similar sort of deal I think.

Is it really worth bothering about? The people involved, including the injured, will all jump in the next available vehicle which will drive them away in a dangerous and irresponsible fashion, and not one of them will have learnt anything from the incident. Some of them will probably go on to be involved in other needless accidents in the near future. Even the teachers probably won't learn anything from it, and their pupils will continue to whizz out of the school gates four to a scooter and the school bus driver will still drive like a maniac. It's all good, and adds to the rich tapestry that it Thailand.

My son is almost two and is having bouts of great difficulty passing stools. He's been like it probably on and off for 6 months. We were so concerned one evening we took him to the hospital. They gave him laxatives which did the trick, but only for maybe a week or two and then it returns. We also took him to a 'Dr' but they did the same. It seemed to clear up for a while but the last few days it has been back. It is very upsetting to see as it looks like he is in some pain, and when it finally comes it is like a stone. We will take him to a different hospital tomorrow but I'm just wondering if we will simply get more laxatives. He eats a lot of fruit and fresh vegetables. There are no other symptoms of distress or illness, only this.

Apparently it is common in children so I just wondered if anyone else has experienced it and what was the solution.

Thanks.

I know I shouldn't, but.

for mum and sis.

Is that one and the same person?

Just read up on them. Thought they were going to be a fanatical, murderous branch of Islam, but they seemquite enlightened and tolerant. A bit like the Ba'hais..

enlightened? In what sense?

For a start they are open to the idea of evolution and don't take the old mythology literally.

They also oppose the idea of violent jihad.

Mīrzā Ghulām Aḥmad[3] (Arabic: الميرزا غلام أحمد‎;Urdu: مرزا غلام احمد; February 13, 1835 – May 26, 1908 CE, or Shawal 15, 1250 – Rabi' al-thani 24, 1326 AH) was a religious figure from India, and the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He claimed to be the Mujaddid (divine reformer) of the 14th Islamic century, the promised Messiah (“Second Coming of Christ”), and the Mahdi awaited by the Muslims in the end days.[4][5] He declared that Jesus (Isa) had in fact survived the crucifixion and later died a natural death, after having migrated towards Kashmir and that he had appeared in the spirit and power of Jesus.[6]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirza_Ghulam_Ahmad

Of course his claim to be the Jesus and the Mahdi from the old tales wasn't to take too literally, just metaphorical.

Is not very surprising that other declare him to a false prophet.

Oh he was asking for it coming the 'second coming of Christ' card. You've got to expect a bit of bother if you're going to pull that one. Everyone knows that Mohammad was the last prophet type. He said it himself enough times in him book, and his peaceful followers get most annoyed if anyone dare dispute it. Obviously the Mormons had their chap, but he was a peaceful type and kept his head down.

In Thailand you can go into any pharmacy and get your medicine at a reasonable price......in America we have to first see a doctor for even the most trivial of prescriptions (these people spent a lot of $ on med school, you know).

Yes it's great in Thailand, you can medicate yourself. You can buy yourself antibiotics when you feel a little ill, like if you have a virus. In the US you probably have to have an actual trained doctor diagnose the problem. Ha, what do they now about medicine.

In Thailand if you accidentally bump into someone, they're likely to say they're sorry even if it's YOUR fault........In America you'd better be careful because that person just might have had a bad day and is looking to take the next person's head off.

Yes it's not like we hear of people shooting each other here for minor disagreements. I didn't see a news story on TV last night in which a man had paid some thugs to shoot and kill a stranger over a driving incident. That kind of thing never happens, except in the USA.

In Thailand you can usually feel safe even at night.....in America it's possible to be afraid in some areas of Washington DC even during the daytime.

I feel much safer with my house fitted top to bottom with steel bars, just like every other building here. I don't know how I managed in my home country with windows without bars.

In Thailand they have neighborhood markets.....in America we now have to get on the highway and drive clear out in the middle of nowhere just to go to a big box store (the same one that ran all the little "mom & pop" stores out of business 3 years ago).

There are many on here that wish many of the markets, bars etc would move out of town so that they could get some peace and quite.

I feel for you man, I have Thai male friends out side of business. It's easy just do something! get out there and find a group of people that are doing things you like to do. Like here I am with my Thai friends and other forginers enjoying medieval weapon sparing practice together. We all fight, eat, laugh and drink together and it's all good.

So if I can find Thais who like fighting in armour (The SCA or Society for Creative Anachronism ) and role playing games, and make some friends, I can't see why anyone who is into more conventional recreational activities can not.

Thats me with the 2 weapons...

That's quite bizarre. I love the two guys in the background. Throughout the video one is hitting the others shield for no apparent reason They must be extras. Were there no field available?

Good for you anyway for finding something you like doing here. I can't imagine how you came across that particular group though. Are you at university or something?

Are you sure you want to take her outside Thailand? I've often heard people say they don't want to take them to their home country because it might spoil them. I think they mean it might change them.

I've heard that before. But in my case, it has been fantastic. She now speaks great English, understands slang and "off beat" humor, cooks Italian, Korean, Mexican, etc. Knows the streets aren't paved with gold in American/Europe (has seen lots of real poverty during her travels). Understands how beautiful Thailand really is compared to many other countries (Nicaragua, Albania, etc). Etc. I've not noticed any downsides....yet!

I agree. My wife benefited hugely from her years in the Uk and she loved it.

i just waved goodbye to a 26 year old girl this morning who i have started seeing (i am 37) in the UK i tried joining a dating site and the girls who messaged me average age was 42 - cheeky mares - I didn't meet this new girl through dating site, she is a friend of a friend.

cost of living over here is the other one, in the uk, a nice 3 bed detached is about £800 a month rent for something half decent, over here I have seen 3 bed private houses in Phuket for £500 inc private pool - bills in uk work out more expensive than my rent and bills together over here.

yep its too hot a lot of the time but its not that bad - love being able to walk out in shorts and tshirt at whatever time i like.

always able to buy a cold beer if i want one in the local shop 24 hours a day.

Cheap beer and easy women is what swings it for most people it seems.

Are you sure you want to take her outside Thailand? I've often heard people say they don't want to take them to their home country because it might spoil them. I think they mean it might change them.

We are forgetting the great Margarita Pracatan.

Unnecessary vehicle accidents are cultural to Thais. Who are we to tell them to stop.

This is true. Best to leave it in the hands of Darwin. He knows what's best.

Ya sounds great until you realise its MY LIFE they will fuc_k up with their incompetence. Darwinism in Thailand doesnt just take out the stupid genes, it also eliminates anyone elses that happens to be unlucky enough to be within range of a catastrophic retard failure.

Yeah but if we were to stop them we would only be ruining Thailand and moving towards the dreaded 'nanny state' that so many quote as one reason to leave their homeland. Rules and regulations just bring everyone down, man.

Unnecessary vehicle accidents are cultural to Thais. Who are we to tell them to stop.

My wife adapted without difficulty. At the time it was difficult to find Thai ingredients but she just made variations on the traditional dishes. They were so nice she now makes them here in Thailand. After five years in the Uk we returned to Thailand. Within a couple of months she wanted to get out and back to the Uk. I had to convince her to stay.

I have been surrounded with noisy Bars and poor looking Karaoke Bars since I moved into my House 9 Years ago.

They come and they go, and then another one comes.

At the beginning, someone in my Soi use to call the Police if the loud music went on past 2am, and the Police use to go, and it was lowered.

A Farang guy in my Soi complained a couple of Months ago, and this Thai guy got a gun out and said he was the Police and was the owner. The Farang moved out, never to be seen again, I think he was petrified.

Myself, I guess after 9 years I am use to it. My little tip - get your bolster pillow and lay it over your ear so its not as loud, as your trying to sleep.

Good luck with it, I am sure you will get use to it in time.

Last year near Pattaya, an old Thai man shot a younger Thai guy who was repeatingly blasting music from his car, despite being kindly ask to lower the volume.

Google "Youth Shot In Pattaya Noise Pollution"

I wonder if the guy that mentioned leaving his home country partly due to 'aggressive attitudes' has read these posts .

Please if you don't know the law for sure, don't give me that I should not be living here, or it is so great that you did not buy here,

I feel bad for you OP, even after your explicit request so many people feel the need to chime in with useless opinions.

Maybe somebody can actually provide the OP with a decibel limit that would be useful to him

But this is an open forum.....so people are within their rights to post "useless opinions"

What use is providing him with a dB limit ?....its highly unliklely anybody with do anything about it anyway.

It certainly is an open forum, thanks Southpeel. And I said my piece.

Should the OP really expect to get only the answers he wants, when many others don't agree.

The OP is being unreasonable. 11PM IS NOT late. Let's not forget here the OP isn't asking for quiet at 11 because he already has that. The OP is asking for it BEFORE 11, let's say an hour earlier. That's at 10 PM he is expecting a business to sacrifice trade just so get can get an early night. And on Soi 13, the OP is in the wrong place anyway, not the bar. There are plenty of quiet areas in Bangkok to live, but he chooses a noisy/busy area and then demands that everybody keeps it quiet just for him.

I might have been a little more sympathetic if it was not for his acrimonious and arrogant post as well. Where is he anyway, is his apartment under a bridge?

I think he has a right to be upset if the bar is a couple of Soi away and he can hear it, not matter what time of day it is. However, here in Thailand it is well within the norms to blast out sound until well past 11pm. As others said he is lucky that it stops at that time. The only option really is to move, but maybe that's not so easy for the OP.

Please if you don't know the law for sure, don't give me that I should not be living here, or it is so great that you did not buy here,

I feel bad for you OP, even after your explicit request so many people feel the need to chime in with useless opinions.

Maybe somebody can actually provide the OP with a decibel limit that would be useful to him

But this is an open forum.....so people are within their rights to post "useless opinions"

What use is providing him with a dB limit ?....its highly unliklely anybody with do anything about it anyway.

Sure, it's an open forum. But if a person posts about apples and everyone replies about oranges it really defeats the purpose doesn't it?

Whether or not the OP can enforce the law is not the subject of discussion in this thread as posted in the OP.

I might go to the local police station and report seeing a home made motorcycle and side car going the wrong way down my soi. I expect they will get straight on it.

I used to play there a few years back until my partner left. The problem of course is the distance. However I might go along one evening and have a go. I leave again in a week or so though but will try make it. The problem is trying to make time for the gym, running, squash, and of course the kids. Busy busy.