Walker88

Having taken a walk down that wild side, I did notice most bars have a foreign 'manager', usually sitting with mates and drinking heavily. I cannot imagine the job pays much more than a (barely) living wage, and daily consumption of booze while sitting on one's backside cannot be good longer term. I seriously doubt any owner would go to the trouble of getting his manager a work permit, so that manager---while doing his body no good---is a fish-in-a-barrel target should any law enforcement officer (who apparently do not enforce laws against prostitution, which unlike agogos takes place on the premises) be in need of some spending money.

Tell that to the lions! As the Grand Poobah of my local WLM (Wildebeests Lives Matter), I'm always looking for folks to establish new chapters.

No matter where one eats in the world, a hair---or even an insect---in the food is not unheard of. It can happen at a sidewalk som tam stand, at The French Laundry or Enoteca Pinchiorri. The proper way to deal with it is to discretely point it out to the service staff, get a replacement dish, and enjoy the meal. (One is probably less likely to get that replacement at a sidewalk som tam stand, so pull it out and finish the meal.) As for whether fine dining is worth it, or better than a "69 baht curry", up to the individual and what he chooses to do with his money. A nice meal in a restaurant can be a fun experience, with friends, a special someone, or even alone. Obviously, some people enjoy that experience more than others, and some people are more able to afford it than others. To each his own. What else is one going to do with his money? You can't take it with you (but you can take a 'doggie bag' from a restaurant). Funny when folks say, "You're in Thailand and should be eating Thai food". I visited Thailand many times over the years, and since Covid have been living here. When I go into a restaurant---e.g., a Japanese restaurant---I seem to see many Thai people. Why are they not eating Thai? Imagine! Some people actually like variety! I enjoy many Thai dishes, some more than others, but some I do not care for at all. Seafood som tam is one. Some members of my staff love seafood som tam, but invariably I hear this from them (even the women): "I had really good seafood som tam last night, but today I have bad diarrhea!" Odd what one culture thinks is appropriate talk vs what another culture views as 'not in polite company'. It always amuses me when I am told about diarrhea, or when I am informed by a staff member that she is having a "Lady Day" (period). Different cultures, different customs.

And the followup story to this incident is that the drunk cop and his rant came to the attention of Deputy PM Anutin, who immediately appointed the cop as head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

You seem bitter. Curious what is the most wealth someone should be allowed to keep? A dollar less than you? Who decides how much is too much? Who decides who is worthy of receiving the wealth taken away from those with 'too much'? The government? Do you think every person who is not wealthy is a 'salt of the Earth' type who just needs a helping hand, or are some in their predicament through every fault of their own? You trust the government with all of the wealth you earned to spread out what they take from you only to the worthy? Do you think every person truly wants to work hard and not simply take freebies so as to maintain a slothful lifestyle? There's a reason both Communism and Socialism failed. Both are inefficient and unfair, allowing the lazy to do just as well as the ambitious, and squelching incentives for capable people to work hard. While not perfect, Capitalism produces the greatest overall prosperity. Charlie Munger did not 'bamboozle' anyone. He took chances anyone else could take, but just used superior judgement and maybe had better luck. While it might not be easy to see what 'value' he added to society, active financial markets with lots of liquidity are what allow things like start-up money for new people-employing and service-providing businesses, pensions, insurance, and all sorts of things that require capital formation and capital return. I probably have more wealth than you think a person deserves, and if up to you, the government would take it away and use it for something else (like a pork project in a politician's district so he will be loved and get re-elected). Why can't I decide what to do with the wealth I have earned? Why do I lose that right just because I've been better at acquiring wealth than you? As it turns out, I have 'given away' $millions, but to efforts and situations I chose, not some self-serving elected official or bureaucrat who may not know as much about genuine need as I do. Also, even if I just decide to buy Lamborghinis and a Gulfstream, does my spending not result in jobs and income for workers? Perhaps you think people feel just as good about what they have if it was given to them or if they worked a job for it? I think people feel better if they think they earned it, but maybe I'm wrong.

In your current iteration you've been here 8 months and have 11,600 posts. Methinks you're not really spending a lot of time communicating with the locals.

In Pattaya? That's odd. In Bangkok, bar licenses are in the company name as registered at the DBD, and if American, the company can be 100% foreigner owned (The Treaty of Amity). Thus, the license if in the name of the foreigner.

The same issue comes up here as it did, sort of, in the YouTube post about how to avoid bad relationships in Thailand. There is an elite in Thailand for whom things work quite well. The 1% who control 75% of the wealth in Thailand have precious little incentive to change things. They teach myths that keep the vast majority of Thai people in line and useful to the elite. Better educated Thais might actually vote out the entrenched elite and push the elite away from the public trough that has served the elite so well. The hand-picked Senate did its job as intended when Move Forward won a plurality, guaranteeing no change for the foreseeable future. Better education---including English language skill---could be achieved in a generation if anyone in a position of authority actually had that as a goal. It's even likely the pie would get bigger, and although the elite would get a smaller percent of that pie, it might be more than they currently get. Since that isn't certain, no need to take chances. Keep the populace immersed in the myths, and keep them as uneducated as need be for the elite to maintain that 75% control.

Failure in trying to operate a bar in Thailand is pretty international. Too many build on a dream rather than a Business Plan. There are a few successful foreign bar owners....some French in Pattaya and Americans in Bangkok. Both took the time to understand their market and spend wisely on the venues. Both have solid floor management, too, one has a Frenchman and the Bangkok clubs have a really sharp Thai woman. Other foreigners fail, but their failure doesn't discourage newcomers who have similar poorly-thought out dreams. A venue I know was opened by an Eastern European and never caught on. He sold to some Spaniards and they are doing no better. Too many venues are carbon copies of each other, plus they are in bad locations. The clubs who differentiate themselves with their decor, lighting, media, A/C and filtration, plus with some decent marketing and staff recruitment, win. Create a destination, rather than a "Let's take a look inside this one to see if it's any good", and the chances of success improve. One aside: beer bars are now the purview of Westerners mostly, while the agogo scene is increasingly East Asian, maybe upwards of 70%. Smoking, drinking and mongering are declining in the West, while steady to increasing in the East.

The sound of a language is particular to one's ear. The sound of Thai is far from a favorite of mine. Yes, my loss, and although I can get by with the basics, I will likely never learn it well. I lived several years in Hong Kong and the sound of Cantonese was another language that did not appeal. Again, my loss. I did learn Arabic, which is probably not high on the list of pleasant sounding languages for many, but I found it lovely and melodic. It is quite complex and carries more subtleties than even Japanese (which I also speak). The US State Dept lists language difficulty as the time it takes to reach university level speaking for a native English speaker. For example...French & Spanish: 3-6 months. German: 9 months. Russian: 1 year. Thai, Burmese: 1.5 years. Japanese: 2 years. Putongua: 3 years. Arabic: 10 years. Perhaps surprisingly, difficulty is not a function of tones or lack thereof. I learned 2 tonal languages, and both were easier than Arabic. (Japanese is pretty easy in terms of basics, as it is so repetitive and has maybe 5 vowel sounds only. To learn the subtleties, however, takes years as well as cultural immersion.)

Not sure that argument works. Thailand's economy, at least its modern economy, is based primarily on 2 things: Tourism and FDI. Having facility with the most international of languages is quite useful in both of those things. Size and neighbors also factor into it. A US person living in, for example, Iowa, can travel 1500km in any direction and still be within the US, and if he keeps going north, and avoids Quebec, eh, he still runs into native English speakers. The incentive to learn another language (coupled with laziness) keeps many monolinqual. (I've learned 7 languages as an adult, but admittedly the early 4 have all but disappeared, as either practice or lack of storage space has taken away my ability. I'm well aware of the difficulty of picking up a new language after puberty, even though full brain development doesn't stop until about age 25. Best to get started learning before age 12.) Travel that same 1500 km distance from, say, Brittany, and one hits maybe 15-20 different languages, so admittedly your argument holds more water in the EU. Still, unless Thailand is going to develop a more domestically-driven economy, better English proficiency would be useful.

She doesn't understand what real leverage is. For that, you need politics. Suppose a person top ticked the NYC real estate market in 2008, grossly overpaying for a building that reeks of The Beast, albeit on 5th Ave. By 2020 the building you paid $1.6 billion for has a market value of $700 million. What's worse, you have a balloon payment of $1.2 billion due. What are you going to do? If serendipity comes your way, you find yourself the front man for your Administration's Middle East policy. Owing to some regional differences of opinion, your country imposes sanctions on a gas-rich Gulf State. You have a chat with them. They're seem quite interested in putting together a refinancing deal on the $700 million value 5th Avenue Beast, that will not only cover the $1.2 billion balloon payment, but put some needed cash in your pocket. The deal gets done. Absolutely coincidentally, the sanctions of said gas-rich govt are dropped a few days later. THAT is real leverage.

Through the Korean interpreter, he disclosed that he had been "battling heart issues". I believe a better translation is: he has a broken heart

It is not US taxpayer money. Some funding released is part of Iranian funds frozen years ago. No international law allows such seizure indefinitely. Other funds involved Iraq money for electricity generated by Iranian gas. Without the transfer of Iran's funds for the gas, Iraq would go dark. You may disagree with the transfers, but at least be honest about their source. It isn't your tax dollars.

Some tourist areas are booming. The 'Miracle Mile' (Sukhumvit from Siam Paragon to EmQuartier) is as busy as I've ever seen it. The two bookend malls are jammed, the 'entertainment' areas packed, and offshoots like Soi 11, Soi 8, Soi 4 & Soi 3 are overflowing. Lots of Arabs, lots of young couples, and lots of guys drawn to places like Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy make up the crowd. It seems only the Chinese, if anyone, are scared off by a single disturbed young man and 3 random victims. Not sure about the rest of Thailand, but if that area is any indication, high season is going to be huge. Eating, shopping and nightlife---plus maybe medical tourism for the Arabs---seem to be the draws. That may not be what the govt wants, but given the overall state of the economy, they'll take it. As for the Chinese economy, the rot that began with Evergrande is spreading, with a major money manager now hit with liabilities twice the size of its assets. The worldwide move to secure supply chains by sourcing closer to home (a lesson learned from Covid) is not going to help that economy. Thai authorities would be wise to direct attention at markets other than China.

I try to tread carefully in these Israel-Palestine threads, as I am well aware some people are heavily invested. As most of the posts are just arguments back and forth, I try to add some perspective, which is, of course, just an opinion, but it is not an argument. I know there are many Jewish people commenting, and there are also anti-semites. Then there are those who do have a genuine concern for innocent life...on both sides. It all gets lost in the fighting. I am not Jewish, but I know enough history to know Jews have suffered discrimination and/or horror for a few thousand years. If I were the offspring of people who survived the Holocaust, I might be much more strident in my views as to what should be done in Gaza. I understand that sentiment, and I absolutely know I would not be above it, if it was part of my being. I guess it remains up to those without as much skin in the game to push for as much restraint as possible, so that more innocents do not suffer. That is where the US sits now. Anti-semitism is an odd thing, in terms of trying to understand why the Jews? (yes, I know Arabs are also considered Semites). I suspect it is jealousy at its true core. This is perhaps a dangerous thing to say, but no faith or ethnic group in all of history comes even remotely close to the accomplishments of the Jewish people. Frankly, it is astonishing how much they have brought to the betterment of the entire species. That level of achievement probably rubs many the wrong way. We would like to consider all of us equal, and under the law we are (or should be), but the facts show not all are equal in terms of intellect and ability, drive and ambition. Of course we cannot have a "worst", but arguably there is a "best" for all to see...and some do not want to see it. I'm not a jealous type; rather, I stand in awe of intellectual and creative excellence. I admire all intellectual excellence no matter its source, but so much has come from a people who have always been a distinct minority. Maybe I'm dead wrong, but I think astonishing success is what has driven the historical persecution of the Jews. There is a scene in Schindler's List where Amon is part of clearing the Warsaw Ghetto. He speaks of the Jewish presence over the centuries in Poland, noting their many accomplishments in business, science, the arts and academia. He then says, "that all ends today, erased from history". Granted that is the writer and Spielberg putting that in, but I think it reflects the true sentiments and motivations of the Nazis (and antisemites), besides needing a focal point for mobilizing the people (just as all dictators do).

Facts are not arrogant. I did not invent the microchip, so I'm not taking credit directly or by association with Jack Kilby. I can point to inventors and discoverers all over the world, from large and small countries, but not a single one from Thailand. To the best of my knowledge, Maxwell wasn't Thai. Nor Faraday. Nor Niels Bohr. Nor Einstein, Newton, Planck, Dirac, Galileo, Franklin, Archimedes, Pythagoras, Rousseau, Mills, Poincaire, von Neumann, Salk....none of those who have done so much to explain what life and existence and the laws of nature are. As for exploiting other nations, most regions have taken their turn at doing it, whether it's the Greeks, Romans, Vikings, Mongols, Moslems, Brits, Dutch, Spanish, Italians, Americans....we tend to concentrate on the latest. Certainly Southeast Asia is no stranger to intra-regional conflicts and invasions, some of which still simmer today, such as in southern Thailand. My post noted that Thais are taught of their superiority, only (for some) to find out they alone so believe. That some men come to Thailand finding the women appealing has zero bearing on anyone's superiority or inferiority. It's simply a personal taste for some. A few hundred thousand (at most) men in a world with 4 billion males is not even a rounding error. You fail to see the forest for the trees, for some reason bogged down with pointless worries about wokeism or PC. In the overall scheme of things, those are not even minor issues. One might surmise that inability to succeed in your own culture and society has left you bitter and has you seeing Thailand as something it might not be. Maybe you should move back to Thailand and rid yourself of the "wokeism" that is so stuck under your craw.

My aura attracts birds. I mean the actual avian type of bird, not slang for women. (Though I do get the occasional one of those, too) Many times I've had wild birds come land on my shoulder. Some did it daily, so I took to feeding them from my hand. I had a giant, green, ringneck parakeet that did that to me for 4 years while I lived in the same house. Each day I would walk out in the back of the house, the bird would alight on my shoulder, and I could walk around my yard with it staying there. The bird's flock mates would come and land on the ground near me, and I would toss bread to them while my special bird stayed atop my shoulder. (It had a scar on its head, so I knew early on it was the same bird every day.) Never know why I attract birds. My name is not Larry and I never played for the Boston Celtics, though I had a fine jump shot.

Sociobiologists have an interesting theory on why people believe. Given that almost every culture going back to the beginning of homo sapiens---and perhaps earlier---manufactured religions of some sort, their must be some evolutionary reason why it has been 'selected in'. These scientists then consider what belief systems bring to the table. They decide the answer is stress reduction. Since stress is a killer, those with less stress are more likely to survive and propagate their gene pool. Few people want to believe existence is random, short, and finite. It is comforting to believe something is in control and that existence never ends. If something is in control, perhaps a deal can be made with the controllers. That gives comfort and reduces the stress of randomness. If the power is control is believed to be benevolent, that's even better (though the ability to make a deal with even a malevolent power is better than randomness). So a benevolent power is 'taking care' of those who believe in it. Performance also enters into it. People decide what rules a benevolent power would have, then they go about following them, believing they will be rewarded for that. Stress is further reduced. The rules need not be rational (such as avoiding certain foods or where one puts his private parts and when, or forcing women to dress like giant eggplants), as civilization itself is the force behind beneficial 'morality'. Odd rules, in fact, are just a way believers solidify their belief. Being part of a community who believes similarly not only corroborates one's view, but also provides a sense of belonging and security. More stress reduction. As science has provided actual answers to the realities of existence, the powers some control group or individual might have had is chipped away. For some people, that has led to increases in stress, while to others, it has pulled believers closer to gather in the hopes of saving their fading fantasy. Perhaps with time more people will come to terms, or become comfortable with the fact humans are merely biological machines who come into existence by random chance and who disappear for all eternity when the machine fails and entropy wins.

My favorite is "puh TIE ya".

I've been visiting or living in Thailand for many years. I've also lived in several other countries representing each of the world's main faiths, so I have experienced quite diverse cultures and belief systems. That doesn't make me an expert, but it has given me enough experience to have an opinion (which may or may not be right). Thailand seems to be better at indoctrinating its citizens than most countries. While all countries teach myths to their citizens, Thailand mixes their myths with tacit (or direct) admonitions about questioning the myths. They even have laws preventing questioning or criticizing their myths. That leaves many Thais---women included---with a sense of superiority that can baffle outsiders who know what the rest of the world is like and what the rest of the world has achieved. The fact is that despite always having a population whose size places it in the top 15% of all nations, Thailand has achieved or contributed precious little to the body of human knowledge, discovery or invention....which is a polite way of saying nothing. That innate feeling of superiority can make women manipulative, as they are dealing with "inferior" outsiders and can view them as no more significant than an ant on the sidewalk. Hence some folks in this thread noted "liars. cheaters, etc." The myths, combined with general education, leave most Thais woefully ignorant of both the rest of the world and human history. Even university graduates know almost nothing about anything, as far too much time is wasted on subjects of zero importance to anyone outside of the country. Also, the education system is---to put it politely---not very good. I recall reading an article a few years ago that listed Thailand's top university as #418 in Asia. When your #1 is only #418 in Asia, never mind the rest of the world, you're unlikely to produce world beaters. The system works for them, or at least it works for those in control, so it is not going to change. With a qini coefficent among the highest in the world, those who run Thailand have zero incentive to ever change. Thais who have spent time abroad get hit with a harsh reality: the world pays precious little attention to Thailand or to the myths Thais are taught are so important and make Thais so special. Thais abroad find that the general view of Thailand, if people have one, is 'spicy food and bargirls'. About the only time in the last 100 years Thailand got international play in media was when the tsunami hit Phuket. For some Thais, that lack of concern about what they've been taught is the center of the known Universe can be a rude awakening. The ones who come to terms with it, however, can become a great partner, as they can look at everything more honestly. Even Thais who can never rid themselves of the mythical baggage can be sweet and endearing. The same mythical beliefs exist in citizens of most countries, but they do not seem to run as deep and are not as thorough as what is inculcated in Thais. To get back squarely on topic, I do not think there is any difference between a Thai woman who works P4P and a Thai woman from a hi-so family. Both bring a false, even silly sense of superiority to their dealings with outsiders, and bridging the cultural gap, should one enter a relationship, is as difficult for women of either background, or anything in between. Whether office worker, factory worker, hi-so heir, professional, or bargirl, it will take some luck to bridge the cultural gap. I am sure there are exceptions (e.g., "your" Thai wife or GF), but my experience tells me what I have written is the norm.

The US cannot stop the war. Israel is going to fight back no matter what, and the foot soldiers of Hamas---if they are true believers in Islam---believe life is an illusion whose sole purpose is to bide time before gaining paradise, ideally as a martyr. If their own kids die, so be it, as it is assumed they, too, will make it to paradise. They will not stop either. I don't think anyone who hasn't lived in the ME and had close association with true believers can even begin to understand the all-consuming power of that belief. Even Evangelicals in the US (like the current House Speaker) are mere posseurs in comparison. The Hamas leadership, comfortably safe (maybe) in Doha, cannot really control their foot soldiers. Hamas foot soldiers have that 'old time religion'. Islam was founded as a religion of conquest, where Mohd was essentially Genghis Khan with a faith. After 632AD Islam slaughtered/converted its way across North Africa up into Spain. It morphed slightly into having a profit motive, but that element was crushed by Charles Martel at Tours in 732AD. Subsequently, a moderate form of Islam arose where 'jihad' was viewed as a personal moral struggle rather than its original intent of killing or converting infidels. Read the Koran in Arabic, and no doubt is left about what jihad means. Some pockets of Islam really need a Reformation, just as Christianity and Judaism needed their own (the Old Testament allows lots of viciousness, and the New Testament, among other things, allowed Catholics to grant the Pope way too much power, plus the NT allowed for slavery, which fortunately humanists eventually abolished...religions are not known for being founts of morality.) Israel has certainly done some nasty things in its time, but it has endured long enough so that it has many fewer foes than in 1948. Egypt kind of washed its hands of Gaza. Jordan is fairly liberal, at least in its palace, and survives via largesse from the US, which it will not risk. The Gulf States are enjoying their dissolute lifestyle of "palaces, broads and booze", so only offer meaningless verbal support of Palestinians. Iran is a wild card, but the mullahs have their own domestic issues, so are unlikely to get too involved. Syria is experiencing a civil war, while Lebanon is a failed state. Israel is left facing the fanatics of Hamas, and maybe some Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Unfortunately, the sins of the fanatics fall on to the innocent in Gaza. The US is merely trying to calm things down and hope for restraint by the IDF so that innocent Palestinian lives lost are minimized. For lack of a better term, this current war is a sideshow to the US, where the much more significant war is in Ukraine. The ME has been largely contained to between Israel and Hamas/Hezbollah, and has little chance of spreading wider. Ukraine has much more significant (to US geopolitics) implications, as the US knows full well that russia will not stop at Ukraine if it wins. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, eastern Poland, eastern Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, even eastern Germany would subsequently be under threat. That has far more significance to the US than Israel/Palestine. That's a harsh reality, but it is fact. The threads on this issue get 10,000 comments because many people feel they have a closer connection to it. Ukraine, of infinitely more global significance, draws fewer reactions and less virulent reactions. Many more innocents have been slaughtered in Ukraine, but it doesn't elicit the same degree of emotionalism, not only on this Forum, but in the streets of European and American cities. Russia is absolutely, 100% purposely targeting civilians/schools/hosptials/etc. There is no doubt, while there is room for doubt with the IDF. Still, a million take to the street in the UK over Gaza, but maybe a few thousand in one and a half years of the russian invasion of Ukraine.

So he accumulated 129 million baht in assets while serving in the Thai military? I smell a recruiting commercial if the army pays THAT well.

You're welcome. I'm sure your tatts have great personal meaning. I do know there are several topics to avoid in polite company*, but since this Forum isn't polite company, one can tread into taboo territory. If people are truly honest, I don't think most tatted up to reach the Maslow hierarchy of self-actualization, but because they thought it would make them look 'bad' and 'different' (albeit like everyone else). The fact that tatts always existed, but suddenly became mainstream, screams fad....and fads pass. To each his or her own, but as humans we cannot help but have an opinion. I cannot help but think they look silly. Just my opinion, of course. SImilarly, I cannot train my mind and convince myself the "old geezer" with the fresh tatts got them because they have special meaning. I suspect, and would even bet, that when sitting in the chair getting inked, the guy was telling himself 'the babes are going to get weak in the knees when they see me with this; their loins are going to quiver'. *politics, religion, smoking, circumcision, tatts

Yes. Canaries in the coal mine. Tatts began with the youth, and then "old geezers" decided Tatts are Babe Magnets. As youth are wont to rebel, perhaps this nascent lack of tatting is youth rebelling against their (great) grandparents. Watch this space. In 5 years long sleeve shirts and visible laser scars might be the norm, as folks will feel embarrassment they succumbed to the passing fad. Tatts will go back to being the purview of drunk sailors and members of motorcycle gangs. And Midlife Crisis will go back to a Porsche, not a Maori Warrior tatt on flabby, wrinkled skin on a guy who looks 8 months pregnant.