jaywalker

Happy Happy Joy Joy.

I don't think you're happy enough! I'll TEACH YOU to be happy!

Watch this particularly at the 1:20 mark, as it is particularly fitting.

If it weren't Thailand, I'd say this beggars belief, but TIT, so it's par for the course.

Wait till they get hot and heavy on the civil asset forfeiture idea.

They'll be rewarding themselves out the wazoo.

I guess if you are going to try some kind of dangerous, adventure sport, you can't complain if it all ends in tears.

I guess for some folks the normal dangerous stuff isn't good enough.

"Let's go do it in Thailand Dude, where it'll be 10 times more dangerous"

Survey:

Would tougher knife control laws help in Thailand?

If the Thai military had a platoon of ladyboys, they will be win every war with minimum efforts

and casualties, those ferocious guys/gals are as fierce as in not more than the army's rangers

elite unit....

When a Gurkha kathoey draws his kukri stilletto, the weapon cannot be sheathed put back on his foot "until it has drawn blood".

Good one!

"They swerve to avoid the creature but miss him only by about a metre – causing the beast to roar in consternation."

Welcome to the club bear. I have also roared in consternation at motorbikes in Thailand.

An accident occurs --------------cue the Thai bashing comment.

To read some of these comments one would believe such occurrences never occur in the West ------------------------

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jun/02/alton-towers-rollercoaster-accident-four-seriously-hurt-as-carriages-collide

Read the link and indulge in some "farang" bashing

Why not check the quantity of each countries accident rate first before accusing of Thai bashing?

Why don't you provide the figures if you wish to make a point ?

Why don't you express your thoughts of working with Thai mechanics for a decade?

An accident occurs --------------cue the Thai bashing comment.

To read some of these comments one would believe such occurrences never occur in the West ------------------------

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jun/02/alton-towers-rollercoaster-accident-four-seriously-hurt-as-carriages-collide

Read the link and indulge in some "farang" bashing

This is a Thai forum last time I checked, so we talk about what Thai people do.

Yes the 'Carnies' as we call the people who work at carnivals in the USA are one STRANGE bunch of people, and the rides aren't much safer, but this is a Thai forum, so we tend to discuss our experiences with Thai people.

It's not Thai bashing.

I've met a few decent mechanics in Thailand, but never met one who wasn't willing to take a shortcut when I had my back turned.

One must admit, it IS a different culture in more ways than one, and I have been in the trenches working with Thai mechanics.

They hired me to show them how to do something, and ignored what I told them and showed them in the technical manuals...for 10 years I tried this.

About 5% would get it. 95% just wanted to do it their own way.

I have sat in meetings with generals in the RTA telling them their brake 60 % of the calipers were leaking when they wanted to send the trucks to Sudan.

They just grinned at me, put new tires & reupholstered the seats, and put a UN paint job on 20 year old truck with leaves and garbage in the brake system.

Steering linkage falling apart etc, etc etc

Deathtraps headed for a combat zone.

It looked good outside, so that was all that mattered.

I was at a fairground with some close Thai friends... I saw the ferris wheel looking very dilapidated. I took a couple of photo's of rusted bolts and areas where the bolts were missing and showed them to my friend when his son wanted to go on the ride.

I also showed them to his son, who after looking at the photos was smart enough not to want to go on the ride anymore.

Needless to say, nothing happened that evening... but its a good example of why I'll never let my Child go on any of those fairground rides in Thailand.

Due to completely carelessness a lack of responsibility and culpability these rides are an accident waiting to happen... it really is a shame, however, its also fortunate that there aren't more accidents.

Off topic here a bit, but not much....

Walking Street a few years back, down near the far south end, which was somewhat quiet back then, there was an electric pole with something seriously wrong.

It was making LOUD electrical popping noises (wires hanging by the bazillion all over it - of course), and had a bright blue arc every 3 or 4 seconds.

I made my way up to the North end of Walking Street & told the cops sitting in the middle of the road at their desk.

One guy spoke perfect American English & said "Yeah. It does that all the time. Don't worry about it".

No competent folks setting it up, I reckon. It's like those times when you return home and see some repairman in shower shoes and shorts repairing the lift in your 20 storey apartment building.

And why no officials tasked to check the equipment before it starts taking riders?

... Brown envelope.... check good good, OK OK. All from under the shade of nearby umbrella and iced glass of Singha.

Nah, they'd be sipping Johnny Walker from inside an air conditioned office and never get within 10 miles of what they supposed to inspect.

Jaywalker's account on Thai's using sub-standard or ill-fitting nuts & bolts is correct..I've seen it so many times.

The latest was on motorbike/sidecar mountings..the holes for the bolts were way to big..the nuts & bolts had course-threads, & not a washer in sight..it's the norm here..Ho-hum.

As a foot note I checked the video shown above..after the ride starts to go haywire it seems to take a long time to bring it to a halt..(sound familiar?) Never mind the condition of the brake mechanism (if fitted)..was there anyone supervising this ride..??

Yes, Somchai was manning the state of the art, non-skid, anti-lock super safe brake mechanism I'm sure.

He was highly qualified and being paid 300 baht per day. The man had his game face on and was stomping the tar out of the brake pedal, but....... The brakes failed.

-----------------------------

Back to the injured, and back to seriousness, I'm glad my daughter wasn't on that 'ride'.

I hope they all heal up well and soon.

I hate to hear about folks, especially kids getting hurt. I can always picture my daughter getting hurt when I read about such as this and it makes me feel very strange in a not very good way.

I'd lose my mind if my daughter got hurt.

No competent folks setting it up, I reckon. It's like those times when you return home and see some repairman in shower shoes and shorts repairing the lift in your 20 storey apartment building.

And why no officials tasked to check the equipment before it starts taking riders?

Surely, you jest. TIT

Can't be Mr. T otherwise they'd be 1,000 baht notes dropped from helicopters all over Issan just before election day (when they don't sell booze so folks won't forget who paid them to vote).

NNT is the same as the old Soviet Pravda.

The only thing more entertaining than NNT is when the sad-looking, puppy dog-eyed general opens his mouth....And zombie Russians in Pattaya, and bridge club raids in Pattaya......

The general should be thankful he has Pattaya. I love Pattaya.

He should too, as it's the only place that is more ludicrous than him... Draws the focus away somewhat.

"Reorganizing beggars" - Indeed.....

"A carnival ride collapsed..."

I take it that there is no Thai version of: "Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey".

The brakes failed.

------------------------------------------

I tried to teach them many, many times the uses of a torque wrench, as part of my job.

Example: Rebuilding a 6.2 liter truck diesel engine........USE a torque wrench.....Pffff Farang! No need!

The entire concept made them look at me like I had corn growing out of my ears.

Head gasket leaked = water in the combustion chamber = bent piston rod = starting all over again from scratch..... = "Please Sir, you are clever. Show me torque wrench?"

Try explaining a torque-resistant nut to them (it's tapered on one end as well as slightly oval shaped = it DOES NOT get loose with out extreme, deliberate effort)..... Nah, these nuts from Somchai's shop will be just fine.

I tell them, that yes, it will indeed work for a few months, and then it will fall apart.......I get more blank stares.

I gave up on trying, and I tried off & on for a decade. This was all with the RTA too..... that pillar of society.

Is this the man that said immediately before he lead a military coup, that he would not stage a military coup?

The same chap. I also vaguely recall something about not becoming Prime Minister?

But then I may have misheard, what with all the excitement about lottery ticket prices and deckchairs in Phuket...

....and bicycle lanes.

Ahh, the obnoxious quality rhetoric again.

Come again once your "equality movement" has gotten rid of all the persistent traditional perspectives about unfounded expectations and entitlement. Such as, including but not limited to...having to be proposed by a man, getting their dates paid for, not getting hit because vagina, lady's first, not be held accountable and whatever more nonesense we have.

It is _really_ difficult to treat people as equals when they can't carry themselves for shit and whine about everything and everybody. Work hard, earn yourself some respect and get where you want to go. Nothing is stopping you to become head of the state, CEO of whatever, starting a business or cleaning the sewers. Expect...it requires time, effort, dedication, thick skin and being able to handle pressure and criticism among many other things.

If you get your CEO whatever job through a quota (or being promoted because your best buddie etc) and not through dedicated work, there is no amount of "equality movement" you can produce that will stop making me look down on you if you got your position through bribes, laws, entitlement or whatever "non genuine" way. Exceptions obviously apply and are aimed at men just as much as for women.

And then, of course, it doesn't help you when feminism these days goes apeshit crazy. Censorship left and right, redefining words as they please, false accusations without repercussion, guilty until proven innocent but still have your life ruined either way, getting people fired for jokes....and all because of your feels. <deleted>. Right. Off.

Oh yea, and the oppressive patriarchy of course, because reasons.

As far as the article goes, nothing new to read here besides the "paternity leave"....which leaves the question....PAID leave though? Unfortunately one needs to even inquire such a thing these days.

Grow up and become an adult.

Once you have managed that, earn yourself some respect.

Then educate your face about those "male privileges" your supposedly don't have while not recognizing the ones you actually _do_ have more than men.

We shall talk again then.

Goddamn these topics get me riled up.

Could you imagine being married to the 'woman' in this article?

I'd rather listen to rap music all day or get hot needles shoved under my toenails.

I'd wager that the reason she's pissed off at the world has everything to do with her attitude, and nothing to do with her gender.

Same with people of color who cannot accept the fact that "I don't care what color you are".

They just make it all up in their minds, and the bleeding hearts (who cannot think) run with the idea.

It's perverse.

Lot s of countries have this worrying trend happening, Australia has gun control , that hasn't stopped gun related crime and murder on a weekly basis , it possibly only slows down the effect, there is a high degree of knifings being used as a weapon of choice in OZ also, so , you eliminate one another comes along.....................

"... there is a high degree of knifings being used as a weapon of choice in OZ also, so , you eliminate one another comes along......"

Yes, but it's more difficult to slaughter 50 school children with a knife than an assault rifle, right?

A sword works pretty good.

Kids.. sword? yeah 50 would take no time at all if one wanted to do it.

It's a sickening thought, but, could be done without gunpowder.

I know the video below is fiction, but it's based on fact.

The Romans ruled the known world with knives.

Don't worry ISIS. It's just a Thai style 'Crackdown'.

Give it 3 or 4 days & you can carry on as usual.

It's bleeding heart liberalism.

I have never, and never would discriminate based on gender (or race), yet some folks think that everybody does.

It's perverse.

I once worked with a black guy that was as lazy as the day is long. I didn't like him and made no secret about that fact.

He called me prejudiced.

I told him "Hell yeah! I'm as prejudiced as they get against lazy people like you!"

He never said that again.

This is a Banana Republic inaugural address.

So you mean on this day the Police are actually doing their job, and on other days ?

Here's what they do on other days.

"He also said he didn’t think this would really increase the travel expenses for the tourists, as most of the Chinese motorists who drove their cars into Thailand are from the middle class and could afford the insurance premium."

Translation = You no Thai. You have big money. Must to pay. You give me now!

I doubt it would be a leap of faith if they decided that everybody should drive on the right side of the road in Thailand.

They do it all the time now.

Getting them to adhere to one side or the other would be a major feat.