thaiclan

...and John Major (UK PM)...and Richard Branson.....

Well, I guess we can call Bill Gates an exception to the rule.

my previous reply didnt show up...? having computer probs here!

But, if you are British you can visit a neighbouring country within your budget, Fed Ex your passport to the consulate. Total time 5 to 7 days. You do however need an address in the UK for the consulate to send you passport with visa to and your contact in the UK send it back to you. Fed Ex or similar of course!

It may or may not help in your case, but persistent coughs can often be put down to mucus dripping down the back of the throat. Of course babies and small children are not able to blow their noses effectively and the mucus therefore trickles down the back of the throat. You can buy rubber air balls to clear out a babies nostrils, or use some cotton swabs...

I agree with the other posts, careful of the over-medication. The one and only time I took my daughter (then 14months) to the Dr at BPH he prescribed 6 different medicines including antibiotics for a cough/cold symptom. I told him to keep the meds and thanks but no thanks! I've never (thank goodness) had to use antibiotics on my child (she is nearly 6), most child hood ailments are self-limiting and simply require astute parental monitoring and care.

Good luck, I hope your child is cough free soon :-)

It may or may not help in your case, but persistent coughs can often be put down to mucus dripping down the back of the throat. Of course babies and small children are not able to blow their noses effectively and the mucus therefore trickles down the back of the throat. You can buy rubber air balls to clear out a babies nostrils, or use some cotton swabs...

I agree with the other posts, careful of the over-medication. The one and only time I took my daughter (then 14months) to the Dr at BPH he prescribed 6 different medicines including antibiotics for a cough/cold symptom. I told him to keep the meds and thanks but no thanks! I've never (thank goodness) had to use antibiotics on my child (she is nearly 6), most child hood ailments are self-limiting and simply require astute parental monitoring and care.

Good luck, I hope your child is cough free soon :-)

Are you British? Why don't you just get a new non-O from consulate in UK??

Cheers for the advic. I've extended my non imm in Bangkok for the last 4 years. How much is a 6 month tourist visa(2 entry) can I get 30 day visas after that?

I have a 3 bedroom appt on the East Coast, BUT it is quite small, for instance the 3rd bedroom couldn't fit a wardrobe (I use as an office). When I leased 18months ago the rent was $3,600 with a 2 year lease, its up for renewal and the increases are amazing! It will cost $5,800 for the next lease but I'll keep it as that is still a good bargain compared to other areas. Also as said in a previous post rentals are still actually low compared where they need to be based on pre-SARS levels.

East Coast is nice location as you have the park and the beach. In your circumstances why don't you try to lodge with a farang and just rent a room. There are many single farang (called Angmohs here) who work in the city who would probably jump at the chance to rent a room to a tenant who wont always be there, especially as many will be feeling the pinch with the rent rises. Try singaporeexpats.com....

Oh one other bit of advice. Everyone told me when I arrived to avoid using Far East property services. Unfortunately they are the 2nd largest land owners so quite hard to avoid. I am now one of those who urge any new arrival to AVOID Far East property services. The service is appalling and leaves you frustrated and wishing you could terminate immediately.

Thanks for all the replies. I have a place in Singapore and have been spending more time there because of this issue. But its not Singapore I want to be in..... I had great service in Hua Hin with TT&T 2 years ago and my location was very remote. However here in Pattaya I live off of third road (my previous house) about 1200metres from the main server....so I'm totally confused!

I'll persevere some more but when I get the second months bill through (due in 2 weeks) then I'll probably have to cancel. The line I'm being given as of yesterday is there is a big wiring problem outside my home.....

I could rent an office but that doesn't suit as I like to trade FTSE and other European opens some times and this is very late at night in Thailand (I have a young child at home I take care of alone).

Mai bpen rai..........

As stated "Disgust, adoration, jealousy, envy, disdain or contempt have no use at all. " It doesn't take much of an IQ to work out that not all child performers end up as sex workers - especially when the fact has been written for you to read.

I sincerely and completely hope that your young child does not get any adverse effects from being a performer - and I really mean that. Coming to your house today would make no difference whatsoever. Any damage or negative development patterns would only manifest in adolesence and/or adulthood...and by then its too late.

But really. Good luck with your decisions and all the best for your kid :-)

The thing with the 'pro's' is that you lump every kid that has been on telly or in a mag as going to have severe problems later and the parents are the ones pushin pushin all the time relentlessly.

If you want to end the arguement just come by my house and check out my well adjusted kids and ask my son himself if he wants to do it again and why, see for yourself.

The only thing we have left to do is find a school that does not mind him leaving a few hours early each week and come a little bit later than the rest of the kids in the mornings. Particulalry on the days when he has been up all night filming.

What age does the 'pro' camp recommend counselling should start to ward off the urge to join the sex industry ??

Homeopathic medicine got me through pregnancy, labour (hours and hours and hours and...) and post labour. I recommend it to anyone and everyone

GBP is really getting a pounding (excuse the pun..ahem ahem). The offshore rate touched 57.3 today...ouch!

Woe betide anyone using their UK credit cards in Thailand this week :-(

So what is GBP doing today up or down?

Its a very sad tale indeed.

According to Micheal Moore's documentary Sicko, taking medication is the THIRD leading cause of death in the USA. And that does not include people abusing prescription meds, just people taking the dosage and cocktails their Doctors give them.

I urge everyone to get more knowledgable about the pills they pop every day, think twice before visiting a Doctor and accepting the prescription, and wherever possible look for homeopathic and holistic solutions.

Its too late for this woman infortunately. Blessings and wishes for her children.....

My Best life long friend in the UK has just lost his girlfriend age 23, she died in her sleep leaving 2 children behind. She was on a cocktail of drugs for bladder and kidney issues and mild depression. He was completely against the drugs she was taking but was made out to be stupid, and putting his G/F at risk if she didn't. 2 Years after been put on this list below. She died in her sleep while on a holiday vacation. Almost emmidietly after her death, they remove her heart which they shipped to London, and her body was flown back to Ireland where her family are from. They have found no results as to why she died.

ferrous sulphate tablets, omeprazole gastro-resistant capsules, oramorph oral solution, paracetamol tablets, gabapentin capsules, cyclizine tablets, codeine phosphate tablets, lactulose solution senna tablets, baclofen tablets, buprenorphine patch, amitriptyline hydrochloride tablets.

I'm sure the list of drugs weren't helping her. Her death was UNASCERTAINED

but does he need to look into this as to why the amount of drugs were given.

I'm might be going back to help out for a short while if i can at the end of the month. I'm no expert but having checked some of these drugs out on the net, some of them shouldn't have been mixed, or taken if suffering from depression, so i'm just after a quilaified opinion if possible.

One thing he did say is that she became very violent towards him when she was on this medication, and also left the children unattended while he was a working which he left as he was getting very worried for his family.

I know this isn't related to Thailand but i would be grateful of opinions if possible.

I trade futures online and request a fast and reliable ADSL line. I moved into a previous house and was told that TOT serviced the area, there was a phone line so I simply had to purchase the ADSL connection on top. I paid the initail set-up fee (about 4k) and then waited for the connection to start. 4 months later I hadn't been able to do 1 day of trading as the connection was so erratic. Basically it would be on for a few hours then switched off for days, during which I was on the phone to TOT and at their offices all the while being told tomorrow, tomorrow. I had a total of 11 visits to my home and in the end they told me I should contact a private telephone engineer and pay for myself. They NEVER found the problem, yet stated each time they had (portal problem, BKK exchange porb, line problem from outside< receiver inside etc etc). I swallowed my loss and actually moved house because of this.

My new house. TOT said yes ADSL is available. I paid my set up fee. 3 weeks later I seem to be on the same journey! The connection comes on for about 5 mins and then disappears again. I have telephoned and visited TOT and they say someone will come tomorrow, who doesn't, so I call the technical dept and they say "engineer have many many customer, maybe he can come tomorrow".

SO any advice greatly appreciated. TT & T are not in the area, True cant do the ADSL unitl I get TOT sorted. I was thinking maybe I should get a lawyers letter or something? But its not the money, at least not the cost of the line just the 5 months Ive been unable to trade!

Everything you do and expose your child to affects WHO they are. Having a few snaps taken on one fun "family day with turtles and water and beautiful garden oh did I mention the turtles again " is not the problem. Its the intrepid rolling out for castings and new portfoilio shoots that really does the damage. When a child is told that they have a casting for say the Nestle milk brand, and then they DONT secure it, they will ask why or worse they will hear why. "Too short, not caucasian enough or Thai enough, looks too old/young" whatever the reason (and valid in a business marketing sense) changes who your child is. Children at age 2-8 are of a unique and critical stage of development. At this age it is not what your conscious remembers that is important, so the child may very well remember the turtles, but their subconscious may remember how proud they made their parents, based on not who they are or what they can do but on what they look like. Self esteem is a fragility that needs handling with care, and self esteem is developed in the youngest of childhood years.

For the past decade I have counselled women who work or who have worked in the sex industry throughout Europe. There is a phenomenal weighted majority of those women (I don't counsel men) who were required to "perform" (gymnastics, modelling, acting, dancing)in their young childhood and felt adoration and pride and ACCEPTANCE the most when doing this. Especially daughters from their fathers. Most certaintly their parents were confident they were doing no harm and loved their child so much in order to take the time for their "gift". The result from the sub conscious however is very different yet very clear. I am not enough for WHO I am, and cannot just BE because adoration, pride and acceptance comes from being the prettiest, the loveliest and worse still the one who always does as they are told. Thats exactly the same feeling the woman gets aged 25 being selected for a porn flick, or from an escort agencies books. She WON that round, she must be the best. She is happy and confident in the "game" even though it makes her sad.

Of course not ALL child models or actors end up involved in the sex or drug industries. Many don't, and most childhood performers rarely make it to adult success. At the end of the day it is all about intention and judgement. What are you trying to say when you take the steps to put your child in a magazine? Why does it give you more pleasure to see that than say teaching them to throw a ball or hike in a new forest or invent a new card game? There are always further reasons for our actions, and as parents its important to discover these before they affect our children.

Yes there is a NEED for child representatives in the media. Rather than bash the parents who choose this route it would be more useful to arm the parents with knowledge (via opinions and advice) and then help them steer clear of the worst of the photographers/companies, and support them to give their child a whole-child childhood.

Disgust, adoration, jealousy, envy, disdain or contempt have no use at all. Constructive advice leads to greater knowledge. Knowledge is Power!

You can only DO better if you KNOW better.

And dont forget there is only one beautiful child in the world - and every mother has it.

Is this true? Are we really asking for a newspaper in Pattaya City to be "accurate" as well as "responsible"!? Watching or reading most of the news that is delivered is like pulling teeth most of the time, and any real stories get lost in the sycophant reporting of banal matters. Many worthy stories get omitted due to "treading on the wrong toes", and following up on a case is scarce. I find reading any of the publications extremely frustrating at best, but they are good for whats on in the local area :-)

Just a quick question. If prior to this teacher walking out you were aware and disgusted at "school operating with a weak management team, is dirty and lacks facilities" plus aware that a large exodus of NES was about to take place.......why didn't you remove your child earlier??

When it comes to schools its never worth staying on and fighting out of principle. If you really think its that bad then get you child out asap. You are there to make the decisions he cannot make for himself. If he was in a shit position whether job or relationship as an adult you would hope he'd have the motivation/courage to get out asap. Do the same for him and lead by example. I did the same with my child over at the international school where the Prinicple was found to be a pedo and the K1 teacher a pedo on the run from the USA. She was only 5 at the time but I let her know she was being taken out because the school was hugely inadequate and didnt do enough to look after it's kids. I made a great example right there NEVER to settle for less. If a situation stinks, GET OUT and get what you want instead.

To say iam worried and/or concerned about my sons education at this so called place of learning is as of today a mega understatement.

I feel totally let down and peed off as i found out today my sons English teacher has quit the school,no real notice,just walking out.As i have known this fella very well socailly as well as being my sons teacher i was compelled to ask him directly WHY ? ( remember this is an experienced (6yrs) proffessional individual) - His reply : The school is a total joke,the salary a pittance and the atmosphere amongst staff members is at an all time low indeed fisticuffs last Friday between a Thai male member of staff and an English teacher occured this swept under the carpet as is the norm.

Where are you going ? can u home tutor my son ? - His reply: Sorry i am qitting teaching , i ave taken a job as agogo bar manager as the salary and conditions(haha) are much better ! suffice to say it would appear that managing the sale of pussy is obviously more lucrative than a respected teacing proffession (if you work at BEST it is anyway) i thought for a while then responded well who can blame you mate the state the schools in at the mo i understand.

MY POINT IS THIS. In an earlier thread i talked of an exodus of foreign teachers at BEST at the end of term , i was wrong they have started early and many more will follow FACT not HEARSAY wheres this going to leave the students ? As fee paying parents we have paid for foreign native speaking teachers as of today the so called "head" of the school could not tell me who if anyonewill be teaching English to the whole of primary one fron now till the end of term approx 2 months this a very important time with final exams etc.,so not only is the school operating with a weak management team, is dirty and lacks facilities we are noW FACING THE PROSPECT OF some students losing the last bastion of hope ie; native speaking teachers, my son in p1 will not have a N E S TEACHER in any subject this is simply a disgrace and equates to daylight robbery (unusual in Thailand !!) as approx 60-70 % of the term fees are allocated for the bilingual programme taught by N E S Teachers as advertised on all the school buses and brochures. Will any parent get a refund NO thats not the point here the money means nothing the only ones to suffer will be the students - our children who at best will have different uninterested teachers floating in and out the class i know wot goes on many know my history at this school iam happy for all whos offspring are ok at BEST but this has really pissed me off ....

I am now obviously waiting for a defensive reply from stevemiddie amongst others as all the other numerous anti BEST threads have witnessed i already have my reply to them so think before you write and dont give that "axe to grind" crap this is my boys education we are talking about.

Any ideas /suggestions from any parents notably p1 are most welcome .... suffice to say im gonna get my son the hel_l out of the place at the end of this term. He will of course fail all his exams Thai at least (out of spite)becos most know who i am at the school - we will both live.

RAMBLER

I have to agree with Mobi, and plus you have to be careful that this "pushing" and need for your offspring to be in the limelight doesn't roll off into other areas of your child's development. Let them be kids!

My farang daughter was asked to do a commercial for a well known international brand along with another farang boy (3 years ago). At the time she was 2 and I said no as she already wasn't happy being such an attention receiver in Thailand because of her looks even at that young age. Anyway our friend's little boy was older (6) and they agreed to do it. They told us after they wished they hadn't. Unlike in the UK where there are rights about how long a child can work without a break etc this production (despite being an international brand) just kept filming and asking for a new take even though the little boy was way past amused and verging on tears. My friends were devestated that they had put him through that when they thought it would be fun. Yes it was fun for the first few takes but after being told to hold the product and do this or that one more time for the 50th take is just too much for a child on so many levels. At the least they are bored or irritated and at the worst you are knocking their self esteem that they just can't do something right.

If you take your child onto castings they will hear that they don't have the right look, aren't tall enough short enough fat enough...whatever it is. Basically you are asking your young child to be measured for competition. Keep them home and amongst family where they can learn they are just enough as they are. Then they will have the confidence to go out and soar aka Mobi's post.

Its clear to see that your use of the road obviously extends to your use of this forum..... so much similar behaviour......

Mobi your OP stated "Motorcyclists will never have equal rights on the roads here, and the Thais understand this and keep well to the left, or stay on the hard shoulder ." Then you go on to state that you have nothing against motorcylists... If they dont have equal rights is that because you (as a car driver) have more??

They don't have equal rights because if they try to assert their 'equality', in all probability they will end up dead. This is nothing to do with the law or whether or not I think, as a car driver, I have more rights. It is common sense and everything to do with a "survival of the fittest". As has been said many times in this thread, most (but not all) Thai drivers understand this, but very few farang motorcyclists do. Go back and read the views of farangs who ride bikes in Pattaya. Tropo doesn't agree with me, but just everyone else does.

I agree some drivers are the worst! And that goes for car drivers too. Just like the ones that believe motorbikes do not have rights to an EQUAL amount of the road.

(Yes, and here we can include most Thai drivers of cars, pickups, trucks and buses.)

Every vehicle training course in UK will tell you that car drivers must give the same amount of room to a motorbike as it would do to a car, yet the farang car drivers mostly omit this legality when in Thailand. Also "filtering" is perfectly legal when executed in a safe manner (that is to say weaving amongst the traffic to get ahead). I have notice whilst riding on a bike or in my car that it is mainly the farang car drivers who have problems with this and edge closer to close the gaps both in front and to the side.

Cars without doubt are the safer option, but I couldn't remain sane in Pattaya and sit in the endless traffic when I just need to do a short 2km journey.

As previously stated, I drive into Pattaya most days of the week, and provided I choose my routes and times sensibly, I rarely get held up badly in jams. I don't understand why some motorists have so much trouble, because traffic jams rarely effect me. Compared to Bangkok, Pattaya traffic is a dream

I urge just one thing. When you are sitting in your cars complaining about the amount of motorbikes gliding past you,

I never said anything of the sort. I never once complained about the number of motorcyclists gliding past me.Go back and read what I did say. My main complaint - by far - was that many farang many motorcyclists do not wear helmets, do not dress appropriately, and often have defective lights. I also said that many drive in a manner that increases the chances of them having an accident. Everyone is entitled to use the public roads of Thailand, and that's the way it is. I understand that many Thais have no choice but to use motorcycles, but for sure as heck, I will fight tooth and nail to prevent any of my loved ones from using that highly dangerous form of transport.

close your eyes and imagine a Pattaya when each one of those "idiots", farang or Thai have their own car and can elongate the traffic jams to Beijing proportions!

Mobi your OP stated "Motorcyclists will never have equal rights on the roads here, and the Thais understand this and keep well to the left, or stay on the hard shoulder ." Then you go on to state that you have nothing against motorcylists... If they dont have equal rights is that because you (as a car driver) have more??

I agree some drivers are the worst! And that goes for car drivers too. Just like the ones that believe motorbikes do not have rights to an EQUAL amount of the road. Every vehicle training course in UK will tell you that car drivers must give the same amount of room to a motorbike as it would do to a car, yet the farang car drivers mostly omit this legality when in Thailand. Also "filtering" is perfectly legal when executed in a safe manner (that is to say weaving amongst the traffic to get ahead). I have notice whilst riding on a bike or in my car that it is mainly the farang car drivers who have problems with this and edge closer to close the gaps both in front and to the side.

Cars without doubt are the safer option, but I couldn't remain sane in Pattaya and sit in the endless traffic when I just need to do a short 2km journey.

I urge just one thing. When you are sitting in your cars complaining about the amount of motorbikes gliding past you, close your eyes and imagine a Pattaya when each one of those "idiots", farang or Thai have their own car and can elongate the traffic jams to Beijing proportions!

My British (ex) husband proposed within weeks of meeting me and it was me who was worried about that C word!

I do find Thai men very forward and hurried and I feel that is a mixture of culture and language barrier. Admittedly us Westerners do use a lot of language to skirt around the main issues! hehe (I think the correct term is Bull Shit!)

Not an academic observation I know but observing in our local Kareoke bar and the pop culture in general there is a definite preference of angst ridden, emotional tension (often in the pouring rain) in the music videos of the Thai pop songs. Each time I watch a pop song it amazes me that yet again it is about boy and girl in some love tangle that involves tears (often a slap or too) and then an emotional parting or reunion. They seem to have the morose sexy sulk down to a tee! Thats the male and the females btw.

Drunken observations in a kareoke bar. Pay no attention!

No problems with Firefox and threads here

I will go to marry next month in Thailand about my girlfriend, so i want to know how i can stay longer in Thailand,

first to ext. marrige visa for 90 days and later for non "O' imig. visa for 1 year.

I can show 40K income on my wife, and 400K in bank account.

Is it need to show that this is 400K is transfered from another country, or just to show balans with 400K in Thai bank

on my name? And how long have to wait for all procedures bcz i'll go in Thai with tourist visa for 30 days which

can ext. for another 30 days. I'll be glad if some help me with some information, bcz i didn't find all in the forum.

You do not need to be married or to show funds for a Non Immigrant O visa. (I understand the income proof is required for retired status only?)

Get a non-immigrant O visa multiple Entry (gives you 1 year here) before you arrive in Thailand and that will give you plenty of time to marry and sort out you new status for future visa requirements.

Hi

If i goto the Norwegian Thai embassy in Oslo they can give me a tourist visa for 60 + 30 days . I understand I can re-entry so I can use it 2 times. Thats 6 months.

Then I have to leave the kingdom , so my question is:

Do I have to fly back to Europe or can I get a new visa for another 60+30 in Asia ?

Can I just cross the border and find another embassy?

Thanks!

You should be able to get a Non Immigrant O multiple entry thats 3 x 90 days plus the last stamp which means you can reside in Thailand for a year with 3 simple border runs to obtain a new stamp. Here are 2 tips:

1, If Norway has a Thai Consulate then use this to get your non O visa rather than the more bureaucratic embassy.

2, It isn't 100% certain you can secure a new visa from bordering countries. A better idea would be to Fed EX from a country outside Thailand, or schedule a visit home once per year.

.

So showing gory pictures of mangled accident victims has helped to reduce the death toll on Thailand's roads? By this reasoning Thailand must have the safest and most considerate drivers around, what with all the images of crash victims in their minds to serve as a warning.

Nope it hasn't, but at least it shows the truth of what happens to a body when its in a collision. rather than the useless cartoon figure of a happy passenger wearing a (inadequate) crash helmet with a tick beside it! what good does that do?

I agree with an earlier post about our Western countries covering up death and not facing up to the realities. No they aren't pleasant but neither is it pleasant that road accidents are the third premature cause of death for young males in Thailand. What a waste.

I also think the white outline of the dead body you find on the roads after the scene has been cleared also act as a deterrent!

My problem with the showing of gory accident victims splattered all over the road is that it is, in my opinion, disrespectful to the deceased and certainly would be to the family. Think of a mother and father seeing their lovely child that way.

I disagree. I think seeing a human body contorted from a violent motor accident is exactly the image you need in your mind before you decide to ride a motorbike without a helmet or hold your newborn in your arms sitting pillion, or even flooring the gas to make the red light.

Just like the graphic disease riddled people they put on the cigarette photos I think its a very good idea to show road users how fragile the human body really is, even though your mind can feel pretty invincible inside your car or on your chopper.

If its any consolation I am on a trip to Singapore and got settled to watch Oprah on Hallmark this morning but NO TRANSMISSION. So its not a uniquely Thai problem...... All the other channels work just not Hallmark.