Aujuba

I really doubt they have given up on the nightly soap operas on channel 3 and 7. Most kids in the countryside don't have computers. I wonder how many even have mobile phones. Some of the reporters that create these stories have never left Bangkok. Have you heard the saying 'Bangkok is right next to Thailand'?

Let me create my own story, umm Oh I got it. 'Thai teens just love driving their BMWs and Mercedes Benzs around Thailand' or how about ' Thai teens would rather be American than Thai' These are just as reasonable as Thai teens rejecting TV for mobile phones and computers. Oh course, lots of rich kids probably spend more time on the net than watching their UBC series and the Thai stations. Most Thai kids don't have the luxuries the business guy from Ericson thinks they do.

It's better to play football than to sit and watch it.

They say the markets are going to be unstable so now is a time when you probably could do the daytrading stuff. The future is uncertain for sure. This is interesting to me too. I hate the junk email junk traders send you trying to get you to buy into some junk stock so they can make a profit off you. I wanna watch that movie Boiler room again. Best of luck with it. Got any suggested picks for gains over the next year in the US. I don't do the minute to minute day to day stuff. I do have an online brokerage account though.

I've been out here in LOS for a while. In the 90s, I remember listening to Alistair Cooke on BBC shortwave radio here. I first heard him here in Thailand and really loved his 'Letter from America.' I have to say his talks were probably the most enjoyable radio I've ever listened too. He just had the most peaceful voice to listen to and his talks were so meaningful. He's gone but not forgotten. I wonder could anyone recommend any radio broadcaster via shortwave or on the Net which I might be the slightest bit like Alistair's? If you know of a podcast site or place where I could download any good radio about our times I would appreciate it. I'm not interested in excessively political radio though. By the way, are Cooke's recordings online anywhere?

How soon will the markets turn red again? Or will they? Share your thoughts. As of the moment (Mon 15:51) things are green around the globe. I'd bet things will be red by tomorrow. I just have heard too much negative speak and as I noted even the experts are unsure of the future.

I think she/he should return to her country and apply to be a soldier with all the handsome guys that might make the government act a bit sooner.

I'm just telling you my experience up there in Esarn. Even in BKK a lot of the people follow soap operas more than the news. And like you say the US can be a bit that way. I also said Thailand needs to put more importance on education and knowledge. TV could include more education in regular programming.

I went up to a guy on street and said "Do you know that they say 'Ignorance is bliss?'" He said " Yeah, leave me alone"

Shiny Happy People

As for the interracial marriages I put strange to normal because in some places its normal and in other places like East bonehead wyoming it might be strange. As for the gay marriage thing that applies as well. In San Francisco its normal but in East Bonehead its strange.

Okay I instantly thought up this scale. Feel free to criticise it. There is no exactness to this. You can use it the way you like to.

Don't give the guy a break he's a criminal. Warn the people in the area about him. At least ask the local businesses and home owners if he has caused them any problems. You don't have to leave him alone he will cause problems again. Thailand really should round up all these homeless farangs. I can't understand why some people say leave him alone. It's too bad that the compassionate people don't help the guy out and get him out of your area. Thailand is loaded with deadbeats or former deadbeats who ruined someone's life along the way. Crack down of these people. Kick them out of Thailand.

This is a social acceptance ladder for relationships.

illegal - social frowned upon - strange - normal.

I'd say marriage to a much younger woman is under 'socially frowned upon'

A same-age gay relationship to the majority is somewhere between strange and normal nowadays in my view.

Normal would be a heterosexual marriage to someone your own age.

Single would be normal for younger people.

Single after 40 might be strange.

Divorced would be normal.

Marriage to someone not from your race would be strange-normal outside of Thailand. In Thailand it would be more toward normal??

i, for one, think a mans brain is far more sexy than his six pack.

And of course all the men here in LOS are here for brains too.

It must be one of Starbucks cheapest locations in terms of property costs and labor. Thailand will have a hundred starbucks shops soon if not already.

I like that song too. Nice video too.

Seems to be a lot of posts about lost souls and insane farangs on TV lately. Is it a great western conspiracy to slowly move all the homeless and insane to LOS?

Well, if a 22 year old wife is what you want. A lot of guys might admire your wife's body but most people outside of Thailand wouldn't take that relationship seriously as many threads on this site have noted.

One thing I can say is that if the young Thai girl was poor prior to the relationship, she might be better off after a divorce with the old farang guy. As for western women, most probably are happy to be free of a husband who drank too much and was a pain in the ass.

I agree with snakehead. 50% of marriages fail and of the remaining 50% that last, 50% of those are unhappy marriages. Basically, it's better to be single. You'll have more money in your wallet if you stay single too.

Always seems to me that Asian investors are the last to realize the situation is pretty bad and get out. The Americas and Europe get out first leaving Asia chasing their tails. Watch as the US drops again tonight and Asia goes wild tomorrow morning.

The lives of northeastern Thais were improved under Thaksin as the lives of Americans have benefited under George W. Bush. I love comedy. Play the muppet theme song now!

Report him to the 90-day immigration people. They harrass only honest people so they probably won't care about him. You could buy him a bus or plane ticket to some other place in Thailand. Try to get his personal information. He could be on the run from Interpol or the FBI; maybe they want him. If all else fails get him to take a bath and shave get a cheap suit and introduce him to a desperate older wealthy Thai lady who desires a foreign husband.

What do you live next to? Factories etc? Are there any loose electrical wires anywhere above your yard? Do you find them after certain weather conditions such as rain? Have you asked your neighbors if they have had any bird deaths?

I visited the cinema last week while I was there. The first visit I got a ticket for a 4:30 show then at 4:25 a staff member tells me that we can't go into the theatre until 5pm as there is a Thai Movie star doing a meet and greet with the audience from the show before. They knew this was going to happen but they didn't tell anyone prior to the ticket sale. Anyways I walked downstairs and complained to the staff at the ticket booth. A manager let me use my ticket the next day. The staff and the manager really seemed confused about what to do the whole time. It was very unprofessional. But I got my ticket so the next day I went to see the movie. That day everything went well. I sat in theatre 1 and I can say that I was not distracted at all by outside noise. The new theatre seems to have bigger seats than the BigC theatre so that's a plus. If I go back I will go to that theatre again.

I will add that a lot of the people in the village I have connections to just wanted to move on. I was there prior to the 19th and didn't see anyone promoting a 'no' vote or offering money. There was one meeting prior to the election which was called by the local Au-ba-dtaw (Someone please give me the English meaning for this!) A representative from the au-ba-dtaw's office met at a house nearby at 8pm. I didn't go to the meeting but my brother-in-law was saying that the Au-ba-dtaw usually gives out fertilizer to each house once a year. My impression was this was for his re-election or something like that. Anyways I ask by brother-in-law to let me know if the guy says anything related to the coming election. The next day there wasn't much discussion about the night before. If he had said anything my wife would have let me know too. By the way the local Au-ba-dtaw sells fertilizer too. Fertilizer is pretty valuable around this time of the year. Anyways I left a couple days later. I'll have to find out if he actually did offer fertilizer.

A lot of Northeasterners in BKK probably didn't even bother to return home. Many just went home for Kao Pansa and Mother's day. Who wants to go back and forth 5 to 10 hours to vote. The workers in Bangkok generally have more education. Not many people with high school or university degrees continue on as farmers.

Just my opinion. Surin voted mostly no. The people I know in northern Surin seem much more interested in Thai TV shows, Thai celebrities, whiskey, and going to the temple than politics. Before when Thaksin was here and now this was true. It could be that Thaksin's Mr showbiz personality brought him favor amoung the people who are thrilled by celebrities. Most Northeasterners over the age of 28 probably haven't graduated from high school. How many rice farmers are high school graduates? Most northeasterners who get educations move to work in the Bangkok area. If most of these people want to vote they have to travel five or more hours to return to their provinces to do it.

Forcing northeasterners to go home to vote is a crime in my opinion. it should be easier for them. They should be able to vote in Bangkok. Or else make the Bangkokians go to NongKhai each time to vote! It's always been easier for Bangkok locals top vote. It's a crime.

So my view is there's a lot of apathy in the north east, a lot of uneducated people, and a lot of difficulty for some northeasterners when voting.

Educating the masses here in Thailand is what needs to be done now that we are moving on. If the government doesn't take action to get people to use their brains and read and learn then the government really doesn't care about the people. If the government fails to educate and improve the lives of the poor the poor will eventually choose violence against the haves as a solution to their problems.

I would bet that many of those soldiers sent to the Northeast were happy to return to their homes!

Here's a link to some opinions from the experts. The picture is still very unclear from what they say.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/fortun...tune/index.html

E. Scrooge eventually gave back to the people in his old age but until that time he screwed over his employees. First pay your employees well. Philanthropy is good but it doesn't always show the truth. Look at the lives of the employees to see how kind-hearted their boss was.