jdinasia

Belief systems are tough for many people to deal with ... why? I dunno .... TheChristians and jews and muslims ... all have the only true way .....

We Buddhists do too ;-) we just don't worry so much about other people getting there this life

you might check on Ban Sai ... a traditional arts center under royal patronage upriver from BKK

i have bought smoe awesome pieces there

as far as I know ... silk still comes from silkworms

Manufacturing hydrogen is a dangerous business.........

Helium is used for the most part .... and filling balloons isn't exactly manufacturing Hydrogen

Farming practices will have to change if standards of living are to improve in rural areas. Mechanization will have to take over from labour intensive practices if wages are to rise. These things are already starting to happen under Thaksin. It will be decades before 10% of the population on the land are producing 10% of GDP as is the ratio in developed countries, but things are moving that way thanks to democracy.

so ... unemploy how many farmers to accomplish this? Then those that are unemployed will do what etc etc ... and how to pay for it all?

But ... back to Abahist ....

The guy has more to offer than any other person I see on the political front at this point .... the Democrats need to smooth their decision-making process out .... they take too much time building concensus amongst themselves ... so a strong platform will help them out a huge amount

anyone know if the Icon group plan to reopen hotels?

I loved their Pattaya boutique.

the partnership broke up I think ... try Posieden in Jomtien

Subaru? the car company? banned? this thread just getts wierder

phsychiatric care in Thailand is very basic .... but don't sweat OldHandLuke's post ... he is pretty depressed over being stuck in Thailand ... so never posts anything positive about the place

wow .. from a silly premise ... to just craziness later in the thread!

(though I do think it is funny that the thread is about soccer! because obvioussly sports are BAD .. encouraging kids to play is BAD! ... if it happens to be a foriegn owned sport it is triple bad! ... so exploitive to force people to watch -- what is possibly one of the most boring sports on Earth ... I'd rather watch Curling

But what is the real situation in Thailand, at least politically ?

I know that many people on the forum supported PAD, or at east some of their objectives. I wonder what they feel about the latest move by some of the PAD leaders to form yet another political party:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/04/30...cs_30002866.php

People like jdinasia have been stressing from the beginning that PAD isn't the Democratic party. Whilst this is definately true, what many people have not been able to grasp is that rather than helping the Democrats, the PAD has been detrimental to the Democrat Party. The last thing the Democrats wanted was a general election. At the moment they are simply not ready, and they have been relying on the fact that they would have 4 years to consolidate before an election was called. Thaksin of course messed that up for them, and they were left with no option than to boycot the election.

Whilst much has been made of the divisions within the TRT party, little has been mentioned of the very large division in the Democrat party at the moment between the Bangkok and Southern factions. It has only really been Chuan who has managed to keep the two factions together. Abhisit has done nothing so far to really re-unite the party.

The forming of a new party by some of the core leaders of PAD will hardly affect TRT, but it will affect the Democrats as it is their voters who the new "Workers Party" will be hoping to persuade to change allegances. With votes from the democratic groups split, it leaves the very real possibility of TRT getting a candidate elected in marginal places, very much like they managed to get their "Nominee's" into the senate.

It's ironic that people who demonstrated, hoping for a change in government may have contributed to making the TRT party the government for a lot longer than could have been the case.

people like me .... what? huh? oh yeah people like me keep refocusing people like you

the PAD isn't a political party .... and since idealogically much of the PAD leadership runs closer too TRT than to the Democrats ... why would they care about it?

is it me? or am I smelling some rampant socialism (or perhaps communism) theology (not philosophy) starting to come out here?

strangely the distribution of wealth is about the same in Thailand as it is in the USA ... just a lower starting point.

I don't know about the rest of you ... but I rather like that Thailand still has farmers ... I don't want to see Thailand become Japan or the USA or anywhere else for that matter.

as for funding this socialist revolution .... I guess if you sell off all the countries assets (remember PTT? or the threat to EGAT?) and then you increase taxes on the rather small middleclass ... then MAYBE you can buy a few tractors and drive the small farmers off their land ....

PAD leaders surrender THE NATION

The five decision makers of the People's Alliance for Democracy Monday surrendered at the Crime Suppression Division to fight charges that they had attempted to topple democracy.

Chamlong Srimuang, Sondhi Limthongkul, Somsak Kosaisuk, Somkiart Pongpaibul and Pipop Thongchai turned up at the CSD head office at 8:30 am.

Some 150 police commandos were deployed to keep law and order when some 100 supporters of the PAD came to the CSD. Police do not allow the supporters to go inside the office of the CSD.

The police issued their second summons in a month for the five after a case was filed against them by Chalard Worachat for allegedly attempting to topple democracy. They failed to report on Friday.

".....they had attempted to topple democracy."

>>>>>>>>>>>>

What hypocrisy! If anyone has attempted to undermine the democratic process and the rule of law and order in Thailand this last five years - the Dark Ages of Thailand's democratic evolution - then it surely has to be Thaksin and all those politically sympathetic and paid-off cronies he surrounds himself with.

The acceptance of this petition by the Crime Supppression division and the issuance of these summons in connection with the charge is a travesty of justice. The leaders of the PAD were simply charging Thaksin and the government with endemic corruption. They spoke the truth and brought to the peoples' attention what was really goin' on.

These are trumped-up, poitically motivated charges that have nothing whatsoever to do with democracy. It's pure and unadulturated spite and retribution.

If anyone should be in a court of law now it should be that thief and abuser of human rights and civil liberties.....TOXIN.....and his servile henchmen in TRT, the judiciary and the executive branch.

Actually .. it may be a good thing to have the leaders of PAD asked to defend their actions ... i believe what they did was good for Thailand in hte long-run ... but since a few flamers don't ... this will give them the chance to explain it better

hear hear!

I'd be right here mate in LOS, why would I have moved here if I don't really wanna live here?

This is a theme that seems to be played out over and over in threads on this board.

Why is it that so many people assume that every foreigner in Thailand is here because we have chosen it over every other place on earth as the place we want to be. In my experience, most people live where they do because of their obligations, not their desires. Sometimes they are family-related obligations, sometimes they are work-related obligations, sometimes they are something else entirely; but nevertheless, they are obligations of some kind. Good God, do you think all those folks are living in Cleveland and Manchester because they think they're the greatest places on earth?

Is it because the people who can't get it through their heads that everyone isn't here because they love it are a little divorced from reality? Uh....maybe. Is it because this place attracts so many sex-tourist foreigners who are on the lamb from the real world and just assume everyone else must be here for the same reason? Uh...probably.

The OP asked about desires. My answer to his question would be that, instead of living in a very limited third world city like Bangkok, I would prefer to live in a real city with sophisticated people and a genuine cultural life. Nana Plaza is good for a laugh every now and then, but a little theater, some music, even a few decent book stores would be very welcome.

New York, London, maybe Paris. The amount of money the OP set as his standard wouldn't do that, of course, but in the abstract, that's still my answer. Alas, however, I have obligations here. So that's not going to happen for a few years. Darn.

Man ....

It must really be sad not to have the cojones to make a change and do what you want! Amazing that people just cry and cry about being in Thailand as if they were trapped here! I have lived in some of the most beautiful places in the world and CHOOSE to live here! Then again I am not some pathetic outsider with no clue about what Thailand is really about (nor am I an assimilationist that denies life outside of Thailand!) I live here because I love it! Life is easy here and the diversity here is amazing! The only thing missing in Thailand for me is SNOW ... but that's just a few hours away by plane!

OldHandLuke ---- exactly what DOES keep you here where you are so miserable?

Hush .... don't bring logic into this ... this is all about how bad the PAD is and how good Thaksin is for some people! it is not about the real situation in Thailand for them!

re ... no guests ... check into any place as a double room and no problem ... and only the best places will ask for names up front in my experience

you already owe me drinks from your last round of Thaksin predictions BM ... you sure you want to do this again?

I know you said self-drive ... but for most things like this I hire one of the guys in the neighborhood for the same or less that I have gotten rates from rental companies from. They drive they fill the tank ... (I refill it when we finish)

I get the truck .. the driver and his hands to help :-)

Khao Kiow is a real gym of a find for a great day out ... 50 baht pp admission ... can drive your own car through .... toss bananas to the hippos .... feed greens to the deer ...

the night zoo is less thrilling .... but still a great time on a cool evening ... 100 baht pp and you ride in the tram ... see lots of local deer that come down into the zoo from the mountains and eat ... this tour is only in Thai but you don't REALLY need to understand it to get it ...2 tours a night I think ...

Hire more gay cabin crew works for me!

yeppers! according to some here ... if you aint Thaksin ... you aint crap!

10,000 -- 12,000 for a one month stay? .. doable .. places like View talay Condo 2 etc

The prices only go up for the over 50 crowd :-)

hmmm I cannot think of I time I have put a seat belt on in the back of a car ... but oh well

thaibebop, I agree that inappropriate touching is most annoying. And should be discouraged with some direct but polite movement away from the toucher.

That said, about your earlier post regarding women asking for help for something in a flirtatious manner, well, alot of that depends on how the man views it too. Many times I have been friendly to a man who has taken it as flirting, when I certainly did not think I was flirting, just being friendly. Some guys have an overdeveloped sense of their own attractiveness and assume that any woman who is friendly is hitting on them.

I am not saying you are that way but sometimes it helps to look at ones own attitude towards things before making assumptions about other people's behavior and motives.

All very good points, sbk. I understand what you are saying and no I don't think you are saying that I am an egoist. I have known too many women to have an ego. Just kidding.

What I am talking about though is clear body language and tone of voice. I mean you would have to be completely daft not to know the person is flirting. It's that clear that they have put so much effort into being noticed, and in doing so have become completely out of line.

Now I know flirting is natural, for most people, and little things aren't that bothersome, but too many little things and when these things stop being little and they are at the wrong places and the wrong times.....

OK ... I am really getting lost now .... so flirting is natural for most people .... then what is the question?

I know ... when does it become embarassing .... but really ... some people lack the social skills ... or here in particular ... the language skills to do much other than flirt ...