Beacher

One of my friends has just set up a Thai company - 4.6Baht from Thailand to UK (and 60 other countries).....including Cyprus

www.clearcutcomms.co.th

They claim no hidden charges no ++ etc.

Can be used on your home phone or mobile - therefore no need to be online with a computer.

Skype is cheaper but the quality in my experience is bad and it cuts off.

Sounds a good deal.

Sounds terribly expensive to me.

I use Yahoo messenger, which is much better quality and much cheaper than Skype (and certainly cheaper than 4.6B/min). I pay 0.30 baht a minute to N.A., regardless if I'm calling land line of mobile. At 30 stang a minute with usually good call quality, I can't see changing service anytime soon.

BTW, I don't think it's necessary to call European sports "silly". They're just as valid as US sports. Besides, what could be a sillier and more boring game than American Football (NFL)?

Watching grown men kick with their feet and hit with their heads a round ball for an hour in the hope that they come to a draw; or a bunch of cars drive around in a circuit for 2-3 hours...bukko boring

Ya, I guess those millions of people that are huge fans of soccer (er...football) just don't know good sport when they see it. I guess they need you to set them straight. But of course NFL is so wonderful and exciting with it's 5-seconds of actual play followed by 2 minutes of slowly walking back to form a huddle - then 5 seconds of play - then 2 minutes to huddle - 5 seconds of play...

Your welcome for the TV torrent info, by the way.

(Note to self: Do not help people here at TV because they rarely acknowledge one's efforts or take a minute to thank anyone.)

I see what you mean. I hope it isn't their idea of an April Fools joke.

There's another site that's quite similar called "xtvi.com". Try that one.

BTW, I don't think it's necessary to call European sports "silly". They're just as valid as US sports. Besides, what could be a sillier and more boring game than American Football (NFL)?

Didn't even have to read the post on this one. The title was enough to know it's APRIL FOOLS day.

A bit late, but I'll chime in with another vote for a switched neutral. If it's not then there is something seriously wrong with the wiring that requires looking at pronto!

You can easily check by using your trusty neon-screwdriver to find the hot in your light with it switched on, this hot should go away when you turn off the light.

You will either need to fix it at the switch or at the ceiling depending upon which way the switch was wired. Your sparks will should may might probably won't know how to fix it

Thank for injecting a bit humor into this thread.

I'm afraid that the one choice you didn't cross out seems to be true. I explained the situation to him as he nodded his head, appearing to understand. After explaining, he left and gave me the impression that he was coming back with a voltage meter to check the hot and neutral wiring. Instead, I saw him cleaning the pool 10 minutes later, and he's never come back.

I've got my own solution, anyway -- now I simply use the circuit breaker switch as my light switch. No real problem, and besides, it feels more authentically Thai doing it that way.

You can e-mail support[at]thaivisa.com or PM the mod you have concerns with...

where it will fall on deaf ears (or should that be blind eyes?) 555

Another poor attempt at an April fools joke.

Even for Thailand this was too much.

I knew it was an April fools joke.

Thanks all.

I think I'll get the building engineer to look at the situation again and ask that he check some of the things mentioned.

Thanks again, but these suckers don't glow for a short period of time, they'll keep glowing forever if I don't kill the power at the breaker.

As I mentioned above, the hot side is not being switched off at the power switch but the neutral. This leaves the hot side connected to the ballast and as such to the tube. It takes very little current to activate the phosphors in the tube and side wall leakage through the glass to the environment (air) which is at ground potential can cause it to glow.

Thanks for this. So, what is the solution? Can it be easily fixed by taking off the switch plate and doing something simply there?

There is some remaining power in the ballast (or transformer) for a short period of time after power is turned off. It's a defective starter that is letting power to flow to the tube and causing the glow. I do not think it is defective wiring.

Thanks again, but these suckers don't glow for a short period of time, they'll keep glowing forever if I don't kill the power at the breaker.

Replace the starter. It's a small round cylinderical thingy inserted into the fixture near to one end of the tube. Twist and remove it.

Thanks for the advice, and I know the part you're talking about, but I don't see why enough power to keep the lights illuminated should still be getting to them when I turn them off using the wall switch. To my logic, once I flip that switch at the wall, no power at all should reach them. Please don't interpret that I don't appreciate your advice or I'm being difficult to deal with, I just don't see how replacing the starter will help.

I get the same sort of thing happening. I have 3 circular florescent lights in my living room and when I turn them off at the wall switch, 2 of them will remain glowing -- not just at the end but all through the lights. The only way I can get them to turn off completely is to switch off the breaker that feeds that circuit. I've just always assumed that it was caused by crappy substandard and ungrounded wiring, but if anyone can shed some light (so to speak) on the actual reason it's happening, I'd sure like to know.

Instead of looking at the real problem of poorly trained and educated doctors, the Thai members of government once again bury their heads in the sand while pointing the finger in the wrong direction.

Well before the 30 baht health scheme, Thai doctors were in the habit of prescribing multiple medications for everything. It has always been a standing joke amongst my friends that after leaving the doctor's office, you went through the 8, 9, 10 or so prescriptions and tried to decide which one or two you should really take. They don't seem to understand the dangers of overusing medicine or sometimes even how it should be used. I once went to get some excess wax removed from inside my ears, and the the doctor prescribed a product called Waxsol. I'm familiar with the product and understood my need to use it. What was strange, though, was that the doctor prescribed two bottles and told me to put it in each ear everyday for two weeks. I've never heard of anyone using it for more than a couple of days. Sure enough, when I got home and opened a box of Waxsol, there was a sheet of paper with instructions for how to use the product. In very large block letters that took up 1/3 of the page was a strong warning that said, "WARNING - DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT FOR MORE THAN 3 CONSECUTIVE DAYS". What a F---ing quack! If I hadn't seen the warning given by the manufacturer, who knows what long-term problems or permanent damage I would have experienced.

Does anyone else find it ironic that a dispute over claims of ownership of a BUDDHIST temple has the armies of both countries ready to start shelling each other?

Gee, ya -- this must be the first time in the history of mankind that blood has been shed over something related to religion. LOL

IMO, that's a very difficult situation you've described, and I can understand your frustration with it. Obviously, not being able to even discuss the subject with your wife and relatives is getting to you.

I wouldn't try to advise you on how to break the communication barrier, but only say that perhaps you might be better off to stay out of the house as much as possible and let the wife and relatives do their thing until the novelty of the new child wears off a little. I suspect that over some time, the amount of unwanted attention will die down, and thing will settle into some state of normality that you can handle better.

Door-to-door carpet floggers in Thailand?

And you had windows open in unsupervised areas of the house? They must have seen this from a back road or similar?

What about your neighbors - or were you the first and only house they tried in the area (If so, why do you think that would be)?

are you tying to blame me ?

the house has a 2.5 m walled perimeter and cannot be seen from the road.

the neighbors were out.

do you lock yourself in your home?

Sorry to hear about your loss, and the following statement isn't intended to make you deel bad or put blame on you.

But it's funny how people feel that a high wall around their house will protect them, when in fact it's a golden invitation for thieves looking break into houses. All that big wall does is to allow the thieves to work away without anyone who is driving or passing by to see what they're doing.

Not to defend anyone, but I live in a condo at a beach between Pattaya and Sattahip, and it's amazing how dirty the beaches can get in one day or even overnight. When the ocean is rough and choppy, a very large amount of trash can accumulate on the beach. I have gone down to the beach behind my condo one day and its very nice and clean only to see it absolutely filthy the next day. Like I said, I'm not defending anyone because all that crap shouldn't have been thrown or dumped into the ocean in the first place, but don't assume that the beaches at Koh Samet are always like that.

Agreed that this is getting suspicious.

It certainly appears that the parcel started on its way but for some reason was not allowed into China.

Sorry to say it OP, but I think anyone who would go to the post office to check on this parcel needs to have their head examined, especially considering that you've never offered to tell us what's in it. Because of your secretive nature, even if you told us now what is "supposed" to be in the parcel, I wouldn't go near it with a 10-foot pole.

Hi All,

Monsterman reported the following on the GTRider forum:

Over 80 bikes seized so far value in excess of 25m baht mostly big rental bikes 600cc+ Fireblades, GSXRs, steeds

This is co-ordinated by Central Bangkok police and Customs, no Insurance , no book ,no plates, import taxes not paid and the bike is seized.

Now very few big rental bikes on Pattaya beach road.

the shops were also raided but not much problem there as the owners know that books are important.

Part II-

Its now on the TV news ,,, sure the cops smell money but it much more than that its political.. pattaya city wanted the rentals off beach road clogging up parking places ...the renters just put 2 fingers to the City hall... so now its

get heavy time and bring in the big boys from Bangkok.....This is going to cost the main big bike renters a lot of money and most of them are actually Muslims in Pattaya.

Many of the bikes have no import papers and are stolen so they are history , others have never beeen bothered to get registered as its expensive etc most have no insurance so its going to be a mess. Some will be bought back by the renters and some will just rust to bits in police custody others will go to new police owners and then business as normal will resume.Its Thailand.

I doubt it. I can't see the cops just letting potential extra revenue from selling those bike pass them by. They will use their connections to get papers for the bikes, and we will either see them in BIB driveways or being sold for a little extra tea money.

Currently on air / must watch

Life

Dexter

Heroes

Housed M.D.

Top Gear (Not the awful Ozzy version)

Ugly Betty

HIGNFY

Ones on air that I also follow

Survivor

Prison Break (4th season is not as good as the rest)

Fringe

Californication

Ultimate Fighter

Swingtown

Al Murray Pub Landlord

Off air that I look forward to returning

Lost

True Blood

24

Hells Kitchen/Kitchen Nightmares/F Word

Cheers

I've got admit that I just downloaded some recent episodes of hel_l's Kitchen. I watch it for the shock factor. Where else can a raving lunatic like Gordon Ramsay get his own show?

LOL - How can you people get upset about what some e-rag puts on their web site?

Pattaya One News is the epitome of tasteless pseudo-journalism, with no regard for the facts or any respect for people's privacy. It seems clear to me that Pattaya One News loves kowtowing to the authorities or printing in its crass site anything it's told to print. It's an absolute joke.

What did you get when you "Googled" the problem? With all respect to the knowledgeable members of the is forum, I would have to assume that doing a few minutes research via the internet could give you information from professional medical sources rather than opinions from non-professionals. I'm not saying that the advice isn't good that has been given, but I wouldn't ask an auto mechanic or a total stranger, of whom I know nothing about, for medical advice.

I mention this partly because it happens all the time. We often see threads that are closed because they are not Thailand related, but that seems to only happen when they're getting interesting or controversial.

You will have to look at the post itself. Next to the name you will find the date and time.

It is not useful to include the date of the OP, as many times people add a question to a thread, making it still an up to date topic with relevant questions. But do look at the date of the post you are replying to.

I see your point, and I also see what you're talking about with regard to the date being displayed next to the name. Must be sure to read the date of post #1 in the future before replying.

I love comedies.

Southpark

Family guy

Frasier

Cheers

and going way back...Taxi