buddy

30 years in prison for what would have been less than 2 weeks wages for me while I was in Afghanistan.

Waow.... considering the risks you need to take in Afghanistan, they dont pay much.

sorry off topic but

Wow I agree lousy wages for that part of the world who were you working for???? Even far safer places in the Middle East pay far more than that. I hope you meant 1/2 a weeks wages!!! lol

Well, the wages I got in Afghanistan were better than I was making as a Sergeant back in Canada.

There were the extra benefits (free meals and lodgings such as they were, 4 paid days of vacation every month, free flight to your "Point of Hire" every 6 months, medical, dental). The one really good benefit I had, had nothing to do with my contract.

Living in the camp, there was very little to spend (waste) money on. Because of that I was able to do quite a bit of travelling, and still put enough away for an extended stay in Thailand !

(I was also referring to my "net" salary, after the government took their share )

Safety-wise, it wasn't that bad where we were. In a little over 2 years (Sept 03 - Nov 05), our camp never got attacked at all. There was some danger while driving to/from various location in Kabul, but nothing like there is in some other areas.

I'm still waiting for word to go back, hopefully to Kandahar this time.

So the only benefit was that you were locked down in a camp and couldnt spend money, you put your neck on the line in a hostile country (and it could happen) for a pittance of a salary...you either have to be nuts, an adrenaline junky, hiding or plain stupid for that amount of money?

Even in the large Middle Eastern Country thats awash with oil and stuck in the 7th century because of the nutter of the desert pay low level skilled workers more than that, what makes you think this is a good contract?

build decent pavements for once .... surely you so called educated Thais can organise this, or is it beyond you!

Pavements, yes improvement needed. Even Bangkok governors have managed to fall in holes here

Still the latter part of your remark a bit abusive.

The people who plan BKK infrastructure need abusing theyre worse then useless ... and its not for lack of money.

Actually you are wrong because corruption whittles down the final amount of cash thats left to actually spend on the project or pavement.

Target corruption first and no matter what the project is you should see an improvement...what you have here in Thailand is public money crumbs being spent after the robbers have taken thier share!

Try the Singapore model where the politicians and high ranking officials are handsomely paid, checks and integrity balances are in place and make it not worthwile to lose there job or pension.

Although not perfect in itself Singapore is surrounded by a sea of corrupt Asian countries so they must have got something right, controversial maybe but an Asian answer to a (not wholly) Asian affliction?

Cats are even worse ... they insist on sitting on me, even cats that hate everyone else.

a cat will walk into a room full of people and go straight to the person who hates cats. the more you know!

That'll be me then!

Buddhist teaching as a Belief System has a sublime message, as do other major Belief Systems in the world.

However the creation by humans of an organised religion around any Belief System must inevitably debase the purity of the message, as the message is hjacked by special interest groups.

In Thailand, the Sangha Therevada Corporation has reduced the public practice of this belief system to a money-making, face-making "religion" controlled by politics and social hierarchy.

The positive thing about Buddhism is that at least it does not advocate the mass slaughter of non-believers, which is something most other religious movements have done at various periods in history. Be grateful for small mercies.....

...and we know which nutters from the desert you are refering to there!

"And Fairtex seemed to be a well equipped place, I am not in the market for Muay Thai but they have a nice pool and the gym seems alright, any comments on crwods etc there would be appreciated"

K

Fairtex is very expensive compared to other Gyms, it also had a fire recently in the sauna, crowds of kids in the pool from the attached hotel, Gym no, but if you are into Muay Thai definetely.

Superstitious Thais believe that Dogs can see Ghosts at night and that is why they bark when it is dark...they are barking at Ghosts!

Humans cant see them of coarse.

That's good

Yes very good, its amazing how this tube dominates young peoples lives, especially in the West.

This makes as much sense as the original fairy story!

dtathailand,

I could possibly help fill this position with out any referal commission, only joking (-:

I know a Thai English speaking female (good looking as well) who could possibly fit this employment profile but I will require the salary range on offer to initialy interest her.

What is the salary range on offer?

Just look at the Thailand percentages below, go above a certain percentage and peaceful coexistance starts to breakdown.

Source from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat.

Results of Muslim Populations

Hard numbers..Worldwide percentages of Muslims by location and what the consequences means to non-Muslim Countries.

Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of Government of your life.

Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social and military components.

The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.

Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges.

When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies as is the UK agree to Muslim demands for their religious

privileges, some of the other components creep in as well.

Here's how it works:

As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a

peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:

United States -- Muslim 0.6%

Australia -- Muslim 1.5%

Canada -- Muslim 1.9%

China -- Muslim 1.8%

Italy -- Muslim 1.5%

Norway -- Muslim 1.8%

At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize (To recruit and induce someone to convert to Islam).

from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the

unemployed, jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:

Denmark -- Muslim 2%

Germany -- Muslim 3.7%

United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%

Spain -- Muslim 4%

Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%

From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population.

For example, they will push for the introduction of halal meat (clean by Islamic standards , but in reality is religious cruelty applied to slaughtering animals) thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal meat on their shelves -- along with threats for failure to comply.

This is occurring in:

France -- Muslim 8%

Philippines -- 5%

Sweden -- Muslim 5%

Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%

The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%

Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their predominant areas and ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law.

The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.

When Muslims approach 10% of the population,

They tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions.

In Paris, France , we are already seeing Muslim riots and car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam.

Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections in:

Guyana -- Muslim 10%

India -- Muslim 13.4%

Israel -- Muslim 16%

Kenya -- Muslim 10%

Russia -- Muslim 15%

After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings

of Christian churches, Jewish synagogues, Buddhist and Hindu Temples such as in:

Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%

At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:

Bosnia -- Muslim 40%

Chad -- Muslim 53.1%

Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%

From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims),

sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the unfair tax placed on infidels (non-Muslims), such as in:

Albania -- Muslim 70%

Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%?

Qatar -- Muslim 77..5%

Sudan -- Muslim 70%

After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these

nations drive out the infidels (non-Muslims), and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:

Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%

Egypt -- Muslim 90%

Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%

Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%

Iran -- Muslim 98%

Iraq -- Muslim 97%

Jordan -- Muslim 92%

Morocco -- Muslim 98..7%

Pakistan -- Muslim 97%

Palestine -- Muslim 99%

Syria -- Muslim 90%

Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%

Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%

United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%

A 100% Muslim World will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace?

Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses (Muslim Schools) are the only schools permitted, and the Muslim Koran is the only word, such as in:

Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%

Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%

Somalia -- Muslim 100%

Yemen -- Muslim 100%

Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% States the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, Misogyny (hatred against females) and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.

'Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our

father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel. -- Leon Uris, 'The Haj'

It is important to understand that in some countries,with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France , the minority

Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law.

The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large.

The children attend madrasses (Muslim Schools),They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel (non-Muslim) is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams, Mullahs (islamic Priests) and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.

Today's 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians,

Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers put together. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century.

what kind of fish do you want to catch

Thanks for all your replies.

I really wanted a telescopic rod so I can easily transport it, I travel a lot and sometimes I discover small piers or ponds/lakes and wish I had a rod with me.

Its just to chill out and relax from the pressures of work really.

So anybody know where I can buy a telescopic rod in Pattaya?

british birth certificate is about 4000 baht .....

british birth certificate is 7913 bhat and the passport is 4475 bhat. make sure u take your own long birth certificate with u as the small 1 i took was no good and i have to go back again and do it.

7913 baht for a birth certificate! What would it cost if the baby was born in the UK?

No cost. Our Son was born in the UK and hence automatically got a British Birth certificate. We then took this to the Thai Embassy in London where they issued a Thai birth certificate free of charge. Obviously the British Embassy in BKK recognises a nice little earner when it see one.

Its about time this closed shop nowhere else to go provided a service not ripping its own citizens off at every opportunity.

Examples - Passports, if you are a frequent traveler why not introduce Business passports instead of having to return and go through the expensive and time consuming rigmorol of having to purchase a second passport, birth certificates 8,000 Baht???? - come on British Embassy give your reputation an uplift!!

I didn't know pickles came cucumbers until 18.

I hopped off a fancy bus at San Cristobal de Las Casas, with a gaggle of tourists. The girls, Mayas from the Tzotziles (350,000 strong), sold key chains for ten pesos. I surprised them by naming jun, chib, 'oxib, ending with their native word for five. The girls howled and agreed to be sell me for five. Then I entertained them with a imitation of a monkey.

I did not know until age 62 that the oldest pacifist religion was not Buddhism, but Jewish.

What is the name of the Jewish Religion?

Woooh Naam, hit a raw nerve did I?...those Klingons are really tetchy.

Seriously though it looks like we both have knowledge of Air- Conditioning/Refrigeration...myself 30 years at it, 8 years in Asia.

Are you still active in the business?

Thanks for the interesting replies, gents.

I was asking because in the past the eejits technicians who have come to service the AC have always measured the pressure with the compressor idle. It was always below the 70 psi (or whatever) that they think it should be, so I always ended up forking out for new gas. The trouble was that the new gas never seemed to improve things for more than a few days at best. I asked, and people said it was a leak, but it would probably cost more to find and repair the leak than it was costing to regas the thing every 6 months.

Back in February, I asked the condo to arrange a service again ready for the hot season, and a new pair of scruffy Thai guys came along, but this time they measured the pressure with the compressor running. I watched, as usual, and to start with it was about 40 psi, so I assumed that another 30 units (= 600 Baht) in gas would be required, but over a few minutes the pressure slowly built up to 70 psi, and they said it's OK, no need for gas, no hab leak. So it sounds like the last few years the others have been regassing the compressor needlessly. I assume that there's some sort of relief valve, so that in the past when they gassed it to 70 under static conditions, as soon as it was running and the pressure climbed well above 70, the gas would have started to bleed off, which explains why the effect of the new gas never seemed to last very long.

So the good news is that the old compressor in my room evidently doesn't have a leak, and I will make sure in future that they don't add gas under static conditions. I don't know if this is incompetence on the part of the AC servicing guys, or a scam to sell gas when it's not needed? If it's a widespread practice, and assuming that most people know as little about aircons as I do, then it can't be very good for the environment.

No bleed off valve for the gas to release on high pressure, normally a high pressure safety switch is fitted to turn the compressor off untill the system pressures stabalise (cool down).

1. Most Thai A/C technicians havent a clue about charging A/C systems correctly as they dont know how to read a temperature pressure chart or even have an acurate thermometer to measure the ambient temperature to achieve this.

2. but heres a tip, if the A/C tech says you need a gas refill/top up, the gas has leaked out somewhere.

3. The Tech needs to identify and fix the leak before adding fresh gas (refrigerant).

4. Dont just let the Tech add the gas/refrigerant and go away, as obviously the leak is still there and its only a matter of time before the gas leaks out and you have a breakdown again.

1. correct.

2. not necessarily. in one of my cases it was a faulty expansion valve which caused wrong pressure readings.

3. something next to impossible because expensive testing equipment is lacking and pipes are in walls under plaster. as expensive automatic couplings are not used but pipe connections hard soldered to evaporator unit even proper testing might produce wrong results.

4. correct.

OK Naam, you asked for it

No2 -Its as basic as this, if the Tech is telling the customer that he has to recharge the system, the gas has leaked out somewhere, it does not make a jot of difference if the thermal expansion valve is faulty or not, a faulty expansion valve will give incorrect pressure readings but wont make you lose any gas out of the system..I hope you understand this?

(The Tech could of course lose gas when changing the TEV).

No3 - If the installation was hard "Soldered" then the pipe-work was not joined together correctly in the proper manner in the first place, Brazing technique should always be used with brazing rod containing a high Silver content.

I could go into depth technically about why there are various reasons for this pressure reading or that reading but I wont.

What I was trying to do was help the original poster be aware that it is the biggest scam in Air-conditioning to top up the gas (Refrigerant), with out at least trying to find and fix the leak before adding fresh gas/refrigerant - for example most owners of cars who have ac problems believe they need six monthly or annual top ups of gas/refrigerant, not true its a sealed system .

Oh and point number 2 - Good old Soapy water will catch most leaks, dont need expensive equipment to leak check!

Worth it to have a love-in later on to make up for it. Maybe get some special treatment

Mine does blow up occasionally. When she does it takes hours to get her to stop mouthing off. That is when I take her to her mothers. That soon shuts her up. I leave her there and let her mother give her he_l. I go to the pub and refuse to answer the phone. Makes her wonder what I am up to and who with

Next day all is fine and dandy again. Wonderful things - women.

I'd not trade mine in for anything.

How do you get her in the car to go to her Mothers?

Yes excellent article -

"Abhisit, with his thoroughly western and somewhat liberal background, shares the values of the west and is in fact more likely to bring about the social revolution needed by Thailand's agrarian poor than any previous leader. He is, in fact, pretty red, while Thaksin, in his autocratic style of leadership, is in a way pretty yellow. Simplistic portrayals do not help anyone to understand anything".

Agree, Abhisit needs to be given a chance.

One question for the experts here - should the gas pressure be taken with the compressor running or idle?

If its a partial recharge - when the compressor is running.

Take pressure readings from both the low pressure side and the high pressure side of the system but only charge gas through the low side of the system.

Most Thai A/C technicians havent a clue about charging A/C systems correctly as they dont know how to read a temperature pressure chart or even have an acurate thermometer to measure the ambient temperature to achieve this.

but heres a tip, if the A/C tech says you need a gas refill/top up, the gas has leaked out somewhere.

The Tech needs to identify and fix the leak before adding fresh gas (refrigerant).

Dont just let the Tech add the gas/refrigerant and go away, as obviously the leak is still there and its only a matter of time before the gas leaks out and you have a breakdown again.

Good luck hope it helps.

Oxford and Cambridge? Proof that a university can remain first class and still be second rate.

/quote]

Perhaps its to do with University funding?

How can you work out the logic of a British Labour Government having a "Foreign Aid" budget of nearly 8 Billion pounds larger than the University budget of its own people?

Some of this er "Foreign aid" (read unaccountable free money) goes to India where the streets are literally lined with amputees and the poverty stricken are living in soap box slum cities, whilst at the same time we are giving them this free money the Indian Government diverts Billions to fund Nuclear weapons and a Space programme...just one example of the Crazy Crazy thinking of British Politicians.

The UK should be looking after its own needs first and then we probably wouldn't have some second rate University's.

And as footnote Indian politicians should be ashamed of themselves!

LOS will always be better than the over regulated overly expensive PC nanny state that I call "home".

Saddest day of my life will be when the money runs out and I have to go back.

Definition of PC (Political Correctness) -

“Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.”

Thanx, the UN still has fate in our PM

Are you Thai? He is not your PM, as much as you might like him to be. You didn't vote, aren't a Thai citizen, etc.

If you are an Expat you live here, yes you cannot vote, but you start treating it as home, as it is now your home. People start saying things about their country (thailand).

Most of us wear yellow elastic wristbands with words on them, we stand up in the cinema, we stop when we hear the National Anthem out of respect and also we want to be accepted by them.

Many of us pay our taxes here, we expect things to be done to accommodate us, accept the fact that this is home for many people.

This is one of my major gripes.

I have paid millions of Baht in taxes over the years and what do i get in return, Nothing, Nada, Zilch, Zero....thanks Falang for your hard work, your knowledge transfer in helping Thais better themselves, I've got your money now, so piss of back home where you came from.

Check to see if you have leaks in the system, it sounds like it.....generally once a year re-fill should be adequate..any more than that go looking for leaks...

Its the biggest scam in the A/C business, "re-gassing" or "topping" up the system.

All A/C systems (talking the most commom is vapour compression systems), be it home, car, commercial, industrial are sealed systems, you do not have to have them "re-gassed" at regular intervals.

If the shop/service centre tells you it needs re-gassing, the gas (refrigerant) has leaked out somewhere, they need to find the gas leak, fix the leak AND then re-gas.

Hope it helps.

It might have been mentioned but....

What if you had been paying off a mortgage for the past say....15 years and then suddenly the low income people who couldn't afford to pay their payments had the government pay off their house? how would you feel... and you were still paying yours off.......

unawesome.

If there is a will there is a way to satisfy this question.

How about say 50,000 pounds or 100,000 Dollars to each Mortgagee...by the way I totally agree with what you are saying.

Which raises another point..what is the cut off point in years when say you fall on bad times have paid your mortgage for 5, 10 years and the Bank doesn't give you any money back when they foreclose on you?

...3 years?...5 years?...8 years????

The markets will like it but the populaton is now going to feel the pain (and would have done so under any Government). That is bound to further reduce the disposable income of many Brits who regularly visit Thailand. A minority will do well but the rich tend to have different holiday destinations. My worry is that the new Government will want to establish its credentials by cutting back too hard and then we'll be in the double dipper.

Well done Labour...if you spend and borrow more or give your own money away to foreigners (Euro prop up, Foreign aid etc) than whats coming in, it don't take much to figure out Cash Gordon and the Liebour party was a failure...what a great legacy.