josephbloggs

50 minutes ago, samsensam said:

 

there are many benefits being and to be realised from the investment in public transportation in bangkok, however, i would agree, there are many, obvious, missed opportunities;

Agree, it's not perfect but the developments in the last 5 years alone have been quite substantial and the new systems coming on stream in the next five years are to be applauded.  I think it is rare that a city can undertake such massive infrastructure development in such a short space of time.  I can't think of many places that have built so many lines simultaneously.  But yes, not perfect.

 

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- in the original planning decades ago a strategic objective should have been to connect all major transportation hubs in the city; air, bus, train, this still hasnt been achieved and results in terrible congestion in certain areas.

Yep, years behind on that.  Seems that this will happen but agree it is years too late.

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- major residential areas should have been connected to the shopping, CBD, and tourist areas should have been connected to hotel areas e.g. there should be an mrt connection to a station under sanam luang, this would enable tourists to visit the area as well as thais to go there for many national holidays and national occasions, this would make bangkok more tourist friendly and reduce terrible congestion in the area

Not sure about this.  I think the MRT gets as close as it should at Sanam Chai.  It's a historic area and I can understand why they don't want MRT exits and vents around the place.  There is no underground station anywhere near Buckingham Palace (not sure if that is the reason though).

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- at some point heads need to be banged together so there is one valid travel card valid across all public transportation networks, as in most major cities e.g. oyster card in london

Agree 100% with this.  It is criminal that there is still not a common ticketing system.

Bangkok is making great strides so it annoys me when someone (not you) makes a cheap jibe at something that is actually a great milestone in the development of mass transit here.  I've lived and worked here since before the first BTS lines were built so I appreciate how far things have come.
 

42 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

 

The MRT bridge near Sirindhorn station might give a hint how the bridge will look like 

 

 

Cool.  And yeah possibly could be the case.

I live just by the Srinakarin / motorway crossing and drive past it every day on my way to work - they seem to be doing some prep work on the pillars either side.  Will update if I see anything happening - I imagine it would be a big operation closing the motorway for an evening to get that lifted in to place.

8 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

So they've expanded on and perfected the Makkasan station experiment then?

In terms of (lack of) aircon it would seem so.  Really hope they have a solution to let air pass through.  Makkasan is just horrendous.

36 minutes ago, ICELANDMAN said:

The new station go old before use

New station get use next year.  Not go old.

35 minutes ago, Raphael54 said:

Unfortunately, this pearl at the center of Thailands transport system is not connected with BTS,  MRT, nor with Purple Line. 

Oh dear.

There is an MRT station in the basement.  It is called Bang Sue (there's a clue in the name - it's the same as the station!).  Also connects with Light Red and Dark Red lines when they open next year.

Why would you expect it to be connected to lines that don't pass through there (BTS, Purple Line)?  There are lots of other things in different parts on Bangkok it's not connected to either - it doesn't connect with any Chao Phraya river boats which is another massive oversight.  No walkway directly into Emporium either - more stupid Thai short-sightedness!

53 minutes ago, Xonax said:

Within the next 30 years, Bangkok and Hua Hin will be under water due to rising sea levels. https://bangkokjack.com/2020/11/10/bangkok-under-water-30-years/

 

There's always one in each thread.  Yawn.

24 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

Indeed, my understanding is that the long distance trains will continue to be diesel hauled for the forseeable future.

 

Bang Sue Central is a monster, I wonder how much of SRT's annual budget will be consumed by the air-conditioning, I don't see any solar installed on that massive roof either.

 

I remember reading that only the ground floor ticketing / waiting area will be air-conditioned (and presumably the underground MRT station).  The second and third floor concourses will not have A/C.  Hope there's some decent breeze allowed through, unlike the ARL stations which are horrible sweat boxes (with the exception of Hua Mak).

Impressive building though - I look forward to checking it out when it's open.

1 hour ago, cheshiremusicman said:

Great shame, as I  personally thought it was the best aircraft I have ever had the pleasure to fly on - both economy and business class.

Agreed.  This is pre-Covid but it was a really interesting interview with Sir Tim Clark on why it was a success for Emirates and could/should have been for other airlines:

https://www.airlineratings.com/news/emirates-tim-clark-slams-airlines-poor-use-a380/

6 hours ago, Dustdevil said:

Nobody wants an A380, I can pretty much predict that.

Good job then that they are not trying to sell any.

52 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

High speed train routes in UK, with more being built.

Incorrect.  The only one of those which is a genuine high speed rail line is the little red bit going from London to Kent - a distance of 100 kms.

2 hours ago, CanadaSam said:

 

Stop noticing that... it may be illegal....  ????

Not even remotely funny.

3 hours ago, GeoMill said:

 

The most reliable high speed network? What PRC propaganda website do you get your information from?

 

Japanese Shinkansen has had what, 1 death ( a suicide) in it's whole history? The same cant be said of the Chinese counterpart.

The Japanese system is utterly amazing and incredible to use, no doubt about that.  And yes, no fatal accidents.  Can't argue with that.

Japan has around 3,000kms of high speed line. China has more than 10 times that - currently around 35,000kms.  China has probably exceeded the milage travelled of all HSR lines globally put together (they do have over two thirds of the world's network).  They have had one fatal accident and it was a biggie.  But statistically far far safer than the European lines and all but Japan as you can't argue with no fatalities even through their network is relatively small.

Better?

Chucking out cliches about China's safety is so easy to do...

6 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

https://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/retroactive-citizenship-laws-in-the-united-states

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizenship_of_the_European_Union

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizenship_of_the_European_Union

 

Just a few articles for you to read on how, why, and when Permanent Residency/Citizenship can be obtained after the fact retroactively.  

Did you actually read any of them?  Utterly irrelevant.  This first one is about a specific law (INTCA) that Clinton passed that conferred citizenship upon people born in a specific period who did not qualify at that time.  It is a completely different thing and that should be entirely obvious.

Then you posted two identical links to a Wiki article about the EU that don't appear to have any relevance at all.  Not sure why.


 

14 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Wow, Mr. Sensitive this morning I see.  Attack a post and whinge about the glass being half full, but anyone else discusses such things and you go silent.  Must not like the cut of my Jib, my moral decaying tone of my posts, or the fact that I call an ace an ace and a spade a spade.  We are talking of a 10 Mb condo, not a 1 million or 2 million or such.  10 million is a good chunk to invest and, like those that have a certain type of Visa they have been grandfathered in to not having to show the current amounts of money in the bank to qualify for their annual extension.  Very easy to include the prior purchases as all those folks have also had to keep the paperwork showing the money came from outside in order to repatriate the money back home whence they sell.  Even be beneficial for those that Bought a house in a gated community, even if they do not own the land.  Is giving PR that hard for you to open up to, or is it that PR has been unattainable and so because of that you are against it for others.  Other countries do give PR after certain time frames and after certain investments have been made.  If someone wanted to challenge it based upon evidence which shows they should have the same rights as someone who came after them, well then I am sure they just might succeed.  Holding people to two different standards is not right, but then TIT and dual pricing exists.

Eh?  Do you see yourself as the perennial victim?  I only replied to you and not to others because I thought you were making - no demanding - a ridiculous request and crying victim when you are nothing of the sort.  And you think I'm picking on you: again your victim mindset.

I stand by my assertion that if they come up with a new idea to give PR to people who invest over 10m in a condo, then expecting it to be backdated for anyone who has ever bought a condo is, indeed, ridiculous.   It's the fact that this is a positive news story yet you change it to a complaint because it wouldn't apply to things that happened in the past and play the victim card, again.  And again I'll ask you which country has ever retroactively applied immigration law changes?  

PR is very attainable thank you very much, so no gripes there.  And for the record I think this is a good idea and I would be in favour of it.  But unlike you I choose not to gripe about unrealistic things it doesn't cover.  

(and blah blah blah dual pricing, TIT, yaaaaaaaawn)

15 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

As usual it will be for a new condo purchase and,  those that have spent the money and bought previously will be left hanging in the wind 

Mr Glass Half Empty strikes again - seeing the negative in everything.

Do you seriously expect any change in immigration law to be back dated and applied retroactively??  Really???  How far back should it go?  And which country does that?

18 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

I wonder if these employees totally voluntarily said 'I want to resign.

Seems very doubtful they would do that, especially in such a large number, without some prompting to resign.

 

In many counties this would be high unethical and highly illegal. 

 

 

Yes, they did.  It is voluntary.  Normally people are enticed into it by enhanced benefits / severance packages, or by being able to resign before retirement age and still receive their full company pension.   The people who have signed up for this have several options to chose from.  So yes, it is a choice.  Thailand has very robust labour laws and a labour court that will 99% of the time rule in favour of the employee (and before anyone says otherwise - yes, foreign employees are treated in exactly the same manner and receive the same justice) so TG cannot "force" anyone to resign or arbitrarily dismiss them for refusing.

And voluntary redundancy is extremely common around the world - I have no idea why you think it would be illegal elsewhere: it isn't.

22 hours ago, cardinalblue said:

I don’t believe the use of the word “voluntarily”....

 

nothing more severance packages and if you don’t take it, you get laid off w/o anything...

Sorry, you are incorrect.  It is voluntary.  And you cannot be laid off "w/o anything".  Please don't make up nonsense and state it as fact.

3 hours ago, Damrongsak said:

I noticed that years ago.  The kids can do no wrong until school age, when they are suddenly pounded into a mold when they aren't so cute. 

 

I've heard of misbehavior in discount stores in the U.S. where "immigrants" let their kids run free and play with the toys and whatnot. My wife worked at such a place for awhile. 

Of course it's only the immigrants and Asians.  Good old white children don't misbehave in America.

On 10/30/2020 at 6:44 PM, ThailandRyan said:

Looks like Bangkok Airways has found a new way to stay afloat instead of going bankrupt like Thai Airways.  If you have a spare 100,000 baht lying around you can get an Elite flight card and travel free domestically the entire year.  Maybe the Thai Airways needs to do something similar.....

https://www.bangkokair.com/eng/elitecard

Oh yeah, outstanding. 100k for the year but you have to pay all airport fees, taxes, surcharges and then VAT on each flight. If you do 30-35 domestic return flights a year it may be a good deal. 

If Thai launched a program as limited, expensive and ineffective as this you would be criticizing it, I guarantee. 

12 hours ago, The Farang said:

The first Hyperloop will be finished this year in Las Vegas :).  Construction is almost finished.

 and 

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Not only that, Elon Musk is building underground Hyperloop s everywhere which should be completed shortly

Please don't just make stuff up.  He is not building Hyperloops everywhere.  He hasn't actually built a single one.  No full size prototype even exists.  No commercial hyperloops are under construction anywhere.

The Las Vegas project is nothing to do with a Hyperloop.  It is a one mile tunnel that Teslas can drive through (in theory, this is just a test).  At normal speed.  A tunnel that is a mile long.  From the strip to the convention centre.  Whoop de doo.  Hardly revolutionising travel is it?  Tunnels have been around for a while.

Hyperloop is an interesting concept but it is decades away from being a reality - that's if it even works at all.  But yeah, you go ahead and whoop about USA USA USA being at the cutting edge and ignoring the fact you are decades behind the Chinese in transportation technology.  

 

5 hours ago, tomauasia said:

Obvious your not very well educated. But well informed media investigation in Australia and the US post there findings online..The only thing they would find hiliarious is your reaction. As l said uneducated.

Well I dunno but my education did teach me the differences between "your" and "you're", "their" and "there".
 

Sorry, you did not point to any specific investigations, you said "You only have to visit YouTube to find the truth".  You do realise anyone can post anything on there don't you?  It's like saying "You only need to visit Facebook to find the truth".

So please tell me who these well informed Australian and US media organisations are, and where their well informed YouTube investigations can be seen so we can judge for ourselves.  I guess no well respected media outlets, news channels, newspapers, journalists dared to report this because they are scared of the truth right?

So, come on, links please.  This should be amusing.

39 minutes ago, billd766 said:

It might be true in some cases but certainly not all Thai grand parents are like that.

Sorry, let me explain the TVF rules for you.  One Thai person does something bad = all Thai people do the same thing.  That's how it works here, please get with the programme.