Harcourt

Also, some people, worried about a drunken night out, use the donation centre as a convenient AIDS testing facility.

Blood collection centres do the best they can, but there are limited funds (and time for some blood types) to test for every possible infection. Therefore the questionaires are designed to limit the risk balanced against the need for blood.

For what it's worth here's the one I had an attorney write. Within this there were some particulars to my assets and our agreement but the main thing is to describe them in detail in the Exhibits. It's pretty straightforward.

Clearly I'm not an attorney and you must decide what legal review or advice you need. If you have a complicated situation then you for sure need advice. Caveat emptor!!!

The process is simple. Complete this document (or the one you do with the attorney) and when you go register your marriage bring this along and it gets filed and is on record with all the legal documents. It's my understanding that this step is essential for it to be binding.

Good luck.

Derek

I didn't look at the downloads. One very important aspect to a pre-nup is that each party has his/her own lawyer advise on it, otherwise it may be argued later that one party was not sufficiently informed at the time of the signing of the agreement.

All you have to do is get her to take the agreement to a different lawyer to your own lawyer to advise her and to witness.

There is a potential flaw here too.....from the OP, "....One important adjustment to Thailand's consumer law with this new act is the fact that if a repeat complaint is brought against a company, where the company previously lost the case, there will be no trial. The judgment of the new case would be based on the previous complaint, with similar penalties or compensation applied. ...."

Savvy companies that know they are not up to scratch will simply get an insider to file a complaint as soon as possible, before any genuine customer does, with a very low compensation request. Precedent will be set.

This is perhaps the biggest potential flaw to the new act.

Because it is free, it has overlaoded the system already. Here is an experience of how it worked for a friend of mine recently. Filed a case against a developer. Waited 2 months for a court date. On the day, guy didn't turn up. so another date was set for one month later with the agreement of all parties.. He didn't turn up again, his lawyer said he was out of the country on business. Judge said to get another date. First available date was 53 weeks later. 3 hours later, when he arrived home, the guy was abused at is door by the "out of country on business" developer.

When he asked his lawyer about this, he was told "they all do that, to waste time" He wasn't in the least interested about the guy lying to the court about the non appearance, normal thing here in LOS, apparently

There is a conflict of information here: From the OP, ".....Another important streamliner for the legal process is the fact that only one postponement of 15 days or less will be allowed,...."

Someone's lawyer was not doing his job, or the OP is misinformed, or this story is misinformed.

Sorry, not hijacking the thread.....I wonder if you guys with Polynesian connections have seen my Kava thread in the Farming forum?

I have strong connections with Fiji and Tuvalu.

I would bet my bottom dollar that the further south you go, the more breadfruit you will find.

I used to have a few different types of breadfruit, and when I get to Thailand, I too, would like to have some.

Do people actually say, "My Buddha" instead of, "My God"?

I think you know Thailand well enough to be able to discard everyone's advice and go with your own personal preference.

Do I have to remind you all that we are in Thailand here? The discussion is about giving a tip/gift to a doctor in Thailand. Different countries, different customs/mentalities. It might be inappropriate for many reasons in your home countries and mentalities and mindsets, but here in Thailand it is normal praxis. My wife told me it's really absolutely normal to give a good tip to a doctor after he helped delivering your child - whether it's in a private hospital or in a government hospital doesn't matter.

It's not about how inappropriate such a tip would be in your home country - it's about what is the norm in Thailand.

Why do so many people always judge the customs of a country if these are very different from the customs in their own country?

If a "rich" farang is not giving the expected sign of appreciation to a doctor (and that's the red envelope...) after the delivery the people here will just think: oh well, another badly educated, stingy farang... every Thai will pay the tip without questioning and will consider it as completely normal and appropriate.

To the OP: in your case Baht 5'000 would be about what is expected - every Thai who is in a position to pay 45K for a delivery would certainly not hesitate to give that much tip.

Yeah, Thailand. Tip a servant, even a tradesperson. But it's condescending and crass to tip a proffessional. Do you tip your accountant or dentist too?

I thnk it's a bit crass to tip a doctor.

Choccies, a cigar, a token of thanks, but not cash.

Is there a more subtle way of gathering sympathy to get more stars? If there is, I'll try that method.

my bpen rai attitude

Nahh. Fijian's have "kua ni lega", South Africans have "hakuna matata", and Bobby McFerrin has "Don't worry be happy".....all basically the same.

How far back does the record of who's viewed your profile go?

Sniffing prior to, or more often in place of, a greeting kiss, is not uniquely Thai. Pacific islanders, Polynesian and Melanesian do that.

What is it exactly that makes Thais like this? Even intelligent, educated Thais.

The water in the radiator thing...I can relate totally.

As for air in the tyres!!! She bought a new car recently and so clucks over it alot....refills the tyres every week, etc. The tyres have the recommended pressures printed on them so I fill them to that amount....not good enough: the kitchen hand at a friend's Thai restaurant (KITCHEN HAND, with no education and no English language!!!!) told her something else...so I am wrong, and the tyre manufacturer is wrong.

Filling up the petrol, I always selct "fill" and the bowser pumps untill some back-pressure stops it.

GF says, don't selct "fill", but select an amount ($70, say) because you lose all the petrol in the hose.

?????

I tried to reason with her that either way, there is always some petrol left in the hose and I pay for whatever I get. No, her sister's BF told her that selecting a specific amount means you lose nothing. Sister's BF is a scientist or mathematician or something? No. Uneducated, unemployed.....but still smarter than me.

I've actually become offended with this attitude from her and it has caused problems. Now, when I stand my ground with real science or logic backing me up, I'm a stubborn fool.

tell her you're filling up the hose for the next person because the person before you filled up the hose for you. If you leave 'air' in the hose (i know, there's no air in the hose) a ghost will get in your car/get bad luck.

If science won't work maybe a ghost will do the trick?

Funny. I know what you're saying......but here's the thing: the inconsistancy!!! Because she is actually intelligent and educated. If I said something about ghosts, if she thought I was serious, she'd laugh at me, saying I'm ignorant, and if she thought I was taking the piss, she'd say don't make jokes about ghosts, "you don't know that it's not true".

Furthermore, if I make the throw-away comment, "I just can't win, can I?", she says, "Do you have to win me all the time?" ("win me" = beat me (in competition)).

I started making bets with her; If I'm wrong, $50 to her, if I'm right, she pays me $50. (She has the dosh).

Having lost a couple of times, she doesn't make bets for money anymore, instead wagers things like who does the dishes.

yaaaaaaaaaaaa ...twist and shout..cmon cmon cmon cmon baby now..come on baby, cmon and work it on out....

No, no, no. Not The Beatles. Mind you that used to be a favourite......

Chubby Checker!:

C'mon Baby, lets do the twist.

Also from Wiki:

On 15 February 2006, the Fiji Times and Fiji Live reported that researchers at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and the Laboratoire de Biologie Moleculaire du Cancer in Luxembourg had discovered that kava may treat ovarian cancer and leukemia. Kava compounds inhibited the activation of a nuclear factor that led to the growth of cancer cells. The Aberdeen University researchers published in the journal The South Pacific Journal of Natural Science that kava methanol extracts had been shown to kill leukemia and ovarian cancer cells in test tubes.[15] The kava compounds were shown to target only cancerous cells; no healthy cells were harmed. This may help explain why kava consumption is correlated with decreased incidence of cancer.[16]

It may indeed be a cash crop of the future!

From Wiki:

The kava shrub thrives in loose, well-drained soils where plenty of air reaches the roots. It grows naturally where rainfall is plentiful (over 2,000 mm/yr). Ideal growing conditions are 20 to 35 degrees Celsius (70 to 95 °F), and 70–100% relative humidity. Too much sunlight is harmful, especially in early growth, so kava is an understory crop.

Kava cannot reproduce sexually. Female flowers are especially rare and do not produce fruit even when hand-pollinated. Its propagation is entirely due to human efforts by the method of striking.

Traditionally, plants are harvested around 4 years of age, as older plants have higher concentrations of kavalactones. But in the past two decades farmers have been harvesting younger and younger plants, as young as 18 months. After reaching about 2 m height, plants grow a wider stalk and additional stalks, but not much taller. The roots can reach a depth of 60 cm.

Has anyone tried to grow or seen growing, kava? Piper methysticum. The traditionally male social and customary drink of the South Pacific.

I reckon it would do very well in Southern Thailand, and perhaps even in Central.

Possible markets are the pharmaceutical industries (for sleeping tonics "kavakava"), and of course there's always a chance that the local palate would enjoy a cheap, legal, mini-high (It's effects are subtle and mellow).

I used to grow a bit in Fiji.....it would be nice to have some around, and even nicer to produce it commercially.

What is it exactly that makes Thais like this? Even intelligent, educated Thais.

The water in the radiator thing...I can relate totally.

As for air in the tyres!!! She bought a new car recently and so clucks over it alot....refills the tyres every week, etc. The tyres have the recommended pressures printed on them so I fill them to that amount....not good enough: the kitchen hand at a friend's Thai restaurant (KITCHEN HAND, with no education and no English language!!!!) told her something else...so I am wrong, and the tyre manufacturer is wrong.

Filling up the petrol, I always selct "fill" and the bowser pumps untill some back-pressure stops it.

GF says, don't selct "fill", but select an amount ($70, say) because you lose all the petrol in the hose.

?????

I tried to reason with her that either way, there is always some petrol left in the hose and I pay for whatever I get. No, her sister's BF told her that selecting a specific amount means you lose nothing. Sister's BF is a scientist or mathematician or something? No. Uneducated, unemployed.....but still smarter than me.

I've actually become offended with this attitude from her and it has caused problems. Now, when I stand my ground with real science or logic backing me up, I'm a stubborn fool.

THAT'S what education is all about....do 'em the world of good.

"Do 'em the world of good"....except YOUR 15 year old daughter right?

Correct.

If you don't recognise a tongue-in-cheek comment....well, nevermind.

I am actually in Eek's corner on this.

THAT'S what education is all about....do 'em the world of good.

^ years ago some things use to alarm or disturb me ....... now I feel as if im always disturbed, only the level of disturbence changes from time to time

I could have told you that.

To think that I replied with concern and seriousness when my first feeling, which a dad's sensitivity overcame, was to make a comment about the Ally McBeal dancing baby dancing to Chubby Checker.

What an ignorance festival. Do some research on addiction before polluting the cyberspace with such garbage. Addicts need help of course because they hurt other people in society, model self destrustive coping habits and create yet more addicts.

Thailand has record high levels(top 5-10 per capita) of alcohol abuse for any country. Countries around the world should follow the examples of countries that deal with addiction by reducing their numbers.

Following Thailand on substance abuse issues is pure retardation. What is next following Russia on how to treat alcohol abuse?

Most of what you say sounds right to me, but to be fair, the OP is talking about one aspect, from a certain perspective.

Making the suggestion that addicts may be able to help themselves if given enough motivation (carrot or stick, in this case the stick of big bills), is not an ignorant question untill all the answers and options have been considered.

There's also the aspect of fairness to the taxpayers....again on the assumption that addicts can help themselves.

Sounds like a reasonable topic to discuss.....even if YOU already know the answer. What's your suggestion to counter the OP and all the "ignorance festees"?