bangkokburning

Illegal cafe's yea right. Cops have this game so sewn up it's not even funny. Scamming bars for "music licenses".

I recall Jeremy I think his name was, had his bookshop on soi Bukhao many, many years back. Started an internet cafe. The computers, not even hooked up yet. Cops came in and fined him for not having lisc's for the computers. So, to think that these places are not watched closely.

My hunch is that there are (were) young men working in the shops that would solicit the kids. Hey, if you want extra monee...Thats when they get on the phone and call the uncle creepycrawlee network.

All these "rings" almost always involve - boys.

Pattaya, just gets worse and worse. But then again, this is pretty standard stuff for Pattaya.

This is indeed a red meat issue for the yellows. The local people in his area who live on commerce and tourism are quite OK with the status quo. Thailand, in one of its typical spoiled tantrums is not happy with half the Preah Vihear pie, it wants all of it.

Let us also not forget that every temple in Thailand >300yrs old, is almost without exception is Khmer in ethnicity and origin -as is Preah Vihear.

That Cambodia once laid claim to most of what is now known as the modern nation of Thailand.

"Latest reports say that the Cambodians have moved their border markers up to 25 kilometres inside our territory in some areas."

How thoroughly irresponsible, does anyone think for a moment that Thailand has ceded this vast territory to Cambodia? What folly!

OK, I presume you have the songs loaded into iTunes. You wish to have the songs that you JUST loaded put into a specific playlist.

Create a list -

Either a smartlist or a playlist

Locate the songs by sorting by date added

Place the songs in the order of your choice in std playlist

OR

Create a smartlist, add criteria - once songs show, you should be ok

Sync

Richard Smith: You analogies defy me and have little or no application to this situation.

Tod: The Laotians are essentially stealing something and then selling it on for a days wage+ per ticket. People most certainly will try to make easy money and capitalize on "it". That's why ticket scalping (pls note, these people actually buy tickets) is illegal in many states in the US.

It is a personal crusade for me, and it takes ZERO effort. You can bet that if these guys were allowed to hoard all the tickets and sell each and every one for B500, there would be hew and cry on this board. Just a matter of degrees, as we see the price can be as high as B200. That is a fact.

Another fact is that its a scam, it doesn't save time. There is no better service.

If it is not corruption, what would you label the following action as> Thai staff allow the theft of large lots of tickets which are then sold on to lazy and or unsuspecting punters (who think they are getting over on the rest of us) a ticket for the queue = to double the avg wage of a Laotian worker. They have no claim to this ticket, it is not as though the person needed the ticjet, stood in line and then did not need the ticket. They stole the tickets!

Your rant on Econ 101 is not applicable, this is not a supply/demand argument.

Seems like most of the people who lecture me (us) on Asian values are new arrivals with wallets bursting with money. They would not be here if it were not for the western standard that Thailand provides. Take away the mod-cons (aircon, western food, television, car/moto, toilet paper, etc...)- and the ability to not sit in the "hot sun", not pay an agent - and you're all gone tomorrow.

Its one thing for some guy to offer you a form and to fill it out. That is a far cry from stealing tickets.

"At the end of the day it all comes down to how much money is your time worth."

If that is your sole judgment, I think you have missed the point entirely.

If you're doing nothing but killing time by floating around S/E Asia in an effort to embrace all the oxymoronic cultural aberrations the indigenous natives do in 'this neck of the woods'; please by all means take the moral high ground; stand in line.

I don't know...after 17 years most of it makes sense to me. I may not agree with it all, but I do have a sense of understanding the place(s). Does not appear you've hit that point yet.

Everyone here is killing time Tod. Don't fool yourself. There are few people indeed that need that visa ASAP and what did they do when it took a week to process their visas? They waited. The people that need visas have back channels to expedite their visas. No, I am not talking about some slouch agent. I'd estimate the number of people with really important matters of business and or state, that front up to that office at about .5 per day.

I really have to laugh at people who are not willing or able to take the heat. Asia is hot and getting hotter. If you can't deal with that, maybe this is not the place for you. If you see the lives of people as "oxymoronic cultural aberrations" and modern Asian people as "indigenous natives" maybe you ought to do a rethink here as well. Oompla-Loompa dude.

The reason Koreans and Japanese commit suicide in higher numbers goes to the culture. Their failures in career, employment, money issues, divorce and especially to the kids - school. Little or nothing to do with hours they with on their asses in an office doing nothing but looking out the window and harassing the cute office workers.

I think Ubud was finished years ago. Reports are its pretty sour and money grubbing. Not saying its not worth a look for a day or two though.

I can't resist getting back into the fray...<br><br>Offered a ticket at B200. <br><br>Not only proves my point, but its already occurred. <br><br>Let's see - B200 for selling one ticket to a lazy farang Or a day of hard labor under the southern Laotian sun for B150.<br><br><br><br>Surayau: the game now is not watching each others back, its putting a knife in it. Make a note of it... It's not that a farang, will pose no barrier, they will actively do what they can to harm you if it in turn helps them. This is even more true in the Philippines.<br>

Every time I decline a bag - it is met with first confusion and then a smile.

Mai ow tung khun krap, mii laew.

I can guarantee that all (99%) of Thai's abroad are not in support of red shirts. They are the elites that have got themselves out of this place. So aside from that Issarn bar girl that married some bloke in Ohio, The deference is to the yellows. Then you have all the importers (of Thai goods) - business men.

This resolution is non-binding and broad. It is a vote of support for the current gov't - to sort the situation out.

It means nothing because the situation is at many levels irreconcilable and thus more anger and blood required.

I would have more sympathy for reds, but they are nothing more than anarchists paid by the hour, a lot of really ignorant people and all of it funded by a really crooked self serving person. But is this not the drama of Asia and the 3rd world writ large?

Taksin can never return. He has too much to answer for after the second year of the burning of Bangkok.

Flip side of that, if he did return and was not held to full account, you can place this nation firmly in the camp of "banana republic", "tin pot dictatorship" "puppet gov't" and "run by military junta"

You need to go to Apo Island (Negro O) of the islands North of Palawan.

Snokeling is fickle. You need all the beauty conditions of any underwater experience - but in 3-15m water.

I hear the fish are gone.

Considered Indonesia??

I like SNG more and more as I age. There are tons of things to do if you can just splash out on the transport and have the time.

Ideas

The bird park

Nat'l Garden (large green space for picnic, lovely orchid and bromeliad pavilions)

Check out the Swiss watches on Orchard rd.

Have some drinks at the Raffles

Little India

Night Zoo

All in, I am shelling out B25K. This has been fairly consistent since strong Baht <35.

Much of my expenses visa run, checkup, dental take up 12.5%

The other expenses so low as to be actually fixed anyway.

Very modest lifestyle BKK. Few trips outside cool season, many inside cool season. This accounts for about half of my expenses. If I were not to count medical related and visa runs and trips. I bet I am now living on B15K a month and have a lovely girlfriend.

I pay the rent and for trips in/out of Thailand. Pay my gf to take leave from her job (not incl in above, usually about B4k). My gf gets no money as a direct payout and I insist she work until she is 40.

I have no idea what is coming down the road for US/western currencies. I've seen this coming for years, so the hatches are shuttered until things change or I hit 62.

Firmly committed to simple lifestyle, good for my head, good for the planet. I do like my gadgets, but after that I could care less about material stuff especially about how other people send (waste) their money.

Health is everything. I have a number of ill relatives, they'd pay out every last cent to have their health right now. For me, that includes stress and a bullshix job, living in an expensive country where little is saved yoy.

You can make the biggest money of your life by saving it!

Nik, you can turn off sync automatically by deselecting the box. I agree that is really annoying. It should be deselected by default.

I'm old school Ipod user - I use a classic. It is perfect for long trips and being away from computers. Gives access to most of my library. I might go with a touch, when it goes to 64gb, its slick and Apple has really relegated these models to the bin. But it serves me well.

In town, I have about 2gb of songs on my smartphone.

I don't mind he cables, but yes, can be a hassle. Cables will always be faster than wifi connection, esp w/ usb3 coming.

Funny, cloud computing. Isn't this where computing was 40 years ago?? :-)

I don't know what all you negative Nellies are going on for. We have the Lanna festival coming up!

laocowboy2: Very good insight.

Its worth a visit. Staying in Kuta/Legion can be cheap and you can find a nice, cheap gardeny hotel. But head outside and try the Gilli's off Lombok.

Plenty of tasty stuff to fill a holiday.

Great time for announcement, imagine arrivals at a new low.

Top ten at putting items in people's bags, cornering them, accuse them of theft and kidnapping them to undisclosed hotels where they are held hostage.

Top ten in fake customs police cornering people after they leave customs area for shakedown

Top ten in dodgy scamsters circling like sharks all with dodgy id's outside customs area

Top ten in inability to clear out people within the airport asking you for a lift -or a jiggy

Top ten in least comfortable places to spend a prolonged period of time, especially overnight

Top ten in high priced liquor and food

Top ten in unfriendly Immigration staff - but love those Hawaiian shirts

These businesses have seen nothing yet. Wait till the economies of the west really have problems in the next few years - they will have to depend on the Aussies for that 10milion+ number. Oh, and single Malaysian men up to Hat Yai for the weekend.

I hate Skype. All the idiots in the Internet cafes yelling ..HELLO HELLO HELLO?!?!

CATNET card B4 a min to USA

Right on! What they even need a military for? Sorry forgot to line their pockets

and overthrow the governments on a regular basis.Sorry I forgot Cambodia is such a great threat

to Thailand.

Cambodia and Thailand have had simmering tensions on the border for years - where you been? Preah Vihear?? During 75-79 Thailand made lfe for refugees from the KR very difficult. Meanwhile, it propped up the KR buy buying gems and lumber, this went on until the last "KR" vacated Pailin well into the 90s.

Don't underestimate a pissed off Khmer with nothing to lose over a well trained but bloated, lazy and indifferent Thai army.

Then there is the south... a festering sore if there ever was one.

But yes, military has obviously WAY too much pull in this "democratic" country

march

Edited: Sorry your comments related to the coup, not the events of months past. Data would bear that out.

My hunch is that you need to click on Photos tab and manage it from there. Its been a long time since I had photos on my Ipod ..but you will have to select the photos and/or say ALL. The photos may be in an unrecognizable format. Are the photos seen in Itunes when the Pod is connected?

logbags

I will tell you there are a number of scammy Indians working the streets in Bangkok and Pattaya as con artists. I just gave one the finger straight up in his face yesterday. A Kashmiri sure. Then there was the "student astrologer" a Punjabi that took me for some sucker when I got off the BTS at Thong Lor. They are everywhere and especially a greasy mob is up on Khao Sarn Road. Never met a Kashmiri I liked, let alone trusted.

I am amazed at all the Indian riff-raff working the tourists. The word must be out.

And attract tourists with a Lanna festival in BANGKOK??? Oh, look there's a Lanna festival in BKK, let's go to Thailand for vacation...

Dude, my thoughts exactly. I think exactly that every time they dream up some stupid promotion. They are all identical. Just like this.

Besides, how good do you think a Lanna festival is going to be in the Big Mango? Crap. There's no Lanna culture in Lanna!

Same with the free visas. Who is going to decide Thailand over another country over a free visa? In many other beach destinations - there aren't any visas! Then you stil have to contend with the mailers or hasle of going to the cons/emb AND then there is all the BS supporting materials. OR...we just go to: Caribbean, Mexico, Florida, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore. Even Indonesia with VOA you will break even (due to the tracking mailers at US36 r/t).

Why should tourists come to Thailand?

But rest assured TAT will report increase in tourism and spending for 2553

Agreed, the day I upload my 26K songs to Apple ... ain't gonna happen. If it manages media like Itunes does not, I don't see a lot of sharing going on.

and I do likes to share :-)

Then you have to ask why? An external HDD will always be faster than cloud. Cloud Shmoud.