connda

Change your profession to a trafficking 'mule'? You'll eventually get there.

An M2A3 Bradley or an MRAP. With the MRAP, even trucks would think twice before pulling out in front of you.

Whilst Thai banks might not differentiate between credit and debit cards, for sure the home banks do, as I found to my cost.! Credit cards get hit with "cash advance fees", but debit cards get hammered with a very much larger "foreign use fee". I think the banks rely on their interest charges on cash advances on credit cards withdrawals, but I short-circuit that simply by depositing the required amount into the credit card account online a few days before withdrawing the cash. I still get the "cash advance fee" but no interest charges.

None of this impinges on the Thai ATM transaction - I just pay the 180Baht at YellowBank and get 30k. I haven't found any Thai bank ATM that has a 30K upper limit and 150Baht fee.

If you're getting hammered by your bank for a "foreign use fee", I'd suggest finding a bank that doesn't have that fee. They're out there.

Xenophon, .5 mg is really not that much, IMO, and if that's all you take per day then I think you'll be just fine. As for Xanax, my doctor told me 8 months ago she couldn't prescribe Xanax to me anymore because it could no longer be sold in Thailand because it was being abused as a recreational drug in Southern Thailand as well as other places. I would therefore be interested to know where some of the posters on this thread are getting it from when I can know longer use it. After that, my doctor switched me to Ativan. By the way, I was prescribed these benzos because of anxiety disorder and because I have had a few anxiety attacks. I really don't know why because I never had them before but my anxiety has been high for the last 3 years or so (I'm 46, btw). You say you take Xanax to help you sleep? Why Xanax? Did your doctor recommend that? Usually doctors DON'T recommend Xanax for sleeping problems and they will give you Klonopin instead. Klonopin is also a benzo but it is a "milder" benzo and has a longer half life than Xanax (.5mg stays in your system for 12 hours while Xanax works for 4-6 hours). While I'm sure that some people posting here are legitimate and really did have a problem getting off Xanax and other benzos, don't let their horror stories scare you. If taken as prescribed by your doctor, you will be just fine, and contrary to what at least one poster has said about dosage, taking .5mg per day as compared to taking 2mg or more per day is a big difference. I take benzos (Ativan now, as I mentioned) on an "as needed" basis", so when I go out in public into the loud malls and other crowded, noisy areas and start feeling tense and anxious I take .5mg shortly before I go and I'm fine. Sometimes just having a few pills in your pocket makes you feel confident enough to not have to take any at all, but when I do take benzos I never take more than 1mg per day- that's the max for me. Again, I do believe that benzos are addictive if they are abused, so don't take more than the doctor recommends, and for me 1 mg is the max. Don't worry, you'll be just fine but don't forget to ask your doctor about klonopin because that's what people usually take when they can't sleep at night.

We got a Xanax (Aprazolam) prescription from a psychiatric clinic by a doctor who works at a nearby government hospital quite recently. If it's illegal, but still being prescribed by licensed doctors, well, then I'm confused. It might be a good question to ask Sheryl.

I don't know what it looks like to cut someone's throat and behead them. but the video most certainly appears to be staged, not an actual execution.

i do . . i saw one a few years ago (a genuine one) and it is the most horrific thing i've ever experienced. The blood flows immediately, the screams are penetrating, it's an awful thing to witness and it affected me for quite some time after.

edit: i got over it . . but it hardened, then strengthened, the soul to understand what evil is capable of.

Same here. I watched one, I believe Nick Berg, in the early 2000s. Really disturbing. Evil doesn't even come close to describing it. I chose not to view Foley's. Representatives of The Religion of Peace? Ah huh.

Even if faked, I still really don't want to go there. But interesting connotations if it was faked. Was it too unconsiousable for the Brit Jihad John to carry out?

I was at a wat in CM at 5:30am this morning during morning chants. I didn't feel a thing, but I remember thinking, "I wonder how this building would hold up in an earthquake.", at around 5:30ish. Got home and my wife told me she felt it shake our building. Hummm? Guess I was picking it up on the sub-conscious level.

Lanna dialect is spoken in the North, as in my wife's village.

Your dosage is not low but not too high and you are catching this just in time . Download this manual and don't rush . This is the gold standard / bible anyone who pushes you to taper faster may not have experience this lady does . Keep us posted on your progress and congratulations on waking up to the most dangerous drug ever created !

benzo.org.uk : Benzodiazepines: How They Work & How to Withdraw, Prof C H Ashton DM, FRCP, 2002

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/

While I in no way believe benodiazepines are the most dangerous drugs ever created, I agree with the fact that this dose is not super high and he is catching it before it gets out of hand.

Benzodiazapines, like anything can have troubling effects for some people. This class of drugs has also helped numerous people as well.

OP, have you considered having a Dr. assist you and trying to wean yourself off over the course of several months? Seems like that would be a viable option given the fact that 2-3mg is pretty low still. Might be better than quitting all at once.

Good luck on finding a Thai doctor that can help. Thai doctors are good a getting you hooked on benzos, but seem to be relatively clueless on how to deal with withdrawal.

A family member of mine is in the process of tapering off of lorazapam. We consulted with a number of psychiatrists regarding assistance with withdrawing, but the standard action plan was to load this family member up with other drugs plus continuing the benzos at the same dosage level. I ended up drawing up a schedule from the Heather Ashton book mentioned above, and we ran our plan by our local primary care doctor so we have access to legally prescribed lorazapam and diazapam at the dosages needed to perform a successful taper. We're about two months into the taper. Very slow process in my family member's case. We're still trying to substitute diazapam for lorazapam. Success comes in baby steps. But it does come.

Personally, I use lorazapam for sleep, due to the fact the Ambian (Zolpidem) is extremely expensive even in generic form and requires a visit to a hospital. Over time you build up a resistance to benzos. Lorazapam will work from me over about a 6 month period. Once I work up to 2 mg and it stops working, I taper off completely and stay off for a few weeks or longer. A 'taper' for me takes about 1 month to switch from lorazapam to diazapam and then to taper until I can quit. I personally have no craving for the drug, but stopping too fast will induce anxiety if not outright panic, and exacerbates insomnia. If done over a 4 week period, it's not difficult for me to stop. Everybody is different.

Just a reminder: Get all your photocopies and forms done before you arrive.

I don't think that the photo copier concession owners will be too worried with your reminder.

Always queues of people there and many people have not even completed the relevant application forms let alone supporting documents.

You can download a PDF or MS Word Doc of the TM47 and fill out everything but the date. After I get my passport back after my yearly visa extension, I make 4 pages of all relevant pages of my passport needed for a 90 day report and I print out four copies of my TM47. On the day I go to do a 90 day, I fill in the date on a pre-printed TM47 and grab one set of passport copies (printed locally where I live for 1 baht/page). When I arrive at Immigration, I'm ready to hand them the docs as soon as I get in the door (in the off-chance there is no queue). No fuss, no muss, no bother. Easy breezy.

Thai Immigration form download page (Word .doc and Adobe .pdf formats)

http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php?page=download

Went for my 90 day reporting 10 days ago. 3 hour wait with 70 people ahead of me in the cue at 2:15pm on Friday. Absolutely the longest wait I've ever had in the 7 years I've lived here.
That many 90 day reports pretty much packed the building, not to mention all the other foreigners there for other immigration business. I don't blame CM Immigration. The 90 day desk was processing about 30 people an hour or one person every two minutes. They were busting their butts. Kudos.

Just what Thailand needs. A trillion baht worth of debt to build something that will be of limited use to the average Thai. Methinks this is more about politics then economics. If they want to put in track, try upgrading the current rail system that exists and move to a dual track system -- something that benefits the entire country. It would be interesting to be able to get from BKK to CM in 8 hours without derailing.

As far as 'high-speed rail'. Remember the crash in Spain? Knowing Thailand reputation for quality construction, I'd put my bets on a catastrophic crash within the first year of operation. Just my humble opinion.

Much of this is relevant to Chiang Mai, but you can read the underlying police orders (both original Thai and English translations) applicable nationally here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/749918-thai-immigration-issues-new-police-order-3272557-effective-august-29-2014/

So you think the guy is incorrect or Chiang Mai aren't going to subscribe to this?

Sorry for any misunderstanding. What the Chiang Mai chief said appears (as far as the news report goes) to be consistent with the police orders. I meant that the colonel also spoke to some matters relevant only to Chiang Mai, such as the plan for a new building and added staff both of which are really being overcome by the influx of new tourists, and especailly, new retirees.

If anyone who is considering retiring here happens to read this, if you are of a nervous nature, then you might want to look elsewhere for paradise! It might not be so good here for your blood pressure!

Went for my 90 day reporting last week. 3 hour wait with 70 people ahead of me in the cue at 2:15pm on Friday. Absolutely the longest wait I've ever had in the 7 years I've lived here.

That many 90 day reports pretty much packed the building, not to mention all the other foreigner there for other business. I don't blame CM Immigration. The 90 day desk was processing about 30 people an hour or one person every two minutes. They were busting their butts. However, the head of Thailand Immigration (Bangkok) could help by funding the changes necessary to process the influx of foreigners and long-stay expats -- or even better -- do away with the archaic, inefficient, system of 90 day reporting, especially for those married, retired, or in business here in the LOS. Most individuals who settle here for the long term don't change addresses every three months.

The article indicated that 90 reporting by mail was an option -- from my understanding it is not an option in Chiang Mai unless something has changed recently.

I appreciate the willingness of CM Immigration to meet and clarify regulations with interested stakeholders. The openness of dialog is a step in the right direction.

Here's another one, but you'd need to check if they need eyeglasses. I've donated household goods in the past.

http://www.mercycentre.org/

This is Fr Joe Maier's outfit, in the newspapers now and then reporting good deeds in Klong Toey slums.

Mac

Thanks. I actually have a very good friend who works with Father Joe.

Dan

Thanks for the info. I wear pretty thick lens with leaves a lot of material to regrind. If the couple of sets of lens can help someone in need, that's what I want to do.

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Have to agree there, one wounders what the bloody place would be like if the US wasn't in a position to at least have ago at some of these Muslim pig <deleted>, do not forget their allies as well and remember if China come a bombing in the night, who would General P.M. Prayuth run to, I rest my case

When the Japanese came a bombing in the night in WWII, the Thais ran to....................

(fill in the blank)

Study history.

In the article in Pattaya Post, I found this:

An allied problem, according to the Immigration Bureau, is that some foreigners trying to live in Thailand do not have sufficient funds for their stay. The current crackdown is designed to weed them out as well. Lack of funds causes some aliens to be a burden on the Thai health service. Research has suggested that nonpaying foreigners may be costing the country 100 million baht a year.

How can foreigners cost anything, when guarantee for payment is required upfront in all hospitals, EVEN if you are on the brink of dying? I was run down on my bike and hurt seriously and the ICU plus the hospital which did the surgery on me both required proof of my insurance before they did ANYTHING!

Mai Koh Chai????

But Thai law requires both private and public hospitals to supply emergency care to migrant laborers, and the Thai gov picks up the bill. Go figure, huh?

• Not a single positive response here to this latest announcement. Says it all really.

It's definitely a step in the right direction.

This is the St. Louis shooting.

Looking at this I really don't see how his actions justify NINE shots. At that range one in the kneecap would have brought him down. I think they need to revise their training methods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_aniCnAVw8

It has been proven in tests that a perp with a knife can travel 21 feet (7 mtrs) and stab you faster than you can react, draw a gun, aim and shoot.

When you shoot, you have no guarantee that the bullet will stop the perp and keep you from getting stabbed. Therefore if a perp pulls a knife on you at 21 feet, you are wise to immediately draw your gun and start unloading into him until he is neutralized.

Aiming for a kneecap isn't viable. It's too hard to aim a handgun under any circumstances, and that's compounded when there's stress, adrenaline, and a sense of urgency. This is why officers are trained to aim for "center mass" which is the torso and the largest target. A knife is very deadly as we read regularly and you can't risk getting stabbed.

In the instant case, rather than a knife there was a huge guy with an attitude who had already injured the officer. The guy was certainly capable of inflicting serious bodily harm and had done so. If I was in that very situation and that guy was within 20 -25 feet of me I would start unloading into center mass and keep doing it until he was down and out of the fight. So should a cop.

Shooting at kneecaps or taking a perp out with one wounding shot is for the movies.

Agreed, once you commit to use deadly force in self-defense, you shoot for the central torso.

Agreed, a prep with a knife is a problem if within 21 feet of you, and if the perp had a knife the officers were justified to fire. However, there were at least two shots fired that I counted when the prep had been 'neutralized' and was lying on the ground. Continuing to shoot at the prone body of someone who has been shot is total overkill. If a civilian shoots a knife wielding attacker multiple times and continues to shoot when the attacker is prone on the ground, the civilian will more than likely be facing criminal murder/man-slaughter charges in addition to civil charges. Heck, just shooting multiple times might get you in the same situation unless you can produce and expert witness like Massad F. Ayoob. I can just hear the prosecuting attorney: "You shot until the attacker was down and then you continued shooting." Depending on the state, you'd probably end up in jail and bankrupt. Cops however? They can make Swiss cheese out of an alleged attacker, cuff his dying body and allow him to bleed out, and 99% of the time the shooting will be deemed a justifiable homicide and all is hunky-dorey. That's what I don't get or condone.

Too many people are getting shot up by militarized cops who's goal is to escalate a situation instead of deescalating the situation. Shoot first and ask questions later: "Opps! That was a cell phone in his hand and not a gun. We thought it was a gun." Justifiable homicide. "He was unarmed? We thought he was going for a gun in his pocket." Justifiable homicide.

I don't know the situation with Wilson and Brown. I wasn't a witness. If Wilson shot him while he was kneeling in the street with his hands up, bad news for Wilson. If Brown attacked him to the point of busting his orbital eye socket, at that point fearing for his life Wilson would have been in his rights to use deadly force. I'll reserve judgement on this. I don't know what happened. We'll find out if there were multiple witnesses. But I expect this to turn into another Travon Martin fiasco if the later happened, especially with Holder being sent down to stoke the racial divide. Imho.

I've just got a couple of new sets of lens for my glasses. I have one pair of used frames and two sets of progressive lens. In the US you could donate these to the Lion's Club. Is there any organizations in Thailand that accept donated glasses and lens?

Do you know how to lose weight and be healthy in Thailand?

Yes I do. Eat Thai food like Thais do (lots of veggies, fruits, and limited meats, dairy, fat) and exercise. I dropped from 198 lbs to 185 lbs in the first year that I lived here.

Senseless violence happens a lot back home.

When it happens here, it's Thais this and Thais that.

I just divide the world into a$$holes and non a$$holes.

All the "Land of_____ and Land of ______" jibes are just childish.

I can't believe the amount of people who've decided to live in Thailand long term,

and hate everything about the country and its people.

Back in the home country, I can't really predict what's going to happen after a verbal argument with one person or even a group. It might end with a bunch of yelling, it might end in a one-on-one fight, or you might get mugged by a group, or the whole thing might deescalate

and you all end up going back to the bar for a beer with you new friend.

Here in Thailand a verbal argument with one Thai is going to get you beat to a pulp by him and his friends. This doesn't just happen to farangs. It happens Thai on Thai too. I've seen it happen. It's a fact of life. So you monitor yourself and act accordingly. And this is especially relevant to those of us who live in Thailand long-term.

Some mentioned germans are quickly agressive, going mad asap and other BS

I`m german , stayed many times in thailand and i sit on other motorbikes before many times and i have no <deleted> problem others do on mine same.

They always went off my bike when they saw i want to drive off with it. It´s my bike, after all.

Not everyone same.

Don't feel bad. Some TV member can't help but generalize. If the guy had been American you have the same old song: Americans are obnoxious, loud, aggressive, going mad asap, etc. Regardless of his nationality, the guy over-reacted and got himself killed for his effort. Someone stealing your motorcycle might be something to get excited about, although that might get you killed too. But getting excited over someone sitting on your motorcycle is just unwise in the LOS.