Johpa

Anyway, if ya can't tell a kateuy from his voice alone, then ya gotta be really drunk, and probably deserve whatever may happen to ya...

Kateuy is a word originally meaning a fruit without seed, or with undeveloped seeds. It makes sense that it would be adapted to that social reality. Actually, most kateuys do have seed (I'm guessing) but aren't likely to sow it any place where it may bear fruit...

Cheers.

Caution, I was declared persona non grata by some members of Thaivisa who took affront by my usage of the term katoey as the term is now perceived in some quarters as a term of offense. Mind you, some 20 years ago, and I know I am dating myself here, it was used rather neutrally, even by those of alternative sexual persuasions than myself. And I still know fellow middle aged curmudgeons who use it neutrally, but some younger folks, well ya got to tread lightly as they can't always imagine that not everyone participates, or is even aware of specific semantic changes, and they take no prisoners.

I have found that there is little difference in the rural areas between a funeral and a marriage ceremony. Both are the only ritualized social gatherings that take place at the extended neighborhood level, often at the tambon level. I have seen plenty of tears at funerals amongst the immediate family, usually early in the morning when the monks arrive and begin the formal ceremonies, but always more raucous behavior amongst the guests as the day progresses and food and drink are served. For the more affluent deceased, the "celebration" will go on for several days. A funeral is also a traditional event for young single people to meet and flirt, not to mention the adulterous affairs initiated at such gatherings. There really are no other social events that allow such socialization as the people are too poor to hold a party just for the fun if it ike a western birthday party.

those oldies songs, i think its thai country music.

whereby the song will sometimes incorporate some form of traditional music instruments. n i think some of these lyrics are in thai northern dialect or isaan.

the melody sounds quite monotonous and seems like every song in that album will sound like one another.

do u notice this phenomenon?

why is it like this?

I certainly see this phenomenon in just about every musical genre: certainly Reggae, Techno, Thai Pop (AKA Sa Tring), Boy Bands, and of course the longest running dead end genre leading nowhere, hip hop/rap. Of all the the above, I actually prefer the traditional Thai country, luuk theung, music.

For an interesting insight as to why this occurs, track down a copy of Dirty Little Secrets of the Record Business: Why So Much Music You Hear Sucks by Hank Bordowitz.

I think the assumption stated in the OP is flawed. It suggests that without the US, Thailand too might have become communist. With all due respect to our American brethren, the US's involvement didn't do much to prevent several other countries becoming or remaining communist.

So the answer is moot.

You make a good point. Laos is still Communist. Veitnam is still Communist. The only other countries that I can think of off the bat that is still Communist is Cuba. Even the Soviet Union is gone. Had we gone to war with them perhaps they would be around too.

The only factor that seems to keep Communism alive and well is U.S. agression. Without the USA, there would be no Communism.

I can only imagine the tremendous amount of US aggression that the Bolsheviks in Russia faced at the turn of the last century. And the interventionist policies of Woodrow Wilson in the years prior to the October Revolution of 1917 that led to the formation of the USSR are oh so well documented, Woodrow you colonial scallywag you! And going back further into history, no doubt that it was US aggression in Europe in the 1840s that caused Karl marx to pen his opus.

Time to stop throwing the Jews down the wells and start throwing the Americans down the wells because we all now know that without us Yanks there would be none of them commies around. And those modern day hard core Vietnamese commies have become the worst of the lot.

So throw d'em Yanks down the wells and kill a commie for mommy.

How can I say this politely? What a stupid post.

Noone is saying the US created communism. What they are saying is that history shows that when the US has attempted to intervene militarily to prevent countries becoming or remaining communist, their efforts have usually had the effect of galvanising said country's efforts (and population) and this reinforcing the totalitarian state.

No need to be polite as it was a totally off-the-wall post with tongue well in cheek as befitting the tone of the arguments made. All one can say that in the face of aggression, most people and countries dig in their heels and circle their wagons irrespective of political or economic persuasions. But on the continuum between totally free markets and hardline Marxist communism, the economic systems rise and fall on their own internal merits and not upon US aggression. And the most successful nations over the past 50 years or so have been those who fall towards the middle of the continuum.

I think the assumption stated in the OP is flawed. It suggests that without the US, Thailand too might have become communist. With all due respect to our American brethren, the US's involvement didn't do much to prevent several other countries becoming or remaining communist.

So the answer is moot.

You make a good point. Laos is still Communist. Veitnam is still Communist. The only other countries that I can think of off the bat that is still Communist is Cuba. Even the Soviet Union is gone. Had we gone to war with them perhaps they would be around too.

The only factor that seems to keep Communism alive and well is U.S. agression. Without the USA, there would be no Communism.

I can only imagine the tremendous amount of US aggression that the Bolsheviks in Russia faced at the turn of the last century. And the interventionist policies of Woodrow Wilson in the years prior to the October Revolution of 1917 that led to the formation of the USSR are oh so well documented, Woodrow you colonial scallywag you! And going back further into history, no doubt that it was US aggression in Europe in the 1840s that caused Karl marx to pen his opus.

Time to stop throwing the Jews down the wells and start throwing the Americans down the wells because we all now know that without us Yanks there would be none of them commies around. And those modern day hard core Vietnamese commies have become the worst of the lot.

So throw d'em Yanks down the wells and kill a commie for mommy.

A wonderful heart wrenching moment. I'm sure the Thai locals are looking at the work being done and thinking if they were doing the work then they would get paid for that. I'm sure they appreciate the U.S. troops taking jobs from them.

Imagine how much help they could give if they just donated the money or medical equpment directly to these run down hospitals instead of using air and naval operations as an excuse to visit Thailand.

It's nice to help poor people with their health care needs but I really don't trust their motives. It almost sounds like vote buying.

Do I detect a certain amount of cynicism here?

You are being far too complimentary to Poor Richard.

My wife told me about a neighbour who borrowed money to buy a car.

I asked her how much interest do you pay in Thailand?

She said 4%. I replied - "Oh that's very reasonable, 4% per year!"

Then she said "Oh no - 4% per month .. and the money lender takes a mortgage over their land as security.

48% per year - OMG! How do people fall for this?

Same way people in the US have credit cards with over 30% rates, and that does not include late fees and cash advance fees. Those check cashing places where you can get a loan on your paycheck also have interest rates pretty high up there. Regardles of nationality, poor people with no access to traditional credit from banks end up paying high fees to cover the risks involved. Trust me, if you needed gas money to get to work or to pay a medical bill, you too would accept these high fees if there were no other alternative.

Maybe the U.S. military is getting tips from the Thai military on how to over throw the President of the United States.

The U.S. military dose a lot of good duriing these war games, provide free medical and dental to the local villages and help with schools and orphanages and of course training for disaster relief

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't Thailand already have free medical care?

Thailand does provide some subsidized and free health care, but free health care doesn't mean much if you can't easily get to a clinic. I know that during Cobra Gold and other times of the year, some highly trained American medics attached to ODA teams visit some very poor and isolated villages and provide immediate health care services, ranging from innoculations to some surgery, to these villagers.

One gap that will remain quite wide for a long time is competitive military might and economic alliances between developing and developed nations. If nations increasingly feel that they have a right to steal patents and technology from developed nations then a return to gunboat diplomacy wouldn't be out of the question. I'm not saying it will be a return to colonial times but competition for resources and technology could very well herald a new age of conflict such as economic sanctions, deprivation of resources, and finally military strikes.

Which begs the question whether there has ever been an age without competition for scarce resources, whether the resource be land, people (as in traditional local mainland Southeast Asian conflicts), natural resources, trade routes, and now perhaps technology. It is only quite recently that ideas are thought to have tangible ownership and it is yet to be seen whether the corporations can encourage their governments they dominate to go to war over protection of the abstract.

I can see it now: "Hey you, that was my idea first, give it back or I will shoot."

Last time that I was there, I stayed at the cheapest guesthouse in the book, but no one bothered to mention the amazing loud disco that is directly next door.

Avoid that one!

Reminds me of my overnight in Surat Thani ages ago waiting for the morning boat to Koh Samui when I went to get a room at the cheapest hotel recommended in the Wheeler Lonely Planet book (pre-Cummins Thailand book) only to discover too late that the hotel was also a bustling brothel adjacent to a boisterous night, and I mean late night, market. I could have gotten a better nights sleep on a park bench.

And remember, when translating in the opposite direction, to address your local Thai teacher as guru.

I am sure there was some New World caveman pretty upset when he saw the neighbors using his Clovis point or some Salutrean complaining about borrowings by some proto-Celt using his innovation. I'm just not sure that anything can prevent diffusion of ideas across borders and I am not sure, in the long term, whether one can hope to base an economy on such a premise. To paraphrase a great observer of the capitalist system, you had better retain control of the means of production.

There is no proven track record that ideas can serve as commodities for barter. Despite pleas to the contrary, it is yet to be seen that "knowledge" can be bought and sold and protected in the same way as tangible property or valued in the same manner. The individuals and companies who invest in creating new products don't deserve anything. They can certainly earn something, but isn't that up to the "market" to determine?

Under those conditions the US and other developed countries better start raising tarriffs and reopening factories. With no reward for R&D and only income from the sale of products anyone can freely copy, that kind of protection will be needed to maintain the ecomomy otherwise, as you would probably prefer, the citizens of those countries will see their lifestyles rapidly decline as their economy crumbles.

I didn't mean to imply that there is no reward for innovation, only that the amount of the reward would be ultimately determined by the "market", both to the degree of reward and to the duration of the receiving of the reward. If a company prices the product or the service too high, then eventually someone, if possible, will obtain the means of production and will offer the same thing at a lower price and no amount of "legal" protection will prevent that from occuring.

I am only making observations and not stating preferences. A further observation is that lifestyles in places like the US and the UK are already in a slow decline as "globalization" slowly equalizes many national economies across the planet. I also observe some very modest gains in material aspects of "lifestyle" in the poorer countries like Thailand that have become more connected to the global market over the past several decades. A rapid decline into chaos is not a preference but a fear.

guys , the genie IS out of the bottle ,

we live on a global village now .....................................

I don't disagree. However, open markets means everyone not just he US opneing her markets without full reciprocity. The US ecomony has shiffted from a manuafcturing economy to a knowledge and innovation economy. Innovation costs money. Individuals and companies who invest in creating new products deserve to be well compensated. If countries like Thailand are allowed to freely appropriate the fruits of that innovation on any terms they choose the US no longer has a product to sell on the world market. Ditto for much of Europe, Japan and Canada though the US does lead the world on innovation and is now more dependent on the income from those efforts.

I am sure there was some New World caveman pretty upset when he saw the neighbors using his Clovis point or some Salutrean complaining about borrowings by some proto-Celt using his innovation. I'm just not sure that anything can prevent diffusion of ideas across borders and I am not sure, in the long term, whether one can hope to base an economy on such a premise. To paraphrase a great observer of the capitalist system, you had better retain control of the means of production.

There is no proven track record that ideas can serve as commodities for barter. Despite pleas to the contrary, it is yet to be seen that "knowledge" can be bought and sold and protected in the same way as tangible property or valued in the same manner. The individuals and companies who invest in creating new products don't deserve anything. They can certainly earn something, but isn't that up to the "market" to determine?

There's a good reason why some of the major religions ban the eating of pork

And to eat it raw is just plain stupid.

This isn't the dark ages any longer. There's good science warning people that eat raw meat...especially pork can lead to Trichinellosis.

There is a well reasoned contrarian anthropological argument (Marvin Harris perhaps?) that posits that the religious ban on pork was due to the pig competing with humans for the same food resources in the region of the Middle East and that the ban was not based upon health concerns.

america is one of those few countries in this world that can survive on their own. we don't need china, or any other country for that matter.

the only reason why china is doing better than america right is because they are not playing fair. the idea is to benefit both countries. but china hasn't gotten that idea in their head. so, I think it is better to back out now. after losing over 3 million jobs to overseas, I think it is time to recognize the error in globalization.

stupid people like gates and buffet will be remembered as the guys who speeded up the global warming effect. idiots.

I doubt the US can afford to survive on its own. The economic structure in the US is so far out of balance that my country currently no longer can afford to properly maintain the public infrastucture or the public education systems. Just imagine the inflation if Walmart was not able to sell inexpensive, poor quality, basic products to the masses such as clothing. In addition, imagine the inflationary effects of petrol selling in the US for the same price as it sells in most of the world. And then imagine Thailand without a Farang focused tourist industry.

Gates and Buffet are symptoms of the economic structure being out of whack, not the cause. At least they spend some of their extreme wealth on projects that benefit the public good. Compare that to those other equally wealthy folks who are spending their fortunes on space exploration or on private yachts the size of battleships.

As for global warming, watch the PRC where the environment is still but an afterthought. If there is to be another Bhopal, it will likely be in China, that is if they don't run out of drinkable water first.

If the US tries to go it alone it would fail and take down the rest of the globe with it. I would not want to be there to witness the jostling for the economic realignment of the planet. I doubt even those in their gated communities who will be hiring the Samurai-for-hire, no longer needed in Iraq, from Blackwater would be safe.

Many yeara ago I had a girl friend who was of French descent from Haiti. When she was in her early twenties she started to have seizures. She went to one of the best hospitals in the U.S.A. They found that she had Cystocercosis (spelling). The Doctors thought that this was caused by eating improperly cooked Pork In Haiti, when she was a child. She had been living in the U.S.A for many years when I met her. What happened was that some parasite had gotten into her brain and died and calcified there.

I share this information to illustrate the dangers of eating Pork that is not cooked!

Singular cases of illness are of little significance. A good freind of mine, as well as many others, became very ill and was hospitalized for several days from E. Coli bacteria after eating at a Jack in the Box burger place in the US many years ago. Several people died from that episode. Using your logic I could argue that eating meat that is cooked is equally as dangerous.

The danger is in eating the meat of any sick animal. Cysticercosis, AKA tapeworm, is common throughout Southeast and South Asia. But the acute fatal symptoms in the recent event were reported as the result of streptococcus bacteria and clearly unrelated to a long term parasitic infection. Someone took a sick pig and made laap dip. The rarity of such fatalties suggest most Khon Muang are smart enough not to eat a sick pig. They are also smart enough to inspect for signs of worm and other parasitic disease as tapeworm, which although not rare, is not common.

Clearly eating raw meat, be it pork, sushi, raw oysters (chew twice and swallow) is not for everyone. Clearly eating uncooked meat presents a higher risk factor than eating uncooked meat. One must set ones own risk tolerance on such issues. But given the prevalence of laap dip in the local diet, the risk is not as great as many make it out to be.

..... why, instead of slicing a highway down the vibrant Nim area...... they don't simply cut a road accross from the superhighway somewhere near Jed Yod straight onto the canal road then do some negotiating with Wing 41 to connect the canal to Mahidol, or even further out to the second ring road. That way it becomes a ring road proper.

I reckon it is the same reason that the RTAF generals were unwilling to cede their half of Don Muang to the civil authorities. They see the land as belonging to them and would want the government not only to pay them for the land and housing, but also to pay them for all relocation costs, including new land. By the way, Wing 41 could easily be relocated to the little used airfield north of town towards Mae Rim used by the RTA.

Everyone needs to know that it is only safe to eat meat that is cooked and in the case of pork, it needs to be thoroughly cooked.

Well why don't you go out there with your chemical filled belly and tell that to the millions of Khon Muang and Lao folk, and many of their neighbors, who have been eating laap dip (raw pork) as a ceremonial dish for countless generations without any significant ill effect. Seeing as laap dip, perhaps the signature dish of Khon Muang cuisine, is served at just about any social event of significance in Northern Thai culture, this incident can only be seen as an isolated incident, most likely the result of carelessness, or perhaps the result of fewer and fewer people raising pigs themselves and trusting store bought pork.

But you are not the first westerners to find the eating of raw meat to be abhorent. Regardless of their first-hand-account veracity, even Marco Polo's journals refer to the barbarian inhabitants of southern China eating raw meat.

Disclaimer: I have been enjoying laap dip for over 25 years without ill effect.

Hmm, could be a good and bad thing. Most people coming to Thailand who aren't the big investor types probably don't give a flying fck about copyright laws etc. These folks number a lot.

However if enough big investor types get put off then the prognosis could force change. A lot of ifs and buts though as well as this is also something thats been bouncing around for at least five years or so.

Pardon me, but the tiny number of "big" investors come to Thailand for the cheap labor in manufacturing and food processing. I doubt they give a rat's derriere about copyright laws and these folks probably buy the computer games for their kids at Pantip Plaza also.

Look, the US promotes globalization and access to foreign markets. On the other hand, when those same foreign markets are able to produce an item for a fraction of the price as the domestic production costs then there is this inevitable outcry ranging from piracy to dumping of goods. Only those who directly suffer cry, the rest of humanity, whether it be a poor schmuck like myself or a "big investor" will always gladly pay the lower price, regardless of pedigree, if it represents a significant savings. The only real subjective variable is what is perceived as a significant savings.

The trade in human trafficking is right there alongside of "Guns, Girls, Gambling and Ganja: Thailand's Illegal Economy and Public Policy", the title of Achaan Phasuk's book. It is part and parcel of public policy and part of the structure of the Thai economy.

Think about it. In most cultures, human trafficking involves minorities. In China, they traffick in fellow Chinese. In Thailand, the Chinese will traffick in anyone and then go on to become MPs in the local government.

By the way, I too worked for room and board and a pittance allowance on a Kibbutz in Israel back in the 1970s, before the hatred descended upon the land, doing work that is the same work now being done by imported Thai labor. But I was young and dumb and totally carefree and I had a great time and loved all the extra benefits such as nearly unlimited sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Now days I have a slightly different perspective, no longer being young, carefree, or in a position to take full advantage of the sins of life. But some might argue I am still a bit dumb.

These guys are as short sighted as Hugo Chavez. They think that seizing foreign assets will have no longterm reprecussion when they themselves have little understanding of how economics or business works. I wouldn't be surprised if nationalist politics is what brings Thailand down in the long run.

Some respected economists believe that Chavez is short-sighted. Other respected economists believe that it is economists at the IMF who have been short-sighted and that Chavez is a logical response to them. I am on the side of the respected historian of economic thought, Richard Heilbroner, that economics is a branch of worldly philosophy and those who see it as purely a science are deluding themsleves.

And sometimes how business works is bad for the long term economy of a nation and thus politics may be perceived, especially by ex-pat business people, as becoming "nationalistic" when it no longer favors their personal interests.

The roots of Al-Quaeda extremism are in Wahabi fundamentalism, notwithstanding the foolish Western support in Soviet dominated Afghanistan and for Sadddam during the war with Iran.In Iraq the vast bulk of the violence is Muslim Arab killing Muslim Arab, but the silence is deafening in terms of condemnation from Muslim and Arab leaders.Occasionally there are murmurs of disquiet, but the Americans and the British have now become everyone's alibi.What will be the excuse when the Americans have gone home?

In a very complicated and multifaceted issue, although Wahabism is not the single intellectual source of Al-Quaeda, let us not forget that the power of the Salafi movement, the source of its ability to spread its backards message around the globe, are the petrol dollars earned from the unholy alliance of King Abdul Aziz bin Saud and the western powers, specifically the US.

But yes, the silence of the larger Muslim world on the Muslim-on-Muslim violence is indeed deafening.

We called it the "Two Step" in the Nam. After it bites you, you take two steps and then you are dead!

(just kidding, although there is such a snake)

Actually just an urban myth, or more precisely a hooch myth.

to tell the truth, even here i'm paranoid about driving with one in the car; the association of narghila with the 'younger crowd' and hashish is here in israel even if there are narghila bars all over the place. a guy with long hair and a narghila are more suspect then 'karrim barhum' from jamila and a narghila. i would think that a western 'hippie type' tourist carring one in looks more suspect then a bunch of saudi arabians bringing theirs' in.

Wasn't the national song Hava Narghila?

As a tourist, long ago before the hatred settled upon the landscape, we would buy our hashish (homer nefesh) by the Damascus Gate where the old men sat and smoked their narghilas in the small cafes just inside the gate.

Ihave never seen so many toyota landcruisers per capita in any country as cambodia !

The cars are not manufactured there, the LandCrusers came from Japan.

Large number of imported expensive 4WD you saw in Cambodia made you not believe stories and stats about poverty there?

The secret could be - all the UN and other NGOs who were there after Paul Pot, simply dumped the vehicles for a nominal sum instead of taking them back.

Long ago a good friend of mine who worked in Cambodia for years for the UN noted that most of the UN vehicles were simply "stolen" and then replaced in a never ending cycle of corruption.