English Language Weekly Tabloid In Chiangmai

[Sao Jiang Mai]

Well, how about the first ten people to email me the following:

Citylife's 1 year free subscription as offered on Thai Visa:

YOUR NAME

YOUR ADDRESS

YOUR EMAIL

cut and paste this into an email and send it to [email protected] and I will give the first ten emails one year's subscription for free, starting December 2006. Takes less than a minute, and at least it will mean ten more people get to read us regularly.

Cheers, Pim

[cmsally]

Just to clear up any misunderstandings , I am not purple sally.

I think this is the 3rd time I have had to clear this one up - whoever it is, sounds rather

notorious!!

[Blinky Bill]

This is great to have such feedback! People never say things to your face, so it is very important. I take your comment about the trash and will rework our direction. We got some slack for some articles recently, and will pull back a bit. Basically I started the mag 8 years ago after never having a job in my life, so I will continue to make mistakes, please bear with me.

We will keep some of the vulgarities out in future editions ,

Have a lovely day,

Pim Kemasingki (Citylife)

Don't do that Pim. There are too many prudes out there. What's life without a few vulgarities?

Edited October 2, 2006 by Blinky Bill

[WaiWai]

I doubt that "vulgarity" is an issue to most. General quality is the concern.

[ThaiPauly]

I saw a copy of Citylife at a freind's house today.

really liked the article "I'm gonna get me a Gun"...I never realised that Thailand was the third most violent country in the World when it came to murder !! What was it 43,000 a year I think!! far higher than the States, only edged out by South Africa and Columbia, and thats not deaths per haed of population, just plain murders !!!

TP

[john b good]

I saw a copy of Citylife at a freind's house today.

really liked the article "I'm gonna get me a Gun"...I never realised that Thailand was the third most violent country in the World when it came to murder !! What was it 43,000 a year I think!! far higher than the States, only edged out by South Africa and Columbia, and thats not deaths per haed of population, just plain murders !!!

TP

Russia is over 45,000 but then, there are around 160 million of them

[adjan jb]

really liked the article "I'm gonna get me a Gun"...I never realised that Thailand was the third most violent country in the World when it came to murder !! What was it 43,000 a year I think!! far higher than the States, only edged out by South Africa and Columbia, and thats not deaths per haed of population, just plain murders !!!

TP

But they view themselves as the most peaceful, polite and respectul people on Earth. Can someone explain that "dichotomy" to me ?

[chanchao]

Great offer from Sao Jiangmai.. Probably too late, but just sent off an e-mail.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[Sao Jiang Mai]

Thank you all so much for your interest. I have put all of you so far on the list, but must now cap it as we have got to around 15 subs. Hope you enjoy the mag over the next few months, and please do keep the feedback coming - positive or negative, it's all good. Cheers, Pim

[Blinky Bill]

I saw a copy of Citylife at a freind's house today.

really liked the article "I'm gonna get me a Gun"...I never realised that Thailand was the third most violent country in the World when it came to murder !! What was it 43,000 a year I think!! far higher than the States, only edged out by South Africa and Columbia, and thats not deaths per haed of population, just plain murders !!!

TP

From CityLife..........

Some stats for you first: Number of deaths by firearms throughout the world: 1. No surprise is South Africa with just over 31,000 in the two year study. 2. Columbia with almost 22,000 (again, this is not surprising.) Number three . . . Well you'd think Russia, USA, China or India. They all have large populations and high crime rates. But no, number three is Thailand, even with the omnipresent jai yen big brother it managed to reach 20,032 murders by firearm in two years. It's worth noting though, that non firearm murder rates see Thailand ranked at 8th in the world with 5,140 murders, USA, 6th with over 12,000 and India topping the charts with over 37,000. It's also worth noting that some of the stats might be unreliable in countries that have inferior law enforcement and governments that don't have the resources to collect statistical figures. These facts were taken from the Seventh United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems, covering the period 1998 - 2000 (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Centre for International Crime Prevention). By the way, there's a heavy drop off for fourth place in the murder firearm rate, which is the USA with only 8,259 deaths, and when you consider death per capita, Thailand is much, much higher than the US.

[adjan jb]

really liked the article "I'm gonna get me a Gun"...I never realised that Thailand was the third most violent country in the World when it came to murder !! What was it 43,000 a year I think!! far higher than the States, only edged out by South Africa and Columbia, and thats not deaths per haed of population, just plain murders !!!

TP

But they view themselves as the most peaceful, polite and respectul people on Earth. Can someone explain that "dichotomy" to me ?

Anyone ?

[Gonzo the Face]

really liked the article "I'm gonna get me a Gun"...I never realised that Thailand was the third most violent country in the World when it came to murder !! What was it 43,000 a year I think!! far higher than the States, only edged out by South Africa and Columbia, and thats not deaths per haed of population, just plain murders !!!

TP

But they view themselves as the most peaceful, polite and respectul people on Earth. Can someone explain that "dichotomy" to me ?

Anyone ?

I would guess that you are referring to Thailand in your question and statement.... Thailand LOS Land of Smiles. I guess nobody said you had to look mean or gruff when you shoot someone....In their belief, if the person you shooting has led a good life then you are sending them on to better things.. so why not smile and shoot.....

Remember that someday, someone, somewhere, may say to you "Smile , you're on ________ _____ POW; TIT

[jomama]

>But they view themselves as the most peaceful, polite and respectul people on Earth. Can >someone explain that "dichotomy" to me ?

If you're trolling...OK, I'll bite.

1. I don't think Thai people in general view themselves as "the most peaceful, polite and respectul people on Earth" -- where did you get that? Some of the so-called "ajarns" at schools may assert such things, but it's just for public consumption; most people realize that is simply not the case because they actually live here and have enough brains to know bullsh*t when they see it.

2. It depends on who or where you are. I've heard it described as concentric circles. At the core is the family and close friends. Those rules of polite behavior do apply. Then there is the "circle of concern," those pople with whom you are associated, such as co-workers or people from the same village, and most of those rules apply. Then there is the "circle of selfishness," everyone else in the society, to which none of those rules apply. Simply put, there is no actual effort to do "the right thing for the common good." If they don't have any association with you then they have no obligation to "greng jai" you, and that means they don't give a flying...

3. There is widespread violence in the villages (and cities of course). In old times, peasants in Europe were viewed as brutes who did feral things. Well, villages haven't changed that much through time and locale. Do the math: un-educated, scraping for a living, poor diet, corrupt local government and even teachers, police and media -- even family members who are out to cheat you -- widespread alcoholism and drug abuse (when available), corrupt clergy who themselves may not know what ideals the religion should attain. Is that enough? The list is longer, but I'll stop. With no effective police to prevent anything, only catch people afterward, it indeed is a witches brew for violence.

[Ajarn]

>But they view themselves as the most peaceful, polite and respectul people on Earth. Can >someone explain that "dichotomy" to me ?

If you're trolling...OK, I'll bite.

1. I don't think Thai people in general view themselves as "the most peaceful, polite and respectul people on Earth" -- where did you get that? Some of the so-called "ajarns" at schools may assert such things, but it's just for public consumption; most people realize that is simply not the case because they actually live here and have enough brains to know bullsh*t when they see it.

2. It depends on who or where you are. I've heard it described as concentric circles. At the core is the family and close friends. Those rules of polite behavior do apply. Then there is the "circle of concern," those pople with whom you are associated, such as co-workers or people from the same village, and most of those rules apply. Then there is the "circle of selfishness," everyone else in the society, to which none of those rules apply. Simply put, there is no actual effort to do "the right thing for the common good." If they don't have any association with you then they have no obligation to "greng jai" you, and that means they don't give a flying...

3. There is widespread violence in the villages (and cities of course). In old times, peasants in Europe were viewed as brutes who did feral things. Well, villages haven't changed that much through time and locale. Do the math: un-educated, scraping for a living, poor diet, corrupt local government and even teachers, police and media -- even family members who are out to cheat you -- widespread alcoholism and drug abuse (when available), corrupt clergy who themselves may not know what ideals the religion should attain. Is that enough? The list is longer, but I'll stop. With no effective police to prevent anything, only catch people afterward, it indeed is a witches brew for violence.

Well said, sir

[Austhaied]

>But they view themselves as the most peaceful, polite and respectul people on Earth. Can >someone explain that "dichotomy" to me ?

If you're trolling...OK, I'll bite.

1. I don't think Thai people in general view themselves as "the most peaceful, polite and respectul people on Earth" -- where did you get that? Some of the so-called "ajarns" at schools may assert such things, but it's just for public consumption; most people realize that is simply not the case because they actually live here and have enough brains to know bullsh*t when they see it.

2. It depends on who or where you are. I've heard it described as concentric circles. At the core is the family and close friends. Those rules of polite behavior do apply. Then there is the "circle of concern," those pople with whom you are associated, such as co-workers or people from the same village, and most of those rules apply. Then there is the "circle of selfishness," everyone else in the society, to which none of those rules apply. Simply put, there is no actual effort to do "the right thing for the common good." If they don't have any association with you then they have no obligation to "greng jai" you, and that means they don't give a flying...

3. There is widespread violence in the villages (and cities of course). In old times, peasants in Europe were viewed as brutes who did feral things. Well, villages haven't changed that much through time and locale. Do the math: un-educated, scraping for a living, poor diet, corrupt local government and even teachers, police and media -- even family members who are out to cheat you -- widespread alcoholism and drug abuse (when available), corrupt clergy who themselves may not know what ideals the religion should attain. Is that enough? The list is longer, but I'll stop. With no effective police to prevent anything, only catch people afterward, it indeed is a witches brew for violence.

Hit the nail right on the head..(with a smile)..

[lamphun]

As far as I'm concerned, I think CityLife is the best magazine in town but as I can't find it on a regular basis, I probably read it only once every 4 or 5 months.

Sorry to arrive late for the party. I agree 100% "CityLife" is an excellent magazine but I can never get my hands on it. I managed to obtain a copy of the September issue and that was the first I'd seen for a few months.

[adjan jb]

>But they view themselves as the most peaceful, polite and respectul people on Earth. Can >someone explain that "dichotomy" to me ?

If you're trolling...OK, I'll bite.

1. I don't think Thai people in general view themselves as "the most peaceful, polite and respectul people on Earth" -- where did you get that? Some of the so-called "ajarns" at schools may assert such things, but it's just for public consumption; most people realize that is simply not the case because they actually live here and have enough brains to know bullsh*t when they see it.

2. It depends on who or where you are. I've heard it described as concentric circles. At the core is the family and close friends. Those rules of polite behavior do apply. Then there is the "circle of concern," those pople with whom you are associated, such as co-workers or people from the same village, and most of those rules apply. Then there is the "circle of selfishness," everyone else in the society, to which none of those rules apply. Simply put, there is no actual effort to do "the right thing for the common good." If they don't have any association with you then they have no obligation to "greng jai" you, and that means they don't give a flying...

3. There is widespread violence in the villages (and cities of course). In old times, peasants in Europe were viewed as brutes who did feral things. Well, villages haven't changed that much through time and locale. Do the math: un-educated, scraping for a living, poor diet, corrupt local government and even teachers, police and media -- even family members who are out to cheat you -- widespread alcoholism and drug abuse (when available), corrupt clergy who themselves may not know what ideals the religion should attain. Is that enough? The list is longer, but I'll stop. With no effective police to prevent anything, only catch people afterward, it indeed is a witches brew for violence.

Thanks Jomama. I was not trolling. It was a genuine question.

In my village, first degree murders are common place (The last one occured a week ago. The victim was one of my Thai cousins. Let me add that a few years ago, this cousin killed an illegal Burmese)

A lot of my Thai relatives and friends admit that they view themselves as refined people and Farang as barbarians. But then they are at a loss with words when it comes to explain the recurent violence.

Some of them say this violence is due to the fact that "normal" anger must be kept inside thus transforming people into time bombs.

You 2nd point is highly interesting.

[katnip]

Did the previous post (by adam..) end up in the wrong thread ?

I like Citylife. It's free, (though this might be changing ?), you can place ads for free and it's packed with information. I liked the "vox pop" about the meaning of life to locals and foreigners, the reviews, the Local Celebrity this time (Nong, a blind woman) and more.

I suggest you lose the stupid articles by amateur foreign writers, almost always about sex. I have as much interest in sex as anyone else, but this series is boring, voyeuristic and badly-written. This edition's "what a woman wants" was all but incomprehensible to me. Waste of a page. The article on male prostitution was much better.

How about other stuff, like an article on the upcoming festival in Nov. ? I know the old-timers will say they know it all already, but there's always a way to give a fresh slant on current events.

Overall, a very good magazine, taking a leading role in getting the locals and foreigners together. Thanks.

[Johpa]

3. There is widespread violence in the villages (and cities of course). In old times, peasants in Europe were viewed as brutes who did feral things. Well, villages haven't changed that much through time and locale. Do the math: un-educated, scraping for a living, poor diet, corrupt local government and even teachers, police and media -- even family members who are out to cheat you -- widespread alcoholism and drug abuse (when available), corrupt clergy who themselves may not know what ideals the religion should attain. Is that enough? The list is longer, but I'll stop. With no effective police to prevent anything, only catch people afterward, it indeed is a witches brew for violence.

No doubt there is a bit more violence in the villages than in the far more comfortable middle class communities in the cities. You are correct that there really is no police presence untill after a crime has been comitted and reported. But the violence I saw in the 15 years of living in a remote rural village usually centered around either a love triangle (most common) or a land dispute. And I disagree with some of your math as most people, even in these remote villages were literate, had a decent diet, and were not out to cheat everyone.

Although Thai men do drink alot, there is enough social pressure in the villages to deter outright alcoholism from becoming endemic. Although after the rice harvest is complete, you can see most of the men in the village going on a communal binge for a few days. Sure every village has a few drunks. And some villages have reputations for being hard drinking just as some villages have reputations as being big on gambling.

But it is not a witches brew. The vast majority of the time, life in the rural villages is quite sedate.

[Ajarn]

3. There is widespread violence in the villages (and cities of course). In old times, peasants in Europe were viewed as brutes who did feral things. Well, villages haven't changed that much through time and locale. Do the math: un-educated, scraping for a living, poor diet, corrupt local government and even teachers, police and media -- even family members who are out to cheat you -- widespread alcoholism and drug abuse (when available), corrupt clergy who themselves may not know what ideals the religion should attain. Is that enough? The list is longer, but I'll stop. With no effective police to prevent anything, only catch people afterward, it indeed is a witches brew for violence.

No doubt there is a bit more violence in the villages than in the far more comfortable middle class communities in the cities. You are correct that there really is no police presence untill after a crime has been comitted and reported. But the violence I saw in the 15 years of living in a remote rural village usually centered around either a love triangle (most common) or a land dispute. And I disagree with some of your math as most people, even in these remote villages were literate, had a decent diet, and were not out to cheat everyone.

Although Thai men do drink alot, there is enough social pressure in the villages to deter outright alcoholism from becoming endemic. Although after the rice harvest is complete, you can see most of the men in the village going on a communal binge for a few days. Sure every village has a few drunks. And some villages have reputations for being hard drinking just as some villages have reputations as being big on gambling.

But it is not a witches brew. The vast majority of the time, life in the rural villages is quite sedate.

[jomama]

And I disagree with some of your math as most people, even in these remote villages were literate, had a decent diet, and were not out to cheat everyone.

I didn't write illiterate, I said wrote uneducated. Big difference. Just because you can read doesn't mean you're ready for this "modern" world -- how're their careers going? Are they going to make enough money to buy all that Pantene shampoo for their daughers, the latest Izuzu pickup and a nice house like the ones in all the soap operas? A study out not long ago said Thais watch more TV than about any culture in the world. That alone says a lot, but what happens when you've got zero chance of attaining that lifestyle? And it's loaded with ads for the latest "must have" in this incredibly consummerist society.

I'd get sh*tfaced too.

And I don't know what your definition of a decent diet is, but young kids eating noodles with sugar, backed up with a coke, followed by some potato chips...a good day is for to all head for 7-11 and hammer down a couple of Big Bites, backed up with a coke or slurpee. One teacher I know said she did a course on diet and asked the kids what they ate the night before. One said a bowl of sugar. Not exactly the best for developing the old brain power so you can actually get a decent job and a good life.

Of course not everyone is out to cheat everyone, but it's dog-eat-dog and I'd be tempted too.

[strongza]

The Chiang Mai Mail has announced in the 21 Oct edition that it is "time for a break to regroup and restructure" How very odd.

They go on to say: "We don't know how long we will be away. It may be two weeks or two months"

Something is very fishy here folks.

[Cyberstar]

Maybe they need journalists? ... Could it maybe be worthwhile for some regular poster to consider a "skill-offer" (not sure about the proper English word for applying for a non-advertised job opening).

Obviously, a city of Chiang Mai's size, with an expat population of Chiang Mai's size, does have a potential audience that ought to suffice for making at least one English-languaged weekly a profitable business.

[Cyberstar]

As far as I'm concerned, I think CityLife is the best magazine in town but as I can't find it on a regular basis, I probably read it only once every 4 or 5 months.

Sorry to arrive late for the party. I agree 100% "CityLife" is an excellent magazine but I can never get my hands on it. I managed to obtain a copy of the September issue and that was the first I'd seen for a few months.

The latest issue of City Life I've managed to get a copy of is from March, 2005 ... Won't claim that I've tried really hard, but I actually do have spent some time and effort on how to get newer copies to display (sell?) in my little shop ... So, here I am ... a potential outlet ... haved spent more than just a few thoughts on how to get those publications on a regular basis ... but I don't have the slightest clue ...

[john b good]

The Chiang Mai Mail has announced in the 21 Oct edition that it is "time for a break to regroup and restructure" How very odd.

They go on to say: "We don't know how long we will be away. It may be two weeks or two months"

Something is very fishy here folks.

My bet is that it will never again see the light of day (and IMHO that won't be any loss to anyone either, as it's only been good to wrap fish and chips in)

News has never been up to date i.e. relating to something that has occurred in the week leading up to publication. Mostly the news "of what there was" was two to three weeks old and out of date long before it ever went to press.

At least 50% of the advertisements have been advertising CMM itself.

If Chiangmai City Life (City Life Chiangmai) can secure the volume of advertising that they have, CMM should have been able to have done better than it has been doing. The business is there, if they were to get of the lazy backsides and seek it out.

"nuff said" RIP

Edited October 22, 2006 by john b good

[jomama]

The OP was prescient...it appears the Chiang Mai Mail did go "down the gurgler."

[john b good]

The OP was prescient...it appears the Chiang Mai Mail did go "down the gurgler."

One didn't need to be Einstein to figure this out.

Maybe Pim can pick up the slack as we really could do with a good weekly tabloid here in Chiangmai. (using CMM as an example of what a good weekly tabloin is not

Pim has an extensive advertising client base and also a good bunch of staff.

Will Murray qualify for the dole now.

Edited October 23, 2006 by john b good

[bubba_jones]

One didn't need to be Einstein to figure this out.

Maybe Pim can pick up the slack as we really could do with a good weekly tabloid here in Chiangmai. (using CMM as an example of what a good weekly tabloin is not

Pim has an extensive advertising client base and also a good bunch of staff.

Will Murray qualify for the dole now.

A bit snide really ...

CM Mail had its hands tied by the Pattaya Mail who in the weeks leading up to the closure sacked half the staff, and didn't pay those who stayed on, cut the size of the paper then complained that it wasn't earning enough.

[john b good]

One didn't need to be Einstein to figure this out.

Maybe Pim can pick up the slack as we really could do with a good weekly tabloid here in Chiangmai. (using CMM as an example of what a good weekly tabloin is not

Pim has an extensive advertising client base and also a good bunch of staff.

Will Murray qualify for the dole now.

A bit snide really ...

CM Mail had its hands tied by the Pattaya Mail who in the weeks leading up to the closure sacked half the staff, and didn't pay those who stayed on, cut the size of the paper then complained that it wasn't earning enough.

Snide if you like but they were still taking money under false pretenses. Selling fish and chip wrap as a newspaper.

And if the staff were a 10th as good as City Life's it might have survived. If they had got off their collective rumps and sold some advertising, and found some good news stories it might have been another story. And they might still have had their jobs.

The long and short of it is that they didn't deserve to survive. And that is a fact of business life.

Edited October 23, 2006 by john b good

[Ulysses G.]

Wasn't crazy about the Chiang Mai Mail, but we need some kind of an English newspaper for Chiang Mai.

I did get a kick out of that guy that reviewed all of the worst rock music albums of the last 50 years and kept raving about how great they and the deservedly forgotten "artists" were.