js007

I'd like to know the same thing, but about a US PS3 player. I use it for Blu Ray movies, usually, but since it wasn't that much more expensive than a stand alone Blu Ray player, I went ahead and bought it. Anyway, I'll be back in Thailand in a few months and was thinking about whether to bring it with me or sell it. Another question: do they have pirate Blu Ray movies yet? J

I'm using a Mac. Still, twice in the last week I've somehow come across software that pops up on my computer. It tries to tell me I need to run some sort of a virus program. Also on the screen is a very small window. No matter what button you push, you can't get rid of the page or the small window without starting the process. Then you can stop it. If I could, I'd find the company that's behind the nonsense and cause them a world of trouble. Fuckers. J

I knew a guy that works for the government. Anyway, he once told me a story about some new guys they hired. After a day or two, one of the guys became upset that he would actually be expected to do some work, and so he quit. Supposedly, his actual quote about having to work was "I thought this was a government job." J

It's not a new phenomena. Back when I was in college in the late 1960s and early 70s, my school had a sauna bath and a steam bath in the men's locker room. The girls had no such thing. The next thing you know, some of the feminist girls decided to start using the men's facilities. I'll never forget, sitting there in the sauna, when some girls walked in and plopped themselves down on the benches. After a few months, the university decided they'd better build the girls a sauna of their own. As for Pattaya? Several of the go go bars have co-ed bathrooms. At first it seemed sort of weird to me, but after a while I didn't care one way or the other. j

It's not a new phenomena. Back when I was in college in the late 1960s and early 70s, my school had a sauna bath and a steam bath in the men's locker room. The girls had no such thing. The next thing you know, some of the feminist girls decided to start using the men's facilities. I'll never forget, sitting there in the sauna, when some girls walked in and plopped themselves down on the benches. After a few months, the university decided they'd better build the girls a sauna of their own. As for Pattaya? Several of the go go bars have co-ed bathrooms. At first it seemed sort of weird to me, but after a while I didn't care one way or the other. j

If it's just a hotel room, I don't much care, so long as it's comfortable and everything works. If I were renting a condo for long term, I'd probably want at least 40 sq. meters. J

Even if you get the rates, what do you do if the New Zealand currency weakens by the same amount or more? You could end up losing money. J

Try deleting all your cookies and clearing your cache. If all else fails, run a spyware/virus removal program or wipe your hard drive and start over. j

Don't forget, you may also have some trouble finding a hotel room that time of year. Otherwise, I'd check the flights from the east coast or the west coast. You might find a better deal. $2000 RT does seem ridiculous. J

You just make a reply and then look down to where it says file attachments. Push the chose file button and locate the file on your computer. Then push the add attachment button. Then submit your post. That should do it. J

No problems here.

Agoda.com is a hotel booking website. I've used them a few times without a problem. They seem to have OK rates. J

Re: Social Security and Medicare. As I recall, there's some sort of provision in the law allowing one to opt out of Medicare if out of the country. Medicare has two parts, A and B. B is always optional, I think, but A is not, unless you're out of the country? Anyway, I'm maybe wrong but I think there's a way to do it. You have to specifically sign up to opt out, and you have to sign a paper indicating you understand the consequences. One other thing: if you later change your mind and want to opt back into the programs, there's a penalty to pay, based on the number of years you were not paying the premiums. As for Peak Oil and the fact that "we can't drill out way out" of the mess. It's more than a Democratic buzz phrase. It's true. The USA consumes huge amounts of oil on a daily basis. In terms of the probable world oil reserves remaining, any additional we'd get by way of drilling would be a drop in the bucket. Having said that, I don't care if they drill or not. But they should go forward with plans to develop alternative energy sources. j

Peak Oil is real. But keep in mind, they're talking about OIL. Coal or nuclear is another matter. Likewise solar. Still, according to the experts, all of those alternative sources won't serve as an oil substitute anytime soon, and we cannot drill our way out of the problem. How much longer do we have? 15 years? After thinking about it a bit, I've come to the conclusion that the world can't function too well with oil at $130 and above. Just look at the airline losses, for example. Think of all the cargo that moves by air freight. Think of al the food that's trucked from place to place. Maybe the high oil prices will cause a worldwide recession, reducing demand? Or, maybe, the USA federal reserve will begin to act responsibly and stop printing money. Hell, they might even raise interest rates. That should kill off oil speculation for a time. All in all, I'm planning on trying to have fun over the next 10 years. After that, who knows how screwed up things will be? J

Maybe it's a silly pursuit, trying to figure out who has the "best" Mexican food. We all seem to have out own ideas and the food can vary from region to region. I've lived in San Diego, Phoenix, and Texas, and have tried my fair share of Mexican restaurants. I've also spent some time in Mexico. My experience: the "worst" Mexican food was in Mexico. Texas seems to have it's own thing going. I've had some great Mexican food in Phoenix and San Diego, but then again, that's just my opinion. J

Whatever you do, sign up for some program. And you can get points by just buying stuff with certain credit cards. Just today I spent money on groceries and wine. For those purchases, I get points which I can convert to miles. It all adds up. J

My first ever trip to Thailand was for four weeks and I didn't really want to leave. I guess the real question you have to ask yourself is how much money you want to spend. Being in vacation mode, you can easily spend $150-$200 a day. The could add up over six weeks. J

The best thing Carter did was to nominate Paul Volker as chairman of the Federal Reserve. Unlike Greenspan and the current clown, Bernanke, Volker was an honest man who did his best to control inflation. J

Until you get it worked out and before you waste any more time, maybe you should compose and save the email in a word processor. Then, you can copy it into the email program. If you lose it, you still have your back up. J

Actually, Jimmy Carter wasn't that bad. He gets a lot of bad press because of the inflation, but that problem was set into motion long before he ever ran for office. Take a look at LBJ and his guns and butter philosophy during the Vietnam war. It all came home to roost in the late 70s. In any event we got a slew of bad presidents after Carter, and America is now broke, with Bush begging the Saudis for more oil. J

Is that really true? I've read reports from guys who insisted that they do this once a month for little cost. I've never tried it though, but I don't know why it couldn't be done. I have done it in the USA. J

Believe it or not, this map is a bit too complicated for many Americans. If you gave them a map of the world they might be able to find the USA. That's about it. It's pretty scary. Those type of people vote, which is one of the reasons we have our current president. J

I have a Bank of America card and I believe the limit is $700 a day (on the debit card). However, for a point of sale transaction to buy something, the limit is much higher. I'd surely check with the bank to see about raising the limit or whether the cash taken on the card inside the bank would have a hight limit. Of course, you could always get a few accounts and link them. J

You could always walk out the front door, turn right, and go up a block or so. Right across the street you'll see a place called Robin's Nest. They have decent food, both Western and Thai. Try one of the specials. J

Zeus, Your income can be from any source. No documentation is required to get the form from the US Embassy. You just attest to your income and they sign off on the statement from you. The Thai immigration will accept the form, although they like to see some money in a Thai bank as well. Plan on placing at least some money in a Thai bank. 50K baht or so should do it. That's what I did without a problem. Of course, I had documentation to back up the monthly income, just in case Thai immigration wanted to see it. They didn't, though. They just asked me some questions, like how much I made before I retired, how many brothers and sisters I had, etc. J