Rhoel

Okay, maybe the new template just drew my attention to it more. Rhoel

Personally, I miss the easy access to Member since in the profiles and seeing who is online. Not too keen on the moniker Participant. either... it could be a lot more imaginative. I'll have to play with the avatar thing as I have no idea where mine went. Rhoel.

Check your settings - you may have blocked images or other content from Pattayatalk. It would explain a lot. Rhoel

It's illegal due to the lack of consent, aka rape of the person: The person may be unconscious or dead, in law it makes no difference; they are unable to provide consent.

??? What large type???

Stop it, made me choke on me tea and Hobnobs.

just 4 passport photos and $25 to get a business visa. The one year visa costs $285 and another 4 photos. This can currently be renewed an infinitum. So no other paperwork involved, bank funds proof or criminal checks (though a criminal record seems compulsory for some residents here). And you can work here too without a work permit or the kind of paperwork Thailand requires. The Tourist visa cannot be upgraded to business: It requires a leave the country and return for the $25 business one: No penalty for a previous visitor stamp. Apartment rentals here are seriously cheap, especially once you get away from the tourist riverside area: I pay $150 for a three bedroomed place near the Chinese Embassy. With utilities, my monthly bill is around $200-220. Internet connections are not fast or reliable, though its getting better. Plenty of ATM machines here now, and the SBC (Singapore Banking Corporation) ATM can be used on the internet (ANZ cannot and their fees suck). Work? The nightlife here has changed a bit over the last month - big crackdown on brothels and sex places - part of a Anti-trafficking Law which does nothing to prevent trafficking. There are currently big protests over this and the witch hunt might be over. The legendary Sophie's Club got closed, a deed which I hope the policy makes rot in hell for. That said, there are plenty of beer bars with hostesses, massage places and other karaoke places to while away the time. Street 136 is becoming a center of entertainment bars, as is Street 104. Street 52 and 63 also have a bunch of places. But tucked around corners around the city are a host of other lo-so entertainment places. If you are into drugs, reconsider living here - they are cheap, illegal and plentiful, have been the death of too many bored junkies. One Crystal Meths guy killed his girlfriend, chopped her up, put her into a suitcase and hid her under the bed. A week later, for reasons unknown, he set fire to his city-centre room and jumped out the 3rd floor window: He broke both legs and now faces life inside. This is not a country to fuck up in, and certainly no place to go to jail, even for a few weeks. A life sentence here is worse than death. For everyone else, side trips to Angkor Wat and Sihanoukville are on the regulars list of diversions, as is buying an off road bike and heading into the back country - and please remember the country is not fully de-mined or free of UXO - blowing your legs off miles from civilization is not big or clever. If you are into history and archeology, then this place will keep you busy for a life time. Photography is also a popular leisure activity, including enthusiasts who enjoy digital night photography (using the moon as light source - photos of Angkor take on a magical appearance): Just take a bottle or 5 of anti-mosquito repellent - malaria in the countryside is still a real problem. Recently, there has been a fad for radio control vehicles amongst some of the long-term expats - seems to be the ideal expat entertainment: Some of the petrol-powered R/C cars can out-run a moped; I mean, we are talking seriously quick, top speeds of 80+ kph. One enterprising gent is alleged to have fitted a wireless camera to his electric helicopter. Don't expect Cambodia to be like Thailand. It's not. It's a third world, stuff like electricity doesn't work. The locals love holding street weddings/funeral/parties, accompanied by industrial deafness LowFI sound systems: The "music" they play falls into a kind of "snake charmer pipes backed by a three year old bashing a drum" style. Worst, this will be outside your house, and in the case of weddings and funerals, will last three days, starting at 0500. Parties stop when they run out of beer. And people love to piss in the streets and chuck litter everywhere. So the city smells. It also has its charms, some great architecture and religious building. It has a somber Khmer ROuge/Killing Fields history to see and understand. The people are generally friendly but if shit does happen, it will be with some serious weaponry - there are an alarming amount of firearms floating around. Your home will resemble a fortress, with all doors and windows metal grilled - never loose your keys and you have bugger-all change of breaking in. I have been here for just over a year now: The language I find hard to learn, much harder than Thai - for reasons I know not. I find I have a love/hate relationship with the place. There are times when it drives me nuts. Then there are the other moments which make up for that and life is great. But the weather is good, even during the monsoon season (which is spectacular - when it rains, it can drown fish and flood a road up to your knees in minutes). But it beats living in the UK or many other "developed" countries. You might not be able to find anything you want, and the local tuk-tuk drivers will cheerful tell you they know the destination you want, then head off it the opposite direction. And if they have a map, they most definitely will get lost as no Asian seems to be able to understand them. There are too many beggars there, and real poverty: And half the population seem to have scars or bits missing - combination of land mines and the near-insanity they call driving here - the traffic is the worst in Asia, bar none - it is spectacularly bad: But it makes for great entertainment - just go stand on a busy intersection and wait for the traffic lights to fail - the resulting chaos is like a Keystone Cops movie. The city is changing and modernizing. That change for some, is not happening fast enough; for others, the modernization is not welcomed - destroying the charm of the place. If you take it as it comes, you'll make it here. Cambodia is just different. Rhoel.

I believe this concerned reader is right to be concerned ... I have discovered that licking Camel Toes is indeed habit forming, worse than any drug and, if done in public, might lead to arrest, detention and hefty fines.

The crisis is now ... a boost to the economy months down the line is like saying to passengers of a plane out of fuel the landing conditions at the original destination are perfect. The question is if the the US economy can stave off a full depression. Rhoel

Can I clarify this one - does this mean the place where you live and work, or the country of origin? My permanent base I live and work is Cambodia: My Country of Origin is UK. I haven't been outside SEA for four years and have no plans to venture any closer to home than the Middle East. Do they classify Cambodia as my permanent residence or do they really expect me to fly half way around the globe to get one piece of paper? I need to know this as I am looking at renewing my Non-B to be able to come to BKK on business (I'm possibly bringing a project into Thailand for completion, we cannot do it here). But NO WAY am I going to fly back to the UK to get a piece of their paper which could be issued here, just so I can spend a heap of money in TH. I can complete the project in VN without the visa restrictions, just Hanoi is not the place I want to do this work. Rhoel

I have a photocopy of my last work permit - this negates the required letter ... you just need to show you worked legally here. The letter requirement is to check you have not been working illegally in Thailand. Now if you have been living here on savings and not working, just how you prove that is anyones guess, for the DOE will interpret that as illegal working. Why can't they just fix the problem - it's not illegal working, it's the impossible application process, beuracy gone mad. Why change the visa system and cause an 10% reduction of tourists as the means of "fixing" the non-issuing of work permits. For me, I have had enough to the daft shit coming out of BKK - I am relocating to Cambodia next week: My philosophy is "if Thailand doesn't want my 2 million Baht+ then Cambodia most certainly does". The final straw was the refusal of a work permit - the conditions attached to it were insane: Cambodia as issued me with a one year business visa and work permit, issued tax numbers etc - with no lengthy paper work: The Thai work permit was 280 A4 pages. Also The change in the business law make having a business non-realistic - as it's explained to me (and it may be wrong), the change means 100% foreign investment, 51% Thai ownership. Think about that - the 51% can vote out the 49% and keep your investment. My ex-boss has just built a new facility in China ... seems he's reading the changes the same way. Last week a friend in the UK sent me an excerpt which suggests the Thai economy is heading for the shitter in 2008, recession big time. It's another reason not to have big investments here. It will probably get worse before it gets better - eventually, when the investment falls low enough, the politicians will do something about it. Of course, but then it will be too late. Rhoel

This is one of those words you really don't want to know the long answer too: Wikipedia malfeasance is the doing of an act which an officer had no legal right to do at all and that when an officer, through ignorance, inattention, or malice, does that which he has no legal right to do at all, or acts without any authority whatsoever, or exceeds, ignores, or abuses his powers, he is guilty of malfeasance. Basically, and for the convenience of sex-tourists, the West Virginia Supreme Court have conveniently summarized the definitions as: Malfeasance has been defined by appellate courts in other jurisdictions as a wrongful act which the actor has no legal right to do; as any wrongful conduct which affects, interrupts or interferes with the performance of official duty; as an act for which there is no authority or warrant of law; as an act which a person ought not to do; as an act which is wholly wrongful and unlawful; as that which an officer has no authority to do and is positively wrong or unlawful; and as the unjust performance of some act which the party performing it has no right, or has contracted no, to do. Simple really.

Does Don now gets a warning for suggesting the Admin is on the take ... will he have to pay a penance next time he's in FLB ;-)

Yes. direct access from JI net is blocked - I tried the Cloak route and it works a treat - useful for some porn sites the authorities have taken a dislike too. Rhoel

Works fine now. Thanks MM BTW, might be in FLB sometime in the next week or so - I'll try met up and say hi. Rhoel Edit ----- I'm using Firefox 2, just in case this is some Mozilla specific bug Edited by MM to remove real name in open section!

Hi Pete, I am getting the following message if I click on the "My Controls" option on the forum header. Fatal error: Call to undefined function: reputation_row() in /home/httpd/vhosts/pattayatalk.com/httpdocs/forums/sources/action_public/usercp.php on line 3430 I can still edit my profile etc by clicking on my user name then accessing the editor that way. Hope that is enough information to help locate the problem Rhoel

Thanks for the reply. I am fully aware that all owners of any business need feedback, good or bad, on their place/policies. Some posts here are a little O.T.T or myopic, or an unreasonable comparison with chalk and cheese. When you first posted the menu etc, I placed Hell on the probable things to do in town. Your later post/s outlining the "two girls or piss off" policy was a turn-off for me. I'm just being honest, I felt that I am being deprived of my choice. I am just wondering how many other people ruled out a visit once they heard of the compulsory threesome. In my case, I have been 3-up before .. it's not something I want to do every time. But it's your place to run as you see fit and I am not really questioning that. I'm just expressing my disappointment over the lack of customer choice. Incidentally, Alan's recent comments about NLD1, and Hammer's posts in general have made me add their places as somewhere I will go have a beer ... I like their attitude. But let's be clear, I have no animosity either with you or Hell - I wish you every success with the place. But your lack of personal choice is not for me. Chock dee. Rhoel

I had considered visiting Hell Club during my visit next month: Having read the house new rules, I'll skip the visit. 90 min, 1800 1 girl, fine - I like that kind of service - similar to Pandora's or Syori {spelling] up here in CM. But paying double rate for 90 minutes simply isn't something I'll consider, it's not for me. The policy is a good one from a business point of view ... Hell gets twice the revenue whilst paying the same wages and overheads. The business question is, "How many customers will not pay for double". If it's only 49% of potential customers who walk away, then Hell's revenue will still be up. But if the refusal rate is 51%, Hell looses. For me, I not going to Hell. Rhoel

Sounds like you need a holiday mate. Why not kill two birds with one stone and go stay at Lemons place at Snooky, on the beach (with some very persistant hawkers), and I hav ethe posts here that Lemons listed of the places where there are some nearby girls (Chicken ranches/farms or sopmething). That wa yyou get to see the country, have a look around etc. My betting is you will be even more bored than you are here. You need to go play golf at least twice a week - Green valley is good as is the Royal Lanna - tw oof my collegues play regularly so I can get you all the details if you want. Rhoel BTW, I'll print off that CD for you too this weekend.

Did that a long time ago ... there are very few US movies that are watchable at present. Hip-hop and crap, sorry, rap music is an instant turn off. Brittiny Spears and her ilk are commercial zeros to my ear. I have a good collection of CD's so I'm not worried. Ignoring the fact that Levis, Wranglers etc, are asian not American built, I havn't bought any designer rip-off priced clothing since the late '80's. It would seem the falling number of sale in music and clothing indicate that many others like myself who have kept their money in their pockets. People may point the accusing finger and say I buy fake shirts and jeans: I do not. The clothing I buy are genuine shirts and jeans, all made in Thailand and surrounding asian countries - they may carry a fake label but it is of no concern to me - I am not buying for the label, I am buying a 150B locally made shirt, period. Levis and others can jump up and down and complain to the FTA breach. They are missing the point: I have no interest whatsoever in whose label is on the shorts, jeans or shirt - if the clothing is the right size, shape and colour, and the price is right for the material, then I will buy it. Certainly, I cannot tell you whose fake label is in the collar, it's of no interest to me. I'm not stupid enough to pay $70 dollars for a $5 item. Rhoel

Serious point here - the UK banks are shitting themselves because customers discovered that the UK banking laws prohibited banks profitering from charges on fees: When some smart arse discovered this, he sent them a bill. They didn't pay so he took them through the low cost fast track court system (called the Small claims court). They immediately settled out of court ... the banks dos not want to reveal the true cost of the charges. Check the US laws on this one - If the bank failed to inform online banking customers about the change, then you might be in a very strong position. i.e,. they cannot change the fees without proper notification to you. The online statements should have carried that information. The fact their online banking pages still says 1% means yu can hold them to this: PRINT THE PAGE OUT NOW!. If I was in your position, I would invoice them for the difference between the 1 and 3% charge. Include the webpage with 1% and details of the fact you are an online only customer - they will have records to show they have not sent you paper statement. You must send the invoice by recorded or registered delivery. You have a very strong position as they have changed the contract with you without proper notification - they have screwed up ... they forgot they have eCustomers. That is good news for you. BTW, I love the MCOL (Money Claims Online is the online version of the Small Claims Court in the UK). I have used the service three times and even though I represent myself in court, I have yet to loose a case. To date, I am up GBP8500. If you stick to fact and not opinion, you will always win. My gut feeling is the bank if they think you will go to litigation will pay out of court: Banks hate bad publicity. That is in your favour. Rhoel.

Quick question: You also shoot HDTV and therefore you know hard-disc hungry that technology is; Despite having the many TB's of hard-disk capacity, I assume you are also backing up your media onto something? DVD is just useless for HDvideo where on shot can exceed disc capacity. Have you found a HD-DVD/Blu-ray supply/supplier in Pattaya or Thailand yet? And if so, what are the prices like? I have seriously looked at adding a HD PC card to this machine but the thought of paying more than a new Honda Dream just for one video card has put me off - I'll probably wait for the prices to come down. It's crazy but I can buy a HDTV set cheaper than the video card. As for the newsgroups, I have been a big fan for many years - Xnews is my favourite reader and it supports yenc without having to play around with extra codec - yenc is widely used on encoding still images. Mastersplitter is good for joining multiple posts, as is winrar. Unfortunately, I can no longer subscribe to the newsgroups because PayPal suspended payments to all newsgroup suppliers - seems they were lent on by a certain Unmentionable States Authorities who were concerned subscribers using PayPal couldn't be traced - now LEA officials can force any newsgroup service provider to hand over credit card details and addresses. My Thai bank card, despite assurances and "oh that shouldn't happen" from my bank, gets rejected by the online card processors. Nice kit BTW. But be careful, one guy in the UK set up a similar system in his living room, in full sight of the street - the day after his purchase, he arrived home to discover it all gone. Since the individual items were over his general insurance cover and he hadn't forwarded the serial numbers the brokers, he lost out completely. Rhoel

Ah ha, disscovered the error: You can have two photos, one an avatar, the other a personal photo. Both images were the same, but on different servers. The UK server is down/base dir changed. Useful to know. Sawadee Pi Mai Pete. Rhoel

If you want an integrated viewer with some image processing and other fun tools, try rfanview. It plays music and video, does thumbnailing and best of all, its free. I use it as default viewer - very fast, compact and helpful ... it will inform you if you try to load an incorrectly labelled file (a jpg name .gif): It even does the correction for you if you ask it. Hope this helps. Rhoel.

It gets better. I checked the post in IE6 without logging in (to make sure it wasn't a Firefox problem) and discovered the photo above doesn't display at all ... all I see is corrunpted HTML code and a hyperlink to my site.!?? Log in, and hey presto, it displays as an inline image: Is this a bug or a security setting? Rhoel