|
Bald and loving it!
Editor;
A few weeks back there was an article entitled
“Baldilocks and the three hairs!” in the Modern Medicine section. The
article called baldness a “curse”. I couldn’t disagree more! I have
male pattern baldness, and shave off the hair I have left every few days.
I find that being bald is far more convenient than having the full head of
hair I had 20 years ago. My hair never gets “messed up”; I never have
to comb or brush it; it doesn’t get wet in the rain; I never have to buy
shampoo, brushes, or combs; showers take less time; I don’t have to dry
my hair when I get out of the shower - one quick swipe of the towel, and
my head’s dry! In fact, if I had a choice of two pills to take - one
that would grow back all my hair, or one that would make the rest of it
fall out, I’d choose the latter so I wouldn’t have to bother shaving
my head any more.
Furthermore, not that I’m trying to be fashionable,
but a shaved head does happen to be in style these days. And to all you
“full-haired” individuals, please don’t refer to a bald head as a
“receding hairline” or “balding”. Bald is bald, and bald is not a
bad word. If you’re really worried about being politically correct, I
suppose you could call a bald person “follicley impaired”. And to you
bald guys out there with those funny wigs - you’re not fooling anybody!
Finally, point of information for anyone who cares, the
baldness gene is in the X chromosome (never the Y chromosome), and is
passed on from the maternal grandfather, not the father.
Genetics 101: Females have two X chromosomes, and males
have an X and a Y. Offspring get one chromosome from the mother and one
from the father. The chromosome from the father determines whether the
offspring becomes male or female. The father can pass the baldness gene to
his daughter with his X chromosome (the daughter doesn’t go bald - she
just carries the gene). Her sons then have a 50-50 chance of becoming
bald, depending on which one of her two X chromosomes she gives her sons.
If you are bald, and your father is also bald, it’s coincidental, not
genetic. Your father would have gotten his baldness gene from his
mother’s father, and you got yours from your mothers’ father. Your
father gave you a Y chromosome (obviously because you are male), which
doesn’t carry the baldness gene.
John P.
The good Doctor replies: Dear John P, bald and loving
it! I am pleased that you have come to terms with your male pattern
baldness, much more than I, obviously. The thought of shaving what is left
has occurred to me, but shiny domes look out of place too. Thank you for
Genetics 101, Mendel and his theory of fruit fly inheritance was never my
strong point. I stand corrected.
Dr. Iain Corness
Greetings from St.
Louis, Missouri
Editor.
I was stationed at Utapao Air Base in 1970/71. I
remember my three day pass to Pattaya Beach as one of my most pleasant
memories during my tour of duty in Thailand. I’m sure that Pattaya has
changed a lot during the past thirty years and I would love to see it
again. I also recall eating the best steak dinner I’ve ever had at one
of your seaside restaurants. To this very day, I tell my friends and
coworkers that Pattaya Beach is the most beautiful place on earth!
I was also very surprised when I discovered your web
site. I was trying to find information on Sattahip. I spent a lot of time
hanging out there, but I never dreamed there would actually be a web site
featuring Sattahip and Pattaya!
I am now a detective with the St. Louis Metropolitan
Police Department, Sex Crime/Child Abuse Section. Can you tell me if
either Sattahip or Pattaya has a police department with Internet service?
I would like to correspond with some police officers in those cities. I
would also like to know if that region of Thailand has some type of
Internet site where I might be able to locate someone I knew during my
stay at Utapao Air Base. I know that’s asking a lot, but being a
detective I also know that nothing is impossible.
Thank you so much for your web site. I have included it
among my favorites!
Mark Chambers
One Western man’s
point of view
Dear Editor,
I’m a fifty four year old white American man. I’ve
been living in Pattaya for about one year. I’m financially independent.
Thailand and its great leadership has endeared me so much that I now call
Pattaya “home”.
I have traveled much of the world and almost all of the
United States and Canada. The Thai women are beautiful and are second to
none! I feel like a desirable and respected man when with them. I too
respect Thais. I hope to marry a Thai lady, and God willing, have
child(ren).
I talked to, had tea with, a twenty eight year old
“western” white woman today. She commented how aesthetically
unappealing it is for her to see an older man with a young Thai lady...
She did not have a man but wanted one, “till death do us part”. She
also has propagandized political, feminist views and lifestyle.
She has independence but stated “needs and wants a
man and children”. She also scoffed at suggestion of her cooking and
cleaning in this future marriage... She’s empowered by political trends
and wants chivalry too. She leaves man with nothing in her ideology.
The mass media has promoted for decades that white
women of European descent are the most beautiful. The women and the men
have “bought” this crap. Thai ladies are the most beautiful inside and
out. Many men come to Pattaya for the ladies and stay for the life. The
western white woman comes with her Calvinistic, religious and political
arrogance and becomes quickly cynical when she realizes that she is not
desirable (to these men) “inside or out”.
I suggested to this western woman that if she wanted
romance or passion, she could visit “Boys Town”. There are many
attractive and willing heterosexual Thai men available. She turned out to
be not only a feminist, or pseudo-feminist, but also a racist. I feel some
pity for her, but not much.
Again thank you to the powers that be, that Thailand
and Pattaya continue being great places! Western control or politics are a
displaced chaotic sham, as demonstrated by the western white woman I met.
Thank you His Majesty for keeping Thailand for Thais:
May you live forever!
...Many good men come to Thailand with good hearts,
passion and money and find good lives amongst good people. Thailand has
become my home and I am grateful!
Paul Jakobsen
Minnesota, U.S.A.
Robbed at the show
Dear Sir,
My family and I have just got home after spending 16
days in Pattaya. We all had a really good time, except for one incident.
This involved my daughter Lisa and her friend Seana.
We had all gone out for a meal and went to watch the
local “cabaret” show on 2nd Road near Royal Garden. We all sat at one
long table, 18 of us including some friends. Half way through the show
Seana bent down to lift her handbag, which was on the ground under the
table, between Seana and Lisa’s feet. To her horror the bag was gone. It
was amazing, we saw no one. Anyway, the police were contacted and we had
to go to the police station to make a statement.
Seana lost her passport, her money she had after
changing into baht, she also lost her camera. My daughter lost 50 Pound
Sterling and her camera. The next day we went to Bangkok to the British
Embassy for Seana to apply for an emergency visa costing her 1950 baht.
She had to return to Bangkok one week later to collect her passport, then
go to immigration to fill in more forms. She lost 2 days out of her
holidays, plus her money, cameras and passport. We were very disappointed
that we got no phone calls or letters from the manager of the cabaret
show. Just another tourist getting robbed. This has been our 4th year in
Pattaya, and we love the Thai people for their friendliness, etc.
Anyone going to this particular show, take care of your
handbags and don’t look for the manager if you get robbed.
Yours sincerely,
Jim Murray
Responding to Derek
Editor;
This letter is in response to the letter from Derek
discussing the problems he had getting his computer serviced (February 25
issue).
It’s important, I think, for people like Derek who
have had a serious problem with a business to bring it to the attention of
other interested people. However, Derek did what so many other farangs do.
As I said in a previous letter, he acted like a “walking wallet” in
his letter.
Why, Derek, was it necessary to start your letter off
by saying “I am so incensed yet again about the way we farangs are
treated here...” and then end it with the crack about “...yet another
farang, nearly got taken to the cleaners”?
There was nothing in the experience you described that
made it seem like what happened to you was the result of being a farang.
Are you trying to say that the shop at Panthip would have been more
professional had you been Thai? There is certainly no evidence of that. Or
are you saying that you deserve better treatment because you’re a farang?
What was the reason for the unnecessary “Thai-bashing” and “farang
whining” that prefaced and closed an otherwise important letter?
I’m one farang who is tired of being stereotyped by
the Thai as a result of people you who immediately want to cast the Thai
as racists whenever they have a problem.
Secondly, as an IT professional I want to take issue
with one other statement you made.
Sir, had you lost your computer due to the incompetence
or outright dishonesty of the shop in Panthip, they would not be to blame
for you “...losing 20 years of programmes and presentations...” as you
claimed. The blame for the loss would have rested squarely on the
shoulders of whoever made the IT decisions for your business.
Do you seriously control the books and run payroll on a
laptop? That type of business should have 1 or 2 desktop PCs (possibly
more) controlled by a network server. Daily backups run by the server. If
a laptop is desired, a docking station can be used. And why are you
running your business on a foreign bought machine that cannot be easily
serviced locally? And how can it be overemphasized? Backups! Where are
they? Why aren’t you doing them? Can’t afford all that equipment? You
have no choice if you want to do business in a professional manner.
This is doubly a problem considering the comments that
you prefaced your letter with. I see a catastrophe waiting to happen. A
defective computer, a dishonest repair shop, or just your runaway cup of
coffee could literally put your company out of business. And it would be
solely the fault of the person managing the business. You cut corners and
took a risk. Gambled and lost.
But dollars to donuts you’d write a letter telling
everyone about how the Thai did it to yet another farang. Wouldn’t you?
That’s what’s I call “Acting like a walking
wallet.”
Frequent Farang
Not impressed
Editor;
The bad experience that “Derek” experienced with
his laptop is totally unremarkable. I would like to point out, though,
that if he teaches Business Management perhaps he should start every
lecture with the advice, “Always back up your files”, and take this
advice himself, otherwise he will not be in business long.
John Angus, Jomtien
Copyright 2000 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
Updated by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek, assisted
by Boonsiri Suansuk.
|
Letters published
in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail
are also on our website. |
It is
noticed that the letters herein in no way reflect the opinions of the editor or writers
for Pattaya Mail, but are unsolicited letters from our readers, expressing their
own opinions. No anonymous letters or those without genuine addresses are printed, and,
whilst we do not object to the use of a nom de plume, preference will be given to those
signed. |
|