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Americans uniquely belong to a country without a name
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Discourteous drivers
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Gambling? Get over it
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OK for us but not for you
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Correction for article of 20th World “Boy” Scout Jamboree
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The complex science of spirit houses
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Americans uniquely belong to a country without a name
Dear Editor,
In 1778, 13 of the British Colonies in continental
North America signed their Declaration of Independence proclaiming their
independence from their colonial power, Britain and became the United
States of America. They were not the only States in America at the time,
the rest being colonies of Spain, Britain, Portugal, France, Russia and to
a lesser extent The Netherlands and Denmark.
There are and have been other United States, for
example the Estados Unidas dos Brazil and Indonesia, which when first
granted independence from The Netherlands was as the United States of
Indonesia, quickly changed by President Sukarno when assuming power, to
the Republic of Indonesia. Thus whilst all Brazilians can claim to be
nationals of the United States of Brazil, the same connotation cannot be
used in the case of Americans.
Arguably then it would appear that those who claim to
be Americans uniquely belong to a country without a name, being residents
of the geographical entity of America, which is not in any way a political
unit in the sense of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain & Northern
Ireland), which refers to the political union of the territories named.
Finally, it can be said that whereas all Americans may
claim to come from America, not all Americans are citizens of the U.S.A.
Yours truly,
Roger Womersley
Discourteous drivers
Dear Editor,
Having been driving a car in Thailand for only three
years, I have to confess that I seem to be becoming as discourteous as the
average Thai driver. The reason, pure and simple, is survival. It seems
impossible to drive in the same way as I would in my own country, other
drivers just will not allow me to do so. Instead, I am nowadays
unnecessarily aggressive when driving and I don’t like myself for it. I
am not the only one, however. I recently rolled down my window and said to
a discourteous farang “What’s the matter mate, become a Thai?” He
laughed and gave way to me (presumably he knew just what I meant).
Thai men seem to view giving way to another vehicle in
the same way as backing out of a fight. They also seem to think that there
is something macho about driving too fast and being dangerous on the road.
Perhaps they are trying to compensate for something! Unfortunately,
dangerous driving (‘driving in a manner dangerous to the public’
&/or ‘driving without due care and attention’) does not seem to be
an offence in Thailand, and even the police indulge in practices on the
road which would lose them their driving licences in any European country.
I have been ‘cut up’ by so many stupid drivers on
so many occasions that I have now grown to expect all other drivers to do
something stupid, and regrettably nine times out of ten I am right. I have
to admit that I get some sort of morbid satisfaction out of seeing the
vehicle of such drivers involved in an accident further down the road. My
girlfriend says “som-nom-nar” out of the window when passing them.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen often enough for my liking, and all
too often these drivers somehow manage to escape accident themselves, but
force others into having near accidents. Very often the aggrieved driver
seems to take such actions as a challenge to his manhood and pursues the
offending driver in a manner which is equally or more dangerous
themselves.
One of the problems is that most drivers are
self-taught and that the driving tests are not properly conducted. Anyone
can pass a driving test in Thailand, and everyone seemingly does. If the
driving tests were to be carried out in the same manner as in Europe or
the United States with proper examiners, I would be willing to bet that
99% of Thai driving licence holders would not pass.
My girlfriend took driving lessons (which, of course, I
paid for) before she took her driving test. There were 10 or so other
Thais that were being tested at the same time. During the only
‘driving’ part of the test she was required to park her car in an
allocated parking space. Unfortunately, she touched the marker post when
doing so, but still passed. Whilst waiting for her turn, I watched the
other drivers make their manoeuvres. I was surprised by the fact that none
of them could do it despite countless tries and some of them even knocked
the post over. One lady ended up sideways across the road and then gave up
and got out, leaving the car in that position saying that she couldn’t
do it. Even more surprising was the fact that they all passed.
It is appreciated that not everyone can afford proper
driving lessons, but companies employing drivers of vehicles such as
coaches, buses and lorries carrying dangerous substances, should be
compelled to have properly taught and disciplined drivers that can pass an
advanced driving test. Plus, these companies should be forced to have
proper third party insurance so that they can pay for any damage caused by
their drivers. Furthermore, the police should check these credentials on a
monthly basis, and take off the road anyone who has not complied or close
down any company that continually fails to comply.
Yours truly
Richard
Gambling? Get over it
Editor;
Concerning gambling by Khai Khem: get over it. Smoking
causes problems for some, alcohol causes problems for some, some people die
in car crashes, some people drown while swimming, some people are addicted
to television, others are addicted to gambling in the stock market. Should
we all lie in the sun at Pattaya’s beaches? That causes cancer. Should we
all dine out more? Obesity kills. Should we all just shop more in
Pattaya’s stores? That runs up credit card debt and leads to bankruptcy,
domestic disharmony, divorce and children from broken homes.
Yes, older people gamble away their retirement checks,
but usually only what is left over after paying all their bills, and then
they go out to enjoy one of the few pleasures they are still capable of
participating in. Why does everyone want to stamp out whatever little bit
of fun people can manage outside of spending most of their lives working in
the hot sun or chained to a desk?
Cut all of us lifelong working stiffs a little slack. We
can donate to charity and still feed a slot machine, we can raise children
and still enjoy a risqu้ nightclub - are their any left? - we can
vote to protect the environment and light up a fine cigar, we can support
the local police and order wine with our meal. We come to Pattaya or go to
Las Vegas to rejuvenate ourselves for another year of making our bosses,
bankers and landlords rich. Not to mention that we are adults, not
children. And Pattaya benefits.
Respectfully,
A frequent visitor of Pattaya and Las Vegas, father of
four grown children and donor to charities, including the Pattaya Orphanage
Ken McGurn
OK for us but not for you
Editor;
I refer to the recent news article on the “gay-bar”
crackdown and the statements made therein, “... agrees there are gay
bars around the world, but none are so open as in Pattaya.” Also,
“expressed concern for Pattaya’s reputation as a family
destination.”
As a person who travels extensively throughout the
world I can assure you that there are places where the gay-bars are much
more in your face than Pattaya. Furthermore, I have never heard Pattaya
being mentioned as a family destination. In fact whenever I mention where
I live, it is usually greeted with a broad smile and a knowing wink.
In the 22 years I have been coming here I do agree that
I see more families now than in the early 1980’s; however, like it or
not Pattaya has gained a reputation as a single man’s paradise. We all
know what is on offer at the bars in Pattaya, so the constant mention of
preventing prostitution or fronts for prostitution is to say the least
naive. Considering that visiting prostitutes, having mea-noi’s is
considered normal by Thai standards, then perhaps this is just one more
case of “its Ok for us, but you farangs can’t do that.”
Regards
Waylander
Correction for article of 20th World “Boy” Scout Jamboree
To Whom It May Concern:
In your last issue you had an article concerning the
20th World “Boy” Scout Jamboree to be held in Thailand. Throughout the
article there were many references to the word “Boy”. This is
incorrect. The correct title of the event is the “20th World Scout
Jamboree” and will include both boys and girls between the ages of 14 to
18. Scouting in Thailand, like many other countries, now includes both
boys and girls.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Kim E. Johansen
Deputy Director, International Service Team
20th World Scout Jamboree
The complex science of spirit houses
Editor;
Dr. Iain Corness’s delightful meditation on the quest
for a proper spirit house (issue of 2 August) deserves a place in the
pantheon of great expat literature.
That’s the good news. Now for the bad news.
My old guru, Master Chang Shou, is a noted Taoist
shaman and spiritologist who recently left his hermitage deep in the Tien
Shan Mountains of western China and came down to Pattaya for a short time.
When he read Dr. Corness’ article, he uttered a cry of dismay.
“Bad feng shui, my son,” he told me. “Judging
from the photos, the one-legged spirit house is significantly higher than
the four-legged one.
“Thai spirits are highly hierarchical. They are bound
to quarrel over who gets to live in the higher house.”
“What can be done, Master?” I asked anxiously.
“Well, if they quarrel, Dr. Corness will soon know
about it,” Master Chang replied. “”All sorts of strange things will
start happening in his house.
“Light bulbs will burn out with unusual frequency.
There will be electrical and plumbing problems, such as short circuits and
exploding toilets. There may be an abnormal influx of insect and reptilian
life-forms.
“In a worst-case scenario, the maid, Khun Suchada,
may run off with the local somtam vendor - or, worse still, with a baht-bus
driver - leaving Dr. Corness maidless and forlorn.”
“But the higher spirit house has only one leg,” I
objected. “Doesn’t that make it equal to the lower, four-legged
house?”
“That’s not the way spirits think, my son,”
Master Chang said. “But we do have some wiggle room here.
“If nothing unusual happens in Dr. Corness’ house,
we can infer that the spirits are not quarreling, and that they are mellow
and egalitarian types who will live in unequal houses in perfect
harmony.”
“What if they do quarrel, Master?” I inquired.
“Then Dr. Corness must recalibrate the spirit houses
to make them equal in height,” Master Chang replied.
“Gosh, spiritology is certainly a complex science,
Master,” I observed.
Master Chang smiled. “You bet your Reeboks, my
son,” he said. “And now that we’ve solved the problems of the spirit
world, let’s go out for a beer.”
S. Tsow
(W. Page)
Dr. Iain replies: Thank you for the kind words. No sign
of armed hostilities, all quiet on the Western front; however, 4 legs did
display a white flag this morning!
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