HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Global warming hysteria

Pick pocket alert

If you were mayor

American checks are clearing quicker

What is a hooker?

Thai Proverbs for Farangs

Global warming hysteria

Editor;
We need to look back in time to get an idea how devastating the present scare tactics of the “Global Warming” people and the news media could be to all mankind if we do not take a careful look at what they are saying. In 1962, Rachael Carson wrote a book, The Silent Spring, about the apocalyptic prediction of man-made eco doom over the use of DDT. As a result of this scare-mongering book, DDT was banned world wide because of her claim that there would be a world wide cancer epidemic and bird life would be wiped out.
Carson’s claims were based on a complete misrepresentation of research of a Dr James DeWitt. In fact, Dr DeWitt’s research showed the direct opposite to the claims of Carson. She claimed: “Dr DeWitt’s now classic experiments [show] that exposure to DDT, even when doing no observable harm to the birds, may seriously affect reproduction. Quail into whose diet DDT was introduced throughout the breeding season survived and even produced normal numbers of fertile eggs. But few of the eggs hatched.”
DeWitt reported no significant difference in egg hatching between birds fed DDT and birds not fed DDT. Carson omitted mentioning DeWitt’s report that DDT-fed pheasants hatched about 50 percent more eggs than “control” pheasants.”
DDT doesn’t cause Cancer. (Carson blamed DDT for something that was actually, later research found, caused by aflatoxin, a toxic by-product of fungi). In 1971-72 an EPA judge concluded after seven months and 9,000 pages of testimony that “DDT is not a carcinogenic hazard to man... DDT is not a mutagenic or teratogenic hazard to man... The use of DDT under the regulations involved here does not have a deleterious effect of freshwater fish, estuarine organisms, wild birds or other wildlife.”
In 2006, the World Health Organization tacitly acknowledged its mistake by partially rescinding the ban. “We must take a position based on the science and the data. One of the best tools we have against malaria is indoor residual spraying. Of the dozen or so insecticides WHO has approved as safe for house spraying, the most effective is DDT,” said Arata Kochi of WHO.
Do the utterly misleading “extreme scenarios” poised by Rachael Carson remind you of anyone? Al Gore? Carson’s best selling brand of junk science and misanthropic, anti-capitalistic doom mongering has provided the model for the international green movement ever since. It has been estimated by the World Health Organization that as a result of Carson’s book and the ban of DDT, over 50 million have died of Malaria which is caused by mosquitoes.
What an interesting parallel we can draw between the fear-mongering created by Carson and the present day apocalypse being predicted by Al Gore and his cronies.
Bob
Pattaya

Pick pocket alert

Editor;
On a baht bus ride from Pattaya to Jomtien the other night, a ladyboy and two females got on the bus. The ladyboy sat next to my son and placed his bag on his lap, covering his hand and my son’s pocket. My son knew what was going on and grabbed her hand as it was about to go into his pocket. We evicted them from the bus, too afraid to smash them in case that got us into trouble. Beware.
Col West

If you were mayor

Editor;
I would like to propose a forum, and the question on the table is: If you were mayor of Pattaya, what would be the first 3 issues you would address to increase tourism and quality of life in Pattaya? Please bear in mind a small budget. I have asked all my friends and they all start with law and order issues. Perhaps these hallowed columns will forward the results to the right honorable mayor.
Mario Sambucci
Ed’s note: Sure, send in your suggestions and we will publish all reasonable entries.

American checks are clearing quicker

Editor;
Heads up retired Americans. Five working days is what the UOB website advertises for personal checks drawn on a U. S. account to post to your Thai UOB account. Checks deposited from branches outside Bangkok require two additional days. My check was deposited in the Pattaya branch on June 2, the check cleared my U. S. account on June 8, and the funds were available on June 10. The cost was $20. One condition is that you must have had an account with the bank for 6 months. Quite a change from the old 45 days if you were lucky.
Aree Ryan

What is a hooker?

Editor;
I was intrigued whilst catching up with my PM reading to see the letters from Mickeyfin and his mate John Arnone touching on the subject of “paid for love” both in Thailand and Europe. Mickeyfin, a resident of Blackburn, whiles away his boredom by regularly contributing theories to Mailbag on matters Thai ranging from the benefits of eternal Songkran to the lambasting of foreigners who live here who dare to suggest it would be fair shakes to own the house or apartment they have purchased in their own name. He is normally hotly supported by John Arnone, a KFC lover from Yasothon who also believes that foreigners should follow the Thai way or the highway when it comes to property ownership or settle for wifey owning everything.
Fin kicks off by creating an imaginary story of a guy taking a hooker in some northern town and giving her gifts, motorcycles, houses, etc., and points out the absurdity of this and then makes a parallel with the behaviour of visitors to Thailand with bar girls. He describes it as “mind numbing”. I am not sure whether he is suggesting it is his mind that is numbed or the Thailand visitor.
I consider this comparison to be silly. The experience of taking a street hooker in Burnley one can only shudder at. Firstly many of the girls are hard drug addicts, are run by pimps and probably carry weapons. The experience would most likely take place in the back of a car in a multi story carpark or a kneetrembler up some darkened alley. It would be cold without feeling and over within minutes. It would also be relatively expensive and were you brave enough to offer the equivalent of a thousand baht you would probably get stabbed.
Having had an office in the Kings Cross area of London for many years I think gives me the right to comment but I also hastily add, not to experience. However, at the other end of the scale, that is paying for an escort and having an all nighter in a nice hotel, I do have experience of and it can be great but hugely expensive. The expense alone would preclude any situation of getting to know one of these ladies on any level but professional. Quite simply at either end of the scale it’s not going to happen.
Contrast this with Thailand. A visitor goes bar hopping and is confronted with dozens of lovely girls that for the price of a meal in London he can take any one of them back to his comfortable hotel and have the best night he’s ever experienced.
On top of this she is willing to stay with him for the duration of his holiday. Of course many of these guys make relationships and fall in love. Many make the wrong choices and suffer the consequences but many don’t and end up happily married with 2.4 children. I hardly see that the difference is that great when looking at the failure rate of relationships in the West.
But getting back to Mickey and John. They are both married to Thai ladies and by their own admittance have bought them houses and land. John in fact if my memory serves me correctly once had a bar biz in Pattaya that he sold to move to Yasothon. To justify their smugness it would be nice if they were to give an account as to the circumstances surrounding the development of their relationships. Profession wise I do hope I don’t read waitress, cashier or university student.
Richard Franklin

Thai Proverbs for Farangs

By Thai-lish
Are you one of those who are interested in Thai culture, mentality, and language but find it hard to understand and get to the hearts of the people?
Learn these Thai proverbs and you’ll have a deeper understanding of Thais and even impress a few.
Thai proverbs are centuries old, and are widely used among the Thai people in order to explain the situations and matters so that the others can have a clear picture about what they are saying.
Some of the proverbs have words that usually rhyme the end of the first clause with the beginning or the middle of the second clause.
It is an artistic and fun way and to communicate. Try it.

Adage 6

สามีเป็นช้างเท้าหน้า...ภรรยาเป็นช้างเท้าหลัง (saã-mee-bpen-chaâng-taô-naâ….pan-rá-yaa-bpen-chaáng-taô-lãng)
saã-mee = husband
bpen = is
chaâng = elephant
taô = foot/feet
naâ = front
pan-rá-yaa = wife
lãng = behind, hind, back

Meaning: “The husband is like the front legs of an elephant …the wife is like the hind legs of an elephant”
Similar to “The rooster is louder than the hen” it means the husband is the leader and the wife is the follower or supporter, which means…well, you get the idea.
In ancient times this was usually the case, but in the 21st century, Thai women hold as much leadership in the family and workforce as men. A lot work even much harder. Therefore, before using this proverb with your wife, be sure that she is not stronger than you and that she can take your nonsense; otherwise you could be flattened by the taô chaâng.
Sawatdee

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