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CONSTRUCTIVE SUGGESTION (02/01/2009 08:30:47)
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Author: William sub editor.
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RE: Proper English for the Multiple Stories you print every week. A house or a car cannot be "robbed", only a human being can be "robbed." The correct definition of robbery is the taking of money or property by fear or force. So by definition only a human can be robbed and only when he is actually present during the crime. Houses and cars can be burglarized, or "stolen from" and a human can be robbed while he is inside his house or car; but only people can be robbed. This mistake is commonly made by many people, not just your newspaper, but it makes your staff sound much less professional. Please accept this as a constructive suggestion from an American lawyer and not mean criticism, thank you. Robert. Sattahip. Reply: Thank you for your constructive suggestion for the improvement of proper English in our newspaper, which we certainly will take note of and make our editors write out a thousand times. For who could ignore the advice of an American Lawyer, a member of a profession so unfairly associated with that other form of robbery – Daylight! Happy New Year! William sub editor.
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1337 only for Thais (29/12/2008 09:21:24)
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Author: D. Aleman.
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Having already discovered the futility of calling the police or foreign police volunteers for help should I need it I really was elated to read and hear about 1337 for emergency aid. Most English speaking foreigners are familiar with a 3 digit emergency number, (in the US - 911), who dispatch, immediately, police, fire or medical aid. I write this so they do not restrict aid calls to this number as the wait could be fatal, (heart attack or hemorrhage). Coming home from a Pattaya Expats meeting today, Sunday, I saw an unconscious man lying amidst some debris with blood on his face. I called 1337, punched # 9 for English and tried several times to explain with the usual response being "what?” Finally, getting nowhere, I gave up. This "Emergency" number advertised everywhere is probably fine for Thais but not English only people.
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King Wacko (29/12/2008 09:15:33)
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Author: King Wacko
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Editor, Of all the cities in all the world, Pattaya is arguably the one where the most natural act of life is also the most normal and everyday. Unfortunately, we also have a prissy-prude named Bob who tells us he supports abstinence. That means if he had his way fellas, no more recreational sex. It has been said a number of times by various people that Pattaya attracts every sort of wacko there is, but I think we have found King Wacko! Do I need to ask readers for suggestions as to what this fruit-cake ought to do? Rory, UK.
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SQUEAKY CLEAN BEACHES (29/12/2008 09:14:54)
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Author: CHEAPER!
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To Koto: Your anti smoking obsession doesn’t make you smarter but just blind and not very much educated. You stated "If someone smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, they will approximately flick, hide or leave behind 50,000 toxic butts a year." Sorry Koto but 365 x 20 equals to 7300, not 50,000! Not a small difference in appreciation. And this is assuming NONE end up in an ashtray which is more than highly unlikely. It is rather funny that Pattaya boasting its beautiful beaches cannot afford a beach mechanical cleaner in view of their apparent millions of tourists yearly. And they prefer to clean manually with a few well advertised media fanfares with X number of military people, X number of city workers, X numbers of students, X numbers of children and again X numbers of children. Come on, ONE or TWO mechanical beach cleaners, not only cleans the surface sand but also in depth. They are not that expensive for a large tourist city the size of Pattaya. Your beaches are not wide, just long! Who can believe for ONE second that tourists don’t care about dirty beaches? Why not spend money for beach cleaning but spend much more in the many Pattaya festivities occurring many times during the course of a year? Just reduce the number of these festivities, or at least their budget, and spend it in beaches cleaning. A simple marketing idea for attracting tourists in view of the current meltdown: "Pattaya guarantees to have the cleanest beaches in Thailand" and will spend the necessary budget to deliver the promise! No doubt that will be more rewarding than your too many festivities and their budgets to attract tourists...and much, much CHEAPER! Just think about it! Charles Curty.
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TOXIC DEAD KIPPERS (29/12/2008 09:13:21)
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Author: Jack Tighe
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Editor, Oh dear, I seem to have upset self-appointed example-setter Gerry (self-styled KOTO). To be clear, I never said his ‘anti-butt’ messages were wrong, but that in ‘taking his hat off’ (his words) to someone who defended a mass-murdering war-criminal (Nixon) and inferring that I and others were “misinformed on many things” (again his words), he was being inconsistent (as was pointed out by ‘Rory, UK’). Now; his “one shy of a six-pack” snipe at me regarding ‘wisdom’, (suggesting he thinks he is all-wise whereas being only one short will do for me) self-exposes him as someone who, when his ego is bruised, resorts to spiteful name-calling. His jibe is rich coming from someone to whom doing something useful is not enough, but he has to broadcast it. Usually it is in a way that is counter-productive. Authorities the world over have spent billions of dollars on anti-smoking campaigns and would tell him that ‘warnings’ become ineffective with over-use. In short, all he achieves with his garbled lecturing is to make him seem a well-meaning but rather ridiculous figure and to unite smokers and non-smokers (usually an impossible task) in a huge yawn. One can imagine some of both being so annoyed by his continual proselytizing that they light up and flick butts in defiance. He can carry on proclaiming the damage that carelessness in butt-disposal does and, even though I doubt anyone reads his words, I won’t criticize him while he sticks to that. But if he is again self-superior in other ways, blaming others because he can’t make himself clear, he will again be clouted with the written equivalent of a toxic-dead kipper. If he wants to get his message across, he needs lessons in writing composition and social awareness techniques. Here’s his first of both respectively: “Never use an unnecessary word.” – George Orwell. “Avoid lengthy, repetitive sermons.” – .
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That Road (29/12/2008 09:12:33)
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Author: PRICELESS!
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I just wanted to let everyone know how dangerous it is to ride a motorcycle down the hill into Jomtien when coming from Pattaya. Heading South past View Talay 1 you will find many holes filled with water on the roadway. At night it’s sometimes hard to see these potholes. Two women on a motorcycle hit these potholes and were rushed to the hospital; shortly after a car came down the road and hit the same pothole. A simple orange cone with a blinking red light would help. Cost to Pattaya City Hall and tourism –
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Toxic Butts (20/12/2008 03:25:04)
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Author: KOTO: Keeper of the Ocean and a Voice for the Voiceless.
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Aloha, If you don't smoke or do, and do not flick or leave your butts behind, you don't need to read this. This is for either the Unknowing or the Uncaring Smoker. Once you finish reading this you will understand, and hope will change your habit. If the cigarettes you smoke have a filter, this means it is made of Cellulose Acetate Tow, which becomes toxic when you smoke, also takes years to decompose. In the mean time some are ingested by unknowing children that go to the beach, park, lake, neighborhoods. I have helped three mothers take toxic butts out of their choking baby's throats at Jomtien Beach. It is estimated that several trillion toxic cigarette butts are littered worldwide every year. That's billions of toxic cigarettes flicked one at a time on our sidewalks, beaches, nature trails, gardens, storm drains and other public places "every single day". Now that there is a ban on indoor smoking, more than ever are more toxic butts flicked, buried in the sand or tossed into our storm drains that go into our ocean. Some of our unknowing sea food eat the toxic butts and die or we eat the sea food and get sick. Many toxic butts wash back to shore where our children play. If someone smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, they will approximately flick, hide or leave behind 50,000 toxic butts a year. If just one person would look outside the Box and think about the voiceless, children, wildlife and waterways and make their New Year’s Resolution to no longer flick their butts, that one person would have removed Fifty Thousand different dangers a year. All I am is a Voice for them as I hear their cry for Help. A couple of things that might help you to Pack It In, Pack It Out, if you drive, bring a small water bottle with some water in it, (a perfect ashtray). No fire, smell or litter. Or bring a zip lock bag. The children, wildlife and waterways don't want you to quit smoking, they just beg you to stop making them sick or killing them. All of the voiceless want to thank You, Wish you a Very Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Good Luck on your New Year’s Resolution. Health and Happiness to All! "The Life of the People is in Our Hearts and shows in the Land".
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Bang Saray Resort (20/12/2008 03:23:47)
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Author: Don Aleman
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I am not sure that in the beginning of a down turn in tourism, Pattaya needs a 2500 Room resort now or even later. Probably my following comments are premature as in many Development "announcements", governmental and business, those plans are never brought to fruition. Usually funding falls short (is all the financing for this project securely in place?) I was in Patong when a "Jungceylon" mall began and it was refinanced 3 times and delayed 2 and half years and that was during good times! What I am sure of is that, as in every project, (yes, EVERY) planned and begun in Thailand, absolutely no thought is given about the population already in place. The Holiday Inn being built next door to me is a year late already, won't be completed for another year, works often 24 hours a day forced nearby residents to keep doors/windows closed to keep dust out, noisy beyond belief and thousands of noisy polluting truck loads of material arrive day and night! This (Holiday Inn) relatively small (400 room?) hotel is nothing in terms of construction, compared to a mammoth 2,500 room resort. A brief questioning of engineers, with little real information available, # of floors, square footage, etc., revealed a loose but conservative estimate of 50,000 truckloads of materials and workers. How will most of them with little or no pollution controls, belching smoke/noise get to the site? On existing roads that have a huge traffic problem already? What work hours? The law says, varying depending on who you ask, 8 hours, 6 days a week but, next door they work a minimum of 12 hours, 7 days a week and often 24 hours. Where will the workers live and under what conditions? More cement, more flooding? How will this affect the Mayor's proposed Mono Rail and underground pedestrian tunnels? Will this heavy traffic further destroy the few drivable streets in Pattaya? These are but a few of hundreds of questions that I really don't believe have been addressed by the city administration. I think, maybe along with this letter, the big celebration party, was very premature. I am old enough to recall big parties for the launching of 2 other celebrated events - the Titanic and the Hindenburg! It is important to plan ah!
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Misunderstood (20/12/2008 03:22:29)
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Author: Gerry and MaLee: Keepers of the Ocean
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Aloha Opinions of the readers First, we would like to wish everyone a Very Melekalikimaka and Hauoli Makahiki Hou. A Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! From two KOTO'S: Gerry and MaLee, Keepers of the Ocean. I find myself being misunderstood by one Jack Tighe, I hope not by others. He states in your last issue that I KOTO Keeper of the Ocean is "Someone who moans about litter but approves of carpet bombing..." I'm so very sorry to be labeled in that way. For some time I thought that Jack Tighe had some Knowledge beneath his belt and maybe does, but as far as Wisdom is concerned he sounds like he is one shy of a six pack. I will never engage in Grumpy Old Men's views again, I will just do what I do best and that is being a Voice for the Voiceless, Children, Wildlife and Waterways. I do make mistakes at times; I push Send before proof reading or spell check. I'm here to set examples and educate the people that don't understand about littering. We are all in this neighborhood together. My pet peeve is about the most littered item in the world, which is toxic cigarette butts being flicked by uncaring, inconsiderate people that should know better. My New Year’s Resolution is to do my best to have Pattaya City Hall take a stand and to show concerns for our children, wildlife and waterways. To start imposing fines to those that flick or hide their toxic cigarette butts where the unknowing can find, ingest, become ill or die. Also wind or rain blowing, wash the toxic butts into our storm drains that go to our natural waterways; in our case the Ocean. And the toxins deluding into the water where our seafood and other sea life live; they unknowingly ingest the toxic butts. Either way it isn't healthy for the sea life or seafood that we eat. Don't get me wrong! Most of us understand and do our best to take care, not to leave our rubbish behind; some of us even pick up other’s rubbish. Going the extra yard has its rewards. We call it Waster-Sizing. You bend at the waist to pick up the waste, get rid of both. You are getting your exercise and helping Mother Nature at the same time. You see boys and girls there comes a time in some of our lives that we find giving is much better then receiving. It's not just about me it is about all of us, especially the voiceless. Walking the Walk is a way of life, people hear what we say. But they see what we do and seeing is believing! What can I say boys and girls? We are all where we are meant to be, "So let’s all take care of our Neighborhood". One act of random kindness at a time! We all need to be KOTO'S "Keepers of the Ocean". Buddha and God Bless Us All. .
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Everyones Entitled (13/12/2008 07:36:28)
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Author: Tony Crossley.
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Editor, Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but when a person continually displays arrogance by asserting that anyone who holds a different view to him is wrong, and in so doing makes speculative falsities and promulgates dangerous distortions, they have to be exposed as such. I can assure ‘Bob’ that, as a teacher and writer, I do not make statements that are bogus or off the top of my head. He says he supports an “abstinence based on sex-education” policy and provides “success” figures. What he doesn’t say is how success is defined or how long people subjected to the policy are supposed to refrain. If he means until marriage, that is extreme arrogance. Just who does he think he is to preach to people that, when their sex drive is at its highest, to engage in an activity that is as natural as eating or sleeping is wrong? The perversity of such preaching not only causes many people to marry too young and merely to have sex, which usually results in breakdown of the marriage, it is said by many psychologists (quoted in my book ‘Pattaya: the Good, the Bad & the Other’) to be directly responsible for much sexual phobia, obsession, perversion and frustration-induced violence. Is with abstinence creating this ‘success’? What Bob does is trawl the Internet looking for any biased source to support his preconceived views, yet cannot work out evidence that is right in front of his eyes. That the abstinence policy is a failure of monumental proportion has been proved by the principal promoter of it, the Catholic Church, countless paedophile priests of which would have been included in Bob’s success figures. You see, another fact is that any zoologist will inform that suppression of an animal’s natural impulses will invariably lead to unnatural ones. Bob having previously derided a man who has impressed the world, he now tells us that he shares the moralistic policy of a woman who, with that policy, failed her own daughter and of whom American magazine Newsweek said; “looks like a secretary in a porn movie”. Bob will no doubt call the magazine "Left-wing", but one guesses the Palin look it referred to is what impresses Bob about her. A success he has had is repeatedly showing that a man not knowing his intellect limitations is a sure-fire way to make a fool of himself.
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