HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Why aren’t the ‘peasants’ revolting?

Eradicating polio

Leila has arrived

More on smoking

Bin your butts

The Royal British Legion

Why aren’t the ‘peasants’ revolting?

Dear Editor,
The other day I heard a DJ on a local radio station say that he’d just spoken to someone who’d recently returned from the UK, and they were never going back there again because everyone’s depressed and it’s too depressing; these remarks annoyed me.
I’d like to suggest that it’s not the economy or the weather that’s depressing people in Britain so much as the current government’s immigration policy of, ‘Give us your poor and hungry’, etc (like the US’s), without consulting ethnic Britons first, as well as its slavish adherence to the UN’s asylum rules policy. I’d bet that even if the Conservative party was led by a pantomime horse they’ll sweep Mr ‘dour faced’ Brown and his bunch of hypocrites away at the next much anticipated general election.
I admire the Thai Kingdom’s immigration policy which only allows you to stay here legally on a retirement visa if you can prove you won’t become a financial burden on the Kingdom; the UK should have adopted a similar attitude a long time ago instead of the mess it’s in now with freeloading illegal immigrants and asylum seekers.
Mr Tyler Watson.
(No relation to Watt Tiler, leader of the ill-fated ‘Peasants Revolt’ of 1381 in London, England.)

Eradicating polio

Dear Editor,
With interest I looked at the websites of Pattaya Mail (issue 6, Feb 5-11) and Pattaya Blatt (issue 5, Feb 2-8). I compliment you on the content and user-friendliness of the sites! Great sites, and a great source of information.
My interest was caught in particular by a report on the polio vaccination (or rather: immunization) of 7,130 kids in Pattaya. The report mentions the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, carried out since 1988 by its partners: the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the Rotary Foundation (or rather: Rotary), but does not list the 4th partner: the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Your article is quite symbolic of reports on the fight against polio in the national and international press, as it could have provided a few details on Rotary’s contributions to eradicate this terrible and ruthless disease. Your news articles may be based on a press release from the Ministry of Public Health. If so, then similar items in other Thai media on local immunization efforts will have the same ‘lost opportunity’. Of course, public media are not Rotary publications, but in this case there is good reason to provide some background information.
Rotary (through the Rotary Foundation) is the only privately-funded GPEI partner. The other 3 partners are public institutions that are funded by the UN (WHO and UNICEF) and the US government (CDC). From 1988, when GPEI was launched, Rotarians all over the world have raised US$1.2 billion to eradicate polio globally, and will raise a further US$100-200 million to the end-of-program that is foreseen for 2013-2015. This includes an extraordinary donation of US$355 million that Rotary received in 2007-2009 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. As a result of GPEI efforts, the number of polio-endemic countries has dropped from 85 in 1988 to 4 (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria), and the number of new annual polio cases has been reduced by 99%. More than 2 billion children have been immunized, with countless thousands of Rotary volunteers helping with the annual immunization efforts. As Thailand has been declared polio-free (no new cases over a period of 5 years), the immunization efforts in Thailand have largely been taken over by the Ministry of Public Health.
As Rotarians we do not seek praise for such efforts as they are part of our basic humanitarian and educational service obligations to society. The only thing we request is that the public is made aware of such efforts that cover a wide range of service activities of which our GPEI commitment is only one, albeit a very important one. Rotarians worldwide raise and spend well over US$500 million each year for humanitarian and educational projects, often helped with grants from the Rotary Foundation. Join Rotary to experience the enormous satisfaction that results from helping our community and communities in other parts of the world!
Warm Greetings,
Martin Brands
Rotary District 3340

Leila has arrived

Editor;
It was on the 28th of December when I got an sms in the late afternoon from Pat Burbridge. The message screamed “Leila has arrived. It was the most beautiful experience in the world!”
The proud parents of this healthy, pretty little 3.37 kg, 52 cm girl are Pat’s daughter Cindy Burbridge Bishop and Byron Bishop.
Leila Carmen Bishop’s grand aunts in Pattaya waited for over a month before they finally had a chance to see and to hold her when Cindy and Byron came down recently.
I asked Cindy if she had plans on when she might be able to go back to work doing modeling acting again, she said: “Breast Feeding is my new career for a while, the most rewarding job of all.”
Sue K

More on smoking

Editor;
Scientific American did a study on smoking and second hand smoke related deaths/year in the U.S.: 400,000 for smoking and 100,000 for second hand smoke exposure. Nuff said.
Lawrence Remington
Pattaya

Bin your butts

Editor;
I’d like to address this to John Arnone: Mahalo for responding to, “Stop dropping your butts” In the January 29th issue of Mailbag, with your, “Second hand smoke” reaction in the February 5th issue.
We are reaching out to people like you John, that have all the excuses at hand, to why they smoke and why they don’t care what they do with their toxic butts. We agree that car exhaust is also a killer, cars take people from point A to point B, cigarettes take people from point A to an early grave, and that is up to the individual, but what they do with their toxic butts is not.
It is quite obvious that you have never seen a baby choking on a discarded cigarette butt, or have never seen the inside of a fish, turtle or bird that died before its time from ingesting toxic butts, plastic, used cigarette lighters, or people in the hospital with problems with drinking contaminated water because they can’t afford purified water.
It is true that I am a Haouli white island man from Maui, Hawaii, as you described. You see John, it doesn’t matter where one comes from, it doesn’t matter where ones at, or their color, what matters is where one is coming from, on the “inside”.
Having respect for yourself and others, being responsible for all of your actions, reduce, reuse and recycle.
We are just asking everyone to pack out what they pack in. You sound like a wise person, why would you want to do something that you now know can and does kill living things and contaminates our natural waterways?
Sure there are many things that are dangerous to one’s life, but why John Arnone, do you want to contribute to it? Can’t you bite the bullet and keep your butts to yourself? Earth is not an ash tray, have a little respect for mother nature, children, wildlife, waterways and oneself.
This Haouli has been in Thailand for the past 9 years, picking up after uncaring Johns. We just want the Johns to grow up and think before they flick what takes up to 12 years to decompose, or leave trash behind.
Remember John, life it is not just about you and your habit.
It is never too late to make changes for the best and we hope that the Pollution Solution Group has given the Johns a little more insight on how they can do their part, by just keeping their poison to themselves.
Like we have said before, there are many smokers that do not flick or leave their butts (cigarette ends) behind, they are considerate in restaurants, or where there are groups of people around like Thai Immigration, they have enough of a grip that they don’t need to pacify themselves every other minute, they have self control and respect, we thank them for that.
The Pollution Solution Group believes that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become. We thank the caring smokers and we hope we enlightened the Johns out there.
We wish you all a healthy, long-life and full of inner-wealth, leaving only smiles and footprints behind, just one random act of kindness at a time.
KOTO
The Pollution Solution Group with Pattaya City Hall

The Royal British Legion

The Royal British Legion, down at Tropical Bert’s,
meet every Sunday, don’t have to wear your shirts.

Derek is the chairman, Bert by his side,
everything in the open, nothing there to hide.

Many ex service men, proud of what they’ve done,
but always remember, they welcome every one.

When you first enter the door,
you become a stranger no more.

So show everyone we are some of the best in the world,
join us when we march, with our banner now unfurled.

Malcolm, Bud & Bob, just to name a few,
Graham, Tony, Glen & Paul, trusted men & true.

The backbone of our legion, we cannot do without,
thank you fellows, I’ll have a little stout.

Ex royal navy, that’s what I am,
so good luck to you all, from Albert & my Mam.

Albert, Ex R.N.

Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail
are also published here.