HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Air drop your butts

Power outages in the Mabprachan area

Avoid high fat and high sugar foods

Where’s the real Indian food?

What do we know?

More on Pattaya’s unenforced smoking laws

Humans are rebellious

Who is starting fires in Jomtien?

Rights guaranteed by the US Constitution

Air drop your butts

Dear Ed;

A message to KOTO and the Pollution Aggravation Group: Please form a big group of people to start keeping their butts and pick up as many as you can even if you have to start smoking. We in the USA Gulf need these butts and butt collectors to soak up our little oil pollution problem here. They are very good at absorbing oil so could you please send them to us to be air dropped over the area. BP=Bigger Pollution.

Also, just a note to Ken about airplanes burning up huge amounts of fuel. Your average long haul jet gets 50 mpg. What about your car Ken? And how many people do you transport?

Gerardus,
USA

Power outages in the Mabprachan area

Editor;

Are there any electrical experts out there? I have lived for about 6 years in the Mabprachan area where we are subjected to power outages virtually on a daily basis. These can vary from a few seconds to a few hours and we can experience upwards of 4 or 5 outages per day.

When power is restored it may result in massive power surges blowing light bulbs and on two occasions the meter box outside, or insufficient power where only a few items work. On many occasions the power even surges up and down, which can be extremely worrying.

I believe this situation is only around the Mabprachan area as I know friends in other locations do not have this problem. So what is the cause or reason? Why is the Mabprachan area singled out for this? Can I claim the frequent damage from the electrical authority?

It’s been suggested we are in a “cross over” zone, which means what?

Having lived all around the world, even in countries with the simplest of lifestyles I have never seen this before, so has anyone any suggestions (other than sell up and move) or can anyone enlighten me on the cause of the problem?

Frustrated Resident

Avoid high fat and high sugar foods

Dear Editor:

Yes Mr Holt (Mailbag, June 4), I read the article in the Brunch section of the Bangkok Post (May 23) which blames white flour and sugar for all these diseases instead of saturated fat and meat.

But unfortunately the Post didn’t publish my response where I asked if meat doesn’t cause high cholesterol and heart disease why is the average cholesterol among American male vegans 133 while the average American meat eater has a cholesterol over 200. (It is practically unheard of for anyone with a cholesterol number below l50 to die of a heart attack.)

In his book: “Diet for a New America”, which won him a nomination for a Pulitzer Prize, John Robbins notes that while the average American male meat-eater has a better than 50% chance of dying from a heart attack, the average American male vegan only has a 4% chance of dying that way.

And Dr Dean Ornish was able to reverse heart disease in his patients without using medication by putting them on a low-fat vegetarian diet. Yet according to that article meat has nothing to do with heart disease!

The choice should not be between a high fat or a high sugar diet. Instead we should be choosing a high complex carbohydrate diet (fruits, vegetables, whole grains) and thus avoid both high fat and high sugar foods which are killing us.

Eric Bahrt

Where’s the real Indian food?

Dear Pattaya Mail,

Like many a Brit in Pattaya I like Thai food, but I occasionally crave the real thing - a good Indian Curry. It’s not that there are no Indian restaurants in Pattaya, there are, and some of them serve reasonable food, but in every single case it’s toned down, mild to the point of being almost bland.

I’ve asked on many occasions to have my curry as it should be, only to be presented with the same toned down offering as if in a land where the local food will take the enamel off one’s teeth, and Indian curry has to be served up without the spice.

The solution is drastic. I have to wait for my R&R back in Blighty before I can get an authentic curry - and then like other Brits back home from Thailand I’m forced to over indulge in Britain’s finest food while I’ve got the chance.

Wake up Pattaya’s Indian Restaurateurs - Pattaya is full of Brits and we like our curries spicy.

With Regards
The Vindaloo Kid

What do we know?

Editor;

The mayor has a 3 point plan on bringing back tourists. On his doorstep he has all the help, experience, knowledge, and contacts, with all parts of the world: the expat. But I doubt is he will ask them to participate, after all we are only farangs, and what do we know?

Matt Jomtien

More on Pattaya’s unenforced smoking laws

Editor;

RE: Capitalism vs Socialism: Ken, cigarettes and anything tastes terrible, and is poisonous, period. The overall trend is, believe it or not, fewer people smoking, as the smokers die from lung cancer, emphysema, and you name it, and education is stopping more and more people starting to poison themselves.

I am not offended by tobacco smoke. I am poisoned by tobacco smoke. Can you figure out the difference? It does not appear that you can, as your example of capitalism demonstrates.

No smoke equals more customers, as more people do not smoke, as people who wish to breathe clean air stay away from bars that do not follow the no smoking laws. California led the way with smoking restrictions, and initially business went down, as the smokers were the main customer base, as the non smokers could not enjoy the same space with the smokers. Then business increased as non smokers were allowed to go to a bar and breathe.

How can you possibly equate cooking food by burning wood, and sucking tobacco (and the 35 other things they put into your cigarette to make it more addictive) into your lungs?

More on your “overall trend?”; how many smokes did you enjoy on that aircraft/bus ride? My flight had beer, and no smoking, allowing everyone to breath. What a concept. Someone killing himself with a smoke doesn’t have the right to poison everyone in the room.

How your aversion to go-go bars and katoeys is related to people having the right to breathe escapes me. Please tell me why you think “most folks enjoy a bit of tobacco with a beer”. Is it because you look around and see everyone smoking? If so, please read paragraph three. Only Pattaya’s terrific enforcement program makes it possible.

Al Collinge

Humans are rebellious

Editor,

Humans are rebellious. Addicts will always find excuses for their weakness. Many smokers are oblivious to the anti-social nature of their habit. To the person who said ‘if you don’t like smoking don’t go into a bar’, I would say if you must smoke, do it in a toilet. Smoking in a bar is like peeing in a swimming pool.

Having said that, complaining is the addiction of some people, who must go around sniffing the air, hell-bent on finding evidence that a smoker is or has been in the vicinity. ‘Don’t do it’ preaching is as pointless as telling a junkie not to take heroin or the average red shirt he is a yo-yo. Humans are rebellious as well as habitual, and self-righteous preaching has always caused ‘up yours’ excess as with sex, drugs and rock’n’roll.

On the plus side of the smoking debate, as well bringing fine examples of silliness, selfishness and denial, generosity is also evident. Smokers insist on sharing their stink, asphyxiation and internal growths, complainers on sharing their misery. Incidentally, people don’t smoke, cigarettes do. People are the suckers.

Jack Tighe

Who is starting fires in Jomtien?

Editor;

The 2nd fire within a week has been set in the vacant lot between Thappraya Rd and the waterfront hotel with the tall spire. The first fire was started at night, burned for about 1/2 hour, and then was extinguished by the Fire Dept in about 25 minutes. Today’s fire was started about 12:30 p.m. and the Fire Department arrived at 1:05 p.m. No presence of lightning either time. A budding arsonist?

Mike O’Reilly

Rights guaranteed by the US Constitution

Editor;

I am responding to last week’s letter from Jesse Salazar, who said you must have a permit to organize a protest in America. It is obvious to me that Jesse has never organized a protest as he is very wrong. I organized dozens of protests in San Diego and never asked permission from anyone! When confronted by law enforcement officers I reminded them that the US Constitution allows for freedom of speech and assembly. The actual wording of the 1st amendment is:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Jesse should understand his rights guaranteed by the US Constitution before he writes letters and claims to know what he is talking about as he does not.

Steve “Red” Barron

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