What does CoAlpha offer?

Here's what ladislav (big poster on happierabroad) said of Thailand Vs The Philippines

http://www.happierabroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=20293&sid=076f9b95f1a8e6f15bd4d315b90d08de

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Read this:

http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/reader/reader37.html

I lived in Thailand for 3.5 years because of my work. The people are much more harsh-hearted than Filipinos and much more nationalistic there. I learned the language well and things change when you can understand what they are saying about you. While admittedly not all Thai women will reject Western men, most clean girls of the middle class will be ashamed to be walking down the street with you. Heard comments ( which those who cannot speak Thai will not understand). Many bars and clubs and entertainment establishments outside of tourist areas have the "non-Orientals not allowed" policy. I have been refused entry to such establishments myself. Some guys even complain that they do not get served in restaurants. Daily mockery of white people and ripping them off is the norm ( although again, those who cannot speak Thai, will not understand it).

Thailand was never colonized so they have been taught that because of their wise kings and some kind of cultural superiority and a great civilization they were not colonized. Also, they kept their culture and race pure and there was a time when white people were not even permitted to go there. Asians were allowed to immigrate and intermarry with the population there. So, there is still a barrier between a Thai and a Farang. Whether the barrier is thick or thin is a judgment call. I did not feel welcome there. You ask people for directions in Thai and they run away. Some people do not want to get into the same elevator with you. And there is this mockery and unpleasant looks that abound. Many people are suspicious and mistrustful of the Farang. I would say that 50% of Thais just look down on white people.

I also worked at Thai universities - three of them- and quite a few Thai teachers were not nice to us, some would not even say hello to us. Constant indignant talk and scorn.

After the Philippines I felt uncomfortable there and I never got used to the somber soul of the people there camouflaged by a fake smile.

Plus the average IQ there is quite low. Many people look morose and lethargic.

The Philippines has worse food and infrastructure but the general level of acceptance by Filipino people is gar greater. I have dated all kinds of girls in RP. The prejudice against white people is like one tenth of one percent of Thailand's.

And also, the visas- in Thailand it is hard to get any long term visa because they are so nationalistic; whereas in the Philippines, visas are less of a problem; nationalism is minimal, and racism is rarely directed against white people, it is more among themselves. White people are generally liked if they behave, and can mingle with the locals with minimum discomfort. Locals want to see you mix with them. And if you learn a Filipino language you are 99% in. In Thailand, you are still an outsider.

The people who are not ethnically Thais- Khmers and Lao ethnic groups are nice and friendly, but not straight Thais.

Thailand?

Yeeeech!

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Ofc hes looking at it from a White Guys perspective. I will still need on the ground experience...

Also you could go on a "Marriage tour" straight off at bat.
Example: http://www.loveme.com/tour/order/asian-tour-order.shtml

Message directed to all members.

Myself, J. Donner, fschmidt and Will2 had our first online meeting Monday 03/21/11.

From this meeting we decided the following:

- Regular meetings tentatively on Sunday 6PM PST.
- The format will be Skype conference calls until further notice.
- No women allowed.

* Format may change to another program.
* Format may eventually include video.
* We're undecided on how open or closed the meetings should be (members vs non-members).
* As a reminder I'll send out an email to all members prior to scheduled meeting (email will be sent to email address listed here).
* No requirement to attend, but all members are encouraged.
* If you lack microphone you can still type.

Drealm, lets reach a conclusion on the meeting discussion in the "What does CoAlpha offer?" thread.  The options are:

1.  Meet in San Diego before J. Donner gets out.  Then we would split the time in San Diego and Mexico.

2.  Meet in San Diego after J. Donner gets out.  Then we just wait for news on this.

3.  Meet in the Bay Area.  I can fly there.

4.  Meet in El Paso.  I haven't been to Juarez recently but I would be willing to take a look if you come.  If you have any fear of death, then Juarez wouldn't work since it is basically a war zone right now.

5.  Wait for some later bigger organized meeting like a group trip suggested by Ardia.

I think (2. 3. 5.) are our best options.

2. Number 2. sounds good because I could save more money. I can easily afford a trip right now as suggested in 1., but I'd be even better off if we postponed the trip to December. I'm guessing a round trip with all expenses in Mexico and San Diego will be around $1,000 - $2,000 for a week?

3. We could do 3. but it depends on what you're looking for. If we're just looking to meet as soon as possible, then this would be your best bet. You'd only meet myself and possibly Nostromos though. We also wouldn't be experiencing any foreign country or likely visit any hookers. I may be able to arrange a room in my father's house for your stay (very messy now).

5. Number 5. would be the best financially and head count wise. But postponing till a bigger event runs the risk of postponing indefinitely.

Of 2., 3. and 5., I'd prefer 5.. I prefer 5. because I'd probably only be able to meet once a year. I think it would be a waste to spend this one annual opportunity on just a small state side gathering.

How soon did you want to meet fschmidt? I get the impression that you feel we need to meet soon as a group or we'll lose momentum and suffer from internet stagnation?

The way I see it:

1. = Now / Drealm + fschmidt.

2. = 3 months / Drealm+ fschmidt + J. Donner + ?.

3. = Now / Drealm + fschmidt + Nostromos?

4. = Now / Drealm + fschmidt + ?.

5. = 3 months + / Drealm+ fschmidt + J. Donner + ?.

The timetable for my separation from the service is sketchy and not at all set in stone. Basically, they collect up a bunch of information on you, called a "Physical Evaluation Board" (or PEB) and mail it off to DC. In DC, two colonels and a Navy Captain review the information, determine whether or not you are fit for service, and if you are found unfit for service, they determine your disability rating. My PEB was mailed off in July, and the upper limit on the timeframe they give you is supposedly 6 months - which is why I was hoping to be done around the December timeframe.

It could feasibly take even more time, however, if I have to appeal the decision that was made for any reason. I'm stuck in a crappy holding pattern - as soon as I know more information I'll let you know.

I am not in a rush, so options 2 or 5 are fine.

I propose a CoAlpha meeting.  We could meet in San Diego and then go to Tijuana.  In Tijuana, I recommend visiting the outdoor food market, the shopping mall, the prostitution district, and a residential area (Playas de Tijuana).  We could cover this in a day, and it would give you a good idea of what Mexico is like.  Of course the main purpose of the trip would be meeting each other, so Mexico would just be an extra benefit.  We could meet in the San Diego airport on a Friday and then go to Tijuana, and return Sunday morning.  What do you think?

I'm still working out the details of my living arrangements and things probably won't be fully settled until April or so. I'd also need to get a passport.

I would like to test Paltalk at the next meeting.

Will you be hosting a room Franklin?

I'm going to send an email with a link to this thread. You can post the details for what to log into at 6:00pm.

I was planning on starting with Skype, but either should be fine.

Ok, we'll start with Skype first. I'll host.

We discussed how regular meetings should work today and we agreed to try skype for this.  I have set up an account named "coalpha.brotherhood".  To attend a meeting, add "coalpha.brotherhood" as a contact.  Then coalpha.brotherhood will invite you to the meeting.

Today's meeting was unstructured because we were just figuring out how things should work.  In the future, we plan to have meetings at 5pm PST with the first hour being public and of general interest, and then we will make the meeting private and deal with technical and administrative issues.

Drealm, here is my draft of the meeting notice:


Subject: Sunday Skype Meetings

The CoAlpha Brotherhood meets on Skype every Sunday from 5pm to 6pm Pacific Time.  This meeting is open to all men (no women).  To join the meeting, contact Skype ID coalpha.brotherhood and we will add you to the discussion.

Some people are not familiar with Skype. I'd recommend breaking down the Skype process into the four steps we discussed in Skype:

fschmidt wrote

guest invite host
host accept guest
host add guest to group
guest answers call

This could be written as:

wrote

To join the meeting:

1. Contact Skype ID coalpha.brotherhood before or during the meeting.

2. Wait for Skype ID coalpha.brotherhood to add you to contacts.

3. Once Skype ID coalpha.brotherhood has added you to contacts, Skype ID coalpha.brotherhood will contact you at meeting's scheduled time (every Sunday from 5pm to 6pm Pacific Time).

4. Log in at the appropriate time and respond to Skype ID coalpha.brotherhood's contact at meeting's scheduled time (every Sunday from 5pm to 6pm Pacific Time) and you'll be connected to meeting.

I'd recommend a screen shot for each step.

Then we can say:

wrote

If you're already a contact of Skype ID coalpha.brotherhood ignore steps 1-3 and just do step 4:

4. Log in at the appropriate time and respond to Skype ID coalpha.brotherhood's contact at meeting's scheduled time (every Sunday from 5pm to 6pm Pacific Time) and you'll be connected to meeting.

fschmidt wrote

Drealm, here is my draft of the meeting notice:


Subject: Sunday Skype Meetings

The CoAlpha Brotherhood meets on Skype every Sunday from 5pm to 6pm Pacific Time.  This meeting is open to all men (no women).  To join the meeting, contact Skype ID <a href="skype:coalpha.brotherhood?chat">coalpha.brotherhood and we will add you to the discussion.

Wait when you say meeting "notice", is this what you'll be sending in emails and writing on outside forums or what you'll be posting here? My suggestion is for what to post here. Your message works fine for outside of here (email and other forums). I'd just have a link at the bottom saying "see more details here", which links to a cleaned up version of this post for people whom need more technical help.

I meant for posting here.  Specifically posting to the top forum and pinned to the top.

I can't imagine that anyone who is unfamaliar with skype would attend, but I think most people are familiar with skype.  I didn't think all the steps needed to be laid out because if you click in the link, skype walks you through the process.  (Try it.)  I don't see value in mentioning what MAY happen.  I wouldn't encourage someone without a microphone to attend expecting to participate because the conversation will be voice.  I want this to look like something very simple, and not have a long list of steps.  If anyone has questions, they can post them.  If we want a longer message, we could talk more about what the meeting is for, instead of about technical details.

I am going to go ahead and post the notice.  We can change it based on this discussion.

The CoAlpha Brotherhood meets on Skype every Sunday from 5pm to 6pm Pacific Time.  This meeting is open to all men (no women).  To join, contact Skype ID coalpha.brotherhood and we will add you to the discussion.