Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Thailand	Thailand Thread	Happy Birthday to HRH the King. My brother in law who is serving a 26 year sentence in a Thai prison, was notified that he is receiving a royal pardon and should be released by December 12th. What a wonderful Christmas and New Years present for my family. ( and it took 2 years of chatting up the right folk, & money passing through several different hands..) Interesting... what were the charges?	toma1	Male	Thailand	2011-12-06 08:31:00
Thailand	Thailand Thread	Interesting turn of events. Nok got a "job." It's more like a home factory job. We go pick all these pieces up from a warehouse here in Dallas from some Lao/Thai folks to make a necklace. She gets the pieces to put together 1000 necklaces, packaging etc. She sits here at home and it takes her about a day and a half. She gets 8 cents for every one. On her first go around she made $80 USD. The price tag on each sticker is $9.99. I'm not sure what to think about it. She spends alot of hours doing it, but seems happy to be making her own money. In Thai terms, she is making a months worth of salary in 4 days. The whole thing seems sorta legit. At the factory there are all kinds of Thai, Lao, and Khmer people there. They have to work there onsite, but Nok gets to take it home. They give her two days to get it done and we bring it back completed. Then they give her a new set of boxes. She had to show her green card and SS card and fill out a W-4. I was glad to see that they're at least doing it legally. I'd say it's a sweat shop, but she does it from home. Not sure what you guys think about this? Any thoughts? Seems like she's hired as an independent contractor, though. Doesn't seem like a W-4 was needed. Anyway, that's around $6.50 an hour, so it seems a bit sweatshoppy, if that's what you mean.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2011-11-30 23:18:00
Thailand	Thailand Thread	Living in a small village 2 hours from the big Mango I don't see any problems. it actually IS a great place to retire. The trick is...stay the heck outta Bangers. It's all in one's individual perspective, though. I've visited many small villages and found them mind numbing. I can't imagine living anywhere other than Bangkok--or maybe (big maybe) Chiang Mai. Edited by toma1, 28 November 2011 - 03:11 PM.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2011-11-28 15:10:00
Thailand	Thailand Thread	WE JUST GOT AN INTERVIEW DATE, HE'LL BE HERE BEFORE CHRISTMAS!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!! WOW! That's great Ni-ing!	toma1	Male	Thailand	2011-11-14 23:30:00
Thailand	Thailand Thread	Damn, prices from Bkk to the U.S. (ORD specifically) are expensive now. A lot more expensive then a couple years ago. I'm seeing lowest prices in the 1500s. Anyone seen anything cheaper? I'm picking weekday dates, but I'm guessing the time between the flights is a factor (5+months). I've been flying over almost every month and the best prices lately are almost always about 1-3 weeks in advance. I'd hold off for a while.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2011-11-14 14:59:00
Thailand	Thailand Thread	Maybe a stupid question, but what time of month does BKK embassy usually schedule the next month and let people know about it by personal email? I'm not sure they EVER let people know by personal email...	toma1	Male	Thailand	2011-11-14 14:56:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Did not meet through IMB, but attorney checked box, "yes"!!!	QUOTE (MARM @ Dec 7 2008, 02:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (pushbrk @ Dec 7 2008, 03:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (MARM @ Dec 5 2008, 10:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> According to the definition of IMB, one must pay for the services. We have filed I-129F for K-1 visa. But my fiance and I did NOT pay for any services, we met through an online website chat-room, and it was culturally associated, not religiously associated, and we DID NOT pay for any service whatsoever, no membership fees, nothing at all. But to my horror, now when I go back and review the forms, I see that my attorney has check marked the box for "yes" where it asks about meeting through an IMB on form I-129F. Will this have a big affect on my case? Will my fiance be put on AP/AR when the case gets to NVC? I read somewhere on this site that those that checked "yes" for IMB usually have a big chance of the beneficiary being put on AP/AR at the NVC stage. I don't know what to do, maybe I am stressing for no reason? Someone with knowledge about this please let me know, I need some direction! I've seen no evidence of it making one bit of difference which box you check unless you also checked a convictions question "yes". Even then it's just a matter of supplying court records. IMBRA is just something jammed down USCIS's throat. They appear to be doing the minimum the possibly can get away with for enforcing it. Thanks so much for the information! Thank God. I can now breathe a sigh of relief! BUT still fire that lawyer. He screwed up big time.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2008-12-16 01:18:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (sachinky @ Nov 19 2009, 10:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 3) Economics and education while not corelated I generally agree with everything you posted except the above, which is demonstratively false.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-11-24 12:03:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (julianna @ Oct 24 2009, 08:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hmmm. Am not indignant and actually don't know what you are talking about? Didn't write anything about you other than my last sentence where I was mentioning that the two posters I saw mentioned in one of your posts are not particularly materialistic and one isn't a USC. I wasn't saying you said the above, but rather that that is the attitude that has been posted here on VJ before that riled them up before, and it has been in this thread (although this thread isn't really particularly full of it) and is definately on that site I mentioned linked in another poster's siggy. This is not a particularly hot-button issue for me. I never accused you of anything. I came on in response to Baron, with whom I mostly agree and who I also thought was kind of attacked, and just added the photo aside just as an FYI and nothing more (which he took to be hiding behind MENA cultural values if I read that correctly). I was merely offering a possible explanation. No need to take an affront to an observation. I'm personally glad we all aren't into the same things, or else I would have to share my camel-duties and fanning/grape-peeling with other people and I like to be the only slave-wife my husband purchased with the goat and chickens. Honestly, I wouldn't pay attention to the looks you get either-- people think Ammar is maybe 10-15 years older than I am sometimes, but he's not and so I don't care what they particularly think-- they don't influence my life. This is why things like the article you posted (which I read, btw, great stats source) don't feel like an affront to me either. It didn't apply to me other than when we were trying to do visa stuff our time was longer because Jordan/MENA are high-fraud (as is a lot of the Asian countries). yeah, stuff happens. I am secure in my relationship though, so it doesn't create any insecurities for me to read something like that or defensiveness. You quoted my statement, so I assumed that you were referring to me. We don't really care either THAT much, but there is a difference in our situations. I very much appreciate that you didn't notice from our photo, but we DO have a 15 year age difference in reality; and I'm not sure that I really want it to look like a 25+ year difference... Fortunately Thailand is not on the high fraud list which I saw posted here earlier this year as: 1. India 2. China 3. Vietnam 4. Nigeria 5. Philippines 6. Brazil 7. Colombia 8. Russia Before I ever visited Thailand (I wasn't looking for a wife then), I also assumed that it would be more like the Philippines, with women that are desperate to get out. On the contrary, few women are desperate to get out and many won't leave for marriage. The vast majority of single Thai women are very keen to find husband; that is true (this is one of the main topics of social conversation among women). However the vast majority would also prefer that their husbands would live with them in Thailand. Fortunately living in Thailand is very easy these days, and we eventually hope to move back. As of now, we are content with living there in the summer and here the rest of the year. Edited by toma1, 26 October 2009 - 08:36 AM.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-26 08:35:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (julianna @ Oct 24 2009, 06:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Actually, I think their problem is with the idea the blanket statement that American women (which, when phrased that way doesn't mean most, it means all) are overweight, lazy, nasty, materialistic, etc. and that women from another country (which again means all in its phrasing) are X, Y, and Z and in short, awesome. This statement is also usually paired with some blatant feelings/statements of superiority on the male part, never acknowledging that the men themselves may also be this way... This is done in a disparaging way with no purpose other than to put American women down-- it's not a discussion with any other point such as health or an acknowledgement of the fact that the entire American population of males and females is actually 70% overweight. The two you mentioned are neither fat nor materialistic, and one isn't even a USC. 1. I didn't she was a USC. I said "several people here". 2. I didn't say "American women"; I said Americans. You assumed that I only meant women--I didn't. I have no idea where the other adjectives came from. Perhaps you are referring to someone else. 3. One of the posters to which you refer went immediately to another forum and said that I called American women ugly. I think and always have thought that MANY overweight people are pretty/handsome. Since I never used the term ugly in regard to Americans, let alone American women, it must be the other poster that equates the two--at least subconsciously. Perhaps your indignance is misdirected.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-24 18:34:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (Donna A @ Oct 24 2009, 05:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> nope thats not it. I know that's not it--it's just an academically oriented article on said topic--and thankfully no one can blame an American MAN for the site that IS it.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-24 16:19:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (Donna A @ Oct 24 2009, 04:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (toma1 @ Oct 24 2009, 04:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (julianna @ Oct 24 2009, 01:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I totally agree that her comments were inappropriate, I was merely offering another perspective. There are several people here that have difficulty with anyone mentioning that Americans (of both genders) are seriously overweight--I've seen studies that put the number at around 70%--and resort to personally attacking anyone that mentions the issue. I suppose the topic is hitting too close to home for some. Where did the photos end up? i remember when it happened, but i think we are not supose to bring it up again if i remember correctly. Actually it turns out that the site in question is easily Google-able, but I saw an interesting article about this very issue at the Center for Immigration Studies. I assume it's not an unmentionable article, because no photos are included and the source is reputable. http://www.cis.org/a...05/kephart.html Edited by toma1, 24 October 2009 - 04:14 PM.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-24 16:11:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (julianna @ Oct 24 2009, 04:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> This was more taking photos, timelines from VJ, and then using those sole items to talk about how the MENA guy was a terrorist and the girl was a fat idiot. The website is not to be mentioned here or else we could say what it was. It's still up though, even after 3 years. Ah.. never mind. I see you already answered the question.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-24 15:49:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (julianna @ Oct 24 2009, 01:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I totally agree that her comments were inappropriate, I was merely offering another perspective. There are several people here that have difficulty with anyone mentioning that Americans (of both genders) are seriously overweight--I've seen studies that put the number at around 70%--and resort to personally attacking anyone that mentions the issue. I suppose the topic is hitting too close to home for some. Where did the photos end up?	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-24 15:47:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (julianna @ Oct 24 2009, 11:46 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So... you're 42 and you were looking for barely-legal girls of 18 and 19? My wife is 32 and I am constantly asking her to wear makeup when we go out. She thought that it was because I wanted her to look better, but it is because without makeup she looks like a teenager and people give us nasty looks. She not only gets carded for drinks, when she shows an id, people accuse her of having a fake ID.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-24 11:02:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (julianna @ Oct 24 2009, 11:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think it is completely reasonable to want a spouse who is interested in the same things as you are, including physical fitness/appearance. I also think it is completely unreasonable to just solely on any one thing, especially something mutable like appearance, a job, money, etc. What matters more than how beautiful someone is is that they try to be their best for their spouse. What matters more than someone's job is that they have a good work ethic. What matters more than how much money someone has is that they try to use the money they have in a productive way. Brilliant comment. Thanks!	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-24 10:46:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (msacano @ Oct 24 2009, 07:09 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Most Asian women are very thin, they usually are very small in the chest and behind area (Asian women don't take offense I am not saying all Asian women are like this). Latin women and even American women are fuller in the chest and booty, so they can appear even larger. Is far as I can tell, you are generally correct about bust size, but incorrect about hip (e.g. "booty") measurements. I will tell you what I have heard based on a lot of experience in SE Asia. In no particular order: My (Thai) wife believes that there is not a natural size D or even C+ in Thailand, a D cup is usually the result of implants or serious obesity (its rare, but it happens). Many foreign guys pay for breast implants. Of that group of women, most want them, but a few are just doing it for their bf/husband. Many women will have them done on their own if they can afford the surgery. My wife does not have them. Based on my experience, this field has come a long way since the early 90s and it's nearly impossible to tell or feel the difference if the job was done right. Many foreign women working in Thailand, though perfectly content with their bust size, are jealous of Thai women's "booty". A western woman that I worked with over there told me that they had coined a term for that specific shape: "Mini J-Lo Butts". The curve goes back far enough that normal bikini bottoms typically exhibit a bit of 'cleavage' on the top. As for myself, as long as someone's body is in good physical shape for it's size, I can appreciate any combination of the above. Edited by toma1, 24 October 2009 - 10:00 AM.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-24 09:59:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (Der Bücherwurm @ Oct 24 2009, 04:02 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> However, he should be given the heads up that Asian and East European babes are by far over-represented in the VAWA, Effects of major family changes and Imbra forums. I have checked those statistics (including looking through the topics you mentioned), and can find very little rationale as to why you have included East Asians in that list. I looked through a number of threads and the facts don't bear out what you are saying here. According to studies by Jenifer L. Bratter and Rosalind B. King published on the Education Resources Information Center, White female-Asian male pairings show higher divorce rates than White-White couples,[1] while Asian female-White male marriages show generally lower rates of divorce than White-White marriages.[1] In 2006, 41 percent of Asian American-born women were registered as having White husbands, while 50 percent were married to Asian American men.[2] L. Shinagawa found this ratio tends to widen wherever an Asian population is the largest and most well established: According to a 1990 study in San Francisco, Asian women married partners of European extraction at four times the rate of Asian men.[3] Social enterprise research by the Columbia Business School (2005-2007) concluded that while East Asian women statistically prefer East Asian men for marriage, they show no discrimination against White men, causing Asian women-White men pairings to consistently become the prevalent form of interracial dating & marriage in the United States.[4] The study found the phenomenon to be the result of a (sociologically) unique and mutual neutrality East Asian women and White men tend to show each other as potential partners,[4] rather than due to the pronounced preference of either side.[4] [1] Jenifer L..Bratter and Rosalink B. Kind, ""But Will It Last?": Marital Instability among Interracial and Same-Race Couples". Blackwell Publishing. Retrieved 2009-03-13. [2] Married Couple Family Groups, by Presence of Own Children/1 In Specific Age Groups, and Age, Earnings, Education, and Race and Hispanic Origin/2 of Both Spouses: 2006". U. S. Census Bureau. [3] McCullough, Michael. "The Myth Of The Rice King". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2009-01-18. [4] Fishman, Ray. "An economist solves the mysteries of dating". Slate magazine. Retrieved 2009-01-18. Edited by toma1, 24 October 2009 - 09:25 AM.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-24 09:24:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (steve55 @ Oct 24 2009, 01:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That is, American women are thought not content to be wives and mothers but seek personal satisfaction through their own careers and interests, while the foreign woman is happy to be the homemaker and asks for nothing more than husband, home, and family. Again, true or not, this is the perception. It's funny, because I was looking for a woman that wanted a career.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-24 01:10:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (steve55 @ Oct 22 2009, 02:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (msacano @ Oct 19 2009, 10:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE Subject being this - slapping labels on people - whether it be about nationality, or weight, or gender - or whatever - makes the subject of the label feel defensive. It makes people feel bad. Agreed. I don't think people should throw everyone into one category. Yes, there are over weight Americans, but not every American is over weight. There are over weight people in every country. WHoaaa, come on now!!!!!!!! That's so misrepresentation. Yes, of course there are overwight people in every country, BUT, Western countries take the cake on overweightness. ABout 70% of America (probably britain and austrailians too??) are overweight. ABout 5-10% of other countries populations are. Asian and latin countries populations are 90% thin!! How can you even think there is a comparison. PS-Toma 1, I know you would like a link to the stats, LOL. Im too tired to dig it up right now. LOL, Asking whether I need a link to stats that Americans are more overweight than Asians is like asking if I need a link to stats that the sun still rises every day. Anyone that has been to both places would not seriously contest the issue. You can't accept prima facie evidence for in every case, but certain things are so obvious as to be beyond dispute. Even morocco4ever and Len--the women that spent half a day attacking me personally over that very issue--didn't bother to dispute the fact that what I said was actually true.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-24 00:25:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (steve55 @ Oct 24 2009, 12:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> My god! This is the most rational and accurate post ever posted on this thread. Amen to everything thatw as said. I know that my main mistake was trying to marry 18 and 19 yr old ladies. Ive since learned that girls that age are very flaky I've dated a lot of women under 25--American AND Asian--and found the same thing. I finally drew the line at 30 and never looked back. I don't think the Americans in that age group were necessarily dating me for money, but I do suspect that it was because of my job.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-23 23:54:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (Trompe le Monde @ Oct 22 2009, 02:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I actually think both sexes over the age of 35 become much more comfortable with themselves as they get older and make peace with their body shape/shortcomings. Those that don't were the ones who spent too much time investing in the value of outer-beauty as young people. That's what Jung said...	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-22 13:29:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (Der Bücherwurm @ Oct 22 2009, 01:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Oh, I'm not kidding myself in the least. I realize that looks are important. Looking at your picture I must say you are too old, overweight, pasty and unattractive to appeal to me in the slightest. Men over 35 are generally not as insulted by comments like this as women seem to be. Especially women over 35. Not sure why that's the case.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-22 13:09:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (baron555 @ Oct 22 2009, 01:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So maybe it's not the actual looks for the physical attraction thing but the shape. I don't know. Excuse the redundancy, but I totally absolutely 100% agree with that.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-22 12:57:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (Trompe le Monde @ Oct 20 2009, 12:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> lol - for some reason I must use this as an excuse to post this clip That's funny, thanks! Edited by toma1, 20 October 2009 - 12:29 PM.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-20 12:28:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (Trompe le Monde @ Oct 20 2009, 12:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> but how do we know Craigslist ad woman was not an immigrant? Maybe she initially came on a K-1 visa duped into thinking $50,000 was a lot of money in Manhattan. Haha... I ALMOST said that, but decided that it was a stretch.... but it's certainly possible. QUOTE (Trompe le Monde @ Oct 20 2009, 12:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I honestly don't think Europeans have thought that much about the husband qualities of American men, unless they happen to be married to one. If they give negative qualities to Americans (and many do) they apply equally to both genders without the special exemptions some men like to claim for themselves. From my years in London I know that American men do get singled out for: 1. Drinking piss weak beer 2. Playing rugby with shoulder pads 3. Tub-thumping "without us you'd be speaking German" when everyone knows that a. America had not yet joined the war during the Battle of Britain and b. we really should be thanking the Russians. But they just blame our poor education system. This is 100% accurate. BTW: I knew that Americans applied #3 to France, but is it commonly applied to the UK as well?	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-20 12:23:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (Brad and Vika @ Oct 20 2009, 06:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think Steve55 was saying American women generally, without reference to race, but yes, American. Funny stuff anyway. Good point.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-20 07:10:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (rebeccajo @ Oct 19 2009, 10:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'm not changing the subject. How am I changing the subject? Why do I need to 'support' an opinion? Subject being this - slapping labels on people - whether it be about nationality, or weight, or gender - or whatever - makes the subject of the label feel defensive. It makes people feel bad. You yourself just got yourself in enough of a stew about my generality that you had to go ask your 'expert'. So I think I happen to be right on subject. The real subject. You thought your husband's personal biases made me feel bad? Sorry, no. I have to have some measure of respect for the source before I would even consider feeling bad about something they said about me personally, let alone their thoughts on American men in general. I have no idea who you are; why would I concern myself with your opinion of me? If American men actually ARE the most selfish pigs in the world, you are welcome to trumpet your proof from the rooftops, as far as I am concerned. You can slap any label on anyone you like, so long as it has some basis in reality. Regrettably, I forgot to check your location before setting the bar that high. I asked my colleague in order to illustrate a point that, unfortunately, seems to have gone completely over your head. You then inexplicably changed the subject to my feelings, which remain undamaged, I assure you. I fact, I only thought to ask him because he happened to poke his head into my office as I was finishing up my earlier post. He also asked me why I was wasting time replying. I actually do feel a bit bad about that, as I obviously should have listened to his advice. Edited by toma1, 20 October 2009 - 12:17 AM.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-20 00:16:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (rebeccajo @ Oct 19 2009, 09:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'd say my husband's 'generalities' are just as good the professor's. Or yours. Or Steve's. I agree. They are all equally worthless, which was my point. On the other hand, I give the study that included 13,500 respondents quite a bit of credibility. QUOTE (rebeccajo @ Oct 19 2009, 09:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Interesting how the comment bothers you enough that you feel the need to verify it with another 'source'. Changing the subject doesn't help your argument. Even Steve55 was able to dig up something to support his position. QUOTE (rebeccajo @ Oct 19 2009, 09:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Not very nice to have people 'size you up' because of your gender and nationality, is it? I don't think I sized anyone up by nationality in any way that cannot be proven. I did say that I, personally, liked an Asian "look" which is a personal preference, not a broad generalization about a specific group. It doesn't even mean that I don't like a Western look, or that I think Western women are ugly. I did say a few weeks ago that Americans were generally too fat, without specifying a gender. If you disagree, by all means let me know, and I would be happy to provide links to evidence to back that up.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-19 21:00:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	I just "polled" one of our IT professors (from London and who lived in Europe for 47 years) and he said that your husband was talking bollocks. Does that make you wrong or are polls of one just a whopping waste of time?	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-19 16:22:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (rebeccajo @ Oct 19 2009, 04:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (toma1 @ Oct 19 2009, 10:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (rebeccajo @ Oct 19 2009, 10:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well, you know we (Americans) worldwide have the reputation of being brash. It's not just a case of 'my husband told me'. It's a case of paying attention since I became involved in 'international relations'. Yes, Americans in general are considered to be brash. But's quite a stretch to go from "Americans are brash" to "American men are selfish bastards" and then call it a day, with only--I'll repeat myself--"my husband told me" to bridge the rather large gap in reasoning. My husband lived in Europe for 42 years. So yeah - my husband told me - what he knew from being a MAN in Europe. You are seriously arguing that a poll of one European citizen is a valid measure of what everyone (or even the average person) in Europe thinks?	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-19 15:58:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (Trompe le Monde @ Oct 19 2009, 01:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I know a bunch of high-earning women who make more money than their husbands - and it's not an issue for them That reminds me: I can't believe I that forgot to mention my neighbors. They are doing extremely well. She is an accounting executive that drives a BMW 5 series and he...                                                                         ...is a stay at home dad with a salary of $0. Edited by toma1, 19 October 2009 - 12:15 PM.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-19 12:14:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (steve55 @ Oct 19 2009, 06:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> And fellers, keep in mind something VERY important, one cannot control who they are attracted to, attraction just is or it just isnt. So how can that be considered superficial if it isnt a choice???? But couldn't I turn that reasoning around and state that since a person has much more control over their income than their physical beauty, the higher moral position would be the one that gives more weight to the factors that a person can control?	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-19 09:51:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (rebeccajo @ Oct 19 2009, 10:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well, you know we (Americans) worldwide have the reputation of being brash. It's not just a case of 'my husband told me'. It's a case of paying attention since I became involved in 'international relations'. Yes, Americans in general are considered to be brash. But's quite a stretch to go from "Americans are brash" to "American men are selfish bastards" and then call it a day, with only--I'll repeat myself--"my husband told me" to bridge the rather large gap in reasoning.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-19 09:43:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (rebeccajo @ Oct 19 2009, 07:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I wonder how much farther this conversation will go if this American Woman with a Foreign Man for a husband throws in the curve that her Foreign Man says American Men are generally regarded (overseas) as Selfish Ba$tards Who Are All About Themselves and generally make poor husbands since they are poor human beings? I suspect it will continue unabated, as your single data point is about as valuable as any other single data point. I'd hardly say it's a curve; more of a bug on the road. Care to provide a bit more evidence than "my husband told me..."? This is an interesting study, by a female UK economist from Oxford, nonetheless. (13,500 data points in her study, BTW...) http://www.financial...html?id=1862097	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-19 08:48:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (msacano @ Oct 18 2009, 09:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ok, I can agree, it is fair as long as both meet this standard. It would be silly for a man (or women) to demand his SO to take care of herself and he sits on the couch watching the television. I run, she bikes and swims. QUOTE (msacano @ Oct 18 2009, 09:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think it is also fair to look for someone who makes a decent living or is working towards this goal. I am not saying 500,000 or even 100,000. For instance a teacher would only make about 40,000, which is fine. They make enough money to survive and provide for a family. You can't expect someone to want to marry a man working at Burger King with no other ambitions. Why would anyone want to marry someone who has no other goals and is content with working at a low paying dead end job? What if the woman is a $100k+ corporate professional and wants a similar guy?	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-18 09:48:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (msacano @ Oct 16 2009, 09:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You did not generalize all American women as fat gold diggers like someone else. You just stated that looks are important to you and your wife, which is fine since you both feel that way. You also said your wife has the right criticize your weight as well and I think that is only fair. What most people forget is that attraction is a very important factor in relationships, but we also have to look for something deeper then just looks. I think that is where most people had a problem with your statement. I am not saying you are very superficial, but it did come across that way at first. After reading more of your post I realized you do like brains as well as beauty. Thanks for your post. I would never have married a gorgeous idiot--now dating is another matter entirely, of course... When I talk about attractiveness, I'm talking more about overall fitness than facial beauty or "big boobs". Attractiveness (IMO) is much more about taking care of yourself than it is about a pretty face. Unlike intelligence, facial beauty, wealth, etc., fitness is something that anyone can do if they watch their diet and spend some time in the gym. In that regard, I think it is one of the MOST fair standards to have.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-17 23:45:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (steve55 @ Oct 17 2009, 05:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I never said ALL american woman are that way. I always say "In general" or "most". Even match.com shows about 70% of american ladies having minimum income reqirements of $50K +. That's evidence enough that western ladies are looking for a man to make a certain amount of money for a certain lifestyle. ! I notice that the foreign ladies dont list minimum incomes in their dating profiles even when given the oppurtunity to. Its so obvious! I know what I see with my own eyes, Ive seen how both american woman are and how asian ladies are, and I have drawn my own conclusions. We can agree to disagree on this subject, but over at the internet forum of plenty of fish.com, most men are agreeing with me about t his subject. I mean even just talkng with my buddies who are not into asian ladies, they completely agree that american ladies are more materialitic compared to foreign ladies. NOT ALL, but in GENERAL. COngrats to you for being that 20% who are not focusing on a man;s money/income when you decide whom you will date or marry. $50k isn't poor, but that hardly qualifies as gold-digging. Is a minimal income requirement worse than a minimal attractiveness requirement? That is not a rhetorical question. I am leaning toward the belief that it is not worse, but I would like to hear some other opinions on the subject.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-17 20:46:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	QUOTE (Brad and Vika @ Oct 17 2009, 02:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (toma1 @ Oct 16 2009, 08:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Here is a funny story that both sides might enjoy. I think many of you will agree that this woman got the advice that she "needed". http://www.snopes.co.../golddigger.asp Entertaining stuff Toma1 Providing some evidence for the position that there are people in every culture focused on money/things, but really helping to prove Steve55's last point, no? Her ethnicity is not provided. You're assuming she's a Caucasian American.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-17 16:38:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Third K1 Visa	Here is a funny story that both sides might enjoy. I think many of you will agree that this woman got the advice that she "needed". http://www.snopes.co.../golddigger.asp Edited by toma1, 16 October 2009 - 08:31 PM.	toma1	Male	Thailand	2009-10-16 20:30:00