brahmburgers
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Posts posted by brahmburgers
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Here are two URL's plus a few excerpts. Each is put out by Thailand's government owned EGAT, which is the corp which will be bringing N to Thailand. They're both .pdf, and expectedly, have decent color graphics. They make reference to a feasibility study (FS) (by Burns and Roe Asia, Ltd. - Oct 2008 - May 2010), but of course don't say how much that study costs or what the detailed results were. Instead, it just shows as much 'glowing' (pun intended) data as possible. Obviously, the expensive FS was designed to have only one conclusion, with no objective data allowed. It would be interesting to see how that FS would turn out if it was a tad bit objective and ...in lieu of the recent N problems in Japan. Since EGAT is a Thai government Corp, it stands that Thai taxpayers indirectly paid for the FS, and are therefore allowed to see its details. No such luck. The hundreds of millions of baht has been paid, EGAT got the report it wanted, and that it.
Thailand’s Nuclear Power s Plant Feasibility Study
Thai Professionals Conference (TPC 2010)
Monday, June 5, 2010
Apisit Patchimpattapong, Ph.D.
Nuclear Engineering Division
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT)
Nuclear Energy is:
>>> reliable
>>> low and stable cost
>>> no greenhouse gases emissions
BB's note: It's almost a sad joke to still hear officials touting N as having 'no greenhouse gases'. It's like a restaurant saying, 'We don't put MSG on your beef stew, but we marinate it in arsenic sauce.'
Below is a survey conducted by EGAT (very objective, I'm sure), which shows pro and anti nuclear sentiment in Thailand. This is BEFORE the Japanese problem.
Nuclear power development - somewhere in Thailand for: 64 / against: 32
in their own province - for: 32 / against:59
In their own community - for: 24 / against: 66
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BB: Here's the 2nd report.
URL: http://rbdweb.nstda.or.th/rbdweb/download/1-Nuclear.pdf
Dr. Kurujit Nakornthap
Deputy Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Energy, Thailand
"Nuclear power has an excellent safety record"
Source: H-Holger Rogner, Head of Planning & Economic Studies Section, Department of Nuclear Energy, IAEA, 2010
"At present, Public information program to promote nuclear energy is being developed by Subcommittee on Public Information and Public Participation and EGAT’s working group on Public Communications. TV/Radio ad campaigns (including use of recognized Thai personalities on talk shows, etc), mailings (e.g., with electric bills), websites, newspaper and etc are considered as the effective media tools to communicate with the public. The program contents include the benefits of providing future electrical generation i.e. economic benefits (competitive cost of electricity), reduced green house gas emissions, and greater security of supply."
BB's note; it goes on to say there will probably be incentives for the surrounding community, such as low or no costs for electcity.
BB's note: EGAT, true to form, will do their public campaign, only singing praises of nuclear. You won't hear about the drawbacks from them, except as a foil to show there can be no problems - with newer technology.
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I'm not sure how diligently the relevant laws are enforced, but it is definitely illegal for a foreigner to use non-genuine shareholder/promoters as "proxies".
Look closely at any applications by farang for Thai corporation status, and chances are 19 to 1 that the 'shareholders' didn't actually invest one satang.
I'm pointing this out as a caveat for those interested in the topic, as well as a warning not to discuss your specific transgressions in public.
What transgression? There is too much secrecy in the world, particularly among business people. Thai authorities want farang to be polarized in these matters, as it gives the authorities more power to manipulate.
If you are American, can't you open a company under the Thai/American Aminity Treaty and not worry about all this biz with Thai partners......but that's only for a specific nationality.
I've been hearing that for years, yet I believe the reality is; it applies to larger scale corporations. I believe it was written with big scale corps in mind (7-11, Pepsi, KFC, etc) and the requirements are too daunting and expensive for the little guy to fathom. If that's wrong, please let US know (pun intended). I'm American, btw.
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Sounds like news that could have come from 500 years ago.
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I got a bad feeling about this. However, with his deep pockets and charm, he'll probably fool (and pay) a lot Thais to vote for him. He knows how to play the game. He learned well from his bosom buddy; Thaksin. Deja vu all over again. Too bad there's scant little real campaigning in Thailand. As far as I know, there are no televised debates (all the VIPs are afraid of libel suits), and there are no town meetings where everyone is welcome, and any one can speak their mind with no repercussions. Instead, voting in Thailand is essentially 'vote who your told or paid to vote for' - usually the biggest honcho and/or the richest man in the province, or the person he designates.
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[/b]About 400 TEPCO workers are living within about half a mile of the stricken Fukushima plant, working 12-hour rotating shifts. They eat only two meals a day: crackers and vegetable juice for breakfast, and instant rice for dinner. It's too difficult to deliver food to the site at midday, so they go without lunch.
These guys are literally putting their lives at risk, and they can't even get some decent meals? Who's in charge of logistics, Daffy Duck?
BTW, few people know this, but drinking wheat grass juice has been shown to allay (lessen) the effects of radioactive sickness. Ok, the Japanese (and Asians in general) don't know about the stuff, so maybe fly over some California hippies who can show them how to make it. It's not difficult. Decades ago, I dated a woman in Sacramento, who made and sold the stuff commercially, on her own. She grew the wheat grass in a bathroom sized greenhouse in her backyard.
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Folks keep discussing the joke like it's real. Did it turn into a religion?
Ok, so it's probably an April Fools joke, and a good one at that. Nevertheless, it's brought up a lot of interesting issues. It's good to have these discussions. That's all for me for now, there's a girl's pleading voice calling me from the other room - I've got to go back to the couch and bounce a 17 yr old candy-assed gal on my knee.
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Day Traders: Invest in Japanese concrete, radiation monitoring equipment, lead futures, solar panels.
Divest in properties on the NE coast of Japan.
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I don't know all the minutae, but here goes:
Months ago, I went to my Thai attorney and mentioned I'm ready to create a Thai Corp. I had done it before, 11 yrs ago, but cancelled that earlier corp (was too early for my business, not making money enough to pay taxes on it). So was starting again now from scratch. My attorney advised that I need to put a big chunk of cash in a Thai bank (I can't recall the precise minimum, but I think it was a million baht). I told him I invested nearly all I had on the new biz, so didn't have a million to put in the bank. Then his son, who's also an attorney, piped up and said there's a legal way to get the corp without the cash on hand. Here it is in a nutshell:
>>>> We've heard how a Thai corp with a farang has to be 51% Thai and 49% farang shareholders. In nearly all cases, it's also known that the farang pays 100% of the investment, and the Thais are proxies, but that's beside the point.
The requirement for the 51/49 split - is a big chunk of cash in the bank (guess who shoulders that?)
>>>> Maybe this is old news to T.Visaites, but apparently a farang can create the corp without putting big money in the bank, if he is willing to accept a lesser share or the corp, specifically; 39% for himself, and 61% for the Thai proxies (or real investors, whatever).
Anyhow, I signed the 55 papers, paid the 20 baht for registration (got the official stamps to prove it), paid attorney fees, got the Thai shareholders, and .....voila, my biz is legal.
Incidentally, friends advised I get trusted people I know to be shareholders. I told them, "just because I've known someone for awhile, doesn't mean they're necessarily more trustworthy than people I've met recently." To make a long story short, I wound up offering the shareholding positions to three college students who have been studying with me (related to the business I'm opening) for several months. I figured, why feel obliged to offer shares to older (and richer) Thais who may or may not be more trustworthy than these 20 year olds? I may regret it later, but that's just the way the cookie happened to crumble at this juncture.
If you want to know specs on my new biz (two tourist venues in Chiang Rai) contact me direct.
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One time, while coming in on a jet from the US, I couldn't help but overhear a conversation. A dangerously attractive, experienced, around 30 yr.old, Thai lady was having a lively conversation with a first-timer traveling man from the States. Apparently, he had asked her if there were marriageable ladies (like her) available in Thailand. The Thai lady went on and on about all the great venues for finding ladies (let's face it guys, 90%+ of farang/Thai relationships start in bars). She gave him her number and was exceedingly charming in all the right ways. She was going to be his personal guide, show him Patpong, etc etc.
After they said their drawn out goodbye, I went over and asked her if she could help me in a similar manner. She sized me up (dressed like a farmer), and asked how long I'd been in Thailand. I said 8 years. She grinned and turned on her heel, "goodbye."
Moral to this story: scamming gals want to meet the guys 'just off the boat.'
P.s. I'm almost 60 and I kissed a 16 yr old Burmese gal the other day. She wanted to keep kissing, but I had to reluctantly push her away - 'mai supap' I said. ('not proper' in Thai) I told her.
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For sure need to have current top rated Falong Movies with Thai Subtitiles, otherwise the Cineplex will fail !
Central in C.Mai used to have some somewhat decent farang movies. Now they don't. Methinks it's because Thai managers didn't want to pay the prices for rights to recent movies. So, C.Mai winds up getting 3rd rate farang movies and some Thai stuff. The exception is, a few times a year, a blockbuster comes along, and the movie theater is obliged to get it - but even that exception is getting rarer.
Another factor is the the Thai palate. There are many types of movies that farang might like, but Thais don't appreciate. And, because there are not enough farang to make it worthwhile, the movie house obviously has to cater to the what the locals enjoy (mostly horror, gore, and fantasy themes).
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I personally think it is disgusting, men over 50 with young <25 year old wives. It makes me feel sick.
Thailand is doing something RIGHT for once.
or envious, perhaps?
I remember seeing a David Letterman show, where Jack Lemmon was being interviewed. He was a popular and charming American actor. There was mention that he had just married a girl nearly 50 years his junior. They audience smiled and applauded heartily. That's because they liked Mr. Lemmon. If it was an 80-something guy who the audience didn't know, who wore baggy shorts and drove a junker car, they (and Murf) would likely think it was disgusting. We are an extremely subjective species. There's a world of difference in outlook, depending on whether or not we're familiar with someone in a particular scenario.
To take it to another level. If a beloved, always joking uncle was accused of having a 12 yr.old girl sit on his lap (while he was drunk at a Thanksgiving day party), and just happened to touch her sensitive spot - all his relatives would smirk and make light of it. If the exact same scenario were perpetrated by a man who was not familiar with the crowd, all h*ll would break loose. Am I right or an I right?
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How good does this get,I am 50 now planning on moving to Thialand at the end of April (retirement visa) sorry I can't get marry I am to old.
Go ahead a come to Thailand - meet the girls of your dreams. Have as much fun as you can afford - or more. Don't feel driven to getting married. If your pattern is similar to the 86% of farang who married young Thai ladies, than you'll last about 18 months and regret it later. But of course, each new guy who comes along thinks, "It will be different for me. My affections are true, and the girl I find (or found) will be a great partner. We'll buck the trend and be happy very after. You'll see."
Advice you won't heed: Have fun, play the field, wear a condom, shack up once in a while, don't break any hearts, and don't get yours broken. It's a good way to practice one of the basic tenets of Buddhism: NO ATTACHMENTS.
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Marriage brings troubles no matter what the age spread. A government can't legislate good sense or decency.
There are marriages which result in murders, where the spouses are the same age, are they going to outlaw all marriages for that reason?
A law like that gets in to a whole lot of prickly territory. As someone mentioned before, can a 51 yr old farang man marry a 49 yr old Thai woman? Each time such a 'gray area' presents itself, Thai officials will grin and adjust the parameters, ....but it harkens to Thai bureaucracy wanting control over farang. They want to be in the drivers seat.
If they stand on their high horse saying it's immoral for old farang men to marry young Thai women, then what of old Chinese men, or old Thai men, or old Korean or Taiwanese men - wanting to marry young Thai women?
Oddly, a round-about way, this law proposal is good for farang men, as most who do marry younger Thai women - wind up regretting it later, unless they don't care that their bank accounts have been drained. When you marry the girl, you marry her extended family, and there are always requirements to pay as much as possible to the girl and her ever-growing family. No exceptions.
Suggestion to farang: Do as I did. I had a marriage ceremony at my home in Thailand (yes, to a young woman), and I paid Bt.1,000 to the girl's mother and Bt.1,000 to her aunt, and Bt.48k to my wife. We didn't register the marriage with the government, so it's not official. I keep my assets, and she doesn't lose face by residing in my house. When we break up, there are no messy proceedings. I maintain my retirement visa (which is not called a retirement visa, I don't know why). And all's well. Granted, if we made children, it would change the scenario, but we haven't done so.
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It's no mystery why there are v. high levels of radiation in sea water near the stricken plant. Tons of water has been sprayed on the reactor buildings for over a week. The water has to go somewhere. Very little seeps in to the ground or is lost to evaporation, ...and if there are any containment pools, they were probably overflowing within a short time. So the tainted water simply flowed downhill and in to the sea.
Actually, I don't know the terrain there, but from photos, it doesn't look like there are tidal pools to speak of, or else we would have seen or heard of them by now.
Several times, during these discussions, I have recalled how the US space agency deals with mishaps during a mission. When there's a problem in space, an astronaut will talk with an assigned person at mission control, and that person has a back-up, but there's only one person on the phone connection with the astronaut at any one time. Behind the assigned 'helper' and his/her assistant, is a whole team of experts, who are going gang-busters trying to find a solution to any glitch that may present itself in space. That scenario was made famous in the Apollo 13 movie, but was also a scenario during the final fixing of the Hubble Telescope. A glitch showed up with a screw which wouldn't come loose for a metal 'arm' which was blocking an access panel. Everyone remained calm, while all sorts of possible fixes were considered by the experts on the ground. After a tense hour or so, it was decided to physically break the arm off - even though there was a risk the force, in zero gravity, might damage the astronaut's suit or helmet. It worked, and the Hubble was fixed.
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....and how much is a condo in Pattaya?
These crime-a-minute reports from Pattaya confirms 'Albertsen's Razor'* - 'The worse the standard of living in a particular place, the higher the real estate values.'
More about Albertsen's Razor in the Book: Farmsteading in Thailand
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Meanwhile, Thailand's EGAT is planning to continue their campaign to make Thailand go nuclear......
Until they declare publicly that they do not intend to do so, we can assume they plan to go ahead with their five N plants - four on the coasts, and one inland.
Too bad for future generations of SE Asians and their visitors, as the odds are better than even that a catastrophe will befall one or more of the N plants. The ensuing environmental, human and economic costs will be huge, it that happens. Unlike Japan, where there's ocean downwind of their stricken reactors, all Thai reactors will have tens of millions of people and animals and wildlife downwind.
If you think Japan is bad, wait until the sh*t hits the fan in Thailand. Japan has the world's 3rd strongest economy and they're tops technically (and in terms of professional responsibility), yet they still have major challenges dealing with the disaster. How does Thailand rank in those parameters? Heck, every time there's an armory explosion or guns & ammo go missing from a military arsenal in Thailand, essentially no one gets disciplined. It's swept under the table. And Thailand wants five N plants? Yikes!
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Awhile ago, there was an article in Discovery mag which mentioned the following scenario: Take a bottle of wine and pour it in to the ocean - anywhere.
Years later, after the wine had diluted - if you were to take a wine bottle's amount of water from any spot at any ocean - what were the odds of getting at least one molecule of that original wine bottle mixed with the water?
Answer: 100%
The answer had something to do with the fact that; there are many more molecules in a bottle of water than the number of bottles of liquid it would take to fill the world's oceans. I tried googling the original article, but to no avail.
Still, sobering in lieu of the recent news of extremely radioactive water about to be (or some having already have been) dumped in the sea. How long does water stay radioactive?
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this link is a graphic peek at the
radiation plume - as it spreads worldwide - taken from a few days ago. The amounts are probably miniscule, but it's a sobering graphic.
I had to grin (pardonne moi) while watching it, as I'm from California, and I know there are millions there who are extremely health conscious. Examples: I know one gal who used to run out of her house every time someone turned on the microwave oven in the kitchen. I know a woman there who religiously dry sponges the skin of her entire body - every morning and evening, in order to dispel bad vibes. So, for people like that to get wind of (pun intented) a nuclear plume spreading over the Pacific to where they live - is anathema - even if the actual amounts are miniscule.
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I meant to post this brief video earlier. Here's a pan of what it looked like on the evening of
Looked to me like there was no way they'd be ready by the weekend.
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I'm about as far from Samui as a person can be, and still be in Thailand. However, I've been to Samui several times over a 27 year period, and have always had good times there. I particularly like the stretch of secluded rocky shore several miles north of the touristy beaches on the east coast. I hope they keep it natural.
a few things are happening here in Chiang Rai which may or may not be a reflection of they types of things happening at Sumui
A large tract of communally owned rice paddies has been bought by speculators. Hundreds of truckloads of clay have been brought in from nearby to fill in the paddies - to make them ready for houses. Here are a few things that come to mind:
>>>> Less land for rice growing.
>>>> Some fringe parcels have not been filled in, so they're already becoming swamp-like, with no drainage. Great for mosquitoes though.
>>>> What plans are being made for septic, as there's no city sewer here in this outlying area, and the whole complex sits on 1 meter of fill
>>>> work has already begun on foundations, though the fill has only been there for weeks, and hasn't gone through a rainy season.
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Doesn't say much for the people who are in charge of drainage systems. I don't know what parameters they use down there, but last time I checked, water flows downhill - and the more water expected, the larger the drain pipe which needs to be installed. Heck, it's not even the official start of the monsoon, and the ground isn't yet fully saturated - how much worse will it be when the ground is saturated and waterways are swollen? If engineers can figure out how to use it, I'll donate a plumb level to their cause. What's the address: Royal Thai Engineer Society, Surat Tani?
P.S. this is they type of competence one might expect from a society whose school system systematically allows youngsters to graduate - when they don't have a handle on their specialties. Anyone familiar with Thai Colleges and U's knows that all students graduate - regardless of test scores, attendance, adeptness, etc. So, if you were charged with building a bridge or sewer, would you hire a Thai engineer?
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I agree that the US should keep its dog out of that fight.
Yet, it's in a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' scenario. Looking at Libya, which is in a similar quagmire, the rebels were hoping the US (the world's most powerful military) would come through and assist. They got their wish with a cherry on top, as strong European military forces chimed in also. But, when a new regime gets in power, whether it be in Libya, Syria, Yemen, or Bahrain ......how soon before they chime in on the anti-American rhetoric?
That eventuality is most likely in Yemen, which looks to be the most likely to get an anti-American regime, when the smoke clears.
But all in all, problems in those fiefdoms are (or often become) part of America's problems. It's generally a problematic part of the world. Everyone hates Israel, there are no natural resources except oil, and that's finite. The carrying capacity of those desert lands is about 10 people per sq.Km, yet it's being forced to try to provide for thousands per sq.Km. There was even talk of towing icebergs there, remember that?
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Replace one rich power hungry thug for another. They'll cheer the replacement, and shout 'Allah-Akbar' like dogs mindlessly barking at a shadow, then thirty more years of oppression will painfully go by, then they'll demonstrate again, more people killed in the streets, and another thug will take the helm, and so on and so on.
Meanwhile, girls and women will continue to be treated worse than dogs (at least dogs can go where they want, when they want). And men don't routinely beat their dogs in Arab countries, do they?
The big fireworks will come when the sh*t hits the fan in Saudi Arabia.
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At least burn it in a woodstove - where it can do some good - maybe warm up a house, or toast a piece of bread.
Reminds me of the little story: there was a gold-covered Buddha statue (could be a Jesus statue or an Islamic holy relic) where people went to pay homage by putting candles nearby - as a sign of reverence. One woman wanted to put her candle as close to the statue's face as possible, to show her zeal of devotion - and even fashioned a tin pipe so the heat from her candle would go right to the statue's face. A little while later, the statue had a black nose.
By making a big fuss, Iranian clerics are drawing worldwide attention to something they wish wasn't happening. They're blackening Muhammad's nose.
Meltdown Likely Under Way At Japan Nuclear Reactor
in World News
Posted
Nuclear disasters will happen. China has the most N reactors, with many more planned. The countries you mentioned, plus China (and others) are and will be much less transparent than Japan - in how they will deal with future N problems.
Even Russia. Remember how long it took to even admit there was a sinking of their nuclear powered sub, the Kursk? Even then, they kept trying to keep the genie in the bottle, by saying it was rammed by a US sub, and several other 'carards' (red herrings) - while all the while trying to downplay and dismiss there was a tragedy unfolding. It wasn't until over a week later that it even allowed assistance from outsiders who had better functioning emergency equipment than they had.