MaxYakov

Has he sold the gold medal?

"Police charged engineers, the architect, state officials and hotel executives with negligence causing death."

There were 137 fatalities and only the single engineer/architect went to prison, eh?

Nobody questioned doubling the number of floors of a three-story building? How much cost was minimized by not ensuring the structure could take the load? What was the quality of the original construction and so on and so forth? Something doesn't smell right w/r this catastrophe. What other buildings are in danger of collapse due to ignorant/unprofessional engineering and construction one wonders?

42 minutes ago, Retiredandhappyhere said:

It happened to me recently on a much smaller scale when I was short-changed 100 bahts at a local popular large ironmongers store.  Again, the cashier clearly knew, as she walked quickly away from the till immediately, but refunded the 100 without argument or without checking the till the moment I complained.  No apology of course and you have to wonder how often they try this sort of thing.

So you were "refunded", huh? I'd say she "coughed it up". Or did she pull the hundred out of her bra? ????

I often will do a trivial purchase at 7/11to break a 1K note. So I'm an opportunity for them to do what they did here (steal from 7/11) because I have white hair, of course. If the facilitator (potentially the elderly) doesn't notice the shortchange then the customer is the victim and not their employer. Either way...

I find it strange, but not surprising, that there are relatively few replies on this topic that relates to the health of many air-breathers  residing in Thailand. I assume that the reader of this reply is an air-breather (providing one wants to classify as "air" is what one is actually breathing in Thailand, of course).

I have been living in lower Sukhumvit and Din Daeng for the last ten years and became immediately aware of the high level of air pollution in my first apartment which was near a high-traffic freeway. Early-on, I began filtering my air as best I could with (mainly) 3M Filtrete^TM filter material with some pretty elaborate, contrived filter designs. I have also used oil-soaked synthetic mesh similar to that used to filter air for lawnmower gasoline engines (messy, but fairly effective based on how carbonized they became over a short period of time). I would have bought an air filter machine except I estimated I would have gone broke paying for the HEPA filter replacements due to the high pollution levels where I've been residing. As it is, my Filtrrete filters get dirty and clogged after only 30-40 hours of continuous use in my room (near Asok). It's like shoveling sand in the wind and I have no way to determine how much of the PM 2.5 particles are being stopped by the filter material I've been using.

Outside my room I always wear a dust/fume mask that I have purchased in great quantity over the years at HomePro. I saw a large selection of different styles of personal mouth/nose air filters at the Central Department Store at Chitlom in the general hardware section on the 5^th floor.

In 2016 I developed lymphoma cancer which was very nearly fatal. At the time I smoked and have no way of knowing what the source of the cancer was of several possible. Now I find out that PM 2.5 pollution is carcinogenic and can be added to several potential causes of the cancer that very nearly killed me. The diagnosis of my cancer was mishandled in Thailand and I had to return to my home country for insurance-supported treatment.

The air pollution issue in Thailand (or anywhere) is not to be underestimated and/or ignored, IMHO.

On 9/21/2018 at 8:25 AM, holy cow cm said:

Canine court. Great!

Why not? They have kangaroo courts don't they? (And not just in Oz. The US Senate Judicial Committee comes to mind)

On 9/19/2018 at 1:11 PM, holy cow cm said:

They should send the dogs to china or Vietnam to become table scraps. 

The dogs and their owner(s) should be assumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law. The dogs should be allowed to testify on their own behalf.

"Thitiwat earned money selling “big bikes” of the type he was driving – motorcycles optimised for speed and acceleration – via a Facebook page that has 2,000 followers."

How many of his "followers" are literally going to "follow" him to their own deaths by motorbike?

The Spanish City that Banned Cars - UK Guardian Article with Photos

Max - 2.0 degree compatible (at least). And when my body permanently reaches ambient I'll be 100% compatible.

Yeah, and I probably don't have four years left either (as a previous replier has already stated).

2 hours ago, PatOngo said:

No money, no Honey!

How much you give me for my sword? Guaranteed antique and very experienced.

1 hour ago, harrycallahan said:

Where are the numbers? 

You've been doing too many goldfish bowls. If the g-bowl gals looked like this I'd be living on premises (and mortgaging everything!)

So I guess these will put the airport rail link out of service. 

Hey! It could happen, dudes.

Thailand still a destination of choice for money-conscious expats

Perhaps the truck driver didn't like the way the Ute driver passed the other Ute in the same lane and having it attempt a pass on the shoulder. More likely the truck driver was pulling to the shoulder and just didn't check his left side mirror. What's with all this risky highway should parking, anyway? Where's the THP, anyway? Ooops, forget it!

"Silpa Bhirasri’s House (Baan Ajarn Farang) is in the compound of the Army Internal Audit Office, next to Sang Hi Bridge on Ratchawithee Road in Bangkok"

An interesting and well-written article. Lat and Lon (GPS) coordinates in the article would have been helpful.

It is documented specifically in Google Maps (although the Sang Hi Bridge is identified as "Krung Thon (Sung Hi)". Anyway, Here's the Street View. (coordinates are embedded within the URL). It's a straight shot down Ratchawithee Road about five kilometers from Victory Monument.

I've encountered these obnoxious insects on both city and inter-city buses so it's not a surprise to me to see them on an airplane. Could have gotten on board any number of ways. Could have easily been a stowaway on a passenger's carry-ons.

It's when they establish nests and start reproducing that the problem escalates as I saw on a city bus one day. There were several living inside a spare knitted gear shift ball cover that was dangling from the seat in front of me.

"Others said the footage will ruin the image of Thailand, particularly among tourists."

Can't have that happening, could we?

14 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

What next?   Finger  or toe amputation for rolling through a stop sign?

 

Do you mean "the" (one and only) stop sign in Thailand? They decided not to place stop signs in Thailand because they would be ignored anyway. Instead the use sort of an honor system "stop if you think you need to" model combined with a more common rolling merge. The merges can go badly.

The motorists in Thailand have been generally trained, however, to stop for red lights. Generally, and that's providing they aren't in the middle of doing something, often on their smart phones I would guess. The rolling merge model is still used at stop lights for left turns and, occasionally for straight-through rolling merges as was the case here.

All this makes me want to watch all the "Lost" TV series episodes again ... NOT!

Oh, it's just the CCC - Cambodian Cargo Cult - with their latest. Or is it they're setting up set for a remake of the "Lost" TV series?

21 hours ago, SoilSpoil said:

There is a Soi in Samut Prakarn that forms a single entry point for several Moo Bans, 2 gigantic schools, some factories and a lot of shops and markets. Needless to say that the Soi and its connecting main road are jammed 20 hours per day. City planning at it worst. Zoom in on the road grid of Bangkok and you know why this city is doomed. Throughout history, cities arose whre roads and rivers crossed, but in Bangkok its the opposite.

What "City planning"? Can you identify that "single entry point" Soi, please?

"The new buses, which have been in use in Lopburi province since November, come complete with doors, CCTV cameras, air conditioning and free included Wi-Fi."

Nothing's free if something has to be paid to obtain it (even if it's the taxpayers that are paying).

Why single out the Wi-Fi as free when the A/C, CCTV and "complete with" doors are not?

Anyway, very nice. Spartan, very Spartan!