MaxYakov

On 10/10/2017 at 3:09 PM, sjaak327 said:

Not really, in fact opening that can is quicker than getting the draft beer. opening a bottle does not take long either. not sure what the big problem is here. live and let live.

The biggest problem, as I see it, is that the beer is sold in an open container and would probably be consumed immediately and relatively surreptitiously while walking down the sidewalk or potentially while operating a motor vehicle.

Something about the allure of tackiness (of course, TiT applies). This is from someone who encountered a tipsy tourist on a Sukhumvit Soi 4 sidewalk who was sucking beer from a bottle through a straw before 11 AM this morning. To be expected on Soi 4, I suppose, but everywhere in Bangkok?

7-Eleven and Family Mart could have easily predicted the failure of this obviously bad idea. 

So, now will they change its name to 102-Body Way? (or start working on a solution?). R.I.P., the kids.

Blood-alcohol level of all involved? Availability of alcoholic beverages at the party? I know, I know. As I've been told many times by Thais: Max, you think too much.

The Sukhumvit Soi 11 Gang patiently waiting for traffic to cross Soi 11 at Sukhumvit. I feel sorry for the stray dogs I've seen in Bangkok, most of which seem absolutely traumatized to me and often starving. These seem to be in relatively good shape.

On 10/4/2017 at 5:40 PM, richard_smith237 said:

 

A motorcycle was impacted by a Vehicle who's driver fell asleep at the wheel... pedestrians and cyclists are equally at risk. 

A large solid vehicle is perhaps one of the limited options which may have saved them, perhaps something not at all available to these poor victims.

 

Additionally, the distances which need to be covered may not be achievable by walking or cycling. 

 

I would also argue that Cycling here is significantly more risky than motorcycling, especially with a Child.

 

I have to wonder whether you have thought about any of this before commenting. 

 

 

In the interests of offering a balanced discussion I do agree that for some taking a Motorcycle 500m down the road with 3 kids on the back is lazy and placing 5 kids on a motorcycle is perhaps stupid, however, this was a mother and child traveling safely on the road and the driver of another vehicle fell asleep and deviated into them killing them. 

 

This is a tragic event, one which could have been avoided through many alternative actions, but to call the majority of a nation stupid or lazy because they ride a motorcycle is perhaps the opinion of someone who refuses to accept the realities of life.....  it is on this point I have a question for you 'HG' - Do you think Motorcyclists in other countries (i.e. UK & US) equally lazy and stupid ? 

"I would also argue that Cycling here is significantly more risky than motorcycling, especially with a Child."

You may argue that, but you would lose with me, a 10-year veteran of cycling daily in urban Bangkok. One has to know how to urban cycle safely relative to motorcycling. I've had only one "hard knock, school thereof" while cycling in Bangkok - letting a careless bus driver pass me to have him cut me off between his bus and a carelessly/illegally parked car (I don't let that happen anymore).

From a speed standpoint alone, motorcycling is far more dangerous than cycling. Establish and use a lot of tactics and rules that cannot be performed by motorcycle operators and cycling has the potential for being much safer than motorcycling. For example, one can take a foldable bicycle on both BTS and MRT, minimizing road risk whereas this cannot be done with a motorcycle. However, it is the tactics and rules one uses on and off the road that are the most important for relative safe cycling in the inherently dangerous road environment in Thailand.

However, take a bicycle out on the roads and try to operate largely as a motorcycle would then all bets are off as to one's longevity.

PS: I do not recommend that one rides either a bicycle or a motorcycle or even a Tuk-Tuk in Thailand. One should be extremely careful simply being a pedestrian in Thailand even if one is continuously alert (i.e. not a smartphone zombie) and is neither physically nor psychologically handicapped in any way.

I saw a car that was inexplicably stopped in the middle of Sukhumvit Soi 16 with the engine running as it was passing some illegally parked cars in front of FoodLand. The police were called to wake up the driver who had passed out at the wheel. It took quite a while to get him conscious by rocking the vehicle, yelling and pounding on the roof. At least he was virtually stopped when he passed out.

Whew! I'm glad there weren't any lemmings reported injured.  

3 hours ago, jayboy said:

I don't buy the simple minded clown explanation of Boris Johnson.It's interesting to see over the last few months the sustained campaign in the UK media against Johnson.It gets me thinking that something about the man alarms the leftish commentariat, probably that he is an astonishingly successful retail politician - even though his star power is waning fast.

 

There will always be a chippiness among some that he received a privileged education - as though going to the world's leading school and leading university was a disqualification of some sort.He is clearly a highly intelligent man and a genuinely amusing one too.

 

Yet he hasn't much of a chance - too slaspdash, a philanderer,not enough friends in the House of Commons, too self centred etc.But I think it's a pity there are so few characters in politics.

 

Turning to the Kipling poem, I can't think of any other politician who would know how to quote it.

 

And I can't make head or tail of the geography in:

 

"An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!"

Methinks there is legitimate geography underlying his poetic license, Try Google Maps. I could really get into Kipling if I weren't busy getting into trouble already.

Wow! I guess we can call the disintegration (or whatever happened to it) of the fan "uncontained". I wonder what damage the #3 engine and the wing and fuselage took. If minimal, maybe the containment strategy actually worked fairly well in this case as well as considering the distance #4 is from the fuselage. Very lucky passengers and crew, IMHO.

26 minutes ago, Bob12345 said:

She had 70 grams of meth (see other thread). Meth doses are normally in milligram!

 

So she either was planning 6-12 months of being high or dealing.

Which one you think?

I choose "C" - all of the above.

5 hours ago, elgenon said:

FYI There are flip flops that are shower shoes. They have a sole that works well on wet tile. The average flip flops do not have such soles and can be slippery.

 

The average house price is $2 million at the beach cities of LA.  Everyone wears flip flops everywhere. Even expensive restaurants and when flying. Residents include most of the sports team members of LA, models, actors, entertainers, and a lot of CEOs. You should tell them you do not approve. Shape them up. Glad to see you are the repository of the TRUTH. 

I TRUTHfully gave my opinion (AFAIC = As Far As I'm Concerned). Can't tell the difference between opinion and fact even when the opinion is explicitly designated as such?

What could be in doubt are your assertions about the high-end, LA residents' choice of footwear. AFAIC, California, especially LA, should NOT be exemplar of the US population (i.e. effectively a one-party, welfare state, subsidized illegal migration, below average fiscal ranking, 400 Bn unfunded liabilities, etc) so nothing would surprise me about it or many of its citizens.

49 minutes ago, maxpower said:

Yeah yeah; first class economy man. You would be dribbling and trembling like a silly old fool if these feet sat next to you.

 

Wrong "thong", I'm afraid! Anyway, this looks like a ladyboy to me so I'd at least be "trembling" and requesting a seat change.

I guess one could say the elephant was "well-grounded" (before and after electrocution).

28 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

 

 

So how do you chaps manage to cope with the over-fussy miserable jobsworths at Security who insist on you removing your shoes before being screened - which more often than not means that you have to balance on 1 foot and then the other to unlace each shoe and then repeat this ritual in order to lace your shoes back on afterwards, because there is no bloody place for you to perch your bum on?

 

Some of us - myself included - have a physical disability which makes it impossible for us to balance on 1 foot, And that is the main reason why I always wear sandals when flying - and intend to continue doing so, thank you very much, whether you chaps like it or not.

 

That said I am prepared to - and do - make the effort to attire myself in a buttoned shirt and long trousers.

Can't set your butt on the floor and remove your shoes (or find some place to sit down, remove your shoes and pad around in your socks)?

Perhaps, you should be the exception that proves the rule, that's all. Anyway, I didn't say sandals, I said shower shoes and your excuse sounds pretty lame to me.

I'm not letting the terrorists or the TSA force me into really tacky attire that even a child probably shouldn't be wearing (in the interests of foot protection). 

I remember when flip-flops used to be called "shower shoes". AFAIC, the only place they should be worn is ... wait for it ... in the shower.

Certainly not on the street and while traveling on aircraft, no matter who one is or what kind of ticket one has. 

1 hour ago, overherebc said:

And the kid will grow up believing he can do whatever he wants and no one can tell him anything because that's just the way it is.

Let me think. Now where have I encountered that attitude?

3 hours ago, HHTel said:

With all the lawsuits over the years, especially in the US, not one baht/cent/penny has ever been paid out!

Even if that were true, I doubt the lost sales and trials' defense lawyers were free, although the unintended advertising may have been beneficial to sales.

PS: If one edits a post, even by removing as few as one word, I prefer that the editing be somehow indicated. In this case a simple "< snipped  BS verbiage >" would have been adequate.

12 hours ago, davehowden said:

" PMTL wanted to move towards a smoke-free future "

 

Strange statement for a tobacco company to make ??

Improper, incomplete quotation from the article without any indication that it is not the complete sentence, below:

"PMTL wanted to move towards a smoke-free future and supported a tax policy based on the principle of tobacco harm-reduction that encourages smokers to switch from cigarettes to less harmful alternatives, such as noncombustible tobacco products, he said."

And you're getting likes and smileys for this? Says a lot about your posting and some of the readers here, eh? Maybe big tobacco is tired of big payout lung cancer lawsuits from tobacco addicts and/or their families.

A "smoke-free" future would be a good idea considering how horrible the cheap cigarettes they sell these days smell (and even some of the expensive ones).

45 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

Just to clear what you are saying differs from what elvis123456 said.

As for your assertion, how do you know this? Do you have any links? Maybe a putsch is just around the corner. I do know about that NK site. In fact, I cited a few times an article by one of its chief scholars who cautions against thinking that the current Kim is insane. But I forgot to do a search. Here's something somewhat germane:

Kim Jong Un's fearpolitik and marketization policies eroding public sentiment

"A panel of experts noted this week that although Kim Jong Un has made several ‘achievements’ including the 7th Party Congress, two nuclear tests, and 24 missile launches to stabilize the regime, he is creating internal dissent with the continuing reign of fear.

 

An influx of information through marketization is also thought to be growing beyond the control of the regime, which may accelerate instability in the middle and long term as an increasing number of residents prioritize their personal finances in place of obedience to the leadership. 

 

At the event, hosted by the Institute for National Security Strategy (INCC), Shin Gak Soo, Director of the Center for International Law in Korea National Diplomatic Academy, said, "The North Korean regime has been sustained by three factors: idolization, control, and communism. But [nascent] marketization and the influx of information spreading recently have been eroding its authority from within."

http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk02501&num=14213

Doubts over regime cut across all demographics

I also found this which seems to address the question of the loyalty of the elites:

Following the defection of a group of overseas restaurant workers in April, the family of Thae Yong Ho, the former North Korean diplomatic minister to Britain, entered South Korea in August. There have also been internal reports that ranking officials belonging to state institutions including the State Security Department are considering defection. This phenomenon indicates that unlike in the past when the 'subsistence issue' was the primary motivating factor for defection, the 'political cause' is becoming increasingly more common.

http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk01500&num=14192

 

Didn't you carefully read the very article for which you provided a link? If you had, you would have known about DailyNK. Didn't I say "guesstimate" or did you miss that as well. My opinions are based on historic and current observed precedents and human nature, and my (admittedly) low-info-driven guesstimates that's all.

I believe it's optimistic to assume large-scale defection or a revolution in the DPRK. If they're going to do it, they'd better get with the program before they are forced to go down with their (idolized or not) leader.

Thanks for the DailyNK article regarding last November's Institute for National Security Strategy conference [link]. A panel of "experts" and "academicians", one of which went so far as to propose having SK being building nuclear weapons:

"Regarding the new US administration, Professor Kim noted that, "We need to prepare for new measures to develop our own deterrence capabilities in case the US-South alliance becomes weaker. We need to strengthen our ability to develop nuclear weapons using our own considerable scientific resources, even if we fall short of becoming a nuclear power, and use it as diplomatic leverage."" (emphasis is mine)

What kind of strategy is that?!

Also, defection for "political cause" becoming "increasingly more common", from the Doubts over regime cut across all demographics -  DailyNK - Nov, 2016 [link], just doesn't do it for me. Thanks for finding the article for us, but we should all be aware that the DailyNK is not an official DPRK news site and could be considered propaganda (not that a DPRK news site wouldn't also be propaganda). The article is an interesting read, but I have to ask: Are the defectors and potential defectors among the relevant?

This is another of my opinions, which I am "asserting" and cannot offer substantial proof thereof. Do you know anyone who can?

Good Luck with these in the future:

Opinion = Assertion

Links = Truth

PS: I see you're still having trouble with fonts and text-anchored hyperlinks.

Yes, quiet amazing! If Giovanni could be told...

1 hour ago, ilostmypassword said:

Where is your evidence that the North Koreans idolize the Kim Dynasty?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/what-do-north-koreans-think-about-kim-jong-un-this-survey-tries-to-find-out/2016/11/01/2a2cc357-34a9-464c-b32f-1291d16dd1b0_story.html?utm_term=.0d73f1ebd78b

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/what-do-north-koreans-think-about-kim-jong-un-this-survey-tries-to-find-out/2016/11/01/2a2cc357-34a9-464c-b32f-1291d16dd1b0_story.html?utm_term=.0d73f1ebd78b

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9191998/What-North-Koreans-really-think-of-Kim-Jong-un.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/08/AR2010090807085.html

Thanks! The first and second Washington Post links were duplicates pointing to the same article and that was based on a 36-NK-person survey - but it does have video by Anna Fifield reporting from Pyongyang (which wouldn't play for me).

The UK Telegraph article was enlightening and was worth a read just to discover this NK news site (based in Seoul):

Daily NK - English Language - Live from Seoul  [link]

The third Washington Post link was pointing to a quite dated, 2010 article and contained citizens' statements about his potential succession.

It would be plausible to me that a majority of the non-inner-circle people in the DPRK ( > 90% by my guesstimate) would push him over a cliff, given half a chance. However, as Brigitte Gabriel put it about other masses that have been in similar situations: They are irrelevant.

The relevant ones, AFAIC, are the fanatics and the brainwashed (probably the minority who have access to weapons) who are willing to go to their graves with him doing whatever he orders them to do.

1 hour ago, baboon said:

I am sure the generals surrounding Trump are far from fumbling, stumbling bozos. Let us hope that they continue to keep him in check.

Like they did with the Shayrat Tomahawk CM Strike on April 7, for example? What was it, only 59? I wonder who's keeping whom "in check" these days.

5 hours ago, balo said:

The taxes in Norway always been on the high side,  reason why we have free education and free healthcare. 

 

Regarding oil it's controlled by the USD , so the government can only hope it will stay up . But the billions of dollars that are spent on the national budget every year , most of it comes from the oil , without the oil money Norway would be in trouble .  

 

Regarding immigration , still a big challenge to cope with in Norway , but not as bad as in Sweden. But maybe one of the reasons she was re-elected and the popularity of the conservatives/progress party , since the labor party traditionally been more friendly towards immigrants .

 

 

An informative post, generally. Thanks!

Speech by Governor Øystein Olsen - New York March, 2015 [link]

"The oil and gas industry has played a vital role for the strong growth in our economy over the past 40 years. When the first oil was brought to the surface in 1971, GDP per capita in Norway was lower than the average for a western economy. The picture has reversed since then. We have gradually caught up to the wealthiest nations. Measured by GDP per capita, Norway now ranks close to the top."

Apparently, about 25% of Norway's GDP is from oil revenue.

However, shouldn't that be "so-called" "free education and free healthcare"? Or how about government-provided education and healthcare, since my research says that the general opinion is that Norway is a "welfare state" (the government is responsible for the welfare of the people)? Are they correct?

As an example, what's the logic problem with this common sales ploy?:

Buy one, get one free?

23 minutes ago, suzannegoh said:

 

And maybe the problem is that you're a degenerate who resents young people who are out there living their life.

 

You got that wrong. I'm just a degenerate who wants to see the young live at least beyond the ripe old age of 21. 

My position on sharing the road with high-speed motor vehicles ignores any cyclist-specific aspects. It involves mostly common sense (which, BTW, the cities of Copenhagen and Amsterdam and several others have successfully dealt with) and can be found HERE [link].

39 minutes ago, suzannegoh said:

It's pretty funny how outraged all the sexpats are over this girl cycling through Thailand. How dare she.

Maybe you missed this last sentence in the article:

"Thaivisa notes that a round the world cyclist on the Thai roads last year was wiped out by a large truck on the Friendship Highway."

Was that the result of "outrage" on the part of Thaivisa?

Or maybe you missed this tragedy that killed two - probably at the "edge of the road":

Two Cyclists Killed on Thai Leg of Round the World Tour - Samui Times

Or Juan Francisco Guillermo who had a wife and two-year old son with him, probably at the "edge of the road":

Chilean Tour Cyclist Killed By a Pickup Truck in Korat - The Guardian.

And that's just for starters in Thailand.

I previously made my position quite clear on this very thread HERE [link]. Perhaps you missed it in your haste?

One question, though? What's your secret for spotting "sexpats" on this forum?