SomtamFetcher

No, it's because I was in the telecom industry and personally affected by this human virus. Exactly how many times have YOU met that evil, fetid square faced pustule? I have worked with every kind of self centered corrupt cretin there is. I am an expert on scumbags. Thaksin is so far beyond everyone else in this category that he can't even be considered human. Nevin, as bad as he is, is an angel compared to Thaksin.

I watched with my own eyes how he perverted the industry for his own iniquitous gains. Believe me, I understand my hatred for that demagogue. Many people loved another demagogue in history called Hitler. Thaksin would happily kill 6 million or 60 million for his own nefarious ends. He is true filth. I will forgive your defense of that maggot, because you clearly do not have knowledge of what you say.

Don't hold back Greg. Tell us how you really feel.

Elcent, you can believe what you choose...

But the highest numbers I've seen today were the early morning measurement of 10 milli sievert at the plant gate...

Posted Today, 11:09

JFC note - interestingly, the NISA officials in their televised news conference didn't mention the 10 mSv figure at 10:40 am... They used a 10:30 am reading and then skipped to 10:45 am... See broader readings in prior post above.

Radiation briefly topped 10 millisievert at Fukushima plant

TOKYO, March 16, Kyodo News

The radiation level at the quake-hit Fukushima No.1 [Daiichi] nuclear power plant reached 10 millisievert per hour at one point Wednesday morning, possibly due to the damage at its No.2 reactor the day before, the government's nuclear safety agency said.

The maximum level was measured at the plant's front gate at 10:40 a.m. It fell to 6.4 millisievert at 10:45 a.m. and to 2.3 millisievert at 10:54 a.m. but rose again to about 3.4 millisievert as of 11:00 a.m., the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said.

And then, this afternoon, the posts about the Japanese police helicopter flying over the plant, preparing to do the water drop, that measured 50 milli sievert and then bailed out... 50 mSv presumably because it was flying right into the airborne plume coming from the plant...

And actually, recall that the Japanese govt. just this morning granted a special exception for workers at the reactors to receive up to 250 milli sievert exposure... I believe the limit had been 100 mSv before... Obviously if it was 1,000 mSv somewhere, none of them could or would be there.

If I'm not mistaken, an exposure of 1,000 milliSieverts pretty much means you're going to die.

No, 1 Sv will not kill you. You will likely experience vomiting though. Even 3 Sv won't usually kill you outright. That doesn't mean you won't have secondary problems like cancer that will shorten your life, but the radiation itself won't do you in. In fact, you don't really start seeing large scale death from radiation until about 5 - 6 Sv, and some people can survive up to about 8 Sv. Beyond that, you are pretty much dead.

This come from a US study in Bethesda, MD when deciding how much astronauts can safely tolerate. The recommended limits set for normal people have a large safety factor built in, as they take into account things like being able to reproduce without getting a kid that has 3 eyes.

People may want to avoid flying through the radiation clouds during the week. See map here... but its just an estimate of where it may go

http://www.wundergro...l?entrynum=1763

and forget going to Tokyo as radiation is 23 times normal

http://www.marketwat...011-03-15-04540

While I would never recommend voluntarily increasing your exposure to radiation if it wasn't necessary, it is helpful to point out that by your own link they are stating only .809 uSv. That is a tiny, tiny amount. To put it in perspective, here are some exposure limits:

Effect / Dose

Blood count changes 50 rem

Vomiting (threshold) 100 rem

Mortality (threshold) 150 rem

LD50/60* (with minimal supportive care) 320 – 360 rem

LD50/60 (with supportive medical treatment) 480 – 540 rem

100% mortality (with best available treatment) 800 rem

(Adapted from NCRP Report No. 98 "Guidance on Radiation Received in Space Activities, NCRP, Bethesda, MD (1989))

* The LD50/60 is that dose at which 50%of the exposed population will die within 60 days.

Since 100 rem is 1 Sv, this means that an individual could currently stay in Tokyo for 17 months at the current levels without even reaching the lowest level medical threat on this chart. Any astronaut who has ever been into space has been substantially more exposed to harmful radiation than the current population of Tokyo. On an average airline flight, you are exposed to .238 uSv/hr., so spending 10 hours in Tokyo is no more dangerous than flying round trip from the US to Bangkok. The Japanese so far have done an excellent job at containing this threat.

I understand people are scared, but it doesn't help to spread fear and misinformation. I wouldn't suggest a trip to Tokyo right now if you didn't have to, but if you do have to, the threat is negligible. There is no reason to cancel your plans over this.

3) The drivers don't want to operate the bikes more safely, so they will avoid these devices like the plague.

How can we take anything you say seriously when you make such preposterous statements?

A few minutes of Googling found an article on the BangkokPost I remember from a few years back. I won't link to it to keep from running afoul of the ThaiVisa regulations, but you can find it yourself on July 27, 2009.

From motorcycle taxi operator Saichon Makcharoen, "To me, passenger safety is even more important than my own safety. I'll give it 150%."

Many of these guys are very concerned about safety, and their passengers doubly so. Why would you think they are all suicidal maniacs? I am not going to try and argue with you that every driver is a paragon of virtue, but neither am I going to accept you stereotyping all these guys as murderous, villainous thugs with no respect for human life. That is clearly outrageous and patently false. The drivers represent a cross section of Thai society, and you can probably find the same range of personalities among them as you would in any village.

The really interesting question that this story brings out is, will this device give the responsible operators a more loyal and larger customer base? If it does, you can expect all the drivers to adopt it.

I'll be watching with interest.

I would be surprised if moto drivers are as keen as this article suggests.

I don't know about this. Thais as a general rule are non confrontational. I've been in 2 situations before where the drivers were so meek and so afraid to negotiate a fare that they were asking me how much I'd be willing to pay, afraid to suggest a price outright. There will almost certainly be a percentage of drivers who will be very happy to have the device. I just can't guess what that percentage will be.

The real question is, will passengers disproportionately favour those bikes that have meters over the ones that don't? If they do, then eventually all the drivers will have them. If the passengers don't care, then it might remain a small percentage.

The article was interesting though. The safety issues of the black box technology was intriguing. I Google'd a bit and found several articles that seem to support the views in the article that this will cause the drivers to operate their bikes more safely. Certainly, given a choice, I would select a motorcycle taxi that had this technology over one that did not for that very reason alone. I know if my children were forced to take a motorcycle taxi for any reason I would demand this.

I suspect the price of the meters will not be a huge detriment, as it is likely the advertising revenue will probably offset the price of the meter in the long run. And the government just announced they would give loans to all the motorcycle taxi drivers so they can pay in instalments.

I personally think this idea has merit. I'll be curious to see if it succeeds.

1st where is the company going to be operating.. Why does it have to be this style of bike, Will nothing else do the job. If its outside Bkk then many towns and cities operate a grey style of using these small 2t scooters. It's actually a tambon (local council) issued plate. And can only be used in the city limits.(usually in University towns)

Others just ride around with no plate.

Jeeze i just looked at that thing (r7) if you want to use THAT in BKK you are madder than the reds and yellows put together.

Unfortunately, we will be operating primarily in Bangkok, and later other major metropolitan areas. So I don't think the local council idea will work, but it was a nice thought. Thank you for suggesting it. It may be useful in a different context. We also need full insurance, so operating without registration is not going to be acceptable.

We don't need this particular motorcycle, but it does need to be one that can collapse and be carried by hand, run on liquid fuels and reach respectable speeds.

I actually just found another manufacturer that makes a near similar clone to the Di Blasi but uses a 4 cycle engine instead of the 2 cycle. So it appears we can overcome that problem.

Given this, what other hurdles can we expect in importing a 49cc motorcycle and registering it? Is there a procedure that is explained anywhere? Does anyone know exactly what the import duties will be?

As for being crazy, I'm not going to be the one riding it. And I think what we are planning is dramatically safer than riding around with a baby on the handle bars and no helmet. So I don't think the Thai drivers will be intimidated by it, no matter what shirt they wear.

Thanks again for all your help.

You would have to have a Thai partner as well as far I know.

Thanks. We do have a Thai partner.

I'm sorry to inform you that due to the 2-stroke engine, the Di Blasi R7 will never become road legal in Thailand. Trying, will be a waist of money, time and will generate lots of headaches.

Interesting. I didn't realize this. Are registering these engines actually outlawed, or is it simply that there is a gauntlet of issues that need to be negotiated in order to make it happen?

Could the bikes be registered if the 2 stroke engines were replaced by an after market 4 stroke engine?

I am willing to take this as far as it can go, unless a true immovable wall presents itself. Do you think this is actually impossible, or merely difficult?

Hi everyone,

I am interested in starting a company that requires the use of a Di Blasi R7 folding motorcycle. This has to be completely above board, and there are no other brands on the market that offer similar capabilities as far as I know. Does anyone know:

1) If there is a Di Blasi dealer or certified importer in Thailand?

2) If not, is there a procedure for importing/registering a motorbike, and if so, how difficult is it?

Assuming that there is no dealer already, I know the stock answer is going to be that I'm a fool for even trying. For the sake of argument, assume that I am a fool, and I want to throw my money away. Can anyone suggest what the actual procedure for this, and how long the process would take?

What are the actual requirements for registering a bike to make it street legal in Thailand? How about import duties on a 49.9cc motorcycle?

Also, if anyone else knows of a liquid fuel powered, collapsible motorcycle please let me know.

Thanks for any assistance.