bumpkin

At their core, very few religions are tolerant. Otherwise, how would they survive ? It is essential for the core believers to maintain their mythology.

Christians killing other Christians, Muslims killing Christians, Sihks killing Hindu. Christians killing Muslims. Hindu and Muslim at each others throats. You name it, it has happened or is still happening.

This piece of lowest grade cinematography, just shows the contempt of one belief for another. These movie makers are so bereft of support, they couldn't even afford decent camera work, sets, actors or script. If it wasn't serious, it would be laughable.

I doubt if any of the activist mobs now being fermented have seen, even a single frame of this. Further, I doubt at the religious leaders doing the fermenting have seen it either.

Religion has little to do with rationality, or fact. It is about emotion and belief.

These movie makers should be as reviled, as the mobs activities should be condemned.

Sticking a teenager or very young adult in a drug and gang infested prison for years is not the answer, that is obvious.

Where are these "gang infested prisons", in the US?

Gang-controlled prisons exist in nearly every country. Putting gangsters in prison does not stop them being gangsters.

Please, let's not fool ourselves in to pretending the west is a great saviour of the enviroment,

This is not an East v. West issue, it is of global concern.

Sadly, the lack of understanding about animal welfare knows no national boundaries.

There is no reason why these instances of inappropriate animal treatment should not be highlighted and discussed, whatever country.

So sad and it just goes on and on in this country (and in the other SE countries as well). Out of the 63.000.000 Thais, how many got an idea how to protect and save their beutiful and unique country?

Maybe some education about their natural surroundings and environmental matters would be a suitable addition to the school curriculum.

Another prime example for the social disorder. Animals are at the bottom of the pecking order.

Perhaps you might care to rethink that one.....

more like x pats are at the bottem

Ex-pats have the option of staying. Whereas, the tigers ?

The tigers were fed with around 10,000 baht's worth ($322) of chicken bones a month.

A bit more nutritious than a KFC bucket.

Questionable !

Any recommendations for a reliable freight/shipping company out of Thailand to the UK ? Business freight, up to 500kg each consignment. . *(email edited out)*

As for any Taxi driver giving the excuse that they don't know the address, the Police could insist either that the driver buy a SatNav before returning their licence., or they be forced to display a prominent sign on their cab that they dont know their way around the City.

Exactly how was she "forced" to eat maggots.

Who "forced " her: the other inmates, the warders ?

Surely, eating is an optional activity, unless she was being force fed - which is doubtful.

Another case of dodgy journalism ?

Yaba is a metaamphetamine,

Ice is a cocaine derivate (aka "Crystal Meth", look up the web for more horror stories)

"Boyfriend" was from Colombia. These black studs must have something, as so many Thai girls are smuggling drugs for them, hooking for them and now even killing for them.

Yes they have something .... Ice.

These Colombian drug men have something even more important . . . . A FISTFULL OF DOLLARS

Many countries use intervention as part of a strategy for market stabilising. Anyone remember the EU "Butter mountains" and "Wine lakes" ? Or, the earlier US policy of dumping surpluses onto world markets? Globally, matching food production to food requirements is never going to be exact, or anywhere near. Maybe the Thai intervention policy was not handled perfectly, but that is a crticism that can be leveled at most governments, if you take the short-term view. The big factor in crop production, as mentioned by earlier contributors, is the vicissitudes of the weather. This means the weather in all producing countries, not just one. Also, in subsequent seasons. Totally unpredictable.

Perhaps we should be cautious in critising this Thai policy too soon. History will judge.

I love the guys complaining about his beard. At each of the last couple of world cups I take bets on how long it will be before the first announcer mentions Carlo Puyos hair when Spain play.

You are a bit like the boys who find fault with a non-english speakers written english, have you nothing better to do than to complain

We are so lucky that the rest of us Brits in T'land are always neatly shaven and tidily dressed. This guy is such a bad example of British standards !

Another report indicating that what the children need is an improvement in teaching standards, not a free games machine.

UK, Cyprus and Thailand.

Two bankrupt countries and one well on the way.

What a pertinent point. Why bother with education in the face of the bankruptcy...

I wonder quite how many of the bankers directly responsible for the economic crisis attended ex-Polytechnics and quite how many hold the same self absorbed, elitist views being spouted on here...

'Sir' Fred Goodwin whose time as CEO saw the fall of Royal Bank of Scotland, is the son of an electrician and a grammar school boy, , who won a scholarship to Glasgow University.

What''s your point? He achieved entry to a prestigeous University on his own merits, not because of family connections.

History wil probably show he was reponsible for one of the larger banking collapses in British banking history

What life shows, there are successes and failures at all levels and from all backgrounds.

A visitor to Cairo trying the same stunt on a local taxi driver ( 10 for the price of 6 ) and then arguing about it, would be lucky to get away with only a black eye !

Does anyone have RELIABLE comparative statistics for incidence of robberies and violent attacks for USA and Thailand ?

L O S = Lots of Stabbings ?

Phuket=turning into Pattaya

Nah Pattaya is much much better, less expensive and no unprovoked murders of elderly lady tourists by thugs on motorbikes. I guess that's why 7 million people visited Pattaya last year as opposed to Phuket's 3.7...

Your dreaming. The reason so many people visited Pattaya is because of its' location to the Airport and Bangkok. You can see it coming. I had the opportunity to sit at the police office the other day when I notice that it was almost one after the other falang going in to fill out report about a theft or a crime against by a Thai. Exspecially bag snatching a neckless snatching. I also figured out real quick that it is the venders who most likely call their friend to let them know that the tourist went swimming come and get it. Its a blast watching them try to describe the Thai person that stole their bags.

Does this observation reveal something about the character of people who choose to visit a place with the reputation of Pattaya ...... ?

These scams have been going the rounds for many years. There can be few people who have never heard about them, and been warned against them. They succeed because so many people are greedy. Their common sense fails them when the prospect of serious amounts of cash is dangled in front of them. I receive similar blagging calls and emails frequently, and have never been able to resist putting the phone down.

Easy enough for Police to make significant progress with applying this Law. Doesn't need nation wide action. Maintain Taxi Licence checkpoints at every airport and major train station, with on-the-spot vehicle confiscation. Any of these drivers who held a full and unblemished driving licence and had no other recent criminal convictions, could be offerered the opportunity to sit a new and enhanced Taxi Drivers test and/or face Court action. That would curb the majority of Licence dodging. Other Taxi driving regulations such as use of meter, should be rigorously enforced. These actions would enhance respect for the important role of Taxi Drivers in society. Of course, the Cab owning Companies must be prosecuted as accessories, alongside any driver caught breaking these Laws. Job done !

There are complex problems around GMO crops. Apparently the slow extinction of the honey bees is one of them:

http://www.commondre...ew/2012/05/16-6

There are also reports of infertility of pigs that have been fed GMO corn and malformed babies in Mexico where farmworkers live close or on big GMO farms where loads of "insurance"herbicides are sprayed on the crops. RoundUp kills all other plants and leaves only the genetically engineered crops.

Please post the specific reference for these reports. Thanks

The many amusing comments written here demonstrate one thing, that there is great confidence in ignorance !

And for our dear USA friends, there is another version of history apart for that emanating from Hollywood and Walt Disney.

Is there any cost justification for this? Or is it about the Shinawatra clan?

HSR was first pushed in the early-mid 1990s around the time Thaksin entered politics but was then dropped after the 1997 financial crisis. It is unlikely he has been pushing it since the beginning. The most recent round of promotion for HSR really started picking up steam in 2008 under the PPP-led Samak administration. Some initial preliminary feasibility work was undertaken and the idea kept kicking around through Abhisit's administration, even going as far as a Market Sounding event. As there is a lot of money at stake and genuine interest from the Chinese (and less so the Japanese) in terms of financing, it makes political sense to keep it alive.

From a rational perspective, high speed rail is unnecessary in Thailand. The proposed budget for HSR should be used to accelerate the current double-tracking and rehabilitation efforts currently underway nationwide. This would lead to increased benefits in logistics (very important) and some small gains in passenger service. Certain corridors like Bangkok to Rayong could be provided with an upgraded passenger service such as an electrified meter-gauge system traveling around 150 km/h using existing tracks or just extending the Airport Link from Suvarnibhumi down south.

Are we missing the point ? Is the HSR link being considered solely for the benefit of the Thai people ? Could it possible be part of the plan for the new Chinese world order ? And, maybe there will be a future time when aviation fuel costs are unacceptably high, and some form of mass movement by land transport is more economic. I guess the real planners behind this idea are thinking very long term !

Another political vanity project. They would do far better to use half the money and upgrade all the lines in the country to a reasonable standard and double-track them where needed (to the South) for example.

Nobody really needs 350kph trains, but if they could lift Thailand's services reliably above 35kph it would be a start.

But then again, the Chinese are always happy to test unproven technology or engineering shortcuts in other countries before exposing their own citizens to the problems.

Not always true. The Chinese authorities are not strangers to the idea of doing the 'field tests' after the projects have been completed. They are not above inflicitng this on their own population. Sadly !

But first, give us the free iPad.

We assume this is meant as a joke. Ipads are no substitute for good education. Maybe they can help pass the time between real Lessons?