LawrenceN

"The officials also told police that another Grade 11 student from the same school had been threatened with an “F” because he held his hand up in a three-finger salute."

Free speech in Thailand? Not so much. 

5 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Where is Decathlon?  Any idea of bike brand name?  Like I said, knowing who manufactured a carbon frame seems to be the most important thing.  I've heard of a lot of really attractive looking bike frames on Alibaba that turn out to be pretty bad, even dangerous due to poor design, materials, or quality control of manufacturing...especially when it comes to carbon.

 

I had a friend who was riding down Doi Suthep when his "good deal" Chinese carbon handlebars broke unexpectedly...not the kind of experience I ever want to have LOL!

Now I'm thinking the brand name is BTwin.

Decathlon is in the Tesco-Lotus complex south of the Airport Mall. First set of traffic signals south of Airport Mall, on the left. Not a bad U-turn if you're coming from the south, as long as it's not rush hour. 

If you need to change the cassette, I have an 11-speed 11-34 cassette I could sell, almost new, but no chain. 

19 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

I appreciate your feedback.  While I'm impressed with the Kaze bike, like @QPRFC mentioned, I was also a little put off by the "Distributor" here in Chiang Mai.  They were very pleasant in answering questions but sort of allusive about where and by who the bike is manufactured.  What's more, they keep telling me the bike is on "back-order" and this has been going on for months.  I hate to say this, but I wonder if the bike is even actually being manufactured or if it is just a lot of marketing hype.  I mean, I did see one bike "for real" at Anek Bikes in Chiang Mai but that was it; even the "so-called" Chiang Mai distributor had no actual bikes to show me! ????

 

And most of all, there is absolutely no objective user feedback to be found on the internet or YouTube; only marketing oriented stuff.  There just seems no way to know for sure if the bike is good, or just looks good.

 

On the other hand, I can find quite a bit of objective, third-party feedback on the LightCarbon factory in China.  I looked into a number of factories (including VeloBuild), and LightCarbon seems to be #1, and though they keep their relationship with bike brands a secret, I am pretty sure their factory builds frames for Specialized, Cannondale, and Pinarello.

 

LightCarbon has been making frames since 2012 and has been exhibiting since 2016 in all the global bike exhibitions like EuroBike, Interbike, and CosmoBike.  All of their carbon frames and rims are made of high modulus carbon fiber (Toray T1000), and they are tested under new ISO4210 standard, and they have a 2 year quality warranty...so, I really think I could be comfortable ordering the frame and other carbon components from them and building out the bike myself.

 

Here is the economy build-out that DurianRider made of the LightCarbon frame-set for around 35,000THB that included some premium components.

 

I worked out the cost to build that "Nove" style bike, using a LightCarbon frame & bars and Shimano 105 GroupSet, and it comes out to around 45,000 THB which is less than the Kaze Kansai, so it's really enticing, plus they have an excellent reputation for custom designing the paint job to whatever you whatever you want (i.e.: like Phil Gaimon's "Cookieman Bike")

 

	THB
LightCarbon Super Light Carbon Road Frameset LCR007-V	14,004.00
Superteam Carbon Wheels	9,496.27
LightCarbon Handlebar Integrated w/ Stem	3,112.00
Victoria clincher Tires	3,112.00
FiZik Saddle	2,334.00
Shimano XTR MTB pedals	2,334.00
105 Groupset 11-34 165mm crank 7000 series	12,099.46
Custom Paint	3,112.00
TOTAL PRICE	49,603.72

 

That is a very attractive price considering that the Nove brand road bike using this frame goes for around $9,000USD (including all components), when my cost to build would be around $1,600 USD. 

 

Clearly, I don't need such a high quality carbon bike like the Cookieman Bike, but at the price...why not??  Hell, maybe I should just go into business making custom bikes for people here in Chinag Mai LOL ????

 

Have you seen the carbon fiber bike at Decathlon? It's almost identical to what you describe - carbon frame with 105 components - but I don't think it's got the carbon wheels or 11-34 cassette. I forget what brand name they use, and have no idea what factory they come from. Worth a look? Up to you. 

15 hours ago, SunsetT said:

I really dont know why they do it as it also puts them at more risk by ending up on the wrong side of the road after the U turn and needing to cut back over to the left. 

That would be logical. When have you seen a logical Thai driver? 

This is why I stay as far right as possible in U-turn lanes. Motos can't get through in six inches. I also stay close to the car in front, especially when I'm second in line, to prevent motos from cutting in, to make them go around to the left. 

4 hours ago, JimGant said:

After you turn left past Immigration, running adjacent to the airport parking lot, what is that multi story building on the left being constructed? It looks like a tiered parking lot.... If so, will there be some kind of horizontal escalator into the terminal?

Shuttle bus, more likely. 

5 hours ago, redwood1 said:

So how did these 165 Filipino teachers get approved?.....And why are 3,000 farang teachers waiting?.......I would speculate most Filipino teachers would be less able to jump through all the hoops and pay the money compared to most farang teachers...

 

Unless

 

Some one plans to pay the Filipino teachers less and does not mind footing the bill...

The Filipinos are foreigners, not farang. The headline says "3,000 foreigners." That means not Thai citizens. Farang means us of European origin.  "Farang" is not a synonym for foreigner.

1 hour ago, Matzzon said:

Like they say Kai Gai. Mean egg from chicken, right? Or do you hear them speak Kai Kai? ????
 

The former, if I have to choose. But I avoid spelling Thai with the wrong alphabet, so I'll stick with ไข่ไก่.

Dust cart? What dialect is that anyway? 

"I don't think mackeral meant for human consumption should be a problem"

No disrespect intended, in fact I appreciate you as one of the consistently sensible commentators here. I hope you don't mind my asking: What qualifies you to make that statement? Clearly you're a pet owner with significant experience, and I recall several very thoughtful comments on medical issues. Do you have professional training or experience?

I brought my cat home yesterday. The vet and I were ready to conclude that a daily uncooked fish was too much. The cat is confined to the laundry room. She hates it, but it's a first step in transition to making her an indoor cat. 

Of all the awful things carried by trucks on ferries, coconut husks must be one of the most benign. They would just float away and do no harm. Glad it wasn't, say, gasoline. 

OP here. I forgot to mention: Cat stopped eating the fish a week or two ago. It smelled the same to me. Maybe she sensed something different about recent batches, or had had her fill of it due to the impending change in her body chemistry. Maybe her kidneys were telling her they'd had enough. Does any of that make sense? 

1 hour ago, holy cow cm said:

Green bile represent your cat eating grass. Normal. but the question is where is she eating this grass at? Do you spray for ants? Or is there grass under your roses?

I only use boric acid for ants, non-toxic to mammals. I have seen her eat grass, but nowhere near the roses. The roses are in planters with no grass around them. 

I have had heat exhaustion several times. The puke I'm describing is what you get when you've emptied your stomach and still keep puking. No solids. 

1 hour ago, soi3eddie said:

Any neighbours upset with your cat? Green colured puke. Just a thought: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ethylene-glycol-poisoning-in-cats#:~:text=Ethylene glycol has a very,antifreeze can result in fatality.

I addressed that in the original post. 

Ethylene glycol is possible if found by accident. I had thought dogs were more attracted to it than cats. She does hide out under the cars a lot, but my cars don't leak any. She doesn't stray far from home. 

I haven't read the link yet, but I will soon. Thanks for that. 

1 hour ago, jak2002003 said:

I think it's very unlikely to be the fish.  After all, its fresh fish and for human consumption. 

 

I think it's more likely you cat ate some poisonous substance, with rat poison or some other toxic chemical.

 

My much loved dog died after eating a dead bird she found in the garden.  One of her bad habits was gulping down whole birds that hit the window sometimes.  I had no time to stop her.  I thought nothing of it as she has eaten lots before.  However 24 hours later she was dying.. and despite getting her to the vets she passes away in the night in a painful way.  

 

I realised it must be from the birds body having poison in it from eating poisoned grain.  There were many dead birds, doves and pigeons, around my home area, and apparently someone scattered poisoned seeds over the field near us to kill off the pest birds.

 

Maybe you cat ate a mouse, rat or bird that had been poisoned, or just found some poison bait around the area? 

 

Hope it gets better soon. 

Sorry for the loss of your dog. They're irreplaceable. Did the vet confirm that kidney failure was the cause of death? 

1 hour ago, bestie said:

I had a few cats and two of them died after they start catching and eating rats. I can't tell why but maybe the rats are eating a strong poison and when the cat is then eating the rat, the cat is getting poisoned. Rat poison in general isn't immediately deadly it takes some time before it takes effect. That's my experience with two of my cats and what I can tell so far.  

Thanks for responding. Did you get a diagnosis from a vet? Do you know if the kidneys and liver were affected? 

1 hour ago, toofarnorth said:

Not sure if they are mackeral but the wife gets platoo from along the way 3 for 10 B and my 2 cats love them , if not available I give them Pet 8 sardine from the local pet food shop , probably safer. I know what it is like to lose a cat , they don't ask for much but great company.

Yes, that's the same fish. 

Maybe you should watch this thread for good info (and ignore the bad). 

My cat was lethargic and would not eat yesterday. I watched her drink for more than a minute, which is unusual for her. Then she puked, twice, bile green with no solids. 

I took her to the vet. He drew blood and gave her saline under the skin. No fever. She spent the night there. 

Vet called with lab results today. No infection, WBC count normal. Two indicators of renal failure, and reduced liver function. Vet's diagnosis is poisoning. Let's nip this in the bud first: I don't think any of the neighbors poisoned my cat. We're friendly and mind our own business. It's more likely an environmental source, like a rat she ate or garden chemicals. My fertilizers are kept in closed containers, and chemicals in a locked cabinet. I use the pesticides sparingly, mostly on roses, which the cat shows little interest in. 

We have been feeding her a little mackerel every day for years. We buy it cheap at the local twice-a-week market. Vet says that could be the source of what ails her. That is, if there's a preservative in the fish or some other accumulated chemical, it could accumulate in the kidneys and bring a cat down. 

Our previous cat died of kidney failure. We fed her mackerel, too, but really, all environmental factors remained constant around our house. 

So here's my question: Do any of you have experience with problems feeding mackerel to cats long-term? Is this a known problem with mackerel as food for cats?  

4 hours ago, CelticBhoy said:

"Much of the money ends up abroad and not in the hands of Thais."

 

Greed in full view here. Unbelievable comment .... ????

 

I disagree. This is a government agency that's responsible for encouraging tourism. Diverse businesses depend on tourism. Thailand competes with its neighbors, and countries throughout the world, for tourists, and not just the Chinese. This person was doing his job, which is to advocate for tourist-dependent businesses in Thailand. 

There's a new airport being built miles outside of Chiang Mai. Wouldn't it make more sense to expand the existing airport by building a new airbase outside the city? Why do we need a military airbase in the city? The golf course alone could be used for new runways.