dddave

Read the link in the OP...it was "Road Rage"...universal wherever there there are motor vehicles and boneheads behind the wheel...even in our civilized western utopias.

I should have mentioned that because most rice cooker inside pots tend to be thin aluminium, some foods can get scorched on the pot bottom if the liquid level gets to low. Rice cookers are vented so water can boil away over time. Frequent stirring is recommended.

There is a funny thing with LINE. You can have a ring for some of your contacts and no ring for others. I have run into this several times. I think it has to do with setting a customized ringtone for a particular contact but the settings menus are confusing.

So, those of you complaining about the frivolity of this news item; why did you bother to click on it?

Lazada.com has a selection.

I often use my electric rice cooker as a slow cooker. It initially boils for about 5 minutes, then simmers for as long as you keep it on. Works quite well for pot roasts, soups and stews.

I often fly using tickets paid for by a 3rd party who booked online and almost always get asked to show the cc at check-in. Eva, Cathay Pacific, Singapore and Emirates are particularly strict about it. An agent from the company buying the tickets always has to visit an office of the airline and show them the cc used and they fax an authorization to BKK. We have learned to always get the name of the agent sending the fax because they sometimes get lost in the shuffle.

I suggest you call the airline you will be purchase from and find out their rules. Don't forget, when shopping for tickets these days, sometimes you can get a better deal from the airlines themselves then from a online seller like Expedia. Visiting a travel agent is worth the time if one is close by, they too often have some good deals.

I've had an inexpensive Toshiba copper tank, wall unit for 10+ years now and so far, no problems. Gets almost no use except for cool season. During warmer months, water gets so warm in my apartment buildings roof storage tanks that it's unnecessary.

Start with viewing this video. I found it very helpful.

Victory Monument area fits all those requirements, Aree & Phiya Thai nearby also convenient.

Take the wire housing and fan blade off and carry the fan with you to a local moto taxi. Tell him "Bie ran sawn" (Go repair shop)

He will either take it for you or you can go along. I've had fans rebuilt several times...usually around B200-400.

If you walk around your neighborhood you are sure to see such repair shop....usually an old open shophouse piled high with ancient CRT TV's, fans, old stereos, refrigerators, ect.

Worth consideration: http://www.dealsmachine.com/best_263613.html?utm_source=mail_api&utm_medium=mail&utm_campaign=special.1029&email=b2t8ZGFqZXIxNTJAZ21haWwuY29tfDQwMzQ=

TECLAST tablets have had some good write-ups on this forum. The ability to run both Android and Win-10 o/s is a bonus.

Though I have no personal experience with Teclast, I have ordered 2 separate devices from "Dealsmachine" and never a problem though you probably would have to pay duty. If you shop around, you might find one from a Thai online supplier.

2nd quality, private Bangkok hospitals pay bounties to these rescue foundations to bring in juicy trauma victims. Fights between competing crews at accident scenes are not unusual.

Accident victims can count on a long ride to whatever hospital bids the highest.

Recently, the Lazada website has been running very poorly for me in Bangkok. Page loads are slow and product images often never come up...just the little spinning arrow.

I'm on True 10mb ADSL.

Anybody else or is it my machine/connection?

There is an i-mobile service center in MBK on the 4th level.

Most kiosks in MBK that advertise repairs will take your phone and say "I come back 5 minute.". They take it somewhere else and you have no idea what's going on. 15 minutes later he comes back and quotes what is often a higher price than you expect.

Go to another kiosk? Same routine. Probably goes back to same repair guy....same price.

There was a thread on this forum a while back with a list comparing repair stats for various laptop manufacturers. I just tried to find it but failed. Maybe a better searcher can dig it up.

While professional grade Lenovo machines may still be a good choice, I deeply regretted buying a consumer level Lenovo laptop as a graduation gift for a family member. Motherboard fried in six months and Lenovo's 3rd party service center in Pantip Plaza was horrendous...

Setting up a Sailing school for Thai disabled- and special need youngster www.Sailingwithadifference.com the surrounding bureaucracy would give most enthusiast volunteers the shivers.

Go for it regardless of the bureaucracy you have to cut through!

My adult nephew slowly became functionally blind as a result of an accident. When he hit the point where he could no longer do activities he enjoyed, he became depressed and lethargic and admitted to contemplating suicide.

He lived in a coastal Massachusetts community and somehow got referred to a program similar to what you describe; sorry I forget the name.

He was reluctant at first but with a lot of positive encouragement, he was soon taking sailing lessons tailored for blind students. It wasn't long before he became passionate about the sport and began sailing in competitive races, even traveling to New Zealand for an international "Blind Regatta". He is now an instructor for the program and travels around the area recruiting new members.

The degree to which this program contributed to turning his life around can not be overstated. It gave him the confidence not only to sail "solo", but to accept and take on other challenges, enabling him to start his life again, learning in new ways to do things he had enjoyed in the past. His entire outlook turned around.

I wish you success in starting your own program. I have seen the impact that it can have....it will be, 100 times over, worth the effort.

I had accumulated a lot of "Award" points at my local bank in Bangkok that could be exchanged for household items that I did not need. I asked the bank manager if there were any local children's homes that I could donate the points to. She located a nearby, privately run residential school for autistic children and contacted the director for me.

They very much needed fans as the facility was not air conditioned and were able to use the points to get 3 nice pedestal fans.

The director took me on a tour of the facility and I was impressed with what they were doing with little money. They had about 30-50 children who looked clean and healthy. Though some were clearly troubled and difficult to deal with, the staff seemed compassionate and understanding.

I was impressed with the schools dedication to these often marginalized kids and have given them my bank points several times since then.

Chances are he'll claim diplomatic immunity and walk.

When I lived in Boston, a young Saudi Prince who was studying at a local university killed a pedestrian with his luxury sportscar and fled the scene. He was caught on video and arrested but was out of the country in a week: diplomatic immunity. It seems all members of the Saudi Royal Family carry Diplomatic Passports.

I actually amazed how consistently both the MRT and BTS are on schedule, especially when I compare it to the transit system in my home city of Boston.

I ride the BTS daily and it's rare to wait more than 5 minutes.

I make it a point when filling out my Entry/Departure card to calculate exactly what the stamped date should be and make a small note of it on the back side of the form. That way, I'm not trying to calculate it after having my passport handed back to me.

I'm in & out 30 to 40 times a year and have only caught mistakes a few times in several years but catching the mistake certainly saves time and inconvenience.

Back on topic, I also like the Lazada "Counter Payment" option rather than COD. With counter payment, you print out a receipt and take it to a local 7/11 and pay. The delivery person can then leave the item with my building reception without me having to be there to pay a COD.

They also accept a bank debit/Visa card for online payment so I am able to use my Bangkok Bank card...not a credit card.

I like "XE"...can show six currencies at the same time. Very simple interface.

The 10 hour bus trip from Vientiane to LP is quite spectacular. The buses aren't great but OK. Bring along something to clean your bus window with as the mountain views and the passing villages are snapshot worthy but the windows can get dirty. The road is narrow with a lot of switchbacks and a LOT of trucks. They all seem to adhere to some arcane telepathic code and just manage to get out of one another's way but it can be a bit puckering at times.

LP is really a touristy town; no way around it. The boat trip up the Mekong to either the caves or the waterfalls is nice but don't expect solitude. The waterfall trail was lined with tour groups having catered banquets, backpackers swing diving from trees into the pools and waiting lines at choke points on the trail.

The caves were not quite as crowded and you can get away from the worst of it.

We rented bicycles and were happy with them. There have been many reports of nasty moto rental scams in LP wherein thrives use duplicate keys to steal bikes and hold them for ransom. I suggest you Google "Motorbike scam luang prabang" If you do decide to go ahead and rent, bring along your own solid locks.

I understand the crackdown on riverside bars and tubing rentals is continuing in Vang Vieng...not quite the party town it had become 5 years ago.

In LP, we stayed at the Mekong Villa Hotel along the river and liked it. Decent rooms and a nice terrace for the free morning breakfast. Many restaurants opposite on the river bank but we also enjoyed buying hot food at the nearby market and eating on the terrace

Nice area for walking about 10 minutes from city center.

Ohh, BTW. Visa at the border is $35 for US citizens but B1500 if you pay in Baht. Also, $2 for "Overtime". (No matter what time of day)