Baloo22

Since Thaksin was unable to attend his own 200 dollar meal at a famous Thai restaurant in LA, I wonder if he stopped at Mc Donalds for a Happy Meal?

He probably did scarf down some chicken nuggets and fries.

I'm sure I saw this dame with the red hair out on a date with Ronald McDonald !

Smells of a hissy fit.

Smells more like $$$$$$$$$$. Google/Gmail payoff $$$$$$$$$.

Confirmed rumor stared by a guy setting on the 3d barstool down from a drunk who heard it from another drunk acorss the bar is Google has secretly bought out ThaiVisa. Expect to see a late breaking Nation article later this afternoon titled, Google Buys ThaiVisa...Captures Expat Hub Blog of Thailand!

Are you really that clueless?

This kind of crap has been going on in the computer world for years. The big boys were doing it back in the 1990s. Computer vendors were licensing Windows Operating System from Microsoft to pre-install on their computers for sale. They were also including other software, some of which were products competing with other Microsoft products.

So the boys from Microsoft began including (and insisting upon) clauses in their licensing agreements forcing the computer vendors to drop pre-installed software from Microsoft competitors. Such "processes" have become more "fine-tuned" and more pervasive throughout the internet/web business world since then.

........

I was going to say "I'm surprised nobody has brought corruption into this thread" but what do you know, just look at the last comment above mine.... sad

Possibly sad. But more likely than this silly and ridiculous nonsense of the problem being with Yahoo.

Ahh, also, look through the rest of this topic and you will see that I am not the only one that has picked-up on this.

Not with unemployment at 8.3.

You don't get it! This election isn't about the economy/unemployment now. It is NOT a referendum on Obama's performance now.

Romney changed that with the Ryan pick because he realized he wasn't winning on that. Now it is a stark CHOICE election.

Radical right wing, gut the poor vs. the more humanitarian democratic party ideals. The USA is right wing but not THAT right wing. Obama wins this one.

The news media and pundits can babble on about Ryan all they want. When the people, the voters, go into the voting booths in November, the unemployment rate of 8.3% certainly will matter. It will be a referendum on the failure of Obama. Should they vote for the incompetent administration of Barack the Bumbling Buffoon that has kept the unemployment rate above 8% for over three years? In the word of a former President who was a Democrat; "It's the Economy, Stupid!"

Smells of a hissy fit.

Smells more like $$$$$$$$$$. Google/Gmail payoff $$$$$$$$$.

People using Yahoo or Hotmail Email addresses really know nothing about internet...

Yahoo and Hotmail are the worst about SPAM and nobody should use them anymore.

Only Gmail rules. But what about Ymail.com ? (also belongs to Yahoo)

Sorry, your comment is total bullshit!

I have been using Yahoo mail for over five years now with no problem. I use it with multiple message boards. No problems. Use it with several different financial institutions inclulding banks, mutual fund, and governmental financial organizations. Not problems. Use it with Facebook keeping in touch with family back home. No problems. Use it with numerous other individuals and organizations. No problems. In fact, I have been using it with ThaiVisa with no problems. I receive their emails, announcements, and my topic subscriptions emails just fine.

I worked in an IT shop for a college in the US for over ten years. Administered the college's local computer network, the email system, and their anti-virus system. So I do know something about computers and the internet. I'm certain the problem is NOT, repeat, NOT with Yahoo.

And another day ends where I'm content not to drive here in Thailand. Yes, even as a pedestrian, I've learned that before crossing a road here you look six ways: left - right, front - back, up and down.

Freedom means you have to expect nutters to occasionally do crazy things and all you can do is prevent what you can and take quick action if something happens as in this case. Gun control wouldn't stop murderers as they will just find another weapon and you can't ban everything.

We can do a better job of educating people to think independently to do the right thing rather than be led by destructive groups. US Army training of its Psyops operatives needs to improve especially when it plans to boot out one one of their own from their unit. The US Army apparently has a problem because it trained several mass murderers including the Oklahoma City bomber, the Wisconsin murderer and the Ft Hood murderer, that I can recall offhand.

Other recent mass murderers like the Joker/Batman movie murderer and the Arizona meet up with your Congressman murder were known to have unresolved psychiatric issues. Better care and monitoring of the mentally unstable is warranted too but it all costs money.

You are spot-on with your paragraphs one and three. I agree 100%!

Little bit off with paragraph two. You use the term "Psyops operatives" like they are all some type of John Rambo or Jason Bourne. That is not the case. Psychological Operations units contain all sorts of different specialties/jobs including "propaganda" writers, printing press operators, supply clerks, cooks, drivers, vehicle mechanics, etc, etc.

As far as your assertion that the US Army has "a problem because it trained several mass murderers"? That's garbage. There are literally millions of citizens who have served in one of the armed forces. The vast majority lead productive and honest lives. As with any other group of millions of people, some will do bad things. Some of them will do those bad things no matter what the Army does.

Were they let out on bail for a few years to appeal their sentences like the five policemen, including a colonel and a lieutenant colonel convicted and (3 of them sentenced to death) of murdering the 17 year Thai boy in Kalasin in 2004 or is there a double standard?

Oh, sorry, I forgot that the policemen deserved special treatment due to their "exemplary police records" and their need to intimidate witnesses. None of this applies in the case of these two extremely low status Thais and with the tourist dollars at stake.

Did this special treatment not also occur for Somchai Khunplome, AKA "Kamnan Poh", from Chonburi Province? Convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison in June 2004. Pending appeal, he was set free on a ten million baht bail. The Appeals Court confirmed the verdict in 2005 but "Kamnan Poh" has not been seen since and nobody seems to have the slightest idea where he now resides.

Actually the pendulum has swung back. In the past few years, most politically-motivated violence and destruction in the USA has been caused by left-wing extremists and their "black-bloc" allies. The Tea-Party movement is very non-violent. There have been very few acts of violence or destruction at any of their events.

As far as this recent shooting in Wisconsin, it is way too early to tell the motivations of the shooter, whether he was a racist or mentally deranged or both.

One aspect of moderation which I find works extremely well and which I frequently use is the REPORT function. We too often see totally unacceptable posts from people, racism, misogynism or other forms of unacceptable content.

When I've seen something I find totally unacceptable I've hit the REPORT button, given a brief note on why I want to report the post, and its almost always gone within moments, or the particularly offensive content is edited out. I think this is a great way to moderate as obviously the more eyes on these issues the better, and it also avoids members who find something offensive, reposting it in a response, which only further propagates the spread of the offensive content.

So for me the best moderation is members reporting the really offensive stuff as and when they find it.

I come from a country where reporting the class enemy was everybody's duty until 1989.

It is disgusting that we see this mindset pop up again. But I acknowledge your freedom to have that mindset.

I hope the mods here will continue to exercise some liberal tradition to free speech and free thinking.

Agree with GreenSnapper! Such a mindset is truly disgusting but all too common now.

In the vast majority of cases, when you hear the accusations of "racism, misogynism or other forms of unacceptable content" it is simply that the whiner does not like the opinion that he or she is reading. The accusations of "racism, misogynism or other forms of unacceptable content" are nothing more than convienient hammers to silence the views that the accuser does not agree with.

This way they can say "I support free speech but not "hate speech". Of course, the "hate speech" simply ends up being speech the accuser does not agree with.

I did a "border run" in May and stayed overnight at the Navy Home Hotel in Mae Sai. It's about 800m from the border. It's a basic hotel with good bed, clean, good aircon, TV with two English language news channels and a movie channel in English. Staff is nice and the lady that checked me in spoke passable English but the rest of the staff very little. I was satisfied and would stay there again. I booked it through Agoda.

http://www.agoda.com/asia/thailand/mae_sai_chiang_rai/navy_home_hotel.html

I did a trip report on my "border run" to Mae Sai.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/557089-my-border-run-to-mae-sai-last-week/

And how long can they store such amounts of rice before it spoils or the quality degrades to the point where they cannot sell it?

I would say white rice good for 5-10 years if stored correctly

https://www.usaemerg...oods.htm#link16

(some claim good for 25+ years).

http://www.carolinar.../4/Storage.aspx

There are reports that Egyptologists have cooked and eaten white rice stored in tombs for thousands of years and it was still OK.

Thanks for the info!

A few questions for the agriculture experts here.

How does the government store this 12 million tons of rice? In silos? Or is it bagged and stored In warehouses?

And how long can they store such amounts of rice before it spoils or the quality degrades to the point where they cannot sell it?

I like Air Asia. It's really good when you are able to plan your trips far enough in advance to catch some of their "promo" fares. During the on-line booking process, you choose the options you want and don't choose the options that you don't want.

In March, I booked my Chiang Mai - Phuket round trip for July. In April, I booked my Chiang Mai - Bangkok round trip for September. Then, as you step through the booking process, you select/de-select the options you want. I'm just using carry-on, so I de-select extra luggage. For a one to two hour flight, I don't care what seat I'm in, nor do I need a in-flight meal. So I de-select those options. Etc, etc.

Yes, there is an extra charge for credit card use but I have found many businesses here in Thailand that do that.

I was also able to logon to their website and print out my "boarding pass" for both flights of my July round-trip before I even left for the airport. Worked great!

......

Something, but more so the very word "Starbucks." It's always caused a knee-jerk reaction for many of the members. The reasons are

• it's American, appeals to the vast America-bashing crowd here;
  
• it's global, anti-globalists hate it;
  
• it's not Thai, anathema to our Thaier-than-thou farangs;
  
• it's a chain;
  
• it's a corporation;
  
• it's relatively upscale for a mere coffee shop, many can't comfortably afford to go there;
  
• Starbucks coffee tastes like Starbucks coffee--not what some think coffee should taste like, not that they would know anyway;
  
• Starbucks isn't just about coffee but about the other products, service, and atmosphere--which many disingenuously ignore;
  
• some need to cling to a kind of reverse snobbery for illusory self-affirmation.
  

Me, I go to various coffee shops, but, having no political objections, I go to Starbucks sometimes, too. I've never had an unsatisfactory experience there. Starbucks will continue to appeal to a large global market (if not the all-knowing, superior YOU, so what), and I hope it stays profitable so that it won't be going away anytime soon. This new policy intended to get the squatters out should be helpful.

+1 Well said! All excellent and very accurate observations !!

How can this be enforced? Are they going to call the police? If there is no official allocated time for drinking your coffee i really don't see how anyone could be evicted.

It's a private business. They can tell you to get out anytime they want. I say "Good for Starbucks!" It's a business selling it's product to those that want to buy and consume that product. It's not in the business of providing free air-conditioned tutoring space or study space to free-loaders.

"Those who have already checked in for their flights to or from Bangkok with a travel period of October 1 onwards will be required to check-in again"

Huh? Checked in? 2 months before departure?

After you have booked your flight, you can do a "web check-in" on Air Asia's website and print out your "boarding pass". Worked great for me. I just flew Chiang Mai to Phuket and return this month with Air Asia. Did their web check-in and printed out the boarding pass for both flights about a week before departure. Just had carry-on so went straight through security check and then directly to the gate. No problems.

I've done a visa extension at Jomtien immigration and received change back automatically. No problem.

Chiang Mai is definitely worth consideration. I've lived in the NW section (the opposite side from the touristy/backpacker area) of Chiang Mai city for about 5 months now and like it. Unlike Pattaya, it is not overrun with drunken falang. The Thai people here just go about their lives and I go about mine. Cost of living is less also.

I've been wondering for a while about the frequency of Salmonella and diseases like it being spread by eggs here in Thailand. At home, in supermarkets and food stores, eggs are always stored under refrigeration. Even with such care, there are occasional cases of Salmonella infections/outbreaks spread via eggs. Here, even in supermarkets that cater to foreigners, I've observed that eggs are almost always out in the open and not refrigerated.

I am curious, do these things just happen to tourists or do the thai people die from the same thing? On a regular basis.

I remember reading that a goup of thai tourists collected mushrooms in Demark thinking they were edible. They were all hospitalised and some died.

That type of incident happens more often than you think. Different parts of the world have mushrooms that look alike but are actually different species. I used to live in western Washington State and I remember several incidents of accidental mushroom poisoning of people from asian countries that collected and ate mushrooms thinking that they were the same species as those from their home countries. Apparently we have a type of mushroom that looks exactly like what is an edible species in several countries in Asia but it's not the same and is poisonous.