Plus

traffic backup in one direction would paralyze half the city however thanks to the cops we will have free-flowing traffic (more or less) in that one direction - and total jam in the other three directions, paralyzing 3/4 of the city in the process

In theory you are right. In reality they juggle these needs and choose the best option - half the city in the west or 3/4 in the south.

They also have a pretty good idea of traffic conditions up and down the roads, thanks to walkie talkies.

So it will do good to monks own image, too.

Sounds like a very good idea.

I'm not aware of widespread prostitution in Thailand. It's widespread in Cowboy and Nana and a few Thai places with gaudy lights to warn general public but you can drive around Bangkok for days and won't see any prostitutes.

Ten years ago every karaoke bar had dozens of gilrs strutting outside, now they are all behind the doors and certainly not in your face. Does that count for "cleaning up the act"?

Ten years ago getting a massage was like going to a whorehouse, now I guess you have to search for massage places that provide any extra service, and most clients are women.

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What I mean to say is that the rest of the country doesn't look like Nana.

Give the cops a break. They must satisfy folks on all four sides of the intersection, not just you, and also keep in mind that traffic backup in certain direction might paralise half the city, so it gets priority.

It's a bloody hard work, and very stressful.

I still remember reading in a guide book how one cop had a mental breakdown and just ran away screaming from one of Rama4 intersections.

Drinking is a societal problem, why not let society control it?

All the monks ask for is to stay sober during religious holidays. Maybe people would appreciate them better, instead of spending all energy on organising big parties after their visits to the temple.

I don't think the monks are offended by quiet drinkers sitting at home, nursing their beer, so those folks have nothing to worry about.

This is not the news. Narcissus or whatever should get its own thread if it's important.

"Q-Bar has been raided" - it's a screaming headline from five years ago that is at the top of the current news section.

Mods, please do something.

By joining this boycott PNET/Pollwatch has taken sides in a political conflict (a fact), has overstepped its function as an apolitical watchdog (a fact), and is not a credible source anymore.

I say they stood up for the spirit of democracy, which is their duty as a watchdog.

I think it's falling on death ears, but for the third time - they cannot shy away and keep silent just because their opinions are the same as of some other party. If that is what needs to be done to win your approval in the name of non-partisanship - you can shove it up yours.

"Facts" are not determined solely but what is in the lawbooks, especially when you conveniently call them loopholes when they don't go your way.

16 plants in the whole world?

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This country going to use nuclear for strategic power supplies. Solar has its place in percentage for alternative providers. I think it's something like 5-10% according to a master plan.

I know they are not making it easy, but theoretically anyone can invest in solar power here and sell it to Egat or whoever. There might be political implications here, but country's strategic planners can't leave future to the mercy of Thai politics. One day there will not be enough power for everyone, and that day is approaching soon, so they better start pouring that concrete already.

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Jeez, they've done it with buses, they will do it with power plants as well - the country is incapable of accomplishing anything, either for ignorance, corruption or too much democracy, or all at once.

They need to accept their imprefections and try to get future projects right, not dwell on past mistakes without moving at all. In this case they need a secure nuclear reactor, not someone on the Internet suggesting they go back to drawing boards and re-calculate costs of electricity.

fuc_k, they can't issue 3G licenses for four years already - afraid they make a wrong decision.

non-partisan sources

Why the sources must be non-partisan?

What if one of the sides is correct, then your sources, by your own requirement, must support wrong points of view, just to be seen as non-partisan and unbiased.

That is a fallacy.

Try to think again.

Pnet entry form that BP blog is a perfect example. When they joined the boycott of 2006 elections they stated what they thought was a right thing to do. You accuse them of partisanship and bias for that because PAD and Democrats held the same opions.

According to you logic, they must disagree with PAD to be a trustworthy source. According to my logic they must keep their integrity and state what they think to be truly trustworthy, not to constantly position themselves in relation to any other party stance.

It's your fallacy to believe that the truth must lie in between. If you think of it - that's the position that people can manipulate by creating outrageous ideas to shift the median. It works, the public pshyche is that there's no smoke without fire, they'll accept any range of opinions, and then someone like you will jump in and claim that truth must be right in the middle, an imaginary place that has been effecitvely shifted.

Truth exists on its own and trustworthy sources stick to it, or at least to what they believe it is.

non-partisan sources

Why the sources must be non-partisan?

What if one of the sides is correct, then your sources, by your own requirement, must support wrong points of view, just to be seen as non-partisan and unbiased.

Tweak the settings, for me, just out of the box, set SSL on and don't forget to configure your router to open your particular port. But that's on True, on Maxnet you might need to tweak something else.

Linux distros are good for checking your speed, they should max it out easily, and you don't need to download them completely for a test.

Torrents are good for pirated stuff, but that's outside Thaivisa duscussion rules.

Free online scanners can't possibly scan your 250GB harddisk.

Take the hard disk out, plug into another computer and scan it from there. Create ubcd4win or get some Linux LiveCD, install Antivirus program and scan your windows partition from there.

have reconciled the nation

- yes, now everyone thinks reds are idiots

have brought meaningful opportunities to the poor

have shored up Thailand's economic situation

have bridged the wealth gap

- six months is far too short a period for any of that

have created jobs

- I believe the labour market situation is not as bad as was predicted

have brought peace to the south

- not enough time for that

have ended corruption

- see how his main coalition partner can't get their corrupt projects off the ground, from rice and tapioca sale to NGV buses

Nothing so far.

There was a short intro in BP Motoring section a few weeks ago, they stressed that the engine was only 138 hp, less than any competitors.

Somehow I doubt Toyota would bother with building a new engine unless it performs better than Honda's.

My guess is that it is extremely quick in the city and lack of power manifests only over 180km/h, and it handles better, too, though probably not as well as Mazda or Ford.

Oh yeah, bring the new blood in the form of Nattakorn Devakul!!!

He is for some real change!

I've read Thitinan's columns for ages, now you tell me he is not a leftist. Duh, next you'll want the absolute solid proof that alphabet starts with A.

And you rely on "top analysts" of your own choosing, and it doesn't strike you as off if they completely diverge from mainstream opinion.

And why do we have to accept someone's opinion on politics as absolute truth anyway? It's not an exact science, even worse than economic predictions.

Still waiting to see what Chris Baker had to say about 2006 elections. You didn't add his name to the list without reading his opinion, did you?

Deeep down most Thais are profoundly sane and well balanced.

That's why they are not buying red propaganda.

Will PAD party make any progress in changing the politics?

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And will you please let go of Orwell? He imagined life in 1984, and that was twenty five years ago. Big Brother has got a lot more sophisticated than that, he has read the prophecy and adjusted.

And will you please stop quoting Churchil either - "democracy is the worst system...." Time to move on already, the world has changed dramatically.

If Win7 sans IE cost a hundred dollars/euros less, it would certainly would be worth getting a browser elsewhere to install.

You got some good porn on there?

I'm not against getting together for a beer per se and never mind paying for my own, and we'll take it from there.

Count me as mildly enthusiastic.

Thaksin Smaksin, as they say in Yiddish.Ain't you sick of him

Sure I am.

But we are always reminded that the majority wants him back. We have another mass this weekend when worshippers from all over the country will gather and Sanam Luang and chant their mantras.

a cleansing trauma may still be just what's needed in Thailand

How big a trauma you are talking about?

Say ten million purged? Or would one million be enough? Where do you proposed to build re-education camps for them?

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It isn't a very smart proposal, you know.

They have studied solar options, too. The costs were reported higher, and I bet the technology is untested on a mass scale, and suppliers and expertise are lacking.

Thailand is not going to be pioneers and bank its future on a any new technology. Everybody else goes nuclear, Thailand is just following the trend.

Get used to it.

Thitinan not blinded by ideology?!?

I can write his "opinions" myself, I think I can even write a "Progressive Leftist handbook for compiling opinions on any current developments" in a form of a computer program - that would make Thitinan services redundant. You input a situation, select parameters, and the program would spit out two-three pages of cliches. Like "create a rap song" thing, if you ever seen it.

I'm also curious what Christ Baker had to say about April 2006 election saga and boycotts in particular. I don't think he critisised Democrats for that at all.

Hobson's Choice is going in the VCR momentarily

Excuse me? Did you say VCR?

Can someone recommend me a good, current UK show, not for the purpose of comparing to American TV, just to watch? Something not older than one or two years.

British office is unavailable anymore. And it was only 12 episodes seven years ago.

Except no one is proposing any reform in Thailand.

Red agenda here is reformless. PAD, on the other hand, wants to completely rebuild local political scene, but you already dumped them with traditionalists.

I think you are coming from the wrong premise here - that "elites" pull all the strings and control everything here, and politicians are just powerless but honest servants of the people.

The only reform proposed by reds and which is now being pushed by their MPs is to put politicans above the laws and beyond scrutiny. Does that sound like a parallel with Iran? I don't think so.

Since I run Linux only on desktops, what's the point of getting face to face and talking about stuff that works or doesn't work if I can't show it?