hawker9000

I don't think so (the bit about civil war). The notion of northern Thais taking up arms against southern Thais just isn't going to happen. Lawlessness; corruption; economic impasse and confusion - yes. Long-term damage to the nation's world image and credibility; loss of world-standing - quite likely. Coup and counter-coup - probably. But civil war? Nope - 'don't think so.

The basic factors are allthere . Remember that is is going on and on for a lot longer that most people remember ( Thai politics had so many coups that they are allready countless ) . The differences are growing bigger each single moment as we speak and the people supporting them are also getting more and more determinent . This is why we do not have a military coup at the moment because it isn't the solution . They do not have any solution whatsoever . In some areas you allready have a risk of being killed just by wearing the wrong color . imagine that the yellow people are so determined that they actually fight till death , the reds are not going to give up also , espescially because they know they are with more people . Civil war is counting all factors together much closer then you think .

I wonder if anyone's really managed to capture the "Thai perspective" here. And no, I'm certainly not setting myself up as a subject matter expert in that area... I'm just wondering how many Thais actually see the closure of these airports as the kind of terrorist act or assault on humanity that's getting so much play here on TV. Perhaps that really is the mindset; or perhaps those posting here are more directly impacted and driven to stronger attitudes by these events than those we try to speak for. Now I'm the first to concede that when political events DO spin out of control, it can all go bad in a single heartbeat. I just keep coming to the conclusion in this case that the social divide we're talking about is a continuing curse Thailand has to deal with, but that the balloon's not going up over it.

where do they many anti-PAD poster, all with 4-10 postings in total come today?

Huh??

I think we've seen a clear demonstration of just what the natonal police are and are not going to do. Regardless of which faction one favors, or the current government's legitimacy, this government simply isn't able to govern. Soon the world's eyes will turn to Thailand, and somelthing will have to happen. I think the game's actually already over - it's just a matter of the PM retiring his govt with as much face as possible. Not sure what could possibly happen to change this dynamic at this point. The national police could change it, but obviously they're not; the military could change it, but they're just as obviously not going to either. PAD has been gambling on that inaction (or possibly had, shall we say, a certain sense of things...), and it would seem the bet has paid off. It may be in fact, that had it not been for the Mumbai attacks, the PAD would have ALREADY prevailed in this contest.

'Not saying this is the preferred outcome; not saying it does or doesn't bode well for Thailand's future; not saying the people's interests are best served by it all. 'Just saying that's where I think this is headed in the short term.

Yes you are right there . But what to do ... that is the question . Imagine having new elections where i am very sure PPP wins again . so we go back on the street and fight ... and we do it over and over again ??? The way i see it is that there is no solution at all besides a civil war if both parties are not willing to talk to oneother . That is how the situation is at the moment ... and civil war is closer then you want it to be at the moment .

Off topic ... the PAD leaders say they want to get rid of the corrupt government ... not corruption itself .. because they are in fact just the same . Do not even think 1 sec that this country will change if PAD takes over the country . This country is based on corruption on every single bone of it due to the fact that money in Thailand is nr1 and if you have money people are happy to give you more . Like 1 Thai woman said to me ... 1st you need money ( that is M ) after you get power ( that is P ) if you have PM you get more PM and MP .

I don't think so (the bit about civil war). The notion of northern Thais taking up arms against southern Thais just isn't going to happen. Lawlessness; corruption; economic impasse and confusion - yes. Long-term damage to the nation's world image and credibility; loss of world-standing - quite likely. Coup and counter-coup - probably. But civil war? Nope - 'don't think so.

Geez - doesn't he have handlers telling him to shut the f___ up?! He's not helping the PPP any more than he's helping himself!

I think we've seen a clear demonstration of just what the natonal police are and are not going to do. Regardless of which faction one favors, or the current government's legitimacy, this government simply isn't able to govern. Soon the world's eyes will turn to Thailand, and somelthing will have to happen. I think the game's actually already over - it's just a matter of the PM retiring his govt with as much face as possible. Not sure what could possibly happen to change this dynamic at this point. The national police could change it, but obviously they're not; the military could change it, but they're just as obviously not going to either. PAD has been gambling on that inaction (or possibly had, shall we say, a certain sense of things...), and it would seem the bet has paid off. It may be in fact, that had it not been for the Mumbai attacks, the PAD would have ALREADY prevailed in this contest.

'Not saying this is the preferred outcome; not saying it does or doesn't bode well for Thailand's future; not saying the people's interests are best served by it all. 'Just saying that's where I think this is headed in the short term.

3 guys have dinner. The dinner cost 30 baht. They all chip in and pay 10 baht each. The waitress take the money to the cashier. The cashier say, there is a 5 baht discount today.

The waitress don't know how to split 5 baht in 3, so she give each guy 1 baht and take 2 baht herself. So, the 3 guys paid 27 baht for their meal, the waitress took 2 baht.

27 + 2 is 29 baht. Where is the missing baht?

This is an old one.

The clue lies in "reversing the math's order", which causes the missing.

In Belgium, I learned in my old school days the Math's order trough a riddle:

"Meneer Van Dale Wacht Op Antwoord"

Meneer = Machtsverheffing (= involution?)

Van = Vermenigvuldiging (= Multiplication)

Dale = Deling (= Division)

Wacht = Worteltrekking (= Root Extraction)

Op = Optelling (= Sum)

Antwoord = Aftrekking (= Substraction)

(not sure about the English translations).....

In the given example about the "missing Baht", the math order rules are scrambled and thus gives an error in the calculation.

Have I won a price now, George?

Coalminer

Don't think anybody has quite got it... "So, the 3 guys paid 27 baht for their meal" IS accurate.

OK - when the three men get their 1 baht back (ea); they can then be said to have paid 27 baht for their meal. (Not 30 - forget that number. It's no longer relevant to anything. The new number is 27.) But the meal (with discount) was only 25 baht. So there's a 2 baht (not a 3 baht) difference. The waitress took the 2 baht.

This is exactly what illusionists do - divert attention from what's really taking place. In this case, focus on the actual cost of the meal (25), and what the men paid and got back (30-3=27), rather than the "old" or original cost of the meal, which means nothing. Compare THOSE two numbers (25 & 27), and you get the 2 baht tip the waitress kept. There's no longer a baht "missing". We should be counting UP from 25 (to the 27 the men paid after their refund), not DOWN from 30 (to 27; THAT 3 baht is the 1 baht each man got back and DOESN'T include the 2 baht the waitress received.

I don't think the math order thing really applies here; those are the rules every programmer knows for simply doing multiplication & division before addition & subtraction when parenthesis haven't been used to explicitly group arithmetic operations in an expression.

When was the last time you just had a certain URGE to buy a timeshare?

How about NEVER. That never happens. Customers never seek out the sales people, rather the customers are hunted like prey for sharks.

These guys make used car salesmen look GOOD.

BTW, I am selling a used car.

Several here have the right take on this. Regardless of the actual investment or vacation value behind it, and perhaps there's an exception to this, but the sales tactics are incredibly ferocious. Far worse than the worst used car salesman you've ever even seen cartoons about. I think they stop short of deadly force. I've seen (SEEN!) women leave the room in tears over the harassment and intimidation - and it only took a couple of these to convince me to never even think about it again. I worked with a guy two years ago who owned a timeshare; and he was very happy with his, considered the provider he was dealing with to be very much the exception to all the bad press timeshares always get, and felt that his was worthwhile from an investment as well as a vacation standpoint - but he's the only person I've ever met who ever had anything remotely positive to say about timeshares. 99% of the time, it's an experience most won't put themselves through more than once. (Some, like me, might not get that they're all like that until they get to the 2nd one.)

I'll be arriving in BKK early DEC, and need a 1-way flight on to MNL on the 21st. I've found flights in the mid-$400s on QIXO & elsewhere - roughly the same fare range (but fewer flights listed) on Thaifly.com. Would I gain anything by waiting until I'm there to buy the Manila ticket in Bangkok? Anyone have a ticket agent there they can recommend?

'Saw some flights involving an overnight in HK. That looked interesting (if I don't have to be up too early in the morning).

On the other hand...

A weakened PM just "hanging on", relatively powerless and bereft of all his former support just might be preferable to a strong and aggressive newcomer with an agenda. No matter what you thought of his politics, a new emasculated Thaksin might not even be recognizable.

I take it, however, that the King's comments make this scenario unlikely.