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When I read real stories like this...I fall in love with Thailand all over again...one wonders if there is any place on earth that has more potential...and less leadership...

I watched and listened to a good bit of this conference as it was live on CSPAN TV...there seemed to be some more emphasis on expanding the party to include the disenfranchised minorities of the US...some social and economic engineering to bring spending under control and put people back to work in jobs that pay above the minimum wage...tackle immigration in a rational and fair manner...and address the healthcare debacle with fairness to those who would otherwise not have healthcare coverage were it not for the outrageously expensive Obamacare...

We had trouble finding him...because He was Us...

This was just the first volley...of a new French and English war...

There are enough small and large fires going on at any one time around Pattaya to corrupt the air you breathe...I take an allergy tab everyday to help me cope with potential breathing problems...I hear it is worse at times in Chiang Mai...

Alright!...is this a TROLL post? Sounds like someone is fishing for ugly old fat ex-pats to chime in on the ills of Thailand...everyone knows Thailand is a rare tropical paradise filled with smiling faces and pretty girls who think you are handsome...

Living in Thailand is like living in the midst of a TV soap-opera...everything one does or says has a "drama" value and must be repeated and enhanced to give it more value...Thais live for this stuff...This is Thailand...

Your only privacy...may be when you enter the toilet and close the door...but I am not sure about that either...

All of this sharing of pictures and profile information is nothing more than a smoke screen for the real issue...that is targeting you and everyone you know with some advertisement over the internet...I do not like the "cloud" for the same reason...seldom give out my phone or email address as one is then subject to be inundated with calls and emails trying to sell you something...

I like to share...but the cost to my privacy is too great...and it is not just FB that is after your personal information...

Haven't you read the signs posted along most major roadways around Chiang Mai...there is an undercurrent of disdain for those things that foreigners bring to the Chiang Mai community that has at least some Thais upset...mainly booze and bars and loud music...but hang in there...things will likely get worse as time goes on...This is Thailand...

But in principle it was an unnecessary and unjustifiable TOTAL RIP OFF.

A man of principle in Thailand may go mad trying to figure out why he keeps getting ripped off at every turn...

Best go with the flow...do not dwell on these little acts of Thainess...otherwise you will worry yourself sick...and find it difficult to enjoy your stay in the Land of Smiles...

The climb is to celebrate Lunar New Year, which falls on February 19...

May not be the only thing that falls during the bridge climb...

Tough job...border patrol...uniform officers of all bent...seem to be jittery these days...people are still getting shot...within the US...unarmed and with their hands up...video evidence of more than one case...

The Thai Government should hire jilted ex-pats to give a mandatory orientation to incoming newbie tourists and retiree ex-pats at the airport...before they ever set foot outside the terminal...to at least prepare them as to what is considered a common relationship by Thais where foreigners are involved...which may include having more than one provider/sex partner without any form of remorse or regret...who would not want to be able to go to more than one ATM machine to draw out cash when needed?

The government should give these journalist a test...make them write down from memory the '12 elements of Thainess'...not allow them to publish...until they can do so...

Yea...Right...like asking an elephant not to piss on the pavement so that everyone within 20 yards gets splattered...Not Going to Happen...

Gen. Prayuth said. "That's not right. I have never forced anyone to do anything."

I have seen the government at work boosting tourism...

Limited hours to buy booze...a major attraction for tourists...

Tourists and expats being harassed and scammed at immigration, taxis, real-estate deals and on and on...

Yep...they are definitely making people want to come to Thailand...the land of government mandated Thainess...

all who said that they would not be returning to the dirty beaches of Phuket

Which dirty beaches did the tourists say they would be going to next time? This is Thailand...

It is called collusion...it is a worldwide problem...governments printing gobs of fiat currency trying to make up for the lack of employment and commerce...Japan has printed more than they can ever justify...the US has stopped for the moment...and now Europe will take up the banner...the printing of money with no true economy to justify the printing...is a form of Ponzi scheme and will end badly with all fiat (paper) currencies in a serious down turn...as a worldwide recession...if not depression...takes its toll on the financial instruments... stocks, bonds, and followed by governments stealing whatever wealth they can from the public to stay afloat...

The poop could hit the fan as early as this year...

You may want to check with your embassy to see if they have placed any alerts in that area...it is still a bit of a war zone down there...

I would not talk too much to the wife...as to my plans to get a lawyer and retrieve 50% of the bounty...your best bet is to keep a low profile until this thing is over with...be careful so that her "Thainess" does not cause you bodily harm...

expert relic hunters helped choose the five particular objects...

The Cambodians are sure that these relics should have been filled with gold and jewels...

The drama surrounding Yingluck's trial and tribulation at the hands of the unelected gov't...may stir up a hornet's nest...things may get ugly yet...be alert for rumblings of dissent from Yingluck's devotees...

Is it true...that the next restriction for foreigners...is that they will be required to either go to church or visit a Buddhist temple once a week...and someone has to vouch for their attendance or their next visa will be denied...

Immigration will require witnesses...photos of you attending...and 3 copies of receipts where you have given of your earnings to the religion of your choice...

Man...what will they think of next?