Ombra

It was very brave of her to stand up to the bloke. I hope that it turns out well for her.

I read about a Scottish woman who cropped 517 sheep in nine hours and I was amazed. At the same time, I saw that street urchins in Paris were winning medals for climbing a small wall in under six seconds. There is something wrong here. I blame the Americans.

I hope that you have no problems.

They had no record of my appointment because they receive the information from Bangkok, so I just joined the queue. I was annoyed because I travelled from Thap Sakae, which is about 130 kms south of the office. After stopping at the bank, we arrived at 10.30 and found the office overflowing with people. There is good news, though. At 11.45, there were four or five people in front of me and I was sure that I would have to return after lunch, but the staff kept working until the people in the room had all been dealt with. I got my visa at 12.25, and I thought that that was excellent service.

I see that Western food is listed as one of the causes of the problem, but fried chicken existed here long before KFC and McDonald's, as well as very sugary snacks and drinks. I remember, thirty years ago or more, searching in vain with my wife for dried fruit that was not covered in sugar. Despite that, everyone was slim, so what triggered the change?

I tried that link for my last retirement renewal. When I had completed the application and submitted it, I received a message saying that I would receive an email confirmation, but it never came. My wife phoned to the office and was told that the bookings were handled in Bangkok. The local staff had no involvement.

I agree. Not only is he a good dentist, but he also speaks excellent English, and his prices are very reasonable.

They are enterprising young people - just what the country is lacking.

Isn't it a bit alarming that someone thinks a story like this is worth publishing?

Oh, my goodness! She looks like the bride of Frankenstein.

Could someone please tell me why, in the past ten or fifteen years, TV producers have decided that the spectators are as interesting as the game? I pay a subscription to watch games, but more and more often the cameras are focused on people in the crowd. In the recent IPL, one Indian broadcaster switched to the spectators after every ball and didn't return to the game until the bowler had almost finished his run up. Who benefits from this? I got so tired of seeing the screaming fans that I looked for a broadcaster that showed only the cricket, but with no luck. A week ago, in a game from Barbados, I was hoping to see the field placings at a critical stage in the game, but instead the producer gave us pictures of an overweight, middle-aged Western couple doing a clumsy dance in the stands. I prefer to read the highly intelligent commentary on cricinfo.com, but then I miss the wonderful athleticism of the modern-day fielder.

Isn't this just capitalism? And aren't the Thais making a fuss because the Chinese are better at it than they are?

I saw something of Thailand's effective response to the avian flu epidemic twenty years ago when I drove with my wife from Nakhon Phanom to Mukdahan. The highway was blocked at one point by inspectors in white suits who were spraying disinfectant on the tyres of every vehicle, and checking what was being transported. The thoroughness of the inspection was very impressive. On the way home in the evening, though, I was surprised to see no checkpoint on the road, but my wife explained that government employees go home at five o'clock.

The weather radar (rainviewer.com) suggests that the country will be pretty dry for the next day or so.

I asked this question because I spent my childhood on the Dorset coast. To the east of Bournemouth, there were groynes every couple of hundred yards for miles and miles, and I remember the local councils deciding not to build more. The reason they gave, I think, was that there was accelerated erosion behind the groyne, as your diagram seems to suggest. However, I am talking about 30 or 40 years ago, so I could be quite wrong.

I think that Leo's colleague was struggling to decide what to have for lunch.

Don't groynes just move the problem?

The last time I looked, not one Thai university has a Faculty or College of Coastal or Marine Engineering. The subject is just one within a department of water resources. The result is a serious lack of expertise and a coastline that suffers damage from ill-informed decisions.

The 'after hours' clinic is a good idea, but a health centre, with the name in large English words, operates throughout the day. The staff present the visitor with a checklist of tests, which is in Thai. Hence, a person needs a Thai companion as the nurse is unlikely to be able to explain them all. Alternatively, a person could just say 'everything' (appropriate to the gender), though some tests, such as the ultrasound, require an appointment and a longish wait. As this will cost 1,000 to 1,500 baht, the staff are eager to help as it is welcome income for the hospital.

Most doctors in Nakhon Phanom Hospital speak some English. A number of them speak the language very well. If you pay for a check-up, they will diagnose your problem and find someone who can explain the results.

I am glad that there was no internet to tempt me when I was a stupid 21-year-old.

And stop filling the swimming pools.

We have seen many of these slow, disruptive road construction project. They are not only a major inconvenience to travelers, but they also damage the businesses situated along the roads. I can't believe that they compensate business owners for loss of income.

It is a good initiative, but one bus every 30 minutes is not going to help many people.