Classic Ray

Fancy someone citing political pressure in the Senate. If there can’t be pressure there, where is it allowed?

I hate people who don’t pay their debts whatever sex or nationality. He is a cad and a bounder!

I went with my family to Safari World outside Bangkok last Saturday. It was packed with organised family groups of mainly Indians and Chinese. I found them to be unfailingly polite, without being pushy and were excited without being too noisy. These are the tourists Thailand should be attracting rather than the backpackers and sex tourists flocking to Pai and Pattaya. They need far less policing although probably don’t spend as much per capita as the undesirables. That’s why the latter are still welcomed, it’s the short term gain the Thai hosts can’t ignore. Decent facilities and environments will not be developed whilst the riff raff continue to be satisfied with the low end sleazy venues. Lauding them as family friendly is just wishful marketing not reality.

Not one mention in the news article of the likely causes and efforts by the Government to address the root causes. Pathetic.

Even when I lived in Chiang Mai years ago, Pai had a reputation as an anything goes, happy go lucky place. If things are getting disorderly, maybe they should post a few more police there to keep order and referee the disputes. It’s what they do in any top class family-friendly resorts elsewhere.

I negotiated the “under repair “ footway in Soi 23 Sukhumvit, Bangkok for nearly a year avoiding the holes and piles of rubble and paving stones in spite of the almost non-existent street lighting, until one night a crumbling slope tipped me into an electrical cabinet, splitting my head open requiring ten stitches. Ironically, the repairs were then completed within a month of my mishap but there are hundreds of km of similarly degraded, obstructed and crumbling footpaths in Bangkok alone. How the blind or those in wheelchairs manage god only knows. But the government only cares about the rich, and they rarely walk.

I have seen several documentaries featuring Newcastle’s night time economy that point out the bravery of young women facing the elements with their only protection very skimpy clothing. The market will determine whether Hooters is a success there without the interference of prudery. Similar establishments I have visited seem to protect their employees very well from the few over excited customers. Give them a chance before condemning them, at least some will have the benefit of jobs.

Some engineering issues that could help following the UK model. 1. Belisha beacons, the large flashing orange globes at each end of the crossing to increase visibility. 2. Spotlights at the kerb shining on pedestrians waiting to cross so drivers can see them at night. 3. Zigzag lines each side of the crossing to prohibit parking and overtaking on the approach side. Also give warning of crossing. 4. more pedestrian controlled traffic lights at crossings.

Marry a Government employee like police or teacher and then all healthcare is virtually free at Government hospitals, 50 baht per visit and free medication.

No bank account to keep the money? Who keeps 200,000 baht in cash lying around, unless you can’t account for where it came from?

Why are the dogs not exercised on leads/leashes? They should not be just released to roam free where they can attack other dogs.

In many Western countries, pedestrians are king and have priority. In Thailand only the poor walk and are treated like crap, priority given according to size of vehicle.

I have a 10 yr old Avanza and a 5 yr old Hyundai H1, both of which have had only normal servicing and occasional batteries (cheap) because of the heat. I expect soon to replace the a/c compressor in the Avanza and just had one window regulator in the Hyundai. I, and I expect most motorists in Thailand, want our vehicles to carry on and have some value even after twenty years. With cheap spare parts and mechanics and no salt on the roads, this is possible with ICE cars. How many EVs will last this long and what total cost of ownership will they have over this time? Or are we suddenly just going to throw them away after 5 to 10 years?

Very convenient for kids meals like sausages and chips, chicken tenders etc. Microwave veg while it’s cooking. i also occasionally bake two loaves of bread in mine when i can be bothered to mix it all up. Bake two because one disappears almost immediately.

35 micrograms in 100 ml of breath equals 80 milligrams in 100 ml of blood. I expect they were quoting 58 micrograms.

Quite ironic that the popularity of cats (and dogs) as domestic pets was based in part on their ability to control rodent pest populations like rats and mice. Bringing home a few sparrows and lizards was just seen as bycatch. Somehow that is not now seen as a relevant reason to keep them, mad.

I just watched an old movie called “The Front” on YouTube starting Woody Allen, which dealt with the evil nonsense called McCarthyism that blighted the careers of many in the media industry in the 1950s for supposed Communist leanings. This debate on cancel culture exhibits many of the same traits.

So instead of saying normal service will be resumed, they have to say neurotypical service? Not very clear.

I was posted to London, needed a cheap car to get around and bought a £300 LHD Opel Kadett off the side of the road. Did many thousands of miles in it for about 5 years with only repairs being £150 of sill welding to get it through an MOT. Didn’t care about bumps and scratches, eventually passed it to a mate who ran it for a couple of years more. Most memorable deep toned horn, I loved it.

My local one in Bangkok charges only 100 baht for this service. Plus they do test brakes, steering, lights, emissions etc and take the results to the DLT when they renew the tax and reissue the compulsory insurance. Great service.

The government seem reluctant to take any effective action that would affect large business operations or use up tax revenues. This includes stopping crop burning, dealing with dirty vehicle exhausts especially trucks and buses, and industrial pollution from factories. Instead they concentrate on mitigating the effects of their inaction on the population instead of dealing with the causes. Meanwhile children (including mine) and particularly the old and infirm, suffer. I think it’s disgusting and keeps Thailand still regarded as a third world state.

Usually hazardous materials should be stored outside the main building in a chemical store to minimise the effects of any fire. Plus with the low cost of employing a night watchman/woman to conduct regular patrols I’m surprised this wasn’t discovered sooner. Icing on the cake, no fire insurance. Maybe no company would cover them with their unsafe working practices, or just saving money, look where that got them. Expected better from such a large company.

Comforting to know that the rescue/medic team are so untrained that they have to rely on a couple of schoolgirls to give proper treatment.

In spite of air purifiers the level in my house is still above WHO and Thai safe levels, and I have to send my kids to school where they suffer unpurified air. I see just as many diesel pickups, buses and trucks as always emitting black smoke particles. When will the Government actually get off their ar*ses and actually do something about this solvable problem? Start with local crop burning, polluting vehicles and polluting industries, then move on to international discussions. What’s the point of a Government if they don’t actually protect their children’s health?

It’s all about the money. The PEA would lose revenue, the officials in both countries would lose commissions from the call centre and casino operators, and the cross border smuggling of goods and people.