Fore Man

To chime in, to Baffeled (sic)...as the OP, I’d add that if somebody you know comes across one of these, or any other snake you can positively ID,  or heaven forbid they are bitten by one, you might be able to provide great assistance by telling the victim, their family or medical personnel the correct identity of the snake.  This might prove important in how they render their initial treatment and choosing the right anti-venom if the fang marks show it to be a viper and potentially dangerous to humans.  I for one enjoy reading this Forum topic.  To be forewarned is a smart move IMHO.  

Thanks to you all for the ID and sage advice.  I think the ladies simply came upon the critter while it might have been basking on the road taking in any overnight residual surface heat.  Last night was a tad on the cool side as our cold season has begun to take its grip, and I don't think we'll be seeing too many snakes out and about for awhile.  My wife's friend almost stepped on it and never noticed it.  From what gandalf12 posted, it wouldn't have been pleasant to be bitten but the outcome would have been OK.  But it reminds me of my former life spent in Southern California.  We came upon dozens of rattlers on our hikes and if a person was ever bitten, we were admonished to kill the snake and bring it in for proper identification and administration of the correct antivenom and dosage.  Had the lady been bitten this morning, in the immediate shock of the incident the snake would likely have escaped, making a subsequent medical diagnosis difficult.  Again, your assistance is much appreciated. 

My wife took this photo of a small (30-cm) snake that her neighbor almost stepped on while they were out for a walk in Mae Rim. Can anyone ID it?  I thought it might have been a kukri but it also resembles some krait species. it was very aggressive when the ladies tried to induce it to move off the roadway. 

My wife took this photo of a small (30-cm) snake that her neighbor almost stepped on while they were out for a walk in Mae Rim. Can anyone ID it?  I thought it might have been a kukri but it also resembles some krait species. 

I just had my iMac 27” mid-2010 repaired at Mac Cafe on Huay Kaew Road.  They’re located just up from the Canal Road intersection on the left side as you head towards CMU. I was very chagrined that Apple’s repair policy here is to refuse to work on any item over 5 years old.  Mine needed a GPU replacement and Mac Cafe was able to perform the work.  I’m sure there’s other places in the city to get older Mac products repaired. You can Google Mac Cafe easily.  Good luck.

I’d like to suggest that anybody on this forum topic dumb enough to stand up for nK ought to volunteer to move there and see firsthand just how idyllic their wonderful country really is.  Something tells me they might just change their tune when reality smacks them right in the kisser.  Hint: just look into the circumstances of how nicely they treated a young American man named Otto Warmbier.

So go ahead,  I dare you.

5 minutes ago, Jdiddy said:

I made a bet today with an 19yo employee if any major military action against NK occurs i'll pay him $100/hour for a day, i laugh everytime people think something is going to happen

 

 

You might regret that wager...the US, in consort with its regional allies, may be forced to retaliate if Kim decides to launch his nuclear-tipped atmospheric test over the NorthPac area or dares to fire missiles that endanger any of its possessions such as Guam or the Aleutians.  Is Kim that foolhardy?  I pray not but it's definitely not worth gambling over.  I'm sure you've heard the old saying that "if you give a man a gun, you'd better watch him".  This nutcase merits close watching...

38 minutes ago, ThaiFelix said:

How would we really know??  The only news we get on the subject comes from western media...most of which is doubtful at the very least.

Untrue.  There are countless reports made by nK citizens who escaped the regime and its continual atrocities, making their way somewhat dangerously through China and eventually on to their new adopted homelands in far better conditions. Because NK is a closed society, we don’t learn enough about how strong of a rebellious spirit might be affecting the abused segment of the population.  Makes me wonder though. You’d think there’d be widespread discontent, ripe for fomenting revolution. 

1 hour ago, baboon said:

An understandable perspective. However ask yourself what the DPRK would have to gain from preemptively attacking the US and committing national suicide in the process. 

Mind you it is all academic anyway. There will be no nuclear war between the two states. A good deal of the fuss is a sensationalist media stirring things up to generate revenue.

The way I see it, the only way a war can start is if Kim fires off that nuke with his planned North Pacific air burst, or sends a salvo near Guam as recently promised. I believe that would be the overt war-initiating act that the US and its allies would use as adequate justification to launch on nK and end this once and for all.  I hope though that Trump et al aren’t so driven that the US launches a preemptive attack without sufficient, real provocation.  Mere threatening, bellicose language is not cause to launch an attack, which will turn nuclear quickly, and as we all know, Kim is infamous for acting the bully, overdramatizing, using bombastic rhetoric and goading his largely imagined enemies. Trump is just the first opponent to call his bluff. One of these days Kim will take it too far and get creamed for it. Let’s just pray that when it happens the impacts are minimized on innocent bystanders....

4 minutes ago, baboon said:

Let us just hope that sane heads prevail the way they always have in the past and ALL nukes stay in their silos.

I can agree with you there, Baboon. Nukes on the fly are a terrible specter indeed, no matter the provocation.

1 minute ago, baboon said:

If the West preemptively attacks the DPRK, the innocent people you are so worried about will be dead. Dead. This would be our fault.

Sorry, Mr.Baboon, but I’d much rather see mass graves and smoking embers in North Korea than in my own homeland, a nation containing a thirteen-fold populace.  I may be a selfish, cold-hearted patriot but at least I’m a realist. 

3 minutes ago, baboon said:

Tell that to the countless millions of innocent people WE would be wiping out. I am sure that if you include the word "sadly" they won't feel too badly about it. After all, they will be exterminated by the good guys' bombs.

I realize you are a DPRK enthusiast, and seem to side with a rogue nation conducting nuclear blackmail, but if you insist on using puppies ( in your earlier post #16) to illustrate your thoughts, perhaps you’ve heard the old saw about how to deal with rabid dogs...

I hate to say or even consider this, but...to put it succinctly:

”Nuke ‘em, Danno!”

Diplomatic efforts will not likely succeed in bringing about a softening of the nK’s hard-line stance on building and maintaining nuclear weapons. Since 1953, the Kim Dynasty has played the West in the manner of master puppeteers, continually drawing a succession of lines in the sand and forcing massive concessions in foreign aid money that never produced any productive results, at the same time spreading its sinister industries and nefarious deeds throughout the world. 

I’m no clairvoyant, but the insidious threats posed by the churlish and unpredictable Kim Junior must be stopped...and sooner than later.  The only way this seems possible would be to flatten his country with immediate, comprehensive and perfectly-orchestrated retaliatory strikes if and when he launches...or heaven forbid...succeeds in detonating his threatened North Pacific air burst. Prior to such an endangering test, it is unlikely the US would attack preemptively, but given sufficient provocation, the hermit kingdom, its people and its nutcase leadership could be transformed into radioactive toast in a matter of hours. This could very likely be accomplished not with regionally destructive, high megatonnage strategic nukes but with synchronized volleys of tactical nuclear weapons, perhaps in the order of 500 kilotons to 1 megaton,  simultaneously striking key targets throughout the nation so as to deny the enemy any ability to respond. In doing so, the downwind radioactive threats to South Korea and Japan could be minimized.  Simultaneously, massive coordinated strikes of conventional weapons could be employed in the vicinity of the DMZ and Sino-Russian border areas that minimize nuclear effects in neighboring countries, but convincingly destroying nK ground assault forces and their highly lethal supporting arms.

The fallout of any war plan, pun well intended, is how the surviving peoples of the north can move forward, rebuild anew and flourish over time in a life without a cruel dictatorship ruling over them. Such a reconstruction would be an enormous burden on the ROK, the US and the world community.  You can bet that it is not only the prosecution of war that worries US and allied planners, but indeed in dealing with the aftermath. Removing the longstanding buffer zone between the US and China would create yet another geopolitical dilemma. 

No matter how it sorts out, one truth looms over us: that we can not tolerate a rogue northeast Asian tyrant any longer, who is freely allowed to threaten the safety and future of many other nations within his rapidly expanding nuclear capability. 

There is no easy solution...but there is a solution.

As suggested earlier....maybe so time drafted into the King's finest military service would enlighten this weak excuse of a man.  Let him grovel at the feet of boot camp DIs and receive a few 'footlocker counseling' sessions.  Should turn the punk around nicely...

Try River Market, an excellent Western-owned Thai restaurant located on the West Bank of the Ping River adjacent to the Iron Bridge.  I’m not sure if they accept reservation requests or not, but if you arrive early and order dinner like we did, you can remain there, ordering drinks as the night latens.  Great location and a rousing crowd.  The food is excellent too.  Say hello to its owner, David Duke, a great restaurateur who operates the popular Duke’s branded eateries around the city.. Duke’s also offers the finest beef and pizza I’ve found in Chiang Mai.

What's not to say that she simply rode in a motley assortment of ground vehicles to a location near the border and from there was picked up by a helicopter and flown to PP. and thence Singapore or anywhere else.  Crossing the border overland itself might have been too much of a risk, but with her endless funding, any modes of transportation would have been a snap to prearrange.  

10 minutes ago, giddyup said:

No good if you have an enlarged prostate apparently.

Norgesic is also nephrotoxic...can impair kidney function. For some older persons, or those with existing kidney disease this could be an important consideration. 

I have had recurring fits with RLS and searched for a biochemical cause of it. I experienced the symptoms even when my serum potassium levels were slighly above normal, so I doubt that potassium was the culprit in my case. Then a month ago, I discovered that my Vitamin D level was abnormally low and had seen it steadily dropping over the past year. My doctor prescribed 10 x 20,000 IU tablets to be once taken every week until gone. I've now taken 4 pills in total over the past month and have definitely seen a decline in RLS. It still can come back to haunt me some nights, and I'm going to add magnesium supplementation to see if that could do the trick. Electrolytes need to be carefully balanced in the body, and if one is significantly off it could cause RLS symptoms. Some hospitals here offer a comprehensive vitamin and mineral test regime to isolate any problem areas. Perhaps the OP might want to look into such a procedure. 

15 hours ago, baboon said:

Oh yes, I am fully aware that my point of view is not a popular one to say the least, but all I can do is call it as I see it.

 

As for the cross border, cooperative industrial agreements, we have seen them in the form of the Rason and Kaesong zones, as well as tourism at Mt Kumgang. Alas, many of the investors seem to either fall foul of the DPRK authorities or international sanctions...

Good points, baboon.  They need to create a better cooperative model and indeed, nK needs to quit sabotaging any gains realized from these budding working relationships. The same collaborative mechanisms need to occur across the other border with China as well.  There are decades of distrust and pent-up hostility involved and it won't be easy, but there has to be a mutual, sincere willingness to try.  Other than a revolution from within, I just cannot see any other method that would ease tensions and get nK off of its belligerent mindset.

4 minutes ago, baboon said:

You can rest assured there isn't, but I doubt you will believe that.

OK, I can accept that...but it's still a weird way to represent oneself...a hated state that seems hell bent on ratcheting up nuclear tensions during an era when that is the very last thing the world needs.

It seems clear that Kim's goal is regime survival, but he's undertaking actions now that will surely prevent that from ever occurring.  When all the useless current multinational rhetoric stops, someone will feel threatened enough to unleash their dogs of war...and from that point on Northeast Asia followed by the entire planet and its inhabitants will surely become increasingly imperiled with a very nasty precedent set.

The way forward out of this mess is to cease all missile programs, agree with ROK to set up cross-border, cooperative industrial agreements and use those as stepping stones that could lead to widesweeping economic growth for the North.   This could well lead to market-driven consequences and bring about an ultimately peaceful reunification.  Instead all the world sees is continued belligerence and an apparent maniac at the helm of a badly failed state.   The way forward must be as apparent as the nose on his chubby face, yet he doggedly resists it. Truly sad if not tragic. 

Koreans are hard workers and one only has to view South Korea's amazing successes over the past several decades. I first traveled there in the late 1960s and kept returning over the years, and am awestruck by what this culture and its society has wrought. There's no reason at all why the North can't be equally successful.  Fomenting war is clearly not the right path forward. 

2 hours ago, baboon said:

Fair question... Because I think they are frequently misrepresented and have a point at times.

Why would you use a likeness of the rogue thugdom's flag as your avatar?  Your poor choice speaks volumes to me.  Perhaps there is more to your purpose than meets the eye...

1 hour ago, retarius said:

It flew for 1000km....hardly far enough to reach the US. If Kim had any sense at all and wants to save his regime he would be rapidly building up a large number of short range missiles to hit SK. Sending a lone missile to the US is a losing proposition, first it will get shot down and second the retaliation will wipe out Kim and NK for ever.

The shot landed 1,000-km away, but it was lofted at a steep angle, which shortened it's maximum range dramatically. Western scientists have calculated that if launched on a flatter angle, the ICBM could have easily reached well into the US mainland.  That being said, we don't know with certainty if a nK-designed nuclear warhead as exists today has reached sufficient design capability to survive reentry and detonate successfully. 

18 hours ago, Grubster said:

Again I hope your right but I just can't get GW Bush's war in Iraq out of my mind, they had to know that taking the Sunni's out of power and handing the power to the majority Shia's would end in the Sunni's turning hard towards terrorism. How many have died since due to this? Iraq was a very stable country up until then. Saddam was a bad man but look at the alternative. I don't really think the war machine cares what happens as long as its war.

Unfortunately, your thoughts have merit...our defense industrial complex fares very well during wartimes. 

9 hours ago, Grubster said:

I would hope you are right about that and yes NK could do some damage to SK, not to anywhere else but that would be enough as Seoul is a very big and modern city.  I do not trust the US war machine though, and I think Trump would love a big diversion about now. Lets remember that Vietnam and Iraq were both started on very false pretenses. I wouldn't put it past the war machine to somehow fire a missile into SK and blame it on NK and then open the war.

My opinion is that Trump et al seriously will do anything necessary to avert a shooting war.  As you surmise, the impacts on ROK would be horrendous and unconscionable...with tens of thousands of Koreans killed during nK's massive volleys of ballistic missile and free rocket strikes.  I spent two years assigned to US Forces Korea in the middle of Seoul, and not a day went by where I wasn't fully aware that the FBGs could strike my very office as we were easily in range of nK weaponry. So not only would there be huge ROK casualties but we'd lose the majority of our own forces garrisoned throughout the area in and and around Seoul and within close proximity to the DMZ. Ergo, POTUS and the NSC would not wantonly precipitate an outbreak of our own design, but once the nKs start something, you'd better believe we will devastate their homeland and leave it in smoking ruins. With its far greater mix of lethal forces and sustainment capability, the coalition will trounce nK ultimately but the cost to do so is just too much to contemplate as a favored course of action. 

I hasten to add that that if we observe signs of an imminent nK attack, I am quite certain that our side has its own preemptive measures ready to take down as much of the enemy as possible before it can unleash the brunt of its offensive power against us. 

1 hour ago, Grubster said:

China has also openly said that they are not happy with the US building its missile defense system in South Korea. When Trump attacks NK how will China respond?

It is exactly as you described it...a missile defense system...not designed to be employed as an offensive military weapon.  It works by acquiring incoming enemy missiles using a high-order phased-array acquisition radar and then launches its latest-version PAC-3 missile, fitted with a Ka-Band seeker warhead that makes final course corrections to knock down the inbound threat.  Don't shoot ballistic missiles at South Korea in the first place, and nobody will get hurt or feathers ruffled.