taxexile

scientists studying the phenomenon say the Naga ``fireballs'' result from gases released in a complex biological process.

and good luck to them.

Almost all the hotels and resorts in the northeastern province of Nong Khai, where balls of light will emerge from part of the Mekong river, are booked for the event.

Swartznigger

"I have no idea what that was about, unless it was a genetic experiment to breed a bullet-proof Kennedy." —Comedian Will Durst, on Schwarzenegger's marriage to Maria Shriver

the new ones aren't that bad .

Come on, what are the risks if he does this ? there is no way they can catch him

hi there kan,

and a happy new beer to you too.

1) yes it is the same bud.

2) thats not for me to answer.

these fireballs have been seen by every thai in the land.

employees of the tourist authority of thailand see them every year, as do the local hotel owners.

no foriegner has ever,nor ever will,see them.

i've just phoned the hotel and cancelled his booking,

that 'll save him a bit.

cookies

Let's have a break guys ... and play some card game:

plachon,i can understand what you say,but if the arab/pakistani/indonesian/syrian/iranian etc. governments can't or wont stop the subversive islamic terrorists that reside within their borders from exporting their terror and propaganda then the u.s.must do it.nobody else has got the stomach for the job.

the u.s. has in the past been guilty of selfish foriegn intervention,including this years adventure in iraq,but this time(against terrorism) they are doing the right thing.

the last time they did the right thing was to save europe from the nazis.

if it were not for the u.s.right now then planes would be dropping out of the skies like flies.

those islamic radicals are crazy beyond belief and there is only one way to deal with them,and it does not involve sitting around a table in discussion with them.

it involves the use of a big stick,the bigger the better.

that is only one way to deal with terrorists.

if the palestinians had been better served by their muslim brothers over the past 50 years instead of being left to rot as pawns in a wider political game then there would be peace in the middle east now,the terrorists have been encouraged to operate there by their arab neighbours,the results being death and destruction of innocents on both sides.and a nation living as refugees in their own land. blame egypt,syria,iran,hamas and arafat more than the u.s.

those governments are duplicitous in the extreme,even with their own people.

once you rid the world of the madmen then common sense will take over.

you cant look to american history and say that because they killed millions in the 60's they are wrong to fight now.

they were wrong then,but that was then.

given half a chance and 100 years,radical islam will take us all back to the stone age.

they need to be stopped in their tracks.

as a fully paid up brit i find myself with the u.s. on this one.

(but only this one)

bud,meet kan.

kan,meet bud.

rowntrees fruit pastilles (in the box).

dandelion and burdock.

a good chippy.(please dont direct me to that one near cowboy)

coronation st.

sarcasm and wit.

footie on radio5.

comedy on tv.

can anybody help?

i've just got a new laptop and want to transfer the contents of my address book  (wab files) from my old w98 computer to my new (winxp home) computer.

thanks for any help or advice.

the u.s.government has always been interested in the world.

(even though the u.s. population thinks the world ends at key west.)

it happily armed and supported bin laden in his fight against the russians and has been involved in numerous covert machinations all over the world.they cant stop interfering in the name of freedom and democracy.

the u.s. has been using its power to manipulate power struggles in  foriegn parts for over 100 years.(south america,s.e.asia,europe,eastern bloc,far east )

the u.s. has certainly not been restrained in its use of power.

its far too quick to threaten. and to  carry out those threats.

the local consequences of those interventions have never bothered the u.s. so long as the u.s. has gained its intended advantage.

just another form of collateral damage.

it is politics,i.e.hypocracy.

i dont think any other country,if they had such power ,would have behaved any differently.

the communists would have behaved worse i'm sure.

the toadying two faced europeans spend too much time argueing amongst themselves to ever be a world power although they like to think they are, and if they ever became as powerful as the u.s. their incompetence would make them a figure of ridicule rather than a figure of hate.

the rise of islam on a wave of radicalism does not bode well however,islamic doctrine is not noted for its tolerance, and whatever is written in the koran,the political reality would be very different.

what surprises me is how surprised the americans were after 9.11.

horrific as it was,it was only a matter of time before someone would try and land a punch on the u.s.

but they do have a fight on their hands now,and thankfully they have the will and the power to fight back.the rest of the world needs the u.s. now.

but if you look at  u.s. actions and policy through the eyes of a muslim,or someone from a poor country made poorer by the u.s. stranglehold on trade and selfish wastage of its resources then you would get a completely different answer and the hatred a lot of people feel towards the u.s. becomes easier to understand.

especially when they are forever being told how grateful they should feel towards the u.s.

but the u.s. is all we've got at the moment against a frightening upsurge of islamic terrorism and fundamentalism.

and for the time being more power to them.

if the usa withdrew its sphere of influence back to within its own national borders there would be a power vacuum in the world.

something would come and fill that vacuum.

the fastest growing power in the world today is fundamental/radical islam (as a political force.i dont mean as a religion.)

sometimes you need a guy with a big stick.

i would rather have the usa as the predominant world force rather than fundamental islam.

better the devil you know.

if you are interested in reading about travels around burma,india,cambodia,laos,vietnam in the 50's and 60's then try

NORMAN LEWIS.......GOLDEN EARTH  and

                           DRAGON APPARENT.

www.etext.org/zines/critique/article/normanlewis.html

will tell you more about this writers wonderful books.

his observations and writing style cannot be bettered (in my opinion).

you feel that you are right by his side as he travels.

makes theroux look like an amateur,and i'm a fan of theroux also.

I think that the Thai social security system (parents taking care of their children, and the children taking care of their parents) is MORE stable than any western social security system (let's let mum and dad live in the old folks home, surely they would prefer the company of strangers to their own kids).

With an average of 33-42% markup on everything (and that's just in 7-11's), we're already robbing you anyway.   There's no need to "keep the change."  

thay

a friend who previously used an agent in the south tells me that he has had no problems on his latest border run to k.l. last week for a new visa. he works for a dive school.

he said that his stamps were legit.the agent told him.

fake stamps are being picked up though.

how reliable that info. is i cannot say.

but i thought i would post it.

last week someone posted that the european embassies were supposed to have had a meeting with the thai foriegn office about all this and that the results of that meeting would be posted.i think it was posted by "george"

i havent read  anything yet about that meeting.

any embassy staff reading here???????????????

try CARDIFF.

its in wales.

wales is the hilly lumpy bit in the western u.k.

i'm pretty sure there is a thai consulate there.

if nothing else.