operator

September 15, 2009

If you can wait till 22nd October you will get a computer with the new Windows 7 operating system. If you can't wait till then make sure you get an offer for a free upgrade to Windows 7.

September 8, 2009

I can certainly testify how sharp cats claws can be. Occassionally when either my ex or myself was standing by the kitchen sink doing the washing up, our cat would jump up just above the knee, climb up to our waist, have a look at what you were doing in the sink and then jump off.

July 18, 2009

From the Sunday Times.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_...icle6719172.ece

BRITISH holidaymakers suspected of suffering from swine flu are being stopped from boarding flights.

Check-in staff at Heathrow and other main British airports are vetting passengers for possible symptoms and turning away those suspected of being infected. Some countries, including Thailand, Egypt and China have installed thermal body scanners to identify passengers with fever.

More than 50 British children and teachers were yesterday under quarantine in Beijing after four of the children were diagnosed with swine flu. It also emerged this weekend that: Hospitals face a potential crisis over the limited number of intensive care beds. Under the worst-case scenario, seriously ill patients could have to make way for swine flu victims. The manufacturers of the new swine flu vaccine are to be given legal indemnity amid concerns over any side effects. Regulators are due to fast-track its approval. Some patients – whatever their illness – face waits of up to 11 hours before getting a call back from weekend and evening GPs’ services. Calls are running at double the normal rate. Security guards are to protect NHS supplies of Tamiflu when the drug is handed out at temporary distribution centres, such as community buildings.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic confirmed this weekend that its staff were not allowing suspected sufferers to travel. A BA spokesman said some passengers had already been turned away at check-in because they showed symptoms of infection.

“Our staff are trained on what to look out for if someone has swine flu or any other communicable disease,” said the spokesman. “The staff seek medical advice and anyone with swine flu would be advised they are unfit to travel.”

A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said check-in staff would call in a medical team for advice if passengers were showing possible signs, such as coughing or excessive sneezing. “We would be advised by our medical experts. But advice for anyone with swine flu is that they should not travel and wait until they recover,” said a spokesman. The Association of British Insurers said cancelled holidays or postponed flights would normally be covered under insurance policies. Passengers are advised to check airline websites for advice.

Passengers who are suffering from swine flu but are not spotted at check-in may find themselves quarantined on their arrival overseas.

The group of 52 children and teachers were put in quarantine in China after four pupils were diagnosed with swine flu on arrival in the country on Tuesday. The trip was organised by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and involves schoolchildren from around the country.

Sulaimon Prince, 14, a pupil at the Central Foundation boys’ school, east London, is one of the four who tested positive and is recovering in Ditan hospital, Beijing. He said yesterday: “We were taken to hospital by ambulance. My temperature has come down. I’m not feeling ill so I think everything is okay.”

The party has been quarantined with American children in the Yanxiang hotel, a four-star hotel in Beijing. More than 200 foreigners are in quarantine.

The Department of Health said yesterday that Britain would get sufficient swine flu vaccine and it would indemnify drug manufacturers if there were any serious side effects from the vaccine.

Doctors are also worried about the demand for intensive-care beds. In the worst case scenario, flu victims in need of intensive care could outnumber the available beds. There are only 3,636 such beds in England.

Additional reporting: Marie Woolf, Kevin Dowling, Jon Ungoed-Thomas

July 12, 2009

And we are all paying way too much.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11...-2-43-each.html

Sharp practice? The razor heads that cost just 5p to make, but sell for £2.43 each

By Sean Poulter

Last updated at 11:25 AM on 08th June 2009

The products sold by Gillette and other companies cost as little as 5p to make, industry insiders have revealed.

But consumers are charged up to £2.43 a piece - a mark-up of more than 4,750 per cent.

Brand names: Gilllette can afford to hire sports stars Roger Federer, Thierry Henry and Tiger Woods

The price of shaving products at leading supermarkets is under investigation by the Office of Fair Trading.

The Government watchdog is involved in a long-running inquiry into alleged collusion between manufacturers and retailers.

It is alleged that salesmen from Procter & Gamble, which bought Gillette for $57billion (£35billion) in 2005, urged retailers not to cut the shop price of its brands.

A check of Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's found the UK's three biggest supermarkets are selling Gillette's Fusion Power cartridges at the same price.

A pack of eight costs £18.53, and the replacement razor heads are so expensive that they are now the most shoplifted product in the High Street.

Special security measures have been introduced, including sealing the packs in boxes with an electronic tag which sets off an alarm if it is not removed before leaving the store, and CCTV that activates if the product is removed from the shelf.

A pack of four Fusion Power cartridges costs only 20p to manufacture, plus 8p for packaging. But they are sold for £9.72 - £9.44.

An industry insider said Gillette takes the lion share - £6.28 - to cover its operating costs and make a profit. Some £1.90 goes to the retailer and £1.26 to the Government in VAT.

Smooth operators: Gillette sell the 5p razors for £2.43, a mark up of 4,750 per cent

The insider said: 'I know as a matter of fact that it will not cost more than 5p to produce a refill cartridge, it is a question of pennies given the bulk involved, yet Gillette is charging a wholesale price which is much higher.

'The figures tell you why it can afford to use stars such as Tiger Woods on its payroll (for advertising) and how it could afford to give David Beckham a diamond-encrusted mach3 razor for Father's Day some years back costing $54,000.

'With the Gillette products, the company is so dominant that it is able to spell out the terms of sale, including the price they want to see, to retailers.'

As well as Beckham and Woods, Gillette has splashed out large amounts of money on tennis star Roger Federer and footballer Thierry Henry to help market its products.

More...Cheap UK train travel: how to get the best from Britain's railways this summer

Getting in a lather! How the magic shaving cream that's said to boost a man's libido gives even stranger side effects...

'Court' in the act! Federer's narrow escape as crazed fan accosts him on the court at French Open

A recent Which? survey praised Gillette's products but gave a 'Best Buy' rating to the King of Shaves Azor. Its four cartridge refill pack comes in at a much cheaper £4.88.

Tesco's Matrix system, which has a triple blade head, has also won plaudits. A four cartridge refill costs only £2.20. A spokesman for Procter & Gamble said the retailers, rather than manufacturers, set the price paid by customers.

She said: 'Delivering value to our consumers is critical to our business. 'P&G determines the (wholesale) prices at which we sell to customers primarily based on covering our costs - the cost of product development, raw materials, processing, packaging, transport, general-expenses and marketing.'

She said that the company also needed to earn 'a sufficient return to sustain our business' and argued that its products provide good value in terms of performance in relation to price.

She said the company was unable to comment on the OFT investigation, but added: 'Our policy is to comply with the letter and spirit of the law everywhere we do business'.

June 5, 2009

Just got back from a 28 night stay at the Sabi Inn. The bars at the top of Soi 2 and the bars on 2nd road opposite Big C were all deathly quite. Passed Honey Pot about midnight a couple of times and there were about 2 customers in there. Noticed quite a few Middle Eastern tourists in Walking Street and hardly heard any Russian spoken at all on my trip.

Kept hearing all the time "No Customers". I always fly Eva Air on my trips to Thailand. The flight from LHR is usually about 75% Brits flying out to Thailand. On my flight out i would say the flight was about 75% Taiwanese. Maybe a large tour party going home but few farang on the flight.

April 19, 2009

I've done a few flights with Eva having three seats to myself due to there not being many passengers in economy. I'm one of these people who can't really sleep in the sitting position so three seats to myself is a godsend. Made a big mistake on my last flight from lhr to bkk when economy was about 80% full. Had a aisle seat and looked like i might get three seats to myself but no the two seats were filled just before take off and the one next to me was a rather large fellow and i could see i wouldn't get much look in when it came to using the arm rest. They noticed some empty seats near the back they prefered so moved. Job done so i thought until a young couple decided they prefered the seats next to me to the ones they already had. Was kicking myself through out the flight why didn't i move to the middle seat put things on the other seats to look like they were occupied.

March 7, 2009

Just been reading 1918 a very British Victory by Peter Hart.

Lieutenant Richard Dixon, 251 st Siege Battery, 53rd Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery was some what harsh on the Australians.

"But as Autralians seemed constitutionally incapable of learning any other language but their own, and only about a couple of thousand words of that,

it didn't matter. They were bonny fighters, but intellectually a dead loss."

February 24, 2009

From Times OnlineFebruary 24, 2009

Protesters bring return of political turmoil to Thailand

(Sakchai Lalit/AP)

A monk joins protesters jumping the fence outside the Prime Minister's office in Bangkok

Anne Barrowclough

Thousands of supporters of the ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra surrounded government buildings in Bangkok today calling for fresh elections.

The red-shirted protesters said that they would stage a three-day sit-in to put pressure on Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Prime Minister to dissolve his government.

Demonstrators shouting "We don't want this Government" broke through barbed wire barricades manned by hundreds of police and soldiers and took control of the roads around Government House.

Members of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) have campaigned against the Government since a court dissolved the pro-Thaksin ruling party in December, paving the way for Eton-educated Mr Abhisit to take power.

Related Links

The expat pension pitfalls

UK expat's claim to full pension goes to the Lords

Ms Carson's pension is frozen at £67.50 a week, the going rate when she retired. But if she still lived in Britain, or any of the countries where state pensions are uprated, she would now be receiving £90.70 a week, the rate for the tax year that has just begun.Some expatriate pensioners in their 80s receive less than £10 a week. Victory in the case could have increased annual payments by hundreds of pounds.

The ECHR rejected the appeal by six votes to one. It said: "While there was some force in the applicants’ argument, echoed by Age Concern, that an elderly person’s decision to move abroad might be driven by a number of factors, including the desire to be close to family members, place of residence was nonetheless a matter of choice.

"The Court therefore agreed with the Government and the national courts that, in that context, the same high level of protection against differences of treatment was not needed as in differences based on gender or racial or ethnic origin.

"Moreover, the State had taken steps, in a series of leaflets which had referred to the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations 2001, to inform United Kingdom residents moving abroad about the absence of index linking for pensions in certain countries."

The Department for Work & Pensions said: "We do not plan to make any changes to the current arrangements regarding the freezing of UK State Pensions. We will, nonetheless, study the terms of the judgement carefully to ensure that we continue to comply with our obligations under the terms of the European Convention on Human Rights."

Only one member of the court, Judge Garlicki from Poland, supported the pensioners' view. She said: "To my regret, I cannot subscribe to the Chamber's finding of no violation. In my opinion ... the difference in treatment has no objective and reasonable justification."

This was echoed by Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, who said: “The ruling means that older people will continue to be penalised for wanting to retire abroad. We supported the action because it is hugely unfair that these pensioners have made their National Insurance contributions but are not getting their fair share in return.”

Three years ago, Ms Carson had a similar appeal rejected by the House of Lords.

The ECHR ruling in full

October 26, 2008

Europe on the brink of currency crisis meltdown

The crisis in Hungary recalls the heady days of the UK’s expulsion from the ERM.

By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

Last Updated: 9:17PM BST 25 Oct 2008

The financial crisis spreading like wildfire across the former Soviet bloc threatens to set off a second and more dangerous banking crisis in Western Europe, tipping the whole Continent into a fully-fledged economic slump.

Currency pegs are being tested to destruction on the fringes of Europe’s monetary union in a traumatic upheaval that recalls the collapse of the Exchange Rate Mechanism in 1992.

“This is the biggest currency crisis the world has ever seen,” said Neil Mellor, a strategist at Bank of New York Mellon.

Experts fear the mayhem may soon trigger a chain reaction within the eurozone itself. The risk is a surge in capital flight from Austria – the country, as it happens, that set off the global banking collapse of May 1931 when Credit-Anstalt went down – and from a string of Club Med countries that rely on foreign funding to cover huge current account deficits.

The latest data from the Bank for International Settlements shows that Western European banks hold almost all the exposure to the emerging market bubble, now busting with spectacular effect.

They account for three-quarters of the total $4.7 trillion £2.96 trillion) in cross-border bank loans to Eastern Europe, Latin America and emerging Asia extended during the global credit boom – a sum that vastly exceeds the scale of both the US sub-prime and Alt-A debacles.

Europe has already had its first foretaste of what this may mean. Iceland’s demise has left them nursing likely losses of $74bn (£47bn). The Germans have lost $22bn.

Stephen Jen, currency chief at Morgan Stanley, says the emerging market crash is a vastly underestimated risk. It threatens to become “the second epicentre of the global financial crisis”, this time unfolding in Europe rather than America.

Austria’s bank exposure to emerging markets is equal to 85pc of GDP – with a heavy concentration in Hungary, Ukraine, and Serbia – all now queuing up (with Belarus) for rescue packages from the International Monetary Fund.

Exposure is 50pc of GDP for Switzerland, 25pc for Sweden, 24pc for the UK, and 23pc for Spain. The US figure is just 4pc. America is the staid old lady in this drama.

Amazingly, Spanish banks alone have lent $316bn to Latin America, almost twice the lending by all US banks combined ($172bn) to what was once the US backyard. Hence the growing doubts about the health of Spain’s financial system – already under stress from its own property crash – as Argentina spirals towards another default, and Brazil’s currency, bonds and stocks all go into freefall.

Broadly speaking, the US and Japan sat out the emerging market credit boom. The lending spree has been a European play – often using dollar balance sheets, adding another ugly twist as global “deleveraging” causes the dollar to rocket. Nowhere has this been more extreme than in the ex-Soviet bloc.

The region has borrowed $1.6 trillion in dollars, euros, and Swiss francs. A few dare-devil homeowners in Hungary and Latvia took out mortgages in Japanese yen. They have just suffered a 40pc rise in their debt since July. Nobody warned them what happens when the Japanese carry trade goes into brutal reverse, as it does when the cycle turns.

The IMF’s experts drafted a report two years ago – Asia 1996 and Eastern Europe 2006 – Déjà vu all over again? – warning that the region exhibited the most dangerous excesses in the world.

Inexplicably, the text was never published, though underground copies circulated. Little was done to cool credit growth, or to halt the fatal reliance on foreign capital. Last week, the silent authors had their moment of vindication as Eastern Europe went haywire.

Hungary stunned the markets by raising rates 3pc to 11.5pc in a last-ditch attempt to defend the forint’s currency peg in the ERM.

It is just blood in the water for hedge funds sharks, eyeing a long line of currency kills. “The economy is not strong enough to take it, so you know it is unsustainable,” said Simon Derrick, currency strategist at the Bank of New York Mellon.

Romania raised its overnight lending to 900pc to stem capital flight, recalling the near-crazed gestures by Scandinavia’s central banks in the final days of the 1992 ERM crisis – political moves that turned the Nordic banking crisis into a disaster.

Russia too is in the eye of the storm, despite its energy wealth – or because of it. The cost of insuring Russian sovereign debt through credit default swaps (CDS) surged to 1,200 basis points last week, higher than Iceland’s debt before Götterdammerung struck Reykjavik.

The markets no longer believe that the spending structure of the Russian state is viable as oil threatens to plunge below $60 a barrel. The foreign debt of the oligarchs ($530bn) has surpassed the country’s foreign reserves. Some $47bn has to be repaid over the next two months.

Traders are paying close attention as contagion moves from the periphery of the eurozone into the core. They are tracking the yield spreads between Italian and German 10-year bonds, the stress barometer of monetary union.

The spreads reached a post-EMU high of 93 last week. Nobody knows where the snapping point is, but anything above 100 would be viewed as a red alarm. The market took careful note on Friday that Portugal’s biggest banks, Millenium, BPI, and Banco Espirito Santo are preparing to take up the state’s emergency credit guarantees.

Hans Redeker, currency chief at BNP Paribas, says there is an imminent danger that East Europe’s currency pegs will be smashed unless the EU authorities wake up to the full gravity of the threat, and that in turn will trigger a dangerous crisis for EMU itself.

“The system is paralysed, and it is starting to look like Black Wednesday in 1992. I’m afraid this is going to have a very deflationary effect on the economy of Western Europe. It is almost guaranteed that euroland money supply is about to implode,” he said.

A grain of comfort for British readers: UK banks have almost no exposure to the ex-Communist bloc, except in Poland – one of the less vulnerable states.

The threat to Britain lies in emerging Asia, where banks have lent $329bn, almost as much as the Americans and Japanese combined. Whether you realise it or not, your pension fund is sunk in Vietnamese bonds and loans to Indian steel magnates. Didn’t they tell you?

October 25, 2008

The economist added: 'We are going to have to wear a hair shirt as a nation. If this turns out to be recession lasting five or six quarters, which looks possible, we are not going to see the slightest upturn until 2010. And even then we can expect at least five years of muted growth.'

This could easily turn out to be the rose-colored glasses viewpoint. The current structure of the UK economy is such that it is inherently difficult to rebound from economic crises. The British people are being taxed into oblivion. The British government has socialized the vast majority of the national economy, which is a recipe for disaster.

If the British government really wanted to turn things around quickly, they would pass legislation to cut citizens' income taxes in half, cut the national sales tax (17.5% vat) in half, and reduce the size of government accordingly. Unfortunately the former tax and spend chancellor is now the current tax and spend PM (and a thoroughly incompetent one at that).

Oh, and regardless of how the pound sterling may be suffering now, the Brits still did the right thing by not moving to the Euro.

In any case, the UK government has to wake up. You stimulate economic activity by putting more money back in peoples' pockets through reduced taxation, not by increased government intrusion. Time will tell if Downing and Parliament are smart enough to figure this out.

Unfortunately under EU rules it's illegal to drop vat below 15%.

October 17, 2008

From the Daily Telegraph.

British undeterred by trouble in Thailand

Tourists continue to travel to Thailand in record numbers, despite border tensions and political unrest.

By Charles Starmer-Smith

Last Updated: 9:03AM BST 17 Oct 2008

Comments 4 | Comment on this article

The Preah Vehear temple complex was the scene of fighting this week Photo: AFP/GETTY

British travellers are continuing to visit Thailand in record numbers despite an increase this week in violence along the disputed border with Cambodia.

Reports of fighting near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, coupled with continuing political unrest in Bangkok, were expected to deter travellers from visiting the country. However, a spokeswoman for the Tourism Authority of Thailand said bookings from British holidaymakers continued to rise.

The Hindu Preah Vihear temple – which predates the more famous Khmer ruins of Angkor — and the lands that surround it have long been disputed by the two countries. Tensions increased in July after Unesco approved Cambodia’s application to have the temple designated a World Heritage Site. At least two people were killed in skirmishes this week.

The tourist authority points out that the conflict is far from the beach destinations — Pattaya, Phuket and Koh Samui — that attract most British visitors.

Last year 835,000 British nationals visited Thailand — a figure that is expected to increase by five per cent this year as holidaymakers take advantage of discounted week-long holidays from as little as £499, including flights.

“British travellers are remaining very loyal customers even during the current economic downturn — around two thirds are repeat visitors,” said a spokeswoman for the authority.

The Foreign Office advice to British travellers to Thailand describes the military clashes at Preah Vihear as “small-scale political demonstrations”. It says it is reviewing its advice regarding the border region, but continues to warn travellers against going to the southern provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla.

Few Britons are expected to be in the disputed border region. Audley Travel, one of the few operators to offer trips to the area, said that Preah Vihear had been closed since July, when the military arrived.

“The first people who have booked to go are not due to arrive there until November 17,” said a spokesman for Audley. “We have already spoken to them about alternative destinations for that section of the itinerary should things not improve. The fighting is quite localised and there is no reason for visitors not to visit other areas.”

Britain’s leading tour operators, including Thomas Cook and Kuoni, said they had received no cancellations or inquiries about the conflict and that bookings remain strong.

However, numbers of visitors to Thailand from other parts of the world have fallen by nearly a third as a result of political unrest in Bangkok.

In clashes between the police and anti-government protesters last week outside Parliament House, 400 were injured and two died. No tourists were caught up in the troubles, but the violence coincided with the arrival of more than 1,000 travel operators and journalists on a promotional tour.

October 2, 2008

Must admit strong turbulence does give me the willies. This stewardess would have completely freaked me out.

Screaming stewardess sparks panic

From: Agence France-Presse

From correspondents in London

February 28, 2006

VIRGIN Atlantic is investigating claims a stewardess alarmed passengers by screaming that a turbulence-hit jumbo jet was going to crash.

According to passengers, there was panic when the cabin crew member apparently lost control as the London to Las Vegas Boeing 747, with 451 passengers on board, ran into turbulence over Greenland.

"She (the stewardess) screamed every time we dropped and one point chanted three times 'We're going to crash'," one passenger said.

"This hysterical stewardess was telling everyone we were going to die," another passenger said

The incident took place last Friday.

A Virgin spokeswoman today said the airline was waiting for the crew of the flight, VS43, to return to the UK before starting an investigation.

"We can confirm that flight VS43 from London Gatwick to Las Vegas, which departed at 10.51am on February 24, experienced unexpected turbulence approximately three hours into the flight," she said.

"The safety and security of passengers and crew is Virgin Atlantic's top priority.

"The flight deck will always keep passengers informed of expected flying conditions and where possible will try to avoid areas of expected turbulence.

"Incidents of unexpected turbulence are relatively rare but as a precaution, passengers are always advised to wear seatbelts at all times during the flight."

September 10, 2008

Somewhere, at some point over the recent past, someone decided that it was no longer acceptable for a person to say what he or she means; it was no longer acceptable to speak in precise, direct words. And what’s worse, someone, somewhere decided that we should all be offended when someone calls a problem a problem! Everything has to be translated into some sort of euphemism. I don’t really know why it started, but can we please stop referring to every problem as an issue?

An employee no longer has a problem keeping up with production; he has an issue. A child no longer has a problem behaving in class; she has an issue. A married couple in therapy no longer has problems in their marriage; they have issues.

Even bad weather now causes performance issues on the football field and traffic issues on the road; and a basketball player with a sprained ankle has an ankle issue. I’m not sure what’s so offensive about discussing traffic problems, health problems, or a sloppy football game. Is it just me?

The problem—that is, what’s wrong—with substituting issue for problem is that those two words are not synonymous—and no amount of being politically correct, disingenuous, or even condescending—yes, it can be condescending—will make it so.

An issue is a topic, such as The candidates will discuss the issues at the debate. That means that the candidates will discuss the different topics, or subject areas, involved in running our country.

A problem is something negative. A problem is something that needs to be solved. A problem is something that we try to overcome. A problem is something that we don’t want. An issue is not a problem, but I’ll tell you what is a problem: the grammatically incorrect trend of telling someone that he has an issue when what you really mean is that he has a problem. Call it what it is, and it’ll be easier to solve.

September 3, 2008

Comment into days Daily Telegraph.

Prime minister's lawn becomes a battleground for old-school Thais

By Thomas Bell

Last Updated: 12:01am BST 03/09/2008

Have your say Read comments

Worldstage: Bangkok

Sitting in deck chairs, eating snacks and clapping along to live music, Thailand's new revolutionaries look like nothing so much as picnickers at a free concert. Judging by the crowd, it is easy-listening for all ages.

It's packed at the front of the stage, on the prime minister's muddy lawn, but there are huge video screens for everyone else.

advertisementEnough hot food and iced water for thousands of people has been supplied - free of charge - 24 hours a day for the past eight days and counting.

This is an epic love-in to end democracy. The problem for the middle-class protesters camped out at Government House in Bangkok - and for their leaders, and their leaders' backers, who are throwing this enormous free party - is that the poor who dominate the electorate keep choosing the wrong government.

Perhaps if the well-heeled protesters succeed in overthrowing the seven-month-old administration of Samak Sundaravej this will be called the Yellow Revolution, because they wear the colour of Thailand's revered monarch to show their devotion to him. Or perhaps the Golf Revolution, because the thugs who patrol the protests are armed with golf clubs.

The battle lines are familiar from other emerging democracies. The turmoil earlier this year in Turkey was comparable. Wealthy city folk, and the conservative military, bureaucratic and legal establishments have trouble accepting the people's choice.

"They tend to be richer and regard themselves as more enlightened and western-leaning than the other side," says an observer of the Turkish scene. "But many see no paradox in their reluctance to accept the legitimacy of a general election result."

At root, Thai political analysts say, the metropolitan elite is threatened by the electorally popular Thaksin Shinawatra, who was overthrown as prime minister in a coup in 2006.

His protégé, Samak Sundaravej, was elected by a clear margin as soon as the people were given another chance to vote at the end of last year.

"This is the problem area," explained a businessman at the demonstration yesterday, indicating northern Thailand on a map he had drawn in my notebook. The region is populous, agricultural and relatively under-developed.

They vote consistently for Mr Thaksin and his allies, probably because of the cheap health care and improved living standards his policies delivered. "They have a low education, they are farmers, they don't understand. You give them £10 and they will vote for you," the businessman claimed. "They are dogs. We kick them."

The answer offered by the protesters - who call themselves the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) - is "the new politics".

Under the new politics only 30 per cent of parliament would be elected. The rest would be appointed by the army and bureaucracy, controlled by the traditional social elite.

For Thailand's emerging democracy it is a disaster. "Normally Thai democracy is usurped by the army," according to Dr Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a Thai political scientist. "This time it is being threatened by a civilian movement which is even more Right-wing."

It is also a blow to the region. Of the 10 members of Asean - the club of South East Asian Nations - only five, including Thailand, claim to be democracies.

Anyone gambling on Thailand's immediate future would be wise to guess that the government will shortly fall.

With its powerful allies in the army and the royal palace, the PAD looks untouchable. Even the local media, although it felt obliged to condemn the illegal occupation of Government House, has a soft-spot for the PAD.

First the beleaguered prime minister turned to the courts. An order was duly issued, ordering them to end their occupation of the prime minister's front lawn, then inexplicably revoked.

"The occupation of Government House... calls into question not only the viability of democracy in Thailand, but also the political neutrality of the court system," the credit ratings agency Moody's noted.

Next, prime minister Samak called on the police to control the protests. They failed. Finally, yesterday, he declared a state of emergency and called in the army. The army chief, while promising not to stage a coup, says he will not evict the protesters occupying the seat of government.

The prime minister, it appears, has been deserted by the powers that be. But if he has nowhere left to turn, neither does Thailand.

Not for as long as its people are denied the governments they choose.

August 10, 2008

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has today flown back to London on the eve of facing multiple corruption charges in Bangkok.

The billionaire was due to return to Bangkok after watching the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing, but MP Pracha Pasobdee told reporters at the airport he had spoken to a Thaksin aide who said the former prime minister would be making a statement 'via the foreign media' at 2am tomorrow from London.

That is the same time that Thaksin, who owns Premier League Manchester City, and his wife are meant to report to courts under bail conditions set in various corruption cases against them.

Thaksin Shinawatra, front, and his wife Potjaman at criminal court in Bangkok. Potjaman was sentenced to three years in jail for tax evasion

If true, his decision not to return to fight a series of cases would signal a significant easing of the political tension that has dogged the government and Thai markets for the last three years.

On Thursday, the stock market rose 4 per cent as rumours circulated that Thaksin and his wife, Potjaman, who is on bail after being sentenced to three years in jail for tax fraud, might not return from their trip to China.

Before the weekend, spokesmen for the couple insisted they would return to Bangkok on the Thai Airways flight today, in time for both to report to the courts on Monday as required by their bail conditions.

But two airline industry officials said they did not get on the plane.

'There is no Shinawatra family member on the flight,' the industry source said.

Thaksin's lawyer and his principal spokesman in Thailand had their mobile phones switched off today.

'If Thaksin really doesn't come back, the conflict in our country will lessen, which implies that our prolonged political trouble will come to an end soon,' Kavee Chukitkasem, head of research at Bangkok brokerage Kasikorn Securities, said.

'The markets should definitely rise tomorrow,' he said.

Thaksin was removed by the army in a coup in 2006 on the grounds of 'rampant corruption', although many analysts suspected the hand of the royalist military establishment moving against what it saw as an arriviste Chinese billionaire.

However, his lingering popularity in the countryside ensured an avowedly pro-Thaksin party won December's general election, allowing him to continue to influence cabinet appointments and decisions.

Since then, however, the courts have accepted a series of corruption cases against Thaksin and his inner circle, and last month's guilty verdict against Potjaman suggested they were not going to be intimidated by his wealth or influence..

August 3, 2008

Isn't it true that only female mosquitos bites humans. Blood sucking bitches. Come to Thailand and you have females sucking your blood and other females sucking up your money.

July 26, 2008

Same as johnnyk. Taxi booked with Mr T, and usually manage to get someone to share with conversations with fellow passengers at checkin,departure lounge,aircraft and immigration queue at Suvarnabhumi. Fare 1200 baht. 600 each plus 100 each for tip.

July 24, 2008

Thankfully i have never missed a flight so far. I remember a few years back on a flight form lhr to bali with a stopover in Bangkok to refuel. There were three middled aged male friends on the flight with had obviously had quite a bit to drink before boarding. It didn't help they were also knocking back their dutyfree they had bought. Gets to Bangkok and we allowed to get off the plane for 45 minutes to stretch our legs while they refuel. Two of these fellows gets off with one wearing no shoes or socks!!!. Just before we take off again only one of these fellows returns back on board as he couldn't find his friend in bare feet anywhere. So there you have a brit at Bangkok Airport having missed his flight, wearing no socks or shoes, and he's left his passport and ticket on the plane (overheard converstion between the remaining 2 friends about he's left his passport on the plane as they were sitting quite near us). Would loved to have known how he explained to the Thai authorities standing there in bare feet with no passort or ticket.

July 17, 2008

We all look forward to our trips to Thailand and the eventual return home . I was wondering if anyone had some stories how they missed their flight either eay. First was it your fault. You overslept, got the time mixed up thought it was 10pm flight when it was a 10am flight, forgot your passport or it was out of date. Not your fault. The taxi or bus breaks down on the way to the airport. Your stuck in a traffic jam and using every swear word none to man and you know your unlikely to get there on time. Weather so bad you can't get to the airport.

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Have You Ever Missed Your Flight To Or From Thailand.

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