kmart

Stay in a five star hotel and you can see all the different nationalities at work.

Every morning there is a queue of Americans lined up outside the hotel managers office. Each wants to complain about something...."my three minute eggs were over cooked by 15 seconds" or "one bucket of maple syrup was not enough to drown my stack of pancakes".....etc."

The British are seated around the breakfast tables complaining about the non-existent service. The staff have disappeared and they can't get a hot cup of tea. Too difficult for them to get up and pour their own.

The Aussies are having the time of their lives. All the waitresses have flocked to them as they are so good looking, have great charm and are fun to be with. Aussies never complain, that's why we are always happy and enjoy life.

Australia is located in it's Down Under place on the globe for a very good reason. We are trying to distance ourselves from you whining Yanks and you pompous Poms.

Not bad. For a one-trick pony.

Flame wars! sounds like a good read!!!

Where are they?

Probably long gone from the time that Mary Poppins took over moderator duties....

Bring it on, sissies!

This piece of writing only highlights how dumb upcountry folk are.

Maybe. When about 95% of the country can be described as "upcountry" then we have a problem...

The Thai press is so "Bangkok-centric" in its reporting and attitudes. They would try and impose their well-educated pie-in-the-sky morality on the rural Thais, yet would hate to pay any extra taxes that might equalise development in Thailand; or indeed actually share anything with those pesky, dark-skinned Isaarn people. Education for the majority of this country is always last thing on any government's budget too.

Thai people are a bit like water. They always take the easiest path towards any goal, be it driving a car or motorcycle; promotion at work; exam results; etc.

Basically they have historically never had to try too hard to achieve anything; everything you could eat grows here; no Winter; no crop rotation; war (of any real import), famine, pestilence, disease; etc.

In short, their culture is based on having plenty, and not having to tighten their belts, plan ahead, get tough on wasteful corruption, etc.

Its only by living in a culture like this that sometimes you have some perspective and appreciation of your own culture

Get her one of those rather attractive "wired-teeth" dental braces that all the pretty things seem to be wearing these days.

The government is allocating 31M Baht based on a weather report that's three months away yet? And we in greater Khon Kaen area have had cold weather already? Something doesn't compute....

Sounds like a nice little racket someone has going up there then?

Hey, where else is he gonna secretly and successfully cultivate all those marijuana plants!

The department set aside the budget of Bt31 million to supply people affected by the cold snap with warm clothing and blankets.

what did the people do with the clothing and blankets they were supplied with last year and the year before ?

They burnt them to keep warm.

Interesting idea, coming from the type of people that possess all the morals, ethics, and principles of insects.

Another authoritarian top-down missive from people who do not live in the real world.

Just what does the "Ministry Of Culture" actually do?

This could lead to a cross-cultural exchange of ideas whereby ladyboys now smear bacterial agents or nerve toxins on their breasts to fleece some unlucky punter?

just another story that goes down in los everday.

last time the students were brawling on the bus and a kid got killed.

normal part of life here in los and always will be.

As long as I've been here, I've read about student of vocational schools brawling; stabbing and shooting each other. Obviously "thug" and "hitman" are viable vocations here still.

Silly little dorks usually manage to kill non-participants in the crossfire of their home-made guns.

Oh well.

You forgot allegations of oil smuggling, evading the tax, and his son running over a policeman who tried to stop his car. I believe nothing ever happened to him.

If I remember rightly one of the sons was recently convicted of widespread cheating in an election.

They had to re-stage the election about 10 times!

A friend of mine once met Asavahame Snr at some function, and said he comes over as a funny, witty, quite charming guy....

But he's Mr Influential in his Samut Prakan home turf.

This seems to be a trend. I think it wasn't long ago when there was a similar story about a rather large number of N. Koreans found in a house.

I am curious as to why Thailand is such a choice destination. Is it the closest for not being repatriated for sure?

Looks like LOS is a "regional hub" for people smuggling. Hoorah!

an Oasis fan!.....in this country that's called instant kharma

Serves me right, eh? Fair enough.

A Thai friend pointed out that the people who are pushing for the ban are very senior in age and probably running on their last few drops of testosterone. I would suspect there is more to be said.

Pushing a bill through, no matter how ridiculous, seems to be a sign of influence; power; and status to politicos the world over.

And just <deleted> will it ever achieve?

About time this ridiculous idea was scrapped, that it took a coup to enable this says a lot about the previous government.

I had the misfortune to run out of fuel near a gas station in Rayong province in the early hours several months ago, and I wasn't alone in having to wait until 5am before being able to continue on my journey. How did that save fuel? It just resulted in inconvenience to me and many Thais for no good reason. I had a flight to catch the next morning too, fortunately I still had enough time to make it, but could have quite easily not.

Happened to me coming back to Rayong from the Oasis concert in Bangkok.

Had to spend the night in the car at the "service area" on the new motorway. A service area with no accommodation; motel; etc.

Hmm,... Seems to be a staple response to mounting pressure or criticism; start rumours about assassination / death threats....?

Income disparity in Thailand is one of the world's worst, apparently.

Education never seems to ever get an upgrade too.

He vowed to suppress trafficking and eradicate illegal drugs and asked responsible agencies not to be complacent.

He'll be the first one ever then? He might want to make a start from within his own armed forces ranks first.

What a lot of sad bastards there are on this forum.

An article about a man getting stabbed in the chest is seen as an opportunity by folk with huge chips on their shoulders to have a racist rant.

We've even got people condoning the use of a knife as a weapon. Very, very sad.

hehe. Its always great to know where to come if you want to find bicycle clips / puncture repair kits in Nakorn Noname.

And people with all the attractive social skills of phlegm, just wanting to have a go at someone else.

I once read that Thailand had some type of secret "Guantanamo Bay" prison / detention centre for terrorist suspects? Mibbe just urban legend.

This is a tough job I wouldn't want...

How do you rate 2 men dressed up like ladies, smacking each other in the face with a pie?

Hi-so evil woman vs. poor-but-good-hearted maid for the affections of some androgynous lead male.

The drama is broken up by a fat katoey slipping on a banana skin.

Hilarity ensues.

So, ... Erm, what's the new Bond film like then?

I heard its great.

The police need a very large pay increase. I'm not sure what the pay of the average cop is at the moment but a few years back it was 5,000baht a month. If you allow someone with a gun unlimited power and then don't pay them enough to live on you're asking for trouble.

I don't disagree but all the evidence from other countries is that low pay is only one of the reasons for corruption, and certainly not the most important.I also think that it's important that police reform should be part of a more general drive on corruption.

I don't think salary scales have much to do with it. Seems like Thai people with any sort of power here just have this sense of entitlement to money and goods that they don't deserve anyway.

A lot of the only discipline; intelligence; and lateral-thinking shown is at the criminal level.

On 26 June 2006, Natapol Puthpawana announced that he was leaving the band, saying that playing in venues which promote alcohol was against his beliefs.

From Answers.com.

Well, they ain't ever gonna be the Stones then, are they?

Best just hand his guitar over the the Abbot at the wat.