herfiehandbag

I seem to recall that arousing reactions of awe amongst the neighbours was on of the quoted reasons for acquiring submarines. Now they have managed to spend this remarkable amount of money to end up with a submarine with no engine, they will certainly have provoked a reaction amongst those neighbours; I somehow doubt it will be one of awe!

Much of the debate (discussion/negotiation) could well centre on what happens to those very valuable shares in that lucrative business; and in whose "care" they end up "for safekeeping".

However morally reprehensible having sex with a girl much younger than you is/may be, she was not a minor; in the sense of being below the age of consent in either Thailand or Germany. Locking up people because they offend a moral rather than a criminal code is wrong, and would be a false application of the law; as would passing any sort of official judgement on the age differences in relationships which you describe. Whilst paying for sex with someone under 18 is illegal in Germany, I suggest that the allegations, considering where they eminate from, will be so tainted by the corruption so blatant in the bar industry in Pattaya that a German court would be reluctant to convict on any evidence presented by the Thai authorities, irrespective of "Big Joke's" presence. Any conviction would likely be overturned on appeal.

And the Chinese are not prepared to swap it for the down payment on a frigate instead, there is no way that they will get it back, so they can either cancel and take the hit ( and loss of face) or settle for a submarine with a knock off copy engine. So the white elephant submarine it is; but I think we all knew that all along!

Sorry, are you referring to the Thai Tax Code?😀

It certainly has an Embassy in China. Given it's importance within the Thai diplomatic service, it will be staffed from the very best kith, kin and nominees of the most influential! I wouldn't care to hazard a guess at their effectiveness in analyzing and accurately reporting the state of current affairs in China, particularly in matters economic!

Double zero is, zero! Triple zero is, zero! Doubling the rates 5-10%, 35 to 70%, good story, I wonder if it will run. I'm not so sure that your friends accountant is that good a starting point!😉

Absolutely. Whatever the problems in Thai education, a shortage of money in the initial allocation is not one of them!

Pass a law making it mandatory to order in English in KFC and Macdonalds?😆

Yes I agree, that is very probably what he was told. However whilst keeping the PowerPoint as a framework, almost as a background noise, there are other ways to make lessons interesting, fun and effective. Of course they require considerable preparation, and are hard work, not traits which are that common amongst Thai teachers, 9r some of the foreigners! I am sceptical about the amount of supervision he is under. In my experience it is minimal and often superficial. When I started I was told that every week I had to submit my lesson plans to my head of department for passing to the principal. I religiously submitted a file each week with a lesson plan, whiteboard plan, list of other teaching aids, and a copy of the appropriate worksheet (I produced one for most lessons), for each of the 20 odd lessons I taught. It wasn't too onerous, the lesson plans etcetera were produced and printed on my computer at home: although of course it increased the printing. The next year the head of department moved offices. The old office was used as a store. I had cause to go in there to look for something, there in a corner, covered in dust, were the complete works of "John Guest", in the order in which they had been submitted! I prepared and submitted a lesson 0lan for P6 in which they were required to read and answer questions on "Winnie Ille Pu" in Latin. No one ever said anything! The problem is partly the dead hand of management, partly the lack of initiative, and frankly interest, amongst many teachers, compounded of course by the omnipresent corruption at all levels - the latter not too bad in the school I taught at, a RC school run by nuns. The one group really not to blame are the children - unfortunately the one group never considered until something like PISA rankings are published! I taught for ten years. It could be frustrating, annoying, and bloody hard work. I loved it, retired two years ago and miss it terribly.

The black and white polo shirts and zip up windcheaters are presumably the uniform for the anti vaping police! I personally don't do "vaping", I don't much like being around people who are vaping, and exhaling clouds of gas, but in the big picture of societies problems it is a mere dot in the distance, like the bloke who ran the London Marathon in a diving suit! Utterly pointless - however I look forward to the public destruction by burning of 10 million Baht worth of highly saleable products (less of course a few dozen which were sold on to pay for the new polo shirts) in the near future - should make for some interesting smells! I wonder who will fill the 100 million Baht gap in the market, and where the start up stock will come from?

At least the children are trying - encourage them, answer them, and ask what is their name. It will encourage and challenge them more than their teachers do!

Standards are slipping - it is a matter of deep concern. Some of those ribbons are very lackadaisically tied! We need to form a committee from amongst the senior teachers to address the problem!

Let's be realistic, it is the same in just about every sphere of criminal behaviour here. There is no shortage of laws, no shortage of Policemen to enforce them. What is in short supply ( practically none existent) is any will, desire, ability, understanding of or attempt to enforce those laws. Again, let us be realistic, the police are only active in any field which benefits them - financially or materially. If it can't be dealt with by either a spot fine ( no paperwork) or presents the more senior ranks with "an opportunity" then it is ignored.

Yes, it can't have been too much of an emergency - they flew over or near at least three international airports capable of handling a Boeing 787: Yangon, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai!

I can see no way of setting the region in Google Play or Google Play Store. All similar apps, Lazada, banks etc work.

Phone. If I try and open it on a browser (chrome or brave) it tells me to download the app. Then this happens! I finally ( after half a dozen tries) managed to get the browser open. I searched for "convection cookers". It gave four visible results, on a screen which was frozen and wouldn't scroll down. 1 plastiscene dinosaur set (?), 2 slow cookers and a ceramic hob. My reluctant conclusion, the system is what is technically described as boogered!

I'd quite like to try Shopee, but their app won't download ( not available in my region apparently - Thailand!), and their customer service replies to emails with an automated reply advising me to use a web form, whatever that might be. Their loss really, I have a list of things I want to buy over the next couple of months, several thousands of Baht worth.

Big blue tent, check. Internet access, check. Coffee service, check. Plenty of volunteer auxiliaries for the night shift , and when the enthusiasm and/or overtime budget run low, check. Good to go!

Almost as old though!😃

I stumbled across an advertisement for one of those latex maids whilst researching Alice in Wonderland on the Internet! I can't imagine what Thaksin could want with one...

It must have been one hell of a concert if all 100,704 came all that way for it! Never, in the history of live musical performances, has so much sweaty polyester been worn by so many to appreciate so few...

Trace the Google Map.

He can suggest and advise until he is blue in the face. He is the front man for a Parliamentary committee, no executive power. That lies in the hands of the government, which whilst in power because of what might properly be described as a democratic fudge, has considerably more electoral legitimacy than his party! Anyway his committee is concerned with Police affairs, treatment of high profile prisoners once "convicted and sentenced" is outside his remit. What is more, he is posturing on behalf of a party whose slide into political irrelevance began when they were boosted into power, despite losing the election back in 2008, and continued to slide when, unable to win further elections they effectively supported a military coup which cancelled elections and put a Junta in government. Once the voice of Bangkok and the younger educated middle class, (oops, what happened there?),a viable and credible alternative to Thaksin, they are now reliant on their (corrupt) regional power base in some southern provinces, and their links to the "establishment" whose influence is also beginning to fail!