jonclark

...City Hall is now discussing what other types of goods might be prohibited from selling in and around school areas...

Could this mean my local 7-11 will be banned from selling fizzy drinks and snacks to school children, before and after school.

This is a great idea (the project, not the 7-11 comment) and should be commended. I hope that resources (both financial and people) will be put into place to allow schools to implement this project. Rather than dumping on the school and expecting them to magically implement it.

I'd be interested (as and educator) to see the details

The government will be there before and after the rally, all this will do is help people adjust their travel plans and take their winter holiday in another country..

It's such a shame, instead of promoting the kings birthday and inviting people from far and wide to come and celebrate and join with the Thai people and see real thai culture and to be part of a wonderful historic event...we have this vengeful rant sullying a special time.

It will be interesting to hear his majestys comments during his birthday speech.

Taksin, Jutaporn and Jakrapob - Buddism 101: Desire = Suffering, (You desire power, you will experience suffering)

Lets hope it is true. I'm sure many people have lost their jobs or fear for their jobs and a boost in tourist numbers will hopefully make many people feel more secure and maybe put a few more smiles on the faces of everyone.

Instead of charging for the bags, wouldn't it be a better] to get ' money off' your shopping bill say a reduction of 1 -2 baht per reused bag if you use your own. This combined with the added 'incentive' of paying of new bags should you need to buy them would surely have a much quicker effect in reducing the over reliance on and over supply of plastic bags

"...A GLO board member Nakarin Mektrairat said 60 per cent of the earnings from lottery sales became the prize money, 28 per cent went toward the central government's budget, while the remainder was spent on lottery administration, he said.

Half the lottery administration budget will be spend on the public through activities such as assistance to the disabled and underprivileged people, Nakarin said. Depending on the sale of lotteries in each round, money earmarked for "healing the society" is expected to be between Bt150 million and Bt700 million per year, he added."

So lottery Admin = 12% of which 6% will be spent on 'social ailments' [6% = 150 - 700 million]

So working backwards

If 6% = 150 million Admin

60% [150 million x 10] - 1.5 Billion baht in prize money

28% [150 million x 4 (plus a bit) = 600 million

6% 150 million for social ailments

Grand total = roughly 2.5 billion baht

Jeez that's a lot of lottery tickets to sell

( I can't believe how bored i was to work that out....)

It's not just plastic bags, but bottles (plastic & glass), building materials and every other kind of refuse imaginable. A more comprehensive approach needs to be applied here.

The gov't should enforce littering laws and assess penalties so that people will think twice before they throw garbage on the beaches, etc.

I don't ever remember Macro supplying plastic bags (outside of the vegetable & meat departments).

It makes me laugh when you've got half the population of bangkok walking around with a 'save earth save life' t-shirt on and yet a scheme that could have a massive environmental impact is delayed because the population needs educating.

Here's an idea for how to educate people - Put a sign in every shop, in thai, saying "Save the environment. Plastic bags are now 5 baht each"

Wow, that was fast.

Spot on, as soon as it starts to hit people in the pocket they become pretty eductated, pretty quick. If it cost say 2 baht to 'buy' a plastic bag at BIg C then that would put an extra 200 baht per month on the shopping bill of the average family.

So, what happens if you don't have any bags with you and you refuse to buy new bags. I think you'll find dumped plastic bags being replaced by dumped tolleys as people load all their bagless food into a trolley and push it home.

But in all seriousness its long overdue and the bags are a waste of resources in every aspect

Whenever the Elite Card comes up in a thread, comments are always made along the lines of " well if they can afford the elite card, they have obviously have plenty of money, so if they lose the money they invested in the Elite card, they'll be alright"

Following the same logic, if you can afford to come to thailand on your holidays, then you have enough money as well. The perfect justification for ripping off joe average tourist by the thais.

Hmmm maybe the Thais learnt how to rip of expats by reading Thaivisa

100 Peu Thai MPs are going to Phnom Pehn, right on schedule.

So what if Cambodians are fighting on the border with Thai soldiers.

What is that line about "giving aid and comfort to the enemy"?

Hun Sen is actively trying to destabilize Thailand.

That qualifies as an Enemy of the State.

Peu Thai is so desperate to get back Thaksin, and sole access to the money trough,

no move and now ally of convenience is too low a stoop.

According to the Nation these 100 Peu Thai MP are going Cambodia and some of them are going to drink till dawn and then see Taksin off to Dubai.

Glad to see the MPs' using the Taxpayers money wisely. Personally i think the government should let them all nip over the border, let them get smashed and then at about 3 am close the border and call a snap general election.

Imagine 100 hungover / drunk MP's at the closed boder crossing at poi pet enraged that they can't contest the election.

I think the question should be; why do so many people here drink so much???

Are they drinking to forget??

Drinking to be happy - Is that why they smile so much??

Why??

Land of Smiles - aka Land of the Smashed

I think it's about time us frang took to the streets to protest our problems and grievences - Anyone got a choice of colour

Abhisit said politicians should not be making decisions on the public's behalf

Statement of the decade.

Well spotted

Dude serious St Andrews shouldn't be compared to Patana... Seriously, look at the quality of the buildings the equipment and the teachers?

Seriously, my girlfriend attended Patana for 12 years and needed a change, now she is at St Andrews and she says the education level is far below. I have been helping her with her IB Physics and I don't know what her teacher is on, but even she knows what he is teaching her is wrong. I just hope she passes the exams its her last year and her French class just restarted the course because the teacher and students were too poorly organized. This is their first year of IB at St Andrews and I feel really sorry for the kids participating.

Honestly, don't compare the two.

Ok the Phra khanong one.

I think what needs to be understood here is that the ST. Adrews schools are not one and the same. There are four different branches all were independent of each other. Most of them have all now been taken over, except the Sukhumvit 71 - which is the best, by a country mile. Great staff, massive resources and kids who really excel in IGCSE

For those of you who are interested New Scientist has an interesting article in a Q and A form. It's pretty good and easy to read without too much technical jargon

link here

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1784...ne-triumph.html

I can't even spell epidemiology but as far as statistics is concerned you are right. It is not "statistically significant"

Thailand can't yet claim the hub of scientific discoverries. Nice try I suppose but mathematicains would not buy it.

Uh, perhaps there is a correlation between poor spelling and a poor understanding of statistics. A 31% increase in prevention in a phase III study is significant in any mathematician's book. Look at the large size of the population under study and not the numbers of infected participants. In a study of that size, if the drug had no effect then one would expect nearly identical numbers of infected patients at the end of the study. Again, they are talking about statistical significance; they are not talking about having found a magic bullet like the Salk polio vaccine. If I were in a high risk group and had the option to take a drug that seemed to offer a 31% increase in protection, then I would jump at such an opportunity.

Yep a 31% increase is a big increase - Would't we all be much happier if we woke one morning and found the old John Thomas had inceases over night by a whopping 31% - The missus would be pleased!

Seriously though the arsenal of ARV is increasing, resulting in HIV becoming a chronic rather than a death sentence in developed countries, although many African countries unfortunatly lag way behind. This trial shows for the first time that a vaccine can and does work, it may not be perfect but it is ground work on which to build and develop future trials and vaccines. How many times did Edison fail before he made a working light bulb??

Come on TV members after all the bulls**t that has come out of Thailand in the past few years this is great news which is but a part of a small but possibly significant step in moving one step closer to eradicating a disease which has claimed millions of lives of the poorest and most vunerable people in the world.

Congratulations to all involved especially the volunteers for having the courage to participate.

Come on guys all these predictions are made on the the basis of the power of positive attraction - Visualize what you want to happen and it will happen .

Rightthen lets give this a go, close eyes and think ...... 'bigger jugs on the missus, bigger jugs on the missue........... '

Bugger didn't work.

This is the power of positive attraction - Visualize what you want to happen and it will happen .

Right lets give this a go, close eyes and think ...... bigger jugs on the missus, bigger jugs on the missue...........

Bugger didn't work

I was just wondering of anyone has heard anymore about the investigation into the bodies in the containers off teh coast of Rayong / Sattahip? A month or so ago it was all the news.....the nothing. Does anyone know what was found??

where did he think he was america, not too hard to notice a farang running away in rangsit.

but what do expect from an american, there brought up to just take things that are not theres.

Tell us about any politician, in any country in the world that does not "take things that are not theres"? So the guy was an American? With more than 300 million people living in the U.S., if all of them were thieves like Europeans seem to think, could there really be a country left? Do all African Americans steal? Do all Mexicans steal? Do all Chinese steal? Do all Europeans living in the U.S. steal? Or are you referring that White Americans steal - thing they have a right to take things that are not theirs? This guy looked White/Caucasian to me in the photo. Perhaps that is what you meant because it would be quite racist to say that African Americans or Latinos "were brought up to just take things that are not theres." Talk about painting an entire nation with the same wide brush! Don't confuse ALL Americans with their Government? Really, no really, how much control do you have over the politics, the way things are done, in the country of your birth, much less Thailand? Last week it was "hate the British" week, but this week is a 6 year continuous "hate Americans week" which has been going on ever since I joined Thai Visa. And how many Americans do the American haters in Thai Visa REALLY know? Met a few rude, loud Americans from New York, N.J., Michigan, Massachusetts or Calif.? Not much of a true representation of what Americans really are.

Have to say i agree with you. I'm British and the Americans i've met both here in Thailand and back home have been spot on, friendly and good to talk to. Feel so sad that so many people have such bigotted attitudes towards their fellow man. It seems the more westerners stay in Thailand the more racist they become. Is it a defense mechanism to protect themselves from the percieved xenophic attitude they think Thais carry? - who knows.

But which ever way you paint it racism has no place in any country developed or not

It's strange the other day, there was a topic on here comparing Brits abroad in various countrys, the number of yanks that jumped on the band wagon taking the opportunity to give us a Brit bashing, "all the brits are scum", "all the brits are trouble-makers", "why don't the brits stay in their own country". (ha! - I haven't heard of any of them robbing banks, I remember a German guy doing it in Chonburi 6yrs back, and I remember a Norwegian holding up a gold store in Pattaya)

The number of people who come to this country and live on the bread-line is unbelievable, and in my line of business I see them all, so I can safely say there is definately a majority of one nation that pass through my doors who live in this situation (let's just say they didn't live the AMERICAN DREAM). My question is why do they do it to themselves, if you call living in Paradise - living out your life in a little box, not even a motorbike for transport, and penny pintching at every eatery (down the road its only 25bt, so why are you charging me 30bt), you really should be thinking of heading home, you are embarrasing yourself and your home-nation. All these people that I have come across, seem to be within 'the working age' have 2 legs & arms, and seem perfectly able. So go home, get a job, and come back when your life's in order, and stop inflicting your miserable way of life on the rest of us.

Way to many sad individuals in this country, spoiling it for the rest of us.

And to pre-empt anybody sticking up for these saddos and saying "look, some people just get dealt a bad hand", success is a journey not a destination. The problem with most of these low-lifes they haven't learnt to accept responsibility for their actions and love to blame others for their pit-falls, until they accept responsibility for their actions, their lives will never improve.

This is a good post with which I agree.

I live in Pattaya and it is scary to see the large number of low life, desperate, penniless farangs around.

Could not the Thai authorities do something to rid us of all this scum?

What exactly would you like the Thai authorities to do, drown them in the sea, shoot them through the head, deport anyone who does not adhere to a certain criteria, Tattoo a number and star onto their forehead mein furher !

The kid should go - Just imagine the shame and embarrasment if the wee fella won and Thailand wouldn't let him back into the country. I can see the headline now Thai World Champion refused entry to Thailand

It really would drag the whole issue out into the open. Lots of 'umms', 'arrhs' and claims of 'not our responsiblity' would issue forth from the various ministries.

Unfortunatly, there are so many talented and skilled people, old and young that miss out on opportunities in this country because of their financial or ethnic status. A genuine shame as thai people have a rich artist and creative history, but most only get the opportunity to experience the mundane.

I think we should just remember the old adage -when in Rome do as the Romans do. And it seems the Brits are doing a pretty good impersonation of the Thais during Songkran, although minus the water. Although they beat us hands down with drinking and drinking related fatalities.

On holiday, the weather's hot, the booze is cheap, the girls want to play - what's the problem? To some people drink is the trigger to getting out of control but there's normally something else too. Buy a girl a few drinks then another customer comes in and knows her and she's all over him. In the west that may be one thing but here it's time to move on to the next girl or bar. Maybe they should publish a set of bat etiquette and hand it out on all incoming flights. Fighting over a bar girl is like fighting over the last peanut in the bowl.

Couldn't agree more - people are people and as you said the weather's hot and the beer is cheap and the girls wanna play.

If it was cold, expensive and full or Russian 'shot putters' It would all be so different

Amazing how much anger there is out there towards brits. I guess it must make weak minded people feel more secure and confident (maybe they've got small willies or something) bashing people of another nationality in a vain attempt to prop up their flagging ego and libido. Ah well us Brits are very self deprecating anyway so we don't take it to heart - just have another beer and SMILE

I am British and will condemn foul mouthed , dangerous , yobbish Brits in Thailand , So should you

Why should I?? Must I share your opinion and perspective?? I am no saint and at times i've had a few too many and let it all hang out. Am i foul mouthed, dangerous and yobbish - no.

And the truth be told where in the OP does it say that the poor sods that died here on motorbikes are foul-mouthed and dangerous. Obviously people some people have a set stereotype fixed in there head for the word 'Brit' and cannot deviate from that fixed idea and are taking this opportunity to vent their views on the unsuspecting world - Just chill.

I haven't read all eleven pages of posts but the ones I have read not one person has mentioned that fact that this is a tragic loss of life, that effects far more people than those unfortunate enough to lose their lives. May all of those that died RIP.

Anyway i'm off for another f*****g beer, then i'm gonna smash the missus in the mouth

Amazing how much anger there is out there towards brits. I guess it must make weak minded people feel more secure and confident (maybe they've got small willies or something) bashing people of another nationality in a vain attempt to prop up their flagging ego and libido. Ah well us Brits are very self deprecating anyway so we don't take it to heart - just have another beer and SMILE

Stop whining or stay in your Falang country!

I log in to read the news, and maybe some more info about this, but all i see is whining...go home then if everything is that bad....or if you can't stick to topic, go post in SA instead.

Like most of you guys i choose to come here, why try to change this place then? Remember, you are all guests...

OK then apologists, why not take your "be happy to bend over and take it" approach through to its logical conclusion. Next time you get seriously ill, do nothing. People get sick and die all the time, it's the natural order of things. Why try to change it? Don't you dare whine about the need for more medical research or better hospitals ... and don't take your medicine. If you can't accept that then, well, you're not ready to be a human ... get outa here

The luggage theft issue in isolation is hardly life or death, but it is one visible facet of the obvious breakdown in law and order at Suv. airport, and clearly an element of the overall security issue. In this day and age who would amongst you would be so foolish as to suggest that airport security - which can affect ALL of us deeply - should be put to one side for some imagined fear of bruising Thai sensibilities. So save your "quite whining" signs for threads about how hot the food is here.

Well said - You are GUESTS - No i'm not; this is the home of me and my skinny white English arse. And being English I love to complain.

Another point to be made - if they're readily taking things out of bags - and presumably through a security checkpoint (no sniggering at the back) how easy would it be to put something IN your bags and then line the unsuspecting tourist up for a scam when they collect the bags from the carousel. Hmmm the mind boggles.

The KP scam been flagged up so no doubt they're looking for another scam to pull to make up for the money lost at KP.