Monroe

I'm not for or against MK, but it can be fun going as a group of young folks. Father hates them, says it's like paying a premium to cook your own food.

Anyone know what kind of tea they serve? That's probably my favorite thing there but I've got no clue what's actually in it. Been told it might be chrysanthemum.

Chew slower, maybe once per second. Also, try sitting with your back straight during meals and lean forward as opposed to slouching to take a bite.

Looks better, too

I'll agree that the food is overpriced and not all that great, but I wouldn't mind knowing what's in the water. I think it's some kind of tea-diluted maybe. Goes down very smoothly, though.

I'm wary of your premise, but that aside, you'd be better off fixing your eyes and reapplying to the US Military. I know you didn't mention which branch you applied to, but maybe go for one of the branches with lax entrance requirements: like the Army, Marines, or the Navy.

Even by Thai standards, Thai military wages are low and benefits nonexistent. Post-increase, a private (or the Thai equivalent) makes about THB 8000 a month, or USD 233. Compared to USD 1500-1800/month and USD 50 thousand toward college for enlistees in one of the US branches.

Also, being realistic, Thai citizenship is harder to get than it really needs to be and you will most likely be denied.

I happen to be an Airman in the US Air Force and my brother is in the ROTC program.

monroe,i should think the message is clear"dont <deleted> with us" imo the russian mafia are a law unto themselves(paying the police in vast sums of baht to allow their activities to go unhindered)looks to me like a message to others.but then im no sherlock holmes,more like clousseau

Yeah, I know the type. Just being around them it almost feels like conventional law and logic no longer apply. So, I suppose it's best not to over-or-underestimate any group or individual.

As of now, this isn't a high-profile murder. Though it could very well turn into one.

You probably would of been better off not to share any of that with us....naturally you must have qualifications to support all of your good work?

Why would I need qualifications to post in a forum? I make posts hoping for constructive feedback.

You post to expel as much garbage as possible.

my money's on foul play(russian mafia)made to look like suicide.If he'd been heart broken from his teerak why not just take pills and booze,why go to all that trouble.

Far too cinematic-the mafia does its best to stay in the shadows. A stunt like this would only attract unwanted attention.

Terrorists want attention, but they would most likely have left a more decisive message.

This may be the work of a sadist, but the message that was left has me thinking the person who wrote it had a connection to him.

*edit*

Have analyzed message, but too early make assumptions about it, my bad.

Upon closer inspection of the picture, I noticed that the rope was tied around the bag as opposed to the bag around the rope. I wouldn't necessarily rule out suicide because of this, but it means there was at least one other person (assisted suicide or just murder).

My reasoning:

The rope in the photograph is extends from the bridge at only a single point. To make a system that could simultaneously decapitate and capture the head in a bag would require at least one other connection to the bridge, a pulley, or another object.

Though simply analyzing the knot used to tie the bag would be more definitive proof-I hope they took pictures of it.

*edit*

Might attribute this to poor photo quality, but there's a marking on his left temple that could be a mole and a kidney-shaped indent in the upper portion of his nose that may have been caused by glasses.

Millions of tourists flock to Mexico every year without a problem, but I wouldn't go so far as saying it's safer than Thailand.

There are definitely safer areas and areas you'll want to avoid, but that's not always easy on a tight budget. You might be street-smart, but sometimes, people are just unlucky.

http://projects.latimes.com/mexico-drug-wa...media-gallery/7

Maybe start by treading water rather than diving in head-first. Visit as a tourist, first, then decide if it's a place you'd like to live.

I'd say yaa baa has become a familiar word in the US. Even here in Minnesota-deep within the suburbs-the word (over here it's pronounced yeah-buh or yaba) is used.

I rarely ever miss breakfast, but will sometimes skip lunch in favor of playing basketball. What's your view on that?

Of course, I don't really have to worry about my metabolism as I'm young and relatively active. Maybe when I'm older.

You know-if the Thai court system works similarly to the courts of the US-polygraph results won't hold up. Rather, while they may influence a decision to prosecute, the results may not be used in court. For good cause, too, polygraph tests are unreliable and have probably resulted in unjust punishments for many people.

I have said it before and will say it again: while I'd like to see Thailand do well, I will not hesitate to benefit from its misfortune by utilizing beneficial exchange rates and cheaper prices to get more for myself (which, in effect, is good for Thailand). Similarly, I shorted much of the market crash before liquidating. Doing otherwise would be wasting a perfectly good opportunity.

Why do you chastise others for wanting the best for themselves at the lowest possible cost? Unless, while you shop, you look for an inferior product at a higher cost.

It's unfortunate that people will be inconvenienced, but there will come a time when things pick up. I think what we can expect to see in the future are many new names, new companies and new people leading the world.

It'd be fair to say that the US is at the center of this, so it may be relevant to discuss counter-measures taken by the next administration. Before anyone jumps on this, I have nothing against the United States, but as the Earth's largest economy it inevitably affects everyone when it (the US) is hurting.

Regarding the credit crisis: I understand there are many causes for this, but it all boils down to lenders and creditors. Rather, the recent deregulation of industries has allowed them to trample the consumer. This aspect will hopefully be amended sooner rather than later.

A decent article on this can be found here: http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Economy...E4BC1YK20081215

At the moment, I am enjoying the low gas prices and not much has changed aside from money being a little tighter. I am worried, though, about the auto bailout. While I don't want to see unemployment rise, I feel GM in particular is undeserving of the public's help. They have been screwing the US consumer for decades without remorse and I'll show little if they fall. My father works in personal and motor vehicle law and I know of instances where he's taken GM to court (and gotten a settlement) because they flat-out refuse to honor their warranty.

As the clock passes, time and truth twist to barely-decipherable shapes-slowly unraveling until there is one, simple truth. A protest would seem a perfect stage for political activism, or murder. But was it a crime of passion, revenge, or something far more sinister?

Excuse the poor writing skills, but they should turn this into a movie.

Quite possible...but dont remember involuntary bowel movements ever being talked by lecturers in any of my physics classes..

Unless things have changed considerably since I completed by education...maybe these days Universities are offering degrees in counter intelligence..

This frequency is called the "brown note." We talked about it for a little in my high school chemistry class. There isn't much to say regarding it since there's no evidence of its existence. If I had to guess how the legend came about, I'd say a group of hippies probably soiled themselves at a concert and needed an excuse.

To the OP: I do have a story regarding late-night parties in Thailand.

Over the last couple decades, my family has situated itself upon a small hill in a neighborhood near Mae Sai. The people of the neighborhood are honest, hardworking people who wake before dawn every morning (and sleep immediately following the Ch. 3 or Ch. 7 "late-night" movie) to tend fields carved with the knives of generations past. Gradually, we came to own all the plots on this hill but two--one belonged to the local poo-yai bahn and the other, a wealthy woman living in Bangkok. The woman had the habit of renting out her house to anyone who would occupy it. One particular group of occupants partied through the night upon their arrival. Then the next day, and the day following, and so on. Until one night, at around 10 PM during their festivities, a loud noise enveloped the whole neighborhood--a noise louder than anything their speakers could produce. Infact, it seemed a bomb had gone off, then several smaller bombs. It's been two years and they haven't partied since.

Nobody died or was hurt, but I have no idea what may have caused that noise.

verbal tripe...will not find the answer here.

So, by this, would I be correct in assuming that you do have the answer to the topic? Please substantiate.

In an earlier post, I proposed that checks and balances were awry in Thai politics (though I received no feedback).

Acting holier-than-thou is unproductive in discourse.

The real problem here is checks and balances. That is, the executive branch of Thailand is essentially powerless against the military. In a democratic society, a party elected into power is effectively the will of the majority. So, by disregarding the PPP, the army acts in its own interests rather than serving the people.

This would definitely bring about problems if it's not amended.

What the PAD is doing right now is not so much childish (as stated above), but criminal, and it needs to be stopped. There is nothing particularly wrong with a peaceful protest, but this isn't one of them.

Also: I couldn't find this on the site, so I'll post it here.

Maverick Thai general reassigned to 'dance' duty

Nov 21, 2008

BANGKOK (AFP) — A Thai general who warned anti-government activists to book their own funerals ahead of a rally this weekend hit out at his bosses Friday after saying he had been moved to a role teaching aerobics.

Major General Khatiya Sawadiphol, an adviser to the Thai army, has courted controversy with a string of comments against demonstrators who have occupied the prime minister's offices in Bangkok.

An army spokesman said that Khatiya, who has written books about his combat exploits, had been appointed by army chief General Anupong Paojinda to lead the military's health club promotion task force.

Khatiya, who is under investigation on disciplinary charges, told newspapers that his new posting was "ridiculous".

"The army chief wants me to be a presenter leading aerobic dancers. I have prepared one dance. It's called the throwing-a-hand-grenade dance," the Bangkok Post quoted Khatiya as saying.

The army, however, denied the general's assertion.

"The working group is to find a way for army staff and families to exercise. It does not mean, as Khatiya sarcastically told reporters, that he will lead aerobic dances in the marketplace," Lieutenant Colonel Sirichan Ngathong told AFP.

The group leading the protests, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), have called for a blockade of parliament on Sunday after one of its members was killed and 29 were wounded in a grenade attack on Thursday.

Khatiya reportedly warned them to book Buddhist temples for their funerals if they went ahead. "Bullets will be fired from all sides into Government House so please get out," he was quoted as saying in Matichon newspaper.

In October, Khatiya warned that PAD activists squatting at the prime minister's office would face more attacks in future -- a prediction which was borne out.

He has also openly trained so-called "warriors" to counter PAD activists guarding the anti-government sit-in.

The PAD accuses the government of being a puppet for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Clashes between the PAD and the police on October 7 left two people dead and more than 500 injured.

Perhaps you forgot our congress has been in the hands of the Democrats for quite some time now, and they have enjoyed the LOWEST approval ratings of ALL TIME. They have done NOTHING. Everyone is quick to blame Bush (I am in no way a Bush supporter) for all the problems, but perhaps again you need to look past your nose and the BBC news reports, and realize is was the DEMOCRATS and CLINTON that ram rodded legislation that FORCED banks to make these risky "liar loans" to people that had no business having them and legislating Fannie and Freddie to insure those loans.

The truth of the matter is, Republicans and Democrats have been systematically destroying America from the inside out for years. Bigger and more omnipotent government. People of the UK should know this all to well, could your Govt. possibly cram any more cameras into your cities?

This country was started by Libertarians. The government's sole role is to provide for a national defense.

The one man that should have been elected, that would have truly made things better was Ron Paul, the single most popular candidate across all forms of media except our controlled big media stations. Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate whom has NEVER violated his oath of office or the Constitution.

The democrats have never had control over congress during these last 8 years. Sure, from 2006-2008 they had majority, but never enough to override a hostile presidential veto. So that point is moot.

The Clinton administration plans didn't get out of hand until the Bush Administration deregulated the banking industry. I'll admit, LBJ was wrong to continue to Vietnam war and Jimmy Carter was a bit off, but Bill Clinton was amazing. His popularity ratings were the highest since FDR, but he made the mistake of lying under oath (even then, his ratings stayed high enough to get him reelected were it allowed). Aside from the lying under oath part, I fully support his boning of Monica Lewinsky and the boning of secretaries in general (as long as it's lawful).

Don't try to pin the Libertarian name on the founding fathers. These men transcend the current political squabbles. They were great, open-minded men who developed a unique constitution that could readily be amended. The people decided long ago that they didn't just want the government for war, but they wanted protection for individuals and for the consumer (for example, they were tired of being sold poison by corporations and tired of being persecuted by radicals within the country).

Ron Paul's plans are faulty and would set the US back 100 years. That's why mainstream media doesn't accept him and that's why he's mostly an internet phenomenon.

Is this the monroe doctrine?

Someday =)

Hate to say it, but I find myself somewhat less confident in the United States as a result of this election. Not because Barack Obama won--by all means, I supported Obama's candidacy as soon as I heard that Hillary Clinton quit the race and I even voted for him yesterday. Rather, because trying to do the right thing for the country is an uphill battle.

Just months ago, Barack Obama and John McCain were neck and neck in polls despite the Republican party's abuse of the economy, cutting of social/consumer programs (like social security, education, medicare/medicaid) and huge war expenditures. It took an economic meltdown and Sarah Palin to finally give Obama a recognizeable advantage.

Furthermore, Barack Obama was bolstered in polls by 96% black voter support. They make up 13% of the US population, but traditionally have disparagingly low voter turnout. If, in 8 years, the democratic presidential nominee is not black, what will happen to voter turnout in this essential group?

The right-wingers have the country convinced that "the United States has always been center-right." This is true if you compare 2008 to 1950, or 1950 to 1850, but put into context, the US is traditionally a center-left state (just not these last 8 years). So the graduated income tax and higher corporate tax rates are essential in maintaining the integrity of the United States, but the vast majority of Americans do not recognize this. Taxation policies are the primary difference between the Republicans and Democrats, but the Republican party has brought forth issues like abortion, religion and homosexuality to negate the impact of their other poor policies.

My prediction for the future:

2008-2010 will be spent repairing damage. Republican governors (like Tim Pawlenty) are replaced by democrats

2010-2012 the country is still in debt, but is gradually paying it off. Social reforms are issued and a new bubble (maybe nanotech =) begins. Democrats win presidential elections.

2012-2014 The US economy is booming and there's finally a surplus. Republicans gain power in congress.

2014-2016 POTUS cheats on wife, Republicans cry and cry. Republican party wins election with promises of low taxes.

The cycle begins anew.

I don't really have enough information regarding this specific issue to come to a conclusion--nor should anyone else here, really (unless they were actually there). It's like deciding between two witnesses with conflicting statements and something to gain or lose depending on the outcome.

Admittedly, I side toward the more legitimate, quasi-democratic parties (not the PAD) on the issue. As a matter of principle, blatant lies and radicalism are usually huge red flags for me.

Before flaming, I would like it if a pro-PAD forum member could address how the PAD is justified in using the name of Democracy toward its efforts. This isn't the only issue, but it's a start.

If any good comes of this, it will be the strengthening on my US dollar against the Thai baht.

I feel, to make a responsible and educated decision, things like bias and self-interests should be disregarded. In that regard, while I would be interested in seeing Thailand as SE Asian power, it has about as much merit to this land as China does Tibet. That is to say; even though both Preah Vihear and Tibet were once parts of Thailand and China, respectively, too much time has passed since they separated. So, both countries have effectively lost claim to the land.

Also, I'm not completely certain about Buddhism, but I think warring over a temple (a Hindu one at that) would be contradictory in some ways. I could be wrong, feel free to correct me =)

As far as which country is the better of the two: Thailand, of course. The Cambodians need to get cracking on bleeding out the Khmer Rouge from their institutions.

My biggest regret about being of this era is that I probably won't live to see humans colonize space.

I mean, I guess it's possible that I'd see it, but humans aren't progressing nearly as quickly as they did in the 30s and 40s. They promised us flying cars by the year 2000, but the biggest advancements since have served only to allow people to sit on their asses and get fat.

The internet, fast food, delivery pizza, televisions and games? All distractions keeping the masses from reaching greater potential. I'm sure it's not intentional, but it certainly is happening.

Even if humans were to begin preparing for interstellar colonization; with the technology currently available, it would take lifetimes to terraform planets. Ships capable of space travel still take years to travel the solar system. To realistically do anything, that figure would have to be taken down to days, or at least months. Though I have little doubt that we will someday accomplish this.

If I had to make a prediction: Soon after humans begin settling the galaxy, there will be a war that dwarfs all wars previously known to man. We'll dispute amongst ourselves as to who should get what planet, or which section on the planet, or which vast clump of resources floating around in space. If we survive that, then we're in the clear =) at least, temporarily.

*edit* I should amend that the internet serves many useful purposes and is definitely a step toward the right direction. Unfortunately, it's also an object of abuse. It's like a drug to some people; they just play around all day, wasting away as the world passes them by. Many of these people could be the next Einstein, or Ford, but we'll never find out.

I'd like to see a Thaksin-Samak vs Sondhi-Sondthi match up:

Bare-knuckle

Broadcast live from Siam Paragon

Winner takes all

Any bets?

I wouldn't consider somebody who plays pieces written by other people a master, per se. Around my second year playing the piano, I could play Beethoven's Für Elise with relative ease. Of course, it's easier to play than Nocturne, but that's not the point:

My skill at the time was more on par with songs like "the Entertainer," or that one with penguin in it, but I spent hours upon hours dividing that song into a hundred different pieces and learning to play each one after the other because I wanted to say I could play it.

The real goodies are the people who can play and also write their own stuff. Unfortunately, I just don't have that artistic spark (or it's been repressed somehow, because I and others who knew me remember me as expressive and creative--nowadays, I'm in it for the money =) so I've resigned myself from actively playing, but will occasionally instruct somebody.

I've had the same cheap, Casio electric piano for the last 13 years and my only grievance is that the keys are a bit small and they offer no resistance. So if my finger slips even a little, or I don't hit a key exactly center it will result in another key being played. While it is more portable than a traditional piano, it's not something you could easily carry around with you to airports or anywhere for that matter.

To answer the question: it depends, I'd say 8-10 years is a fair bet--though it all comes crashing down if you don't have that creative spark. You'd probably do better dedicating your time to learning a new language, or trying to make a bunch of money.