Rama

I don't understand all this grumbling about double pricing. It shows the writers lack of international travel. MOST countries outside Western Europe and the US have double pricing for foreigners. I've had the same experience in Central and South America and India to name a few. You think the prices here are more, try the Taj Mahal in India. It's many many more times more than double for a foreigner. Beaches in Costa Rica? Hotels in Panama? Museums in Mexico? Thailand actually asks some of the least of their foreign visitors.

Remember the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe? Remember telephone sanitizers? It's started.......

actually, "chinese" fortune cookies were invented in the US..................

The Bangkok Post is quoting the Thai authorities as saying they are not "ruling out" suicide. Why are they not saying that they are not ruling out murder? They keep on mentioning suicide. They think that if they say suicide enough times, the press and people will believe it a suicide. Read coverup. The Thai authorities are, in their infinite Thai wisdom, thinking that by calling it a suicide Thailand will save face internationally. Hands bound in a closed closet. Reminds me of a very old joke in bad taste that ended with the southern sheriff saying "Worse case of suicide I ever saw". I wonder what was their first clue that it was a suicide, the bound hands, the closed closet door, or the footprint on the bed that didn't match his shoes? I wonder what clues they would need to think it might be murder? Usual Laurel and Hardy Bangkok police professionalism.

It would appear that Immigration has discovered that there are still foreign tourists still in the country despite their best efforts to keep foreigners out with the closing of the airports.

The latest California WOW experience. They sent a letter received yesterday to all the Yoga studios in Chiang Mai - maybe Thailand. The letter is a form letter, not dated, no return address, no names, no phone numbers, in the letter content or on the outside envelope. Letter has the California WOW logo and the Planet Yoga logo on the letter. Since there is no contact info inside or out, California WOW can deny having anything to do with the letter. Meant to purely intimidate and raise fear. Here's the letter content:

Cease and Desist Notice

To Whom it may Concern:

It has come to our attention that your establishment is teaching yoga, and that you are illegally employing teachers with no work permits to do so. This unfair and illegal competition to one of our core business components must cease and desist forthwith. You are hereby given seven days notice to send this, after which any infraction will be reported to the relevant Immigration and Revenue departments, and our legal department will instigate proceedings against you and press for the severest sanctions. These may include fines, imprisonment, seizure of assets and deportation. We advise you not to ignore this notice, and please consider this our final warning.

[signed] The Planet Yoga Team

Note to California WOW - yoga is not, nor ever will be, big business. There will be a campaign now to make the media aware of California WOW's high handedness. The yoga studios are now talking about not giving paid lessons, instead only providing a place for people to practice on their own for free.

Good luck with that business model California Wow.

trial was today; friend at trial couldn't stay to hear the verdict. Aussie pleaded guilty. Anybody know what he was sentenced to?

Here's a breaking news item from TODAY that hasn't been reported online by the CM Mail (instead the big item online is a week old story about Thaksin fleeing Thailand). They had the court trial today for that Aussie that shot and killed that American in a CM restaurant about 4 months ago.....I had a friend who went to the trial, but couldn't stay to hear the sentence at 4 pm (the Aussie pleaded guilty). Wouldn't you think this would be a breaking news item for a local newspaper, CM Mail???????????