frozin1

Other than a few in the wing-nut fringe no one would claim that MJ 'treats' cancer. It is undoubtedly helpful in managing the side-effects of other treatments such as chemotherapy. In the US States that have approved both medical and recreational use of this substance  (Oregon, Alaska, and Washington) society has not exactly fallen into anarchy. These decisions are political and not based in medical science. 

3 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

The thai workers are paid by the hour and not the job.

Which is customary in virtually all labor jobs. Who can afford to wait a few years until the project is finished? Not a lot of Thai laborers with that kind of liquidity.  Or any nationality laborers for that matter.

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I stopped flying Thai when they dropped the direct LAX-BKK flight. I was willing to pay a premium to avoid a layover. Once they rerouted through Seoul they lost the only inducement for me to fly with them. Now I fly EVA through Taiwan as they meet my needs for departure/arrival times with a minimal layover. EVA has a great lounge in Taiwan and the one in Bangkok is okay as well.

Perhaps Thai is seeking to avoid the extra scrutiny they will get from the FAA when they (most likely) fail the latest inspection. It would be embarrassing for them to have aircraft grounded for maintenance purposes by an agency of the US Government. I'm not familiar with the EU airworthiness standards, but hard to believe they will be allowed to fly into an EU country without increased monitoring of their aircraft.

Thai will need to concentrate on countries that are willing to turn a blind eye. Russia and China are both a source for the high quality tourists they want to target and fit that profile. The only concern with that approach is that with the meltdown of the Russian economy and the recent free-fall in the Chinese stock market people will be looking to cut discretionary spending. Vacations are usually the first thing people will eliminate from their personal budgets.

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Phnom Rung just outside of Burriram is relly good. Historic temple

Thanks to Impulse for the suggestion, I'll check out both Foodland and Villa when I visit BKK next. I'll give what they have a try. Villa is where we stock up on pizza flour.

As to crust styles, a very thin and crispy crust is what I refer to as a cracker crust. I believe a more correct description is Neapolitan style pizza. The crust is very, very thin and translucent prior to baking. My technique will suffer demerits from the purists as I don't have the skills to hand-toss but use a roller to achieve the required thinness. Sicilian is a much thicker crust and traditionally square in shape. I use a quarter sheet-pan as our oven is smaller than what we have in the US. New York style is in between these two extremes, thin but lacking the crispness, perfect for folding lengthwise for consumption. Chicago style is really a casserole and breaches a major tenant of pizza in that it requires cutlery to consume. Don't be Donald Trump... put down the silverware.

Gentmartin, sorry samples not available as no pizza in our household survives the gaping maw of my family. If you ever spend time in BKK try 'Big Bull' on Soi Nana it's on the left walking away from Sukhumvit. Decent example of Neapolitan thin crust.

Had a laugh reading the notthenation article. Of course as in any good satire there is a nidus of truth. We like to keep it simple with cheese/pepperoni and maybe mushrooms and black olives. Some of the offerings at Pizza Company are simply to be put down and walked away from.

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Where they lose me is when they stray from at least an attempt at seasoned Italian tomato sauce.

I might add that ketchup + extra sugar is not a suitable replacement. I did a thoroughly embarrassing spit-take the 1st time I bit into a Thai version of what appeared, on the surface, to be pizza.

Home made from-scratch pizza is the family's preference but we will eat and enjoy chain brands as well. Fortunately, the required ingredients have become easier to locate over the years except for decent pepperoni. If anyone does have a decent source for genuine Italian pepperoni please pass it along. The stuff available locally at Big C and Tesco/Lotus doesn't smell, taste or have the appearance of the real thing. The major advantage of DIY is we can have whatever we are in the mood for, cracker-crust to Sicilian style. I make a big batch of sauce a day ahead and freeze the excess in individual pizza topping quantities for later use. Now I'm hungry...

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If structured properly, rural exposure for medical students can be profitable (in an educational sense) for both the student and the site they are assigned to. The rural experience should be a part of all med students training as this can give them some perspective on rural health care issues no matter where they eventually practice after completing their training.

The sites they are sent to however, need to be carefully selected based on that particular sites ability to provide an educational experience to the students. Students should not be sent to sites unable or unwilling to mentor/precept. They should not be used to correct a manpower shortage as they have neither the skills or training to fulfill this role. They are students not practicing Physicians. They cannot see patients independently and actually make work harder for the staff Physicians precepting them. It's a form of paying it forward to the next generation of health care providers.

It is typical in the USA to have students rotate to different specialties during their last two years of medical school including a rural based Family Practice rotation. Duration of the rotations is usually six to eight weeks.

Now medical/surgical Resident Physicians are a totally different matter. They have completed their medical student training, have graduated, and have the right to use MD/DO after their names. They would be expected to provide independent health care although they are still in (advanced) training. They also spend rotations away from their main training center depending on the type of residency they choose.

Why rural sites have trouble attracting trained staff is multifactoral in nature and beyond the scope of this post.

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I did one dive on the Hardeep over twenty years ago. Both entry and exit from the dive are critical moments as the currents at this site are indeed fearsome. The procedure is to haul yourself down the anchor line until you are at the lee-side of the wreck and then release the line and make a few powerful kicks until you enter the area sheltered from the current by the wreck itself. On exit you haul yourself up the anchor line to the boat. If you come off the line before you get to the surface, you will be swept past the boat underwater. Those on board would be unlikely to know as they are watching the anchor line where you were expected to exit.

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What about English repair manuals? I mean the OEM Manuals that the dealers have, these are typically hundreds of pages in length. It is an absolutely essential resource if you wish to work on your car or truck.

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I've done this recipe at home and it's very tasty. If you don't have a covered roasting pan use foil. Link below

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/baked-ham-with-brown-sugar-honey-glaze-recipe.html

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'Alternative Universipedia' might be a more apt description.

As to a previously noted 'Point of order' Breakbone fever is (classically) dengue fever. Chikungunya also is characterized by severe joint pains but does not have the same colloquial term.

There are four different dengue subtypes creatively named 1, 2, 3, and 4. Infection with one subtype does not confer immunity to any of the other subtypes.

First infection is usually a miserable event but it would be unusual to have a more severe expression of the disease.

Subsequent infections with a different subtype run a much higher risk of more severe illness such as Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever. This might be a situation in which you should seek medical advise.

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There are several methods that can give good results but you must pay attention and follow the instructions fastidiously. As your shield is probably not as damaged as a headlamp that has seen a decade of the elements perhaps a simple headlamp polish should suffice. I have used ultra-fine grit sandpaper on badly yellowed/hazed car/bike headlamps but it may be a bit much for a windscreen. I use a Cyclo polisher to do the applications but I'm sure any random orbit polisher would do a fine job and the upside is you will have a polisher for waxing/polishing your car/truck. Copy and paste the following search into Google

headlight lens polishing

You will have a lot of options.

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It would also be nice if they went after 'clipped' vehicles. Last month my wife and I passed a pickup that had fractured in half just behind the cab, when I explained the reason to her she was astounded. I'm sure quite a few Thai's/Farang are driving around in similarly unsafe vehicles that are just accidents waiting to happen. For those of you that are unfamiliar with clipped vehicles it is the process of welding the front half of one vehicle to the rear half of another. If the rear is irreparably damaged on one and the front half of the other is toast... weld the two good halves together and voila!... one outwardly appearing intact vehicle. Always inspect the frame of any used vehicle up on a rack before considering purchase.

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The headline Is simply an attention grabber. That's what headlines are meant to do.

In truth Ms Yingluck's involvement has been investigated (by the Thai version of a grand jury) and enough evidence has been uncovered to send the case to the prosecutor for consideration. This by itself does not constitute guilt, only that there is a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed. It is the the courts duty to decide innocence or guilt once an indictment has been issued by the prosecutor and the individual has been bound over for trial.

Grand jury's can consider statements and evidence (such as hearsay) which may not be considered acceptable in a court of law and therefore may not be admissible as evidence in that venue.

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I'll stop by.

I hope they have more luck with the finger scanners than the had here in Cambodia.

They started scanning a couple of years ago. All 10 fingers of tourists that hardly speak any English, by guys that hardly speak a word of English. Huge frustration, much shouting, enormous queues.

Result: the scanners are still there but haven't been used for a year

Hanno,

They were working and in use last week at the departure queue. Phnom Penh. Only 5 fingers, one hand this exit.

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...problems due to less companies operating businesses this year and lower income levels among workers.

I guess raising the minimum wage wasn't such a great idea after all.

An example of specious reasoning at it's best.

Okay Mr Nobel Prize In Econ101.

A company sells a hamburger in Los Angeles for $1.19 USD.

The same company sells the same burger in New York City for $1.89 USD.

Which city has the higher minimum wage? Both cities are located in the USA just to clarify that point.

LA at $8.00 USD. NYC at $7.25 USD.

So why, Mr Economist, does the same hamburger cost less at the location with the higher minimum wage?

It's because real estate prices are much higher in NYC. That is the major factor in the price discrepancy. The labor cost is rarely the driver behind rising prices at the checkout. Raising the minimum wage stimulates the economy as business's now have more customers capable of buying their products.

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Thailand is circling the drain

Ah! Now I see. That's the 'hub' they're always referring to!

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"Police said the owner will be charged with negligence resulting in the death of innocent persons."

Clearly a basis for a defamation lawsuit by the scrap yard owner.

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Major cloud burst with wind driven rain last evening for a hour or so outside Buriram. Note: Thai skills in weather-tight window installation appears to be lacking. Please add to list of sub-par performance in building skills along with plumbing and electric.

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Certainly an excellent choice for the ladies.

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W-Net is a good solution. We have had the system in place for about 18 months. I opted for the 'Cadillac' installation because I did not want anything attached to the house. Basically they place a telephone pole on your land and then attach a metal pole (with the receiver) to the top of that. Very tall, but very robust and an unobstructed view of the transmission tower. Various packages are available, ours is 10 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up (10/1). Guaranteed by TOT to perform at 80% of maximum speed. In reality, it often exceeds it's rated capacity and has never once tested below the guarantee. Works very well for streaming and I installed an AC Wi-Fi beam-forming router to their modem and my daughter can get our signal (albeit weak) several hundred meters away at her friend's house. Coverage in our four bedroom two-story house is outstanding. All for about 35 USD/month. Unlimited and no throttle. I think it a bargain compared to what we pay in the States. The W-Net receiver bricked itself once and TOT came out two days later and replaced it... no charge.

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...they can carry a deadly respiratory disease (I forget the name) that is incurable - although rare (?)...

I believe you are referring to Hanta virus and indeed it is quite deadly.

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