voracious

I'm going to skip political commentary etc...

and try to help give you some straight talk.

If you're coming back, you are landing at SFO (?)

Head to San Francisco. They've got plenty of programs for the broke and homeless, even handing out cash without need of proot of insurance. The weather is mild and it shouldn't take much to either get into a shelter or get a few things together to try living on the street. You can eat free once a day at St. Anthony's Dining Hall near Market Street. Glide Memorial gives out groceries from time to time and especially at Thanksgiving.

It's not hard to make enough to physically survive, but you'll have to work up to a SRO to have an address and try to rebuild your life.

Good luck.

That's their business model...total un-bundling. Yes, you have to uncheck a number of things, but the system does work if you pay attention.

The problem I've had with them is for some reason, they have a hard time with numerous CC companies and I've had times when three or four (good, working USA cards carrying little balance if any) won't process with them. I googled and found this was not an uncommon problem and that the solution was to phone long distance to pay. Too much trouble for me, so they lost some of my business.

As for the flights and prices? I've always been fine with it and found them to be a good air service for the money.

It's difficult to complain when a flight is "free" or "10USD" and then you add back in airport fees and whatever other charges they can convince you to pay. People don't really expect to be flown completely for free, do they?

If one were to look for the valuable real life lessons here, it would be:

1) Be careful when you cross the street, as the life you lose will be your own.

2) Lose your cool at your own risk. Flipping off people in Thailand may not result in the reaction you are accustomed to in your own country.

Right? Wrong? Will it matter when you are bruised and bloodied?

I remember the last time I was driving in Thailand, a pair of Caucasian ladies (looked British for some reason) just stepped dead into traffic* and put a hand out to stop traffic as they crossed. Luckily for them, I'm a foreigner driver and slammed on the brakes to let them by. If it were a local driver? Who knows, they might be dead. Some people who are used to, or assume they have right of way are just not thinking. Try that kind of road crossing in China and they'd be dead for sure. Even the Chinese wait and cross in packs.

My mother used to say "There's right, and there's dead right". Choose your fights carefully. Pedestrian vs. Vehicle....not so smart.

*adding a note. Traffic was bustling, not stop and go. I had to drop from 50kph to zero, just short of breaking traction.

Interesting timing. I'm making that tonight for a new year's get together.

Oh, if you feel like the beans are very hard even after soaking and properly boiling them, then the beans might be old. When beans get too old, they get tough.

Make sure to soak. Overnight is better. Pour off the water and boil in fresh water until cooked. During the boiling process, if you see a foamy scum form on the surface you will want to skim it off. Doing so makes the beans less "gassy" and easier to digest. Afterwards, you can roast the beans, bake them with bacon or pork belly, or whatever your pleasure. Enjoy!

Check out Nong Tum (Toom).

http://news.national...TVthirdsex.html

Yep. Movie made about it.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/beautiful_boxer/

Not just Thailand... In the states I wear a full face helmet and thread a plastic coated steel cable lock through it when I park. If not, I'd be replacing a helmet every week. I doubt the thief would leave me an old one in return! Sucks to hear about your experience, though, and hope you do what you need to do to secure your gear in the future.

I'd ride it.

If they get the Chinese involved and monitor quality control carefully, it can be splendid. The one out of Shanghai was very pleasant to ride and did get up to around 250 or so.

For maglev they'll be laying all new track, though if that's what they're doing.

It actually brings to mind how many dummies think it's funny to remove a magazine and point and "scare" someone pulling a trigger. Once in a while, someone forgets that a round is chambered. Nearly all deaths labeled "accident while cleaning weapon" really aren't, I suspect. Same for those people who claim "It just went off" after an accident(/negligent act).

To discharge an Uzi a round has to be chambered, firing pin cocked and safety off.

No accident here.

... AND a fair amount of pressure placed on the grip safety as well.

Really more negligence, assuming it was not intentional, than an accident.

Scenario: Weapon left loaded, chambered, thumb safety (on left side of grip) in the off position. To "put it away", shooter is picking it up in a shooting position, hand over grip, squeezing grip safety and then manages to somehow put finger over the trigger and accidentally pull the trigger.

At least five steps, depending on how you count it where, if properly handled, the firearm would not have discharged.

note: coma's photo is of a mini-uzi. ratcatcher's photo is of an uzi.

I'd like to chime in with a recommendation for the MacAir 11". I've had netbooks, have the ipad, a nexus 7, 11" and 14" XPS computers and really the biggest bang for a very small buck is the Air 11". It's nearly as small and light as an ipad, the power supply isn't too big and it's fast. Fast enough to do real work. Light enough to slip into a carry on backpack and still have room for pretty much everything else you want to carry, including a DSLR if you need. If you've got an apple store near you pick up and hold a closed 11".

I use dual platform so I'm not recommending just because I'm an apple fan. If there's an equivalent PC (per the recommendations above), you can give it a shot. I haven't looked since I got my Air, as it's working great for me.

The last time we were in Krabi, along Ao Nang beach, there was a park at the end of the road. It appeared to be staffed and supervised and had tent camping. The tent camping was just across from the beach and looked pretty safe to me.

Just additional FYI, away from beaches, in Chantaburi, you can camp at Khao Khitchakut National Park and Namtok Phliu National Park. You'll need permission from the rangers, and pay a fee, but both of the parks have marvelous waterfalls and the large (some over a foot long) fish that you can swim with. If you've never done it, it's a blast. Pick up some long beans to feed them. They're usually sold on the way into the park. 100% for sure they're sold along the entrance to Namtok Phliu.

Where there are trains, there will be suicide by train.

Sad & unfortunate. It happens here in the USA as well...

Looks fun. Some nice size fish in there

More grist for the mill.

It appears the 2 girls and 4 boys had taken a ride with a Malaysian man in a white van near the border.

In the article it further states it was unclear if the teens traveled into Thailand willingly or not.

Some vendors at the Hua Lamphong train station gave them money to buy tickets to return home.

They were caught by the police when they failed to produce travel documents (e.g. passports) and sent to the immigration police, who contacted the Malaysian embassy.

Latest news details the call to her mother was on Mar. 12, the date they were arrested/rescued was March 11.

Kidnap? Kids on a trip? Kids on a trip that went wrong?

Let's let the police (of all countries involved) continue to investigate and see what comes of this. The rest is really speculation tainted by our own prejudices.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/3/21/nation/20120321220449&sec=nation

+1 on Krabi. If you don't need the Patong experience and want a more laid back vacation, Krabi is just beautiful. I'd recommend having some sort of personal transportation, though.

I just wonder if anyone really is outraged by this here. I mean really outraged, not for the public, but factually thinking this is a scandal. I seriously doubt it.

I am outraged that there is not an uncensored version of this

According to The Register the EULA requires that any book produced using their software must be sold through Apple's retail outfit giving Apple a 30% cut.

http://www.theregist...0/apple_ibooks/

...and worse, if apple turns it down for publishing, you cannot use the book to sell via other means. They've made quite a jump asserting they have full control over user generated content in exchange for using their software.

edit: then again someone could just copy/paste the text only portion and reformat it in a diffrent software package. Not such a huge deal, but increases the work. Honestly if I were a college prof. I'd use it.

"ah ka" (phonetic) is slang for the AK with some Thai. But yes, several problems with the sloppiness of that article, especially with naming the poor noodle seller.

The technology (although really it's been around for quite a while) is great. The only problem they'll have is the print industry stands to be cut out of the game entirely and they'll be fighting tooth and nail. There's a lot of shenanigans that goes on behind the scenes (at least with textbooks in the USA) so the textbook companies will have their allies. I've seen first hand piles of books that were ordered and never used from the Oakland School District dumped at a book exchange at Travis AFB in California.

Perhaps at the college level it'll take root faster, as some professors already do mini-press work, making their own texts and then having students buy xeroxed copies at the school's copy center.

I'm personaly 100% in favor of it, as it's a much needed evolutionary step for education at this point. Far from the vague benefits of some other schemes, electronic textbooks have real, tangible, and measurable benefits.

It's an integral part of the kitchen exercise program!

I've got a manual grinder and it's not bad. It'll probably last longer than you *and* your children if properly cared for.

Note that if they have a choice between the shiny plated models and the all stainless steel grinders that typically cost 1.5x as much, it's still better to go stainless steel. If the plating wears or chips on the plated model it can lead to spots of rust.

A word of warning, YOU will be the one turning the handle, an electric one is soooo much easier on the biceps.

An ingram (likely a MAC-10) is an interesting find. If indeed it is an Ingram, it's quite old, as Ingram hasn't made them in quite some time.

More information on the Ingram Mac-10 found HERE and HERE

Comparatively, there are a ton more uzi's of various types out there than Macs.

Big eye meaning they make the eyes look bigger and yes they are a fashion statement readily available in MBK and other malls.

I think the problem is this:

After using the second pair for 23 months

There may be an issue of them being used past their dispose by date/period and there may be issues with improper care or cleaning.

Unless they're hard contacts they have a life span much shorter than 23 months! (my daughter's soft lenses are supposed to be disposed of monthly).

Also because big eye contacts are larger than regular contacts, there can problem with fitting and issues of oxygen deprivation to the eyes and other vision problems.

Best thing to do is only get them from an optometrist you trust. You only get one pair of eyes.

Additional source of info: NY Times article: What Big Eyes You Have, Dear, but Are Those Contacts Risky?

The Wat Po courses are good. The massage school predates the temple, surprisingly. My friend's Thai wife went there and it was good. From the pictures there were a couple farang there. I believe this is the site here: http://www.watpomassage.com