Jamesjimmy

I once put out a general call for substantive posts about important issues that really matter. Then I promptly flipped back to frivolity and foolery. I am the moderator who finally made the free water thread invisible. But there is something to be said abo0ut silliness. You know, sanook. So sometimes we just sanook around, and act samart.

Maslow. Maslow!

P.B may i please ask, why you made the water thread go away? If there was a problem with the forum rules, what took you so long?

I reall seeing that retail sales had fallen in the US last month by 1.2% The headlines said it had gone "off a cliff", while I was thinking "that's a step in the right direction". Rampant consumerism is not a good thing and is cerrtainly unsustainable.

So you conclude????????? Are you suggesting that worldwide finacial turmoil is somehow a good thing????

My conclusion was that I hoped after whatever correction might come a more sustainable economy might emerge. I'm not particuarly hopeful on that score.

Gentlemen,

my conclusion is that this turmoil is indeed a good thing and i have one single reason to defend my point. imagine the financial bubble did not start to burst in the middle of 2007 and the fine bankers, hedge funds, fraudsters et al had several more years to invent financial perpetuum mobiles, "derive more derivatives", bullsh*tting an even greater number of investors and shareholders and last not least taxpayers to bail them out. if that what the case we'd face a bubble and a breakdown of a multiple size than that we are facing now.

need i say more?

PLEASE tell us more,more,more, and then some more,,, whats you point?, PLEASE tell us more,,, your so smart....so tell us more,,,

my point is that it does not make any sense to discuss the paint stroke and the paint mixture of a Rembrandt or Michelangelo with blind people (e.g. you)

Are you not the guy who put a marble floor around your pool and said that the flooring is not slippery? i rest my case...

I reall seeing that retail sales had fallen in the US last month by 1.2% The headlines said it had gone "off a cliff", while I was thinking "that's a step in the right direction". Rampant consumerism is not a good thing and is cerrtainly unsustainable.

So you conclude????????? Are you suggesting that worldwide finacial turmoil is somehow a good thing????

My conclusion was that I hoped after whatever correction might come a more sustainable economy might emerge. I'm not particuarly hopeful on that score.

Gentlemen,

my conclusion is that this turmoil is indeed a good thing and i have one single reason to defend my point. imagine the financial bubble did not start to burst in the middle of 2007 and the fine bankers, hedge funds, fraudsters et al had several more years to invent financial perpetuum mobiles, "derive more derivatives", bullsh*tting an even greater number of investors and shareholders and last not least taxpayers to bail them out. if that what the case we'd face a bubble and a breakdown of a multiple size than that we are facing now.

need i say more?

PLEASE tell us more,more,more, and then some more,,, whats you point?, PLEASE tell us more,,, your so smart....so tell us more,,,

I see gold at 580 in the very near future( 3 months) ,,,,, there is a current run on all gold coins around the world and too many people bullish at the moment,,,,, hence,,,,,,do not follow the herd,,,,,,however with that said,,,, i see gold going to around 1500-2000 with in 12-18 months,,,

do you see this week's lotto numbers too?

No i dont,,,, I have been a gold trader for 7 years and only wanted to throw in my 2cents ,,,, is that ok with you MR NAAM?

Thanks for the terrific pictures!!!!

I see gold at 580 in the very near future( 3 months) ,,,,, there is a current run on all gold coins around the world and too many people bullish at the moment,,,,, hence,,,,,,do not follow the herd,,,,,,however with that said,,,, i see gold going to around 1500-2000 with in 12-18 months,,,

SHERATON GRAND HOTEL...IS FANTASTIC,,,was there last year and was a lot of fun as well,,,,, Santa will show up and come say hello to you,,,,, happy holidays to all....

Man Chas...that sure sounds delicious.

I would love to book right now but have to wait to see what some family are going to want to do since they are coming up here from Krung Tep for Xmas.

They wanted to see how a real farang has christmas, but I told 'em I will not go out and run up my credit cards as in the traditional American way of christmas.

Then off to bankruptcy court in January.....ah christmas, the American way.

why would you bash AMERICA who saved the queen and all you brits countless times,,,,does it make you feel better? !!! shame on you,,,,

Hopefully, the Thais are sexist enough to reject her for PM of the new Thaksin puppetry party. I have no doubt she is going for PM, within months or years at the latest. Very appropriate her major association is called ASSET.

I consider it no advance for women's rights here for a stuffed dress with no political experience to become PM based on being the sister of a dictator. More like the same old, same old, women as appendage of the powerful man.

i agree with your post,,,,,, She is NOT good for Thailand and should just go away and hide like her brother,,,,, Not only was her brother a dictator/ but now he is a crook on the run,,,,,,

IMHO,,,,,,,He will not last long,,,, The red shirt thugs will make sure of that,,,, I give him to June 09 at best,,,,, I do however find him to be a breath of fresh air and do wish him and Thailand all the best,,,,,

Have a look at this site. It may give you all the answers you are looking for.

B.B I hope you dont ever get banned from posting,,,,, some of your posts are spot on and very funny,,, You are a true gem and one of a kind!!!

I bought a BEEFMASTER BBQ from Toby at bbqthai.com as well. It's a great unit - burns very hot though. I think it's because it's meant to run on propane but they use LPG here (or vice versa).

I also bought a BEEF MASTER BBQ from Toby over the phone and had it delivered to C.M..... So far so good..... however i dont think Toby works there anymore,,

I just hope the red shirt people will give this the new P.M a chance....and that Thailand will not be front page news around the world,,, let the county heal,,,, With that said i hope the S.E.T. can rally back up to around 500 so i can end the year with a profit,,, HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!!!!

I have gained great respect for Mapguy over the years and I think that he knows that I want the best for Chiang Mai, as he does. However, that he would agree with you does not surprise me as you and he pretty much have the same beliefs, but many other people do not agree with them.

To be honest I have been astounded at a few posts the last few days. I'm listening to people come in the shop all day long and talk about how wonderful Chiang Mai is at this time of year, and then you get a post like this:

ive got a couple of sensors. my nose and my mouth. the AIR IS HORRENDOUS EVERYONE IS SICK> NO ONE CAN BREATHE>BUT CERTAIN PEOPLE THINK THE AIR IS OK. IT IS NOT.

THE AIR AT THE MOMENT IS AWFUL BECAUSE YOU CANT BREATHE.

DO YOU FOR ONE MINUTE THINK THAT JUST MAYBE HERE IN THAILAND THAT ANY SORT OF POLLUTION MEASURING FACILITY MIGHT HAVE ITS FIGURES GERRyMANDERED, MANIPULATED, FIXED.

or should we just look at doi suthep and say its haze.

I take no pleasure in this air. My kids are sick, everyone nearly without exception i meet have a problem with breathing.

THE AIR IS terrible

***flame removed**

99% of the people in Chiang Mai don't feel like this right now - In fact they feel the exact opposite - but you put something on the internet and people start believing it.

Tourism in the beginning of the Hot Season has been absolutely ruined by exaggerations about the pollution at that time of year, and now it looks like a few folks are shooting to ruin it all year round. It seems obvious to me that some people are distorting the facts about pollution for their own reasons - for example, a lot of expats want less foreigners to come here - and do not mind a little exageration to keep them away.

There is a lot of good information on the internet, but there is also a lot of information that scares the average person, when it only applies to a very small minority. Perhaps people with medical problems relating to their lungs should avoid Chiang Mai at certain times of year, but they should probably avoid a lot of other places as well and nobody is talking about that. The air in Bangkok and other cities is normally much worse than Chiang Mai.

By saying that 99% of the people agree with you only goes to show that you have a hidden agenda,,, I for one am very surprised you would say such a thing.... for the most part most all your other postings on the forum have been fair and balanced....Me thinks if you were to set up a poll and ask the residents of C/M what they think about the pollution it would be to the tune of 60/40,,,, not 99/1

We are all freinds here. Let's act like it.

I'm afraid that my buddy Blinky Bill went a little too far and got something like a thousand year suspension. We don't want to lose anyone else!

Even though i thought your buddy B.B. was a bit of a schmuck at times..... I always enjoyed reading his posts,,, why dont you start a poll to see if the pubic at large would like to have him back and then the mods might reconsider and allow him to post again,,,, he will be missed,,,

Jamesjimmy, you're responding to a post that is nine months old. Blinky Bill has been back with us for the better part of the time since then.

[Edit to add note that Ulysses G.'s last post was added as I was writing this one.]

SORRY ABOUT THAT,,,,,,,,

Good know that B,B is still with us,,,,, THANKS TO LIKES OF B.B.,U.G..,K.HUNT.,,T.PAULY,PRICELESS. RASSERU,,, AND OTHERS... sure make this forum a dam good one....And i for one AM thankful to have you all here,,,,

We are all freinds here. Let's act like it.

I'm afraid that my buddy Blinky Bill went a little too far and got something like a thousand year suspension. We don't want to lose anyone else!

Even though i thought your buddy B.B. was a bit of a schmuck at times..... I always enjoyed reading his posts,,, why dont you start a poll to see if the pubic at large would like to have him back and then the mods might reconsider and allow him to post again,,,, he will be missed,,,

The average (2000-2008) for December has been 49.9, i.e. the levels of 'recent days' were between 17% and 44% below the December average.

/ Priceless

I was right. I was right!

,,,,,, Perhaps you spend most IF NOT ALL your time in the city center? If so,,,, you should take a drive( with the windows open) around the entire city,,, .. THEN COME BACK HERE AND SAY,,,,, "I WAS WRONG" "I WAS WRONG",,,,,,

ive got a couple of sensors. my nose and my mouth. the AIR IS HORRENDOUS EVERYONE IS SICK> NO ONE CAN BREATHE>BUT CERTAIN PEOPLE THINK THE AIR IS OK. IT IS NOT.

THE AIR AT THE MOMENT IS AWFUL BECAUSE YOU CANT BREATHE.

DO YOU FOR ONE MINUTE THINK THAT JUST MAYBE HERE IN THAILAND THAT ANY SORT OF POLLUTION MEASURING FACILITY MIGHT HAVE ITS FIGURES GERRyMANDERED, MANIPULATED, FIXED.

or should we just look at doi suthep and say its haze.

I take no pleasure in this air. My kids are sick, everyone nearly without exception i meet have a problem with breathing.

THE AIR IS terrible

I agree with you,,,,, the quality of air at the moment is HORRENDOUS and the FIGURES ARE MANIPULATED AND FIXED....

SORRY to here about your loss..... R.I.P,,,,,, better to find a new vet....

All these fanciful demands for the lady's immediate arrest and imprisonment do not seem to account for the one thing that matters most: The law. Now correct me if I am wrong;

1. The judgement was for tax evasion, with a 3 year incarceration penalty.

2. Bail was granted while the conviction was appealed. If an individual is not allowed to travel as per the bail conditions, then the passport is must be surrendered. If a person refuses to surrender a passport, it is cancelled and this is logged. If the passport had been cancelled, then a person of this notoriety would have had a difficult time getting into the nations that she had visited, because the immigration authorities would have checked for a valid passport. It seems then, that the passport was not cancelled and that she was traveling on a valid passport.

3. If people are questioning the validity of the bail conditions, then the validity of the conviction must be questioned as well since it was the same court that adjudicated the case as set the bail conditions. When Judge Pramote Pipatpramote gave his ruling he he ripped into the Shinawatras, which would suggest that he was not impressed by their conduct. As such, I don't think he would have then been overly generous when he set the bail conditions.

4. During her absence, the bail was not revoked. This indicates that she had not violated any of her bail conditions. If bail was revoked, please show me the decision.

5. This is a tax evasion case, not a violent crime. Tax evasion offenders are not carted off to jail during the appeal process. It is highly unusual that a defendant in a non violent crime would be incarcerated during the appeal process. I find it odd that people are claiming that the law has been bent in her favour and/or the police have failed by not immediately arresting and incarcerating her. Can any of these same people provide me examples of Thai tax evasion cases where the situation is different, or examples from their homelands where defendants in tax evasion cases under appeal that have met bail conditions are sent directly to jail?

What are the grounds for her immediate incarceration if she has returned to Thailand and the conviction is under appeal? Cite the law where it says she must be sent to jail? I think those demanding this action are unable to provide the law and jurisprudence that would support such an action.

People were demanding that she return to face the courts. Well she has, so deal with what you wished for. Personally, I wish she would have stayed away as her return will only lead to bigger problems.

Well said!!!! I agree,,,

Well guys, One of the reasons I brought it up is I fly ultralights here on a regular basis and if you saw the general smog over the city from the sky, it is something like living covered in a blanket of the stuff. It was not like that even a few years ago, it was visibily less for a lot more of the time. I can also feel it in my chest at a lot of the time which I did not do before . There is certainly an element of haze to it, but thats just the veneer

There was a news clipping last week (or the week before?,,,,, in the Bangkok post or the Nation that the pollution in Chiang Mai is much worse at night time then during the day,,, and the level of pollution was higher then normal....

IMHO..after five years of living here its been worse each year,,,,,,,,,,,, the burning of garbage along the canal rd going out towards Hang Dong is non stop 24/7 ...

A week before our wedding, the doctors found a tumor on my wife's spinal cord that needed

immediate surgery. This canceled our Thai ceremony but since I already had the plane tickets I went to be

with her in the hospital. I had already deposited Sin Sod into her bank account (around $7500 US that I'm

still paying the loan for). We decided to leave it in her bank until we could reschedule the wedding.

After her recovery my wife was able to come to the USA and on the very day she left Thailand, her mother had a

fainting spell and was diagnosed with diabetes. Now my wife feels incredibly guilty for leaving her parents

to live in the US. My wife is 29. Her parents are in their early 50's and the dad runs a noodle stand business.

They have some land and rice farm.

My wife was feeling worried about her mom and wanted to go to the hospital with her. After we received the

advanced parole I sent her home to see her mom for 10 days. After my wife came back I found out that they

never actually went to the hospital but her mom was taking some pills for her condition. I also found out that

she gave the Sin Sod money to her mom without us having a Thai ceremony.

Now my wife is working part time at a Thai restaurant and is obsessed with buying her parents a new house. They

already have a house but it seems their old house has a termite problem. She would like to save 600,000 baht for this.

This is in addition to the 10,000 baht I have been sending every month. This means she would be saving most of

her paycheck and tips for her parents instead of contributing to our household. I am by not means rich and could

use the help. My wife is extremely emotional about the issue of helping her parents. If I try to talk it through

with her I will get crying, silent treatment, and flat out anger. Not one word can be said against her parents. She tells

me I married a Thai and have to accept this. I suggested buying some rental property and giving to her parents for

residual income, or buy another noodle stand for her brother to make money and ease the burden on us. NO, only a

new house could save her parents.

My wife has many wonderful qualities, but I feel that my she is the victim of her mom's manipulation. This guilt is

putting a lot of strain on our finances. How the hel_l to deal with this...

Can you tell us please what wonderful qualities your wife has? best not to do anything and see what she does... I WOULD NOT GIVE HER ANYMORE $$$

I found Scruffles on Wednesday evening cowering beneath a car in the midst of the madness of Loi Kratong at one of the city's busiest locations. He's was scared, hungry and not in great shape, so I took him home. He's only a few weeks old and presented with a large abscess on his chin, a bruise to his ribs and some extremely gunky eyes. Anyway after a trip to the vet yesterday to drain the abscess and get his other ailments tended to, I brought him back home. He's had a day of love, attention and antibiotics and is already appearing a whole lot livelier and starting to get that cheeky scamp quality that kittens of his age typically display. He's quite demanding in that he cries to be picked up all the time, so anyone who takes him needs to be prepared to give him plenty of attention and affection. He may or may not require further visits to the vet depending on how he fares in the immediate future.

Anyone interested in giving this slightly sorry looking but exceedingly cute little feller a good home, please send me a PM.

sorry we can not help you out,(two many cats already) however you are a great and caring person,,,, thanks to help the little fellow out

let the cat out of the house,,,,

I called one of the telephone numbers and understand (?) that the release of the lanterns should take place from about 7.00pm ( 7 to 8p.m. ??).

I've just read an article in the today's CM Mail, saying that the release of the lanterns would not be allowed before 9.30 pm (+ size of the lantern), in order not to perturb the air traffic. I don't know if the organizers in Mae Jo will follow this "recommendations" ?

Well, better check again I think.

Anybody know what time they did release the lanterns eventually

most lanterns were released around 7;45-8pm