newtronbom

I am asuming that these acts will be claimed by an Islamic group.

Actually, my understanding so far is that this was the work of a single Norway citizen/resident which just goes to show that EVERY society has those that live within the laws and values and those that don't.

If the number of kids that were killed even approaches the 80 quoted in the topic, this is indeed a horror.

The story in Adelaide so far ...

http://www.adelaiden...l-1226100231078

"Actually, my understanding so far is that this was the work of a single Norway citizen/resident"

Al Qaeda is known to be recruiting caucasions to carry out acts of terror in Europe. This is too big and requiring organised resources to be the work of one blue-eyed boy with a grudge.

Not sure I agree with you. A small truck load of nitro fertilizer soaked in diesel, a small explosive device like a couple of meters of "cordite" and a detonator from some local rock quarry site with a simple timer, maybe watches it go off, then a quick change of clothes and a drive to the Island with a couple of guns and go totally "berserk". The materials wouldn't be that hard to get there, although I don't know about how easy it is to get guns. Wasn't it there where they had "Bike Gangs" using RPG launchers a few years ago? Or was that Denmark? What he did in any case, wouldn't have taken much organization. There is no excuse whatever though, for such horrendous acts like this to be committed anywhere against anyone, whether it be for religious, fascist, political or any other such motivation. It's times like this, that I wonder if my opposition to the "death penalty" is truly justified in all cases. My deepest sympathy goes out to all those affected by these atrocities.

I happened upon one of these a while back. Can't recall the name that I was told that it was. I almost ended up in a fight for my life though. I had been walking around in the same general area for some time, just looking at different things and not aware that the thing was in the area. When I finally realized it was there, I was within about two feet of it and it was very aware of me. I froze, remembering that you are not supposed to make quick movements, as that can be perceived as a threat. Being so close, I had to decide whether I would be allowed to move away without inviting a strike or if I should actually make the first strike- "a good offense being the best defense", kind of thinking. I kind of tested him out, to see if he would tip his hand, so to speak. I leaned a bit left and then a bit right, but as I did, he moved his head right in time and motion with me, almost imperceptibly, but movement all the same. As near as I could tell, he pretty much had me in his sights and he was as capable as I of striking first. I decided to go first, hoping I could strike hard and fast and then retreat out of reach as he tried to avoid the incoming threat.

Not wanting to telegraph my move, I slowly raise both of my hands, moving them farther away from my body as I raised them. He would have to divide his attention between the two and hopefully, that would give me the advantage I needed. I also started cocking my head from side to side, just to add one more bit of movement for him to inventory. At last, I realized that he was thoroughly involved in trying to monitor my decoy movements and as long as I chose the correct hand to strike with, things would go my way. Wanting to add just a bit more confusion to his situation, I slowly raised my right foot, eventually bringing my knee up almost to my chest. It was time to strike.

Then the tour guide came by and told me to move along to the next cage, which was a turtle display and that was kind of cool to see.

You sure do know how to hold an audience captive. Hook, line, sinker and then some....PP

A "Well Done" from me as well. Good one!

I certainly don't wont to end it because life is so bad, that dying is a better option. That's the worst thing I can think of. I'd much rather go out like my Grandfather did. At the ripe old age of 103, bright as a spark, still enjoying a smoke and a few good whiskeys with his mates, he died in his sleep one night, knowing he was loved by all around him. My Grandmother survived him by 2 months and went the same way at the age of 98. Sharp as a pin she was too. I suppose if I was down and out with some terminal illness, in pain and causing those close to me suffer cause I was such a burden, an overdose in that case, would be the way to go. I wouldn't wish a slow, lingering death on anybody, let alone myself!

Me just sittin' on my balcony, view of the nearby mountains and the coconut palms between here and there.

Nice breeze blowing, smell a bit of coconut burn off from over yonder, not a bad smell at all, reminds me of when I lived in Fiji on a plantation.

Cold beer just opened, because it's past 4.30, that's my rule.

Life could be harder, less pleasant, but jeez I'd have to work at it like!

Good and bad no matter where you.

No matter where you go, there you are.

Focus on the good, and how to fix what bad you can fix, forget the rest, nuffin you can do anyways.

Samui Rules (for me and mine)

Couldn't have put it better myself. Well said.

<br />

<br />Yingluck is a very intelligent lady, who I believe has a ton of ability. She does not however, have any political experience at all. We are talking about a very wealthy, very confident and self assured person, who would have made her way in the world without her brother Taksin anyway. <br />

<br />I'm not disagreeing, but on exactly what grounds do you make these comments? I, like i imagine you, have not met the women. My opinion therefore at the moment is limited to three main things:<br /><br />1) Her achievements in education<br />2) Her achievements in work<br />3) Her public speaking / appearances<br /><br />Number one is reasonable but hardly dazzling. Number two is impossible really to gauge as all of her positions have been at her brother's companies. Perhaps she did a great job as AIS President. Perhaps she didn't. We'll never really know. Number three... well, this is very subjective, but in all the English interviews she has given, forgetting her obvious language difficulties, i have found her entire thought process extremely jumbled and she seems to rely on giving pre-prepared sound bites which quite often have little to do with the question being asked.<br /><br />Anyway, just wondering from exactly what sources you have drawn the conclusions that you have about her?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

I truly believe that Abhisit is a good man, an honest man, who really tried to govern for the betterment of this country. He was very unlucky though, that he was surrounded by corruption , greed and the power plays by many of his associates(and the powerful people behind those associates). The "Rich Elite" will always play a big part in this government, as it does in most countries. Take America and "the Kennedy family" as a typical example. The "greed for power" by some of the super rich here though, makes the Kennedy family look insignificant by comparison. Given time, I believe Abhisit could have sorted this out quite a bit, but time was one of the big things he didn't have. I hope he continues his fight as an opposition leader, meanwhile working at getting the "right people" together to have around him when it's time for the next elections. He needs to have a lot of "strong clean support" round him next time too. There is still the possibility of course, that he will be needed before then too, as the present party has many big hurdles to overcome as well.

Yingluck is a very intelligent lady, who I believe has a ton of ability. She does not however, have any political experience at all. We are talking about a very wealthy, very confident and self assured person, who would have made her way in the world without her brother Taksin anyway. I have to wonder, taking all these things into account, just how long she will dance to her brothers tune, or be his "puppet" if that is what she is. Remember. Thai ladies can be quite a force to contend with, especially given this ones wealth and upbringing. How long she will have to prove herself and gain experience is the big question. She obviously has some fools in the party around her - many of the "pre-election promises" could only have been made by fools - but she also has some well experienced capable people with her too. It remains to be seen, just how successful or how capable her party will be. The argument about an "elected official" of the government - her or any other - talking directly to Taksin, thereby breaking the law etc. is a good one. Just how the Thai people, the voters, handle that, will be very interesting indeed! As will the question of whether or not it will bring down this newly elected party. Thai people can be very sabai sabai, mai pen rai on many things, yet react very strongly to others. I don't think it will be too long before we see the results either. Interesting times ahead for sure. I live here, so I sincerely hope this won't damage the country.

Perhaps in some "rural areas" it is true to say that guys are promoted towards education more than girls, but go stand at the front gate of any Uni in Bangkok and you will see far more girls than guys. If your daughter is to be educated in the provinces as opposed to up here in BKK, I have to agree with the private school option. I don't talk about the quality of the teachers, just the resources or more the lack thereof, at provincial schools. In your case too, I really think you need to look at the "big picture" or the long term time frame. Depending on your continuing support, both in the financial sense and in the sense of you as her Dad, it will not be easy if you remain separated from your daughter. I will even go so far as to say, that you will be taken advantage of sooner or later by her mother and or her Thai family. I despise generalizing, but most here will say you will be looked at as a financial milk cow - and they are most likely correct!

<br />

<br />I found Win 7 to be a total pain, constantly throwing out issues and incompatibility problems with many of my favourites that I tried to migrate. In the end I just deleted it and went back to what I know works and works well and have never looked back.<br /><br />As the saying goes "if it aint broke dont try and fix it".............Win 7 for me was just a series of ongoing problems.<br />

<br /><br /><br />That's plain dumb. Win XP is obsolete. Buy a new Win7 o/s, it's the best M$ o/s by far and will only be supported for security threats in future. Don't transfer from Win XP to the new o/s since it is not likely to work, but do a clean install of your programs on the new o/s. Win7 ain't broke, it works great.<br />

A lot of people still keep and maintain in perfect condition cars older than 50 years though. XP may be obsolete for you, but it is still fine for an awful lot of users out there. Just because it's old, doesn't mean it's no good!

<br />

<br />I found Win 7 to be a total pain, constantly throwing out issues and incompatibility problems with many of my favourites that I tried to migrate. In the end I just deleted it and went back to what I know works and works well and have never looked back.<br /><br />As the saying goes "if it aint broke dont try and fix it".............Win 7 for me was just a series of ongoing problems.<br />

<br /><br /><br />That's plain dumb. Win XP is obsolete. Buy a new Win7 o/s, it's the best M$ o/s by far and will only be supported for security threats in future. Don't transfer from Win XP to the new o/s since it is not likely to work, but do a clean install of your programs on the new o/s. Win7 ain't broke, it works great.<br />

Transferring of files and programs can be done, but I have to agree with "Digitalbanana" in that doing a fresh, clean new install of Win 7 and reinstalling all the programs you want to run, as opposed to using "the transfer wizard" is the best way to go. Win 7 does give you the option of running any program in a "previous OS mode, from Win 98, right up to Vista, which was the worst release MS have made, in my opinion.I have been using Win 7 since it's early release and as I slowly got used to it, I realized just how good and stable it really is. I have been lucky enough to have had a try at some of the features of the "new Win 8 OS" and I can tell you all, it's amazing! It's a totally new concept of an OS for "MS" and light years ahead of anything else out there. Meanwhile, Win 7 is by far the best that's around for me and the millions of others who like it too. Once you learn it, set it up the way you want it to run, it's so reliable and stable. Having the power go out when you are in the middle of something(a major headache with previous OSs)is all part of the days work for Win 7. It doesn't leave you with a damaged system - in fact in most cases - you don't normally even lose what you were working on. The new "system restore" feature, is almost faultless to the point, that you need not create a "system image backup" anymore, which takes up so much space, unless you are doing work that is so critical, you can't afford to lose it. System restore uses far less space, to do nearly the same job and is sufficient in most cases. People who complain and whine on about Win 7, are usually those who have insufficient knowledge to set their system up. or a few who changed over to Mac and who now regret it. I think Mac is great, but I prefer Win 7. In my opinion, neither is better or worse, just different. Like a Jaguar is different from a BMW. Both good cars and which one you buy,comes down to a matter of personal preference and choice. I never want to see the day, that only MS operating systems are all that is available. Mac does some things better for some folks, than MS will ever do. Pity that XP Pro will be dropped in the future too, I think. Until Win 7, it was and for some still is, the best OS out there!

The tough man contests as originally organized in the US/elsewhere were local talented street fighters who were after the paycheck for winning. Not too much different than the old bare knuckle fights of the 19th and early 20th century before and after the rules were relaxed.

The initial organizers were promoting a concept which has been around for several centuries, primary for the entertainment and/or paycheck. The events, as they continued, became a contest between local wannabee tough men, and the event followers, who were drawing show money from the organizers and a chance at the prize monies. In the past few years the name/advertisement has gone to cage fighting, last one standing, etc. The lack/minimum possibility of legal/monetary responsibility of the promoters would be a real factor in the market potential in some Asian countries.

Those "old fashioned" bare knuckle fights for the money, still happen all over Thailand at Fairs, shows, festivals and others. Not strictly allowed or sanctioned, they still attract many viewers and betting punters. I realize a few are just a show, but most are for real and I have seen many really good hard fights, where the "fighters" are just construction workers and such during the day - but nearly all with experience and training just the same - and who pit their strength and ability against each other for the fame and and extra baht in a ring. Dangerous maybe, but an exciting, adrenalin boosted tradition I hope we never lose!

The truly sad part is that the red shirts / poor people have legitimate issues, when 60 families own 75 % of the country. Instead of having real red shirt leaders to address these concerns and bring about equality, Thaksin comes in with his own agenda, which is to get back in power by hiding behind the red shirt movement. The red shirts were simply used as cannon fodder to get him back in office, which they are probably realizing about now. I also suspect their 500 baht is long gone as well..... I actually feel sad for Thailand, and its people. For the farangs, we can just pack out bags , jump on a jet and leave. Whatever happens in the future, the Thai people will be stuck with it.......

Not all of us are able to or want to just pack their bags and jump on a jet. I and many others like me, have long since burnt our former bridges and made Thailand our home. For good or for worse, we are here to stay and will be affected - though maybe not as much - by what is happening now, as the Thai people will be. I have been asked for my opinion and thoughts by many here in our Moo Barn. Probably just because I am a foreigner, but also because I warned them that this would happen many weeks ago. So many people seem surprised by what has come about. It's like they are just waking up to what now seems an unreal situation, even though they themselves not many days ago, voted and created this very same situation. In general though, I see most in our area anyway, like in the big markets, just getting on with the daily struggle and hoping the government will sort itself out. They all say there is nothing they can do to change things. When I point out that they all just voted and caused this change, many can't seem to relate what they did, to what the situation is now. Many Thais still think that they can never change what happens in government, can not relate voting as a chance to cause change. They believe the "Elite" will always run the country. Looking at the situation today, I can't say they are wrong.

Well the ThaiVisa malcontents are out in force once again. It seems like they just love to quibble. I think the term "promises broken" is being used a little too freely today. How can anyone not believe that the PTP did not genuinely desire to raise the minimum wage to 300 Baht per day? Likewise with the gas tax/levy, it would have put some extra money in everyone's pocket. Just because reality raised its ugly head, doesn't mean that the PTP's heart was not on the right place. Somehow it feels like nit-picking to suggest that the PTP knew it would/could not fulfill these ideas(promises?) Are the malcontents implying falsehoods may have been perpetrated on the Thai voters? Seems like a case of sour grapes to me.

The Reality of this, is in fact, that any genuine, experienced, less arrogant party, would have actually had experts work out the financial practicality of doing it, along with all the relevant details, making sure it was actually plausible before making any promises. Doesn't matter where their heart is supposed to be. There is no excuse for this at all. At best, it is inept! I go along with "Animatics" hope, that with luck, some middle ground can be found, along with some honest and experienced people - if any such do in fact exist in this party - to implement some reasonable, decent policies that will be of benefit to the people who most need it. The average person in this country. Things could very easily turn into an awful nightmare in the near future otherwise. I admired Taksins business ability, along with his strong leadership, though not all his policies during his time. I now see that he has serious flaws in his personality, that should have kept him as head adviser, or second in charge at most. But more than anything, I pity him and his sycophants these days. The thought of him becoming a leader again, is scary to say the least. There are some very good people amongst the Thai Government. People who are honest and who actually care for this country. Getting them all together with enough clout to put needed policies through, is the problem though. Can't see any way it will happen in the near future, with all the power grabs and corruption going on now. One can only hope they don't start blaming us falangs for all their failings. It could happen.

I bought four LP's in Hong Kong the other day from a junk shop. The first one was " The king's music" with his own compositions , an early recording . The other three are Thai classics played by a big band with male and female vocalists . The sound is so warm . I can't read Thai at all so I will have to wait to get more info but I would guess late 1950's . Four fab records with beautiful covers . The funny thing is though I have never seen any oldie LP's in Thailand as yet .

I need that 15 ft of music .

High Tech Digital devices, with 7.1 surround sound etc. are wonderful (I have one) , but listening to an actual LP record on a good quality player, with a good sound system, just has some quality in it, that modern electronics can never match or copy. It's not something that can easily be described, but once heard, can not be forgotten, nor matched with high tech. That's probably why so many top artists still use the old analogue/tube amps and systems today. It must be a combination of things that make it so good. Like a good guitar for example. You can buy the latest high-end electric guitar, but it can never match an old Gibson for sound. The best guitar in the world, still can't make up for lack of talent though. That's still the bottom line.

Mind you, the prices being asked for old LP records and such, are beyond belief these days. If only in my "stupid youth" we had not tossed them up in the air to be used for target practice, I would be sitting on a fortune today.

Many thanks for the link from me too. Kind of puts things in perspective, when I think about what I am using to post on this forum, as opposed to what is being used for the shuttle. I just took it for granted, that there would be these incredibly complex, sleek PCs, with huge super fast memory and a CPU (or several CPUs) to die for. Never occurred to me that something as basic as radiation, could stop it from working. Again. Thanks.

I started learning things about The Border Patrol Police over 20 years ago and it's fair to say they have a very interesting history.

That's all I'll say about that.

Not a lot of point posting then is there.

google is your friend

Im off to practise my 1000yard stare!

There wasn't any "Google" over 20 years ago. We had these things called "books". And I spoke to actual "people" that were in a position to speak with considerable knowledge. So I'm not sure I need Google at the moment, thanks.

As for a point to my post...here are some points:

1) I wasn't aware that point was required.

2) I post to amuse myself.

3) Maybe someone who knows what I'm talking about will appreciate the comment

4) Maybe someone who doesn't, will be curious enough to do some reading and

5) It's 1:20AM, I'm tired and I made a off the cuff post before bed. Sue me.

6) There was no less of a point to my post than there was to yours, was there?

Quite a "sharp rejoiner" for that time of night. Well put.

I have had two Thai female body guards. They were very observant. For the same reason females don't make good race car drivers they make great body guards. They observe everything all the time instead on focusing on one small area. My body guards could pick out any threat and steer me clear of the area even in a crowded mall or at a concert. And they never forget a face or a voice. Years later I would be reminded of this or that. I had completely forgotten. Not the ladies, minds of steel never erased. If the ladies run out of bullets they can throw a shoe with deadly accuracy. Since women who work together eventually get on the same monthly cycle (maybe this is an old wives tale) there might be a couple of days a month when it would be advisable to stay away from the PM and her staff at the risk of getting shot.

Females don't make good race car drivers? Apparently you have never heard of Danica Patrick in the US. She is a top race driver in both Indy and Nascar. As well as a model! Talk about multitasking.

I know many ladies back home that can out drive 70 to 80% of male drivers. If they came out here, that %age would go up to more like 99% of male drivers! The only thing that I personally think - and I learned this the hard way in most cases - that can be generalized about women as opposed to men, is that they are not as physically strong. I lost my blinders and prejudice a long time ago. As to the usual male cry about "the monthly", for most women I know, it just means carrying around a bit of extra padding. Hormones can effect moods, but training should overcome that in most cases. I must and do admit though, that I have come across a few in my time as well, who are total nutters and change completely around that time.

"It is not appropriate for male bodyguards to enter private spaces such as women's bathrooms."

But it's ok for female cleaners to mop around your feet when you're trying to take a leak in the mens room at 'Lotut'

You beat me to it on this comment! Why is it socially acceptable - and it's the same in most countries I've been to - that female cleaners can do just what you say and "mop around a guys feet while he's taking a pee" and it's happened to me many times (I admit it's true that women - in my limited knowledge anyway - don't usually pee standing up at a urinal........do they?) but that male cleaners do not in my experience, even go into female toilets to clean, because that is not acceptable? Perhaps too, one of our female posters can enlighten us ignorant males to the age old Lads' question, as to whether in fact some girls do in fact do it (pee that is!) standing up?

The easiest thing to try and one that has near always worked for me and many I have told about it, is stop eating for at least 2 days, 3 better and only drink boiled water and a few packs of "electrolytes". Only do this though, if you are still up and about - still have some energy - otherwise try a different doctor. The reason this mostly works, is that by continuing to eat, you're feeding the bug too. Starve it instead. When you do start eating again, eat soft food at first. No dairy products for a while either.Very hard to treat diarrhea anyway, as there are so many things that can cause it. Good luck.

You can bargain. They overcharged my FIL (Thai btw) and he argued the price. It came down.

Agreed sbk. They always quote the top dollar for those who may have insurance too, as it takes so long to get paid, another reason is the type of/quality of client they get. The ones I'm thinking of, pay double that for a single night at a hotel and think nothing of it. Like sbk says though, you can bargain and they will cut it down. Who cares if you loose a bit of face in front of of some overpaid nurses anyway! The bottom line though, for myself and many others(here in BKK anyway), is the quality of medical treatment I get, along with the quality of service I have always received there. I am sure I have visited every major hospital here in BKK, both government and private and not one even comes close to Bangkok Hospital! My wife had a double heart valve replacement 3 years ago. It cost near 3 times more than a government hospital, but she was in and out in 9 days and the surgery and after care service were and still are top quality. We were told at 2 government hospitals, to expect a 2 to 3 week recovery and that we would have to return in 10 years to have the valves replaced. The valves used at BKK are made in the US and have a lifetime warranty(just joking) but they are guaranteed to work longer than we will be around. The thought of going back in 10 years to have the same operation again, was well worth the extra cost in my mind alone.

My wife has to take it for the rest of her life. Can be bought quite cheap over the counter from a couple of stores at Saphan Kwai, but as another said here. You must know what your exact dose is, and those 2 weekly blood run ups are vital in the first year, to find your correct level. It was originally used as a "rat poison" remember...... She had surgery 3 years ago now, but still gets a 3 monthly checkup.

Just for general information. It is very difficult to get any narcotic prescribed here in T/L unless you are terminal. It can be done if you know which hospital to go to (which any visitor won't) and if your illness warrants it. There is also a really limited choice of meds. Kapanol slow release is most common, but MST tabs are available too at a few places. Tramadol is the nearest thing to a strong synthetic narcotic here, but you can buy that over the counter most anywhere. Don't waste money on a doctor for that. Meds like Hydromorphone just don't exist. People abusing the system, as usual, is mostly responsible for this situation. So is corruption in the department that orders all narcotics or serious meds (ritalin for example) into the country. It seems odd to me, that a country that has such a long history of exporting opiates, needs to import drugs like morphine from other countries and can not trust itself to produce them locally. Anyone reading this, who genuinely has a reason to take meds like this, can PM me for help if you like. Those of us living here long term, tend to help each other out with things like this, especially as there are not too many with problems serious enough to need meds like this. I get really angry, when meds disappear from the drug stores, cause they are being abused. Lomotil is a prime example of this. Many of us here suffer from "IBS" - irritable bowel syndrome - and Lomotil is the only drug that will relieve it for us- apart from opium - and it is the best anti diarrhea med bar none. Loperamide just doesn't do the same job. I don't know of any place selling it now. If anyone does, please PM me. It can still be had at the hospitals, but who wants the drama and the cost?

To me, the whole scene is very "strange" to say the least. Still. If the police did as they say(for once) and made a proper forensic study before the place became"contaminated" and the body was moved, there is a chance that the facts will come out. My heart goes out to the family of this young guy. Whatever the reason he died, he was far too young. There sure seems to be a lot of deaths in Phuket these days. Is that because of an increase in the foreign population, or is the place as bad as some say? I would think there are many more foreigners living here in Bangkok, but there is rarely a death reported here.

Larry Is In The Hospital . . . ......

Who in the hell is Larry?

Well Larry is the guy who gets home late one night and Linda, his wife, says "Where the hell have you been?" Larry replies "I was out getting a tattoo!"

"A tattoo"? She frowned. "What kind of tattoo did you get?"

"I got a hundred dollar bill on my penis" he said proudly.

"What the hell were you thinking"? She said, shaking her head in disgust.. "Why on earth would a Chartered Accountant get a hundred dollar bill tattooed on his penis?"

"Well, one, I like to watch my money grow. Two, once in a while I like to play with my money. Three, I like how money feels in my hand.

And, lastly, instead of you going out shopping, you can stay right here at home and blow a hundred bucks anytime you want."

Larry is in the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Critical Care Unit, Room 233

When you gotta go, you gotta go. However, one has to wonder what was wrong with the toilet inside the place? I think she can only blame herself in this case, though I sympathize with her injuries. Pretty horrible. I know it's a bit off topic, but when is someone going to design something better that an empty plastic water bottle for cars stuck in Thailand traffic jams? Panthip Plaza area around 7.00 pm on a Friday night when it's raining comes to mind. We spent 3 hours once not long ago, moving just 100 mtrs. If you're the only one who can drive, it's not like you can dash into the nearest mall. Peeing on the road beside the car in that kind of public area is asking for a huge fine/bribe at best. What do you do? With all our high tech gear that we have in cars today, one of the most basic, common needs that most of us face or will face at some time, has yet to be worked out. The person who does come up with a solution, would make a fortune here in T/L alone.