canopy

The same could be said for Home Pro, Index, and others. And it's not as if they didn't know it would be quiet when they built them as there are few checkout lanes and even then the attendants are mostly bored with no customers to ring up. Makro has a lot of checkout lanes but only has about 10% of them open on any given day and the rest are just a waste of space. Hasn't stopped them from building now 3 giant hardware stores in Phetchabun that are mostly empty of customers. I absolutely love it. Gigantic stores with a huge selection, excellent parking slots always available, not flooded with people getting in my way, and no wait to check out.

The slope irrigation project is well underway and lots more work than anticipated. One problem is the water needed to just fill the pipe to the top so the top emitters activate takes a tremendous amount of water--more than I need for the whole irrigation process unfortunately. It also takes too much time to fill the pipe such that the bottom waters a long time before the top comes online. Another problem is even at <2 bar, push on drip hoses pop off due to the pressure and I have added more pressure regulators than planned. While it's still a tough project, I am glad I studied and compensated for so many potential issues before I started. It was invaluable made it much cheaper and easier than it would have been with trial and error (shooting in the dark approach).

Wouldn't 4G be far more beneficial to the country than fibre to the home? Yet 4G isn't part of the goal sheet. In fact the top 3 objectives are regarding fixed lines only. It's curious since hardly anyone in this country has a computer and everyone seems to prefer roaming on smart phones and tablets.

Not saying you can't do it or it definitely won't work, but it's not a good idea. It's not easy to bond to the old tile surface even if it is not a glossy tile. The old tiles do have a smooth surface and may have some oils built up on the surface. So the layer above the old tiles can work free and will shrink and expand and bow independently from the old tiles. This may make a hollow or grinding sound when you walk on it and crack and loosen tiles above over time. I've witnessed this happen in Thailand.

Anyone using bamboo for rebar needs to be extremely aware of a vast array of considerations or it will be a failure. Even things as benign as the orientation of the bamboo is important. All such issues can be abated by making proper adjustments. But you need to know the potential problems and precautions. So take for example expansion: (1) the bamboo should be properly dried before use so it is totally shrunk for good lockage, (2) the bamboo should be properly coated so it does not soak up water in the mix and (3) the concrete mix should have minimal water added and be quick setting. Notice with those last two items not only shrinkage here, but also expansion that is a problem. You need to assure your bamboo does not get wet as the concrete cures and swell up because it will crack the concrete! This is just one small sample among a vast number of issues. I've used both steel and bamboo. My two cents is if you want to spend a lot of time researching and are a meticulous type of person, only then bamboo may be for you. For the average joe, stick to steel--even though it's seldom done right, it's far more forgiving than bamboo.

this one is sustainable and targets the small farmers leaving out the big ones. So it really targets the right people.

The purpose of a business is to make a profit, not to become a burden to the tax payer. A farmer trying to raise a family on 8 rai rice plot is quite obviously a recipe for failure. In other countries a single family may have 1000 rai for tiny farm. Thailand must one day embrace economy of scale. This type of government program hurts the country and prevents it from developing which will create a longer and deeper level of poverty than it should have to bear.

Big disadvantage from this kind of roof is that it is very dusty inside

Good point. Normally the spline is made of bamboo. Wood boring beetles love to get into it and drop lots of sawdust on the floor on a daily basis. This is usually ok in outdoor settings but a consideration. Since the grass wears off so quickly the structural loss usually doesn't come into play.

The number of panels/ M2 depends on the slope of the roof

Higher pitches are better for thatch longevity since water can leave more rapidly. I've seen 40-55 degrees minimum recommended depending on who you talk to. In practice since Thai thatch disintegrates so quickly I haven't noticed a marked longevity boost based on pitch. If longevity is important, in some areas they have longer lasting panels made from other materials than thin grass. One is called yaak for instance.

Some pricing here is outdated. They raise the price of thatch every year. Once upon a time it was 1 baht, 3 baht, 5 baht 10 baht, 15 baht. Thatch is now around 20 baht a 1.5M panel in my area. That comes out to over 1000 baht a square meter for thatch over a 15 year period since you have to do it over again every 3 years and there will be huge inflation buying the next 4 times. Thatch is the absolute most expensive roofing material in Thailand. Strange how things change isn't it? It's cheaper to buy a tile made in a factory built by a company made of modern materials and shipped from a 1000 miles away than twisting some nearby grass onto a wedge of bamboo.

It's a great topic. When I first learned of the mai pen rai attitude back in the states I wanted to live in Thailand as an idyllic place where one could do anything they wanted and no one else cared. Then over time in Thailand I learned the drawback is you are surrounded by inconsiderate people who constantly trample on people all around them. For me it's 1) noise 2) pollution 3) litter at the top of the list. It's everywhere and you can't do anything about it. Take something simple like shopping is a terrible experience with loud speakers at terrifying volumes bombarding you inside and out wherever you go. While there are a number of advantages of mai pen rai, it's turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing to me.

to be guardians of the forest rather than users, get them to use any plots of land they are cultivating as nurseries for forest trees and pay them for the saplings they produce then plant out in the forest

It's an idyllic and noble idea indeed. However, as a case study keep in mind people in these areas have been indoctrinated into Thai schools for generations. Yet they still don't speak Thai among themselves despite the bests efforts of the government. Education hasn't worked. I repeat, education hasn't worked. So some villages in the forests where I am, which are very segregated by the way, they speak Mong and in others Laotion and none Thai. Change is unwanted by the poor and asking them to give up the things all around them for the benefit of the forest they will laugh at as backwards; I can tell you stories. So while you certainly could get your sapling project underway and I would encourage that, you'll then have a constant battle keeping the others from cutting them down, lighting forest fires there, trampling the area with buffalo, or using the land for something else. And the second you leave the chances of them drifting right back to their old ways is going to be very high. Just remember your idea is something you want and they don't want. None of them. Using the worst abusers to save the forests seems ludicrous to me and I fail to see education as a simple fix like applying a software update. So I just don't know why you see so much promise in the poor and despise the rich so much, the latter of which have the very characteristics you seek. I'd say it's better to get everyone out (rich and poor) and diligently enforce forests being left completely alone.

Don't misunderstand. I believe any rich encroaching are just as guilty as poor and hill tribes and have no business being there. Apply the law equally no matter how long or short anyone has been there and no matter how rich or poor. However, you are making a grave error in your assessment. In order to solve the problem, all must understand the poor devastate the forests and they will fight hard against anyone getting in their way of pillaging down to the last orchid and pangolin to extinction for their own benefit. And when they are all gone they won't care. A beautiful bird nearby to us or the rich is maybe something worthy to pull out a camera to view and appreciate. The chain smoking, whiskey drinking poor person next door will absolutely pull out a gun, sling shot, or just pick up a stone and throw it. Kids drive around on motorcycles looking for such opportunities for pleasure. You need to understand these people better before you put them in charge of anything. They aren't like the fairy tales you read about. Education as a quick and tidy fix so they all suddenly become caring for the earth, blah blah blah. It sounds so good and pure, but it's hopeless in our generation I am sad to see. I don't want to sound overly negative, but these are the realities we are dealing with. Let me try to send this home:

Neighbor enjoys putting up a "gill net" to catch beautiful birds who suffer a miserable death tangled up injuring themselves trying to escape in vain for days before they die. As far as I have seen, only a poor person would do such a cruel thing. A rich person would more likely put up some bird houses. So before you put them in charge you need to know more about them.

If you learn about the releasing tradition it stems from a fascinating origin that once upon a time was not cruel, but rather helped the animal being released like moving a fish trapped in a small pond drying up to a bigger body of water. But in modern times it's been turned upside down into what we see today. Another common example at temples is they let you release turtles for merit. They then catch the turtles again, store them in buckets, and it repeats over and over. The stress, handling, and lack of time to forage for food kills them. It's disappointing the new law sanctifies and protects such rituals of cruelty practiced everyday all over Thailand.

Treat these people as friends of the forest and nor enemies, employ them in the forest service.

I beg to differ. Living among hill tribe people for years it becomes apparent they are the most destructive force to the forest imaginable. Hunting endangered species, cutting down trees, burning areas, clearing land, diverting streams, and taking everything of value for themselves or to sell. And do not forget there are many that deliberately illegally immigrated to these locations themselves and have not been there for generations. And many are still coming.

employ them in the forest service

Talk about having the fox guard the hen house.

Go after the real forest encroachers with their resorts, large plantations and big houses.

Taking out the one rich guy and leaving the 99 poor encroachers isn't going to accomplish anything. You will find encroachment is mainly the small houses, rickety resorts, and small farms all made by the poor. Unlike the rich, these type people have little understanding of the environment and could care less about it. While a rich person may preserve and beautify the environment around them, the poor tend to use lots of poisons, clear cutting, destruction, then burn it all every year. It's plain as day for all to see.

You seem to have an agenda. Instead of solving an important problem you only want to use the law to punish a particular group you seem to dislike.

2014 has been a pretty decent year for rain in the mountains in Phetchabun. 1.4 meters (4.5 feet) of rain since March and no real long dry stretches. This is perhaps a normal amount of rainfall and vastly more than the last 2 years which were unusually dry. However, the rainy season seems to be fizzling out now with just some occasional light stuff (mid September) and if so will be the earliest the rains have ended as they normally go till November or so.

Simple math? Not too much can go wrong? Ha ha, I am far enough along in research to see that it is so untrue that it is funny. Speaking of not so simple math, I had to finish a crash course in hydraulics which turns out to be an important prerequisite for my design. This sums it up:

The drop is not 8 in 100, it's 100 in 200! To try to add clarity, I'll say it a different way. The first banana is 8M below the water tank. The last is 100M below the water tank. The distance from tank to last banana is 200M. I concur on the importance of the filter, it's on my list of things to look for.

No need to fertilize at the same time. I have no idea what emitter spacing nor how many emitters nor gpm to use per small banana--that's why I am asking. Technically I have a hill rather than a "strip" of land, not that it matters as we are talking about a line of bananas anyway. I can't think of how a picture would give any useful information up and above what I posted which has all the parameters laid out in 2 short sentences. Besides it would be impossible to get it all in one or even two photos unless I had a helicopter and even then it might not be very clear.

But anyway I have been reading online guides and now realize it is going to be an extremely tough job handling the elevation change. I'm not sure all the specialized gadgets required, of which there are many to handle all the problems, are sold in Thailand but am interested to find out. I had no idea how technical drip irrigating is nor do I know of an easier way save for hand watering by hose which I had hoped to eliminate.

What is meant by a strip?

Anyone found a link to a nice design guide for drip irrigation? That's probably all I need but rather than start a brand new thread for a similar but different query, I will mention in my case I have a 200M run going down a hill that drops 8-100M from the gravity fed water source at the top. There are 20 banana groves starting out that I wish to drip irrigate the first few years.

The first stereo on the '08 Vigo the CD mechanics went out during warranty and the unit was replaced for free. Now the CD mechanics went out again on the new stereo and I don't want to buy out of pocket that failure prone stock stereo.

So what are my options for a replacement? I want something that uses flash memory and don't even need a real CD player. I visited a shop and they recommended either a 9000 baht Roadstar or 19000 baht Kenwood. Both play DVDs and have lcd panels and most important to me their face plates match the fit and finish of the vigo. I asked about what was different between the two and they said Kenwood is a good name brand but I suspect there just must be substantial differences at that price differential. Any recommendations, online stores, or other advice?

But is there any market at all for selling vanilla? Locals are perfectly satisfied with cheaper, artificial vanilla (yuck, but we're talking them not me). They don't even bother selling real vanilla at Tesco or anywhere elsewhere I have looked.

We have to make sure that only good-quality Thai rice is exported," he said.

So the sub-standard rice isn't good enough for the rest of the world but presumably will end up being served in Thailand. Not a good picture.

Knowing the language fairly well has helped me understand that contrary to common belief, noise can indeed bother Thai folks from children to elderly. Don't think the kid on the extra loud motorcycle gunning it through the village isn't chastised by neighbors in private. And you can see in the first post here that other neighbors were annoyed in this instance, but did not complain. That is just their way--everyone does what they want and no one complains. Thai tolerance is deeply cultural. But I would also agree some noises are tuned out. For instance, at an early age the school loudspeakers blaring at kids playing outside everyday is ignored and forgotten. But It teaches impressionable children a lesson they keep for life that is it is appropriate anytime you have a group of people to turn on music to the maximum volume and don't care it disturbs hundreds of others forced to listen to it. I also enjoyed the link khrab posted to articles about noise in SE Asia. How true.

What amazes me is that if so many people were upset, why didn't anyone call the police?

Very normal. Thai's seem to just tolerate anything even if it bothers them severely. There is a loud resort in my area that plays music outdoors at night. Most Thai houses here are not fully enclosed so the noise goes right in their bedrooms and everywhere. Kids can't sleep and have to go to school the next day. Parents can't sleep either. No one complains yet I sense everyone is miserable. But there it is--day after day, year after year no one complains. Could give countless more examples.

when I looked in my mirror, three guys were in hot pursuit

Come on admit it, you were annoyed and did something like flip them off to set them off on you. The story of what you did isn't enough to be believable. But the important thing is you need to learn the Thai way to resolve conflicts. Always have someone else as an intermediary versus going direct yourself. Neighbor would be best, then pyb.