Utley

Wired.com had the best analysis of what probably happened that I have read:

What is the thai word for LOGIC ?

Hèet-pŏn - it means "out of sight, out of mind".

Packaging is the problem.

Everything comes in pretty little packages, I bought some hardware for doing a little job and had 6 separate packages ranging from a dozen screws to 4 hooks in each.

The micrSD card I bought was packaged more in relation to its capacity than its physical size.

Couldn't get it open either.

Wrong - you are not Thai so you are not capable of understanding. My Thai father-in-law throws his chicken bones, food scraps and discarded anything including packaging in our front yard making our house (IMO) look like a junk heap. It is the Thai way. Since I am not Thai, I don't understand either.

Fox News Greta Van Susteren: Thailand's Lame Excuse

Mangosteen is very highly rated, described as Thailand's Queen of Fruits. Thai Freeze Dry Co. in Lamphun are producing a Freeze Dried product a process which is claimed to preserve more of the nutrients than any other process. I suggest you look at www.thaifreezedry.com, I have no interest in the company other than as a satisfied customer. The product is also available at Kelly's Restaurant at Meechok Plaza, Chiang Mai.

In regards to "Thai Freeze Dry Co." - you can't place an order on their website and when I phoned there was no answer. A dubious business model at best.

Also try Good Karma Online Health Food Store

Before they start talking about decentralizing the police they should be talking about firing the corrupt police and training them to be a real policing agency. Not just a collector of monies to better their families and mistresses lives. Until the police forces actually become a real police force decentralizing them will only make matters worse.

"To Serve and Protect" - until that sworn oath is branded into the mind of every Thai police officer, reorganizing the force will accomplish about as much as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

I apply a thin coat of a high quality PDF 50 sunblock to my white car every 30 days.

No - seriously, look around; do you see any white cars in Thailand that have turned yellow?

Also, with tinted windows your interior will be just fine.

No sign yet of credit rating downgrade

I believe the operative word here is "yet".

What is the UN's success rate so far? They have been up to bat over a thousand times and have yet to get a hit.

They should stick to what they do best - indolent bureaucrats siphoning UN funds into their own private bank accounts.

They should be ashamed to preach about "women's rights" on a UN paid junket to a third world nation (did they fly coach?). What is the status of women's rights in their home countries? Any from the middle east where we all know that women's rights is the hallmark of their respective societies?

I still don't understand how his PDRC necklace stayed in such a pristine condition after the beating and dunking in the river, and why the hospital wouldn't have cut it off when they cut the rest of his clothes off. Also, why would the PDRC have even put it on him?

I hope the people that did this are caught and dealt with, and I wouldn't put it past the PDRC to have done it, but the whole story of an ex red shirt guard "relaxing" in Lumpini park where a major "yellow" shirt protest had been going on for weeks just doesn't sound right.

Sent from my phone ...

One of the victim’s visitors at the hospital probably tied the necklace on him for the photo.

Wow - it really sucks to be you!

New York Times Hong Kong: It was, until recently, one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia. It shrugged off coups, street protests and natural disasters. And it earned the nickname “Teflon Thailand.”

Thai citizens lack a choice other than a self-centred deposed PM operating from offshore through surrogates, and a political party representing elite and Bangkok middle-class interests which can never win an election with its present leadership and ancien régime attitudes. Thailand is in a deep political morass that is hurting the country economically and the public psychologically. The country has not been prepared for the future and I see a slow downward spiral as a result.

As my retirement income emanates from outside the country, a falling baht benefits me while hurting my Thai neighbors. The best I can do is to spend locally to put baht into my neighbor's pockets. Also as I live in the rural central provinces, I share my neighbor's attitude that what happens in Bangkok stays in Bangkok.

But the country as a whole has seen its glory days come and go. The world is moving forward and leaving Thailand behind; R.I.P.

They're desperate to divert our attention from all their own graft, loss of face and ineptitude. Pathetic PTP.

Are you from this planet?

Tell me Thaksin doesn't have a tentacle or two involved in buying rice in Burma and selling it in Thailand. What a great way to fleece the government coffers.

Sounds like the type of scheme the anti-government protesters would dream up; underhanded and designed to destabilize King and country.

Nope, the blame for this state of affairs lies squarely with PT and no one else. They created a scheme that was from the start unworkable, illogical, inept and made no provision for any thing like this. Was never going to work and criminal enterprises like this only made a stupid scheme worse.

No argument there; but that was not the point of my post. The original post started off with the phrase "Tell me" - and I complied with his wishes.

Government steps to get out of rice debacle:

1. Put an immediate end to the ill-thought out rice pledging scheme. Stand tall and take what ever political heat comes your way - you are after all supposed to be leaders of the country.

2. Immediately cancel all contracts for rice storage to shore up your precious little financial reserves.

3. Sell every grain of rice you can find for any price you can get. Use the proceeds to pay off what you owe the rice farmers to what ever extent you can.

4. Start the printing presses to finish the farmer's payoffs. If you are afraid of the political heat this causes, see the second part of item 1.

Your wounds are all self inflicted; stop whining like a little child and take your medicine. People respect leaders who make hard decisions even if they don't agree with them. If you don't believe this, read the biography of Harry S. Truman.

Or - pull an Obama and blame it all on Bush.

Good Karma's online health food store sells both borax and sodium carbonate (Calgon) that we use regularly in our washing. They are physically located in Phuket and ship via EMS.

The Pizza Company offers a pan pizza but they are a little stingy with the sauce. When you ask for extra sauce they hand you the ketchup.

Bangkok Hospital has an excellent hearing center that I strongly recommend, Had tests there for tinnitus as requested by the U,S, Veterans Administration,

I have seen all your foods in Makro,

I bought mine from either Watsons or Booths (can't remember which) on Silom Road about a year ago; works great.

Ground water may be seeping into your septic tank from the bottom. If your tank doesn't have an air vent and/or your toilet doesn't have a "J" trap to stop septic gas from coming into your loo, the heavy rains are probably forcing septic gas back into your home. Installing a J trap and a septic tank air outlet should fix your problem.