xbusman

When you have a motorcy helmet - and no motorcy.

When you meet a farang puying and panic cause you cant figure out if she is a katoey.

When you have toilet paper in every room in the house - except the bathroom.

When you find yourself avoiding pedestrians while driving your motorcy on the sidewalk.

The day you first strap a full propane tank to your motorcy and drive home.

When on your visit back you kick off your shoes before entering an office.

When you push your way to the counter in front of someone who was there first, you just been here wayyyyy too long.

The bars he owns that I am familiar with is Big Dog's right at the entrance to NEP, then there is one called Lucky Lukes I think, then if you turn right at the entrance to NEP there is a new one he just opened, then there are at least two of the interior go-gos, and Bullys over by the JW Marriott. He also owns that little mini mart just next to Big Dogs. There are more but for accuracy you should ask him, he is glad to recite the list. Lots of hard work to make it and he is justifiably proud of the group.

Now, like some sort of Machevaliean puzzle, here are guaranteed lies.

*Ask one businessman about someone elses business and believe exactly the opposite. Big John has made some serious money here. He has been very upfront about the rent on Big Dogs and if you just watch the place for a few hours on any day and do some simple math, that unit alone has been a gold mine. While not every one of his properties may be positive income earners, that one alone could float them all. So I would say he is definately in the positive cash column.

*Ask any business man how much their business is earning and divide it by about 4. If the business is for sale, divide it by ten.

*Ask a farang woman her age and add at least five. Ask her weight and add at least a few kilos.

Just human nature and the accounting system in Thailand is purposefully very obscure. Big John is a very competent numbers man and knows the score. I wouldnt be as concerned about the profitability as I would the future potential.

He is a rather large developer of bars on Soi 4 and elsewhere around Sukhumvit, large as in figuratively and literally. Rather a unique character as most of those sorts can be (hope Dave doesnt read this). He definately pushes an American style operation and has been successful but I think in the long run the American style probably makes a little too much friction. Having spoken to him I think he sees the writing on the wall for the nightlife industry and is cashing in his chips while he is ahead and whole. Pretty sharp operator all in all I would guess. Will be interesting to see who fills the void.....

The game is that there are 1000 tailers per mile in Bangkok but only about 4 or 5 monster sweat shops that actually crank out the clothes. The tailor shops here are nothing more than fitting shops, I dont think there is a single one that actually has a tailor in the classic sense of the word.

So there are a million scams for the unwary. The most common of which is to find out when your flight leaves and run you out to the last possible second. Nothing better than a dissatisified customer who has to run to catch an international flight. Most of the dissatisfaction comes from substituting fabrics. You pick the exquisite wool blend from England not knowing that the entire inventory of that fabric in Thailand is the last five yards on the roll in the shop. When you pick your suit up with 8 minutes to get to Don Muang you find it made out of lovely Cambodian Yak fur and in shades you did not think possible to find.

I can highly recommend Raja on Sukhumvit Soi 4 next to NEP. Around the corner just next to Landmark is Rajawongse his cousin which is also a good shop. They are very careful with the fitting and what you pick out you will get when they tell you that it will be done. It is the shop used by many of the long term Embassy staff which is how I found them.

Still working on the French. There was something dammit, it was...it was... maybe something to do with dentistry, or maybe dysentery, or dyslexia...no thats not it. Will get back when I can remember.

England ------> Wonderful wit and manners (exclude the yobs please)

Germany --------> Their hard work in pursuit of excellence und correctness

Irish ---------> Just gotta love the Irish in any pub in any part of the wirld

Aussies -------> Their confidence, can do, and optimism.

France ------> Need some time for that one

Thais --------> Their smile and worldly innocence

Japan --------> Their relentless pursuit of perfection

Italians -------> Their passion for life

Swiss -------> Because while there is not much to like, there is about nothing to dislike

France ------> Still working on that one

Polish --------> Because hard work, showing up, and keeping clean without making trouble is a great way to live

Russian -------> A brutal wit in the face of insurmountable problems

France -----> There is something, just give me a minute

Scandanavians -------> Plain friendly and cheerful

I will work on something for France and post if I can come up with something.

From what I am hearing the real concern is the lethality of this virus. I think the death rate is running around 90%, recovery is not an option. It has some people in the scientific community scared and scared badly. We really need one of our resident physicians to give us a best guess if this things gets out of the box. I think Tamiflu might be of some help but quarantine might be the best chance of survival. Would like to hear how to increase our chances for when it does explode and the WHO is about positive it is going to.

I hate to rain on everybodies parade but in transportation its 99% about weight. More weight = less freight. Everything is based on weight from fuel economy to structural integrity. The airbus is old technology, loosely based on Howard Hughes airframe designed and prototyped for the "spruce goose" and most importantly grossly overweight. The overweight condition could be fatal raising passenger/liter/kilometer rates above current aircraft which have launch coast already amortized and are far less money. Boeing did some very serious market research and found their customer base just could not support the larger aircraft, I dont think that Boeing would choose to walk away from a market they owned if it had any real potential. The market in aircraft is shrinking with a strong demand in direct flights. The cost to land multiple times in a trip is becomming very very expensive with airport landing fees skyrocketing. I think that both these companies have some very high powered agendas and have taken big gambles in a high stakes game, its going to be fascinating to see how this plays out.

I think the A380 is going to end up the white elephant of the skies. Not many airports can handle the 380 and its just too many people crammed together. The new Boeing is going to have lower pressure and more humidity in the cabin. Not a hard choice for consumers. Also appears that the 380 is pretty far over weight which will probably negate the cost savings of hauling that many people.

I had nothing but Macs since 1979 and I finally succumbed to the Windows insanity during my last job. They issued laptops and I was under the rediculous impression that a laptop could be synced with a PC and I secretly lusted after the slew of games available. While I had a vague clue on how miserable Windows is, I thought that they had done pretty well on creating a graphic shell that comes close to emulating the Mac OS. I have had a lovely and exciting education in this miserable operating system since. The only person who could possibly recommend Windows as an OS is a person who has no experience in any other OS. It is unstable, prone to cataclysmic crashes, viruses, memory hogging, spyware, pop ups, and just plain SLOW. If you want to use your computer for work there is nothing that Windows offers that Mac doesnt do easier, better and quicker. If you want to play games, Macs are about worthless. Personally, if there is a God, this will be the last PC I ever own.

Tempurpedic mattress (Swedish foam) is absolutely the only way to go. I brought mine over in a suitcase, weighed a ton but more than worth it. I probably have sold over 100 of these in the last 10 years and everyone who buys one becomes a evangelist. If anyone finds a dealer in Bangkok for these I would love to hear. I notice mattresses wear out quicker in Bangkok....

If not, I might start a retail shop, these things sell themselves.

Most of the jumpers in the great crash were highly leveraged. No laws back then against banks loaning money to private investors for stock market gambling. Many people were in the market for millions with less than 6% equity, there was no chance of sitting tight for the rebound.

Sound familiar? The fundamentals were very similar to the highly leveraged and speculative investing that brought about the 97 crash here. Differance is that after the crash the US put some pretty strong regulations in place to limit that sort of speculation, I dont see the same sort of restraint in place here after the 97 crash.

Thailand's prime minister seeks tax breaks for Thai products

Saturday January 08, 2005

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) Thailand needs tax breaks for its exports more than financial assistance as it recovers from the impact of the Asian tsunami, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatra said Saturday.

During his weekly radio address, Thaksin said he had met with British and Norwegian officials, who offered relief aid for victims of the disaster and help for restoration work.

``I told them that we do not need help in the form of financial assistance. Instead, we need technical assistance, and that British and some EU nations, which earlier revoked our GSP status, should give it back us,'' he said.

GSP the Generalized System of Preferences provides duty-free or reduced-duty access to foreign markets.

``I told them that by resuming GSP, we then can rebuild our economy. When we send more prawns to the EU market, then our shrimp farmers will re-emerge from bankruptcy,'' he said.

Thaksin said some foreign officials he did not identify who agreed to return GSP status to Thailand immediately.

He also said Thailand plans to build a tsunami museum with contributions from Sweden, which lost a large number of its nationals when the walls of water battered prime tourist resorts.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

So let me get this straight, the Thai people that have had their homes and businesses wiped from the face of the earth, the simple fisherman who have lost their boats, the parents who are missing their children, the mass of people who have lost their jobs, they do not need help. What would serve them best is not new homes, new boats, reopened small businesses, no what they desperately need are most favored trading terms with Europe so that big business can effectively utilize the low labor costs here to make a killing in foreign markets. Sometimes it really gets to be too much.

Thanks harmonica and ravisher, I have been following the market closely as I am tied into exchange rates as well. I think you have both slid some good common sense into the equation. I know some big boys who play in the market and to a man they told me that while the trend is your friend, at this point in world history do you really want to bet against the US in business. Having done business on all the continents and being of the Friedman school I think you guys are seeing the situation pretty clearly. Plenty of problems there but far less than anywhere else. The inside money right now is watching India very closely. While the 90s might have been the decade of China, the 2000s might go to India.

Was on track for full retirement at 49 in 2007 but NOOOOOOO some family members had big ideas about increasing our business in Asia. Ohhhh you can go early and just keep an eye on things....RIGHT.

I now have manufacturing in China and Taiwan, trying to move more of our products here which is a constant struggle. All my old associates also want to source here and I am working harder than ever. Semi retired my @ss. My largest product line is aftermarket motorcycle parts for big V twin cruisers, mostly Harley.

I am looking forward to the day they all leave me alone and I can teach for free.

Now I remember why they built six, a number of them had to be destroyed during testing. There are impact tests that have to be certified so that took out at least two maybe three. Thankfully motorcycles don't have to do the crash tests so you can still get a single one approved.

Vespa has US DOT and EPA certificates and were grandfathered in probably back in the 60s. As long as they certify emmissions every year and comply with DOT and FMVSS regs they can issue US titles which makes them completely legal to import.

You too can get these registrations by simply complying with the US DOT and EPA certifications. There are companies on both coasts that will attempt to do this. Normal fees for a single vehicle start at about $60,000 for the paperwork, and in the case of a car, modification fees start at about $40,000. They offer no guarantees of eventual success but will keep trying for three or four years (or until you run out of money). Antique cars are not too much trouble as there are some grandfather clauses that ease the way a bit. I think you could eventually get a motorcycle certified by one of these firms rather cheaply, probably under $50,000.

The main problem for cars are the glass and brakes (leaving emissions out of the equation). Glass has to be made to DOT cert standards so every car has to have all the windows replaced, the cost of a one off certified windshield for say a Diablo is simply wonderfully staggering. Could feed a Thai family for a decade. Motorcycles dont have the same raft of regs as cars, no glass and the brakes could probably be modified easily. Then there are emissions. Everything has to have physical testing at certified testing centers and all documentation has to be signed by PEs (Professional Engineers) so it would not surprise me if given enough money and time it could be done. An interesting problem is that the vehicles are impounded at customs until you get the certs, I am not sure how they get them to the testing centers and back while kept in impound. I would guess they have their own transport service.

I think the easier and sure route is to offer to Honda to pay for the general certification process for that specific model. I found Suzuki open to this when I was working on importing a Japanese only model to the US. They can take similar models that have been certified and certify the similarity based on commonality of parts, such as brake components. Then they only have to certify the physical characteristics of what remains untested. As a certified test center filled with PEs familiar with the bike, its really not much trouble for them to do. Suzuki thought it shouldnt cost more than around $250,000 US. I would bet successful certification would be pretty much guaranteed.

Had the same situation back in the 90s with a well off individual of rather strong German roots who only ever drove a Mercedes Benz. He wanted a Benz SUV and at that time there was no such thing. So he paid Daimler to design and build 6 (there was a reason for that number that I dont remember) they used commonality of components from the Mercedes line, got certified and he easily and legally imported them into the US when done. I dont think they ran over $1 million each which seemed to me to be a great deal. Rumor was that they were so cheap because Mercedes amortized some of the costs as they were considering manufacturing SUVs anyway. Sure enough they hit the market a few years later.

So it can be done and I have been around long enough to see crazier things than this. If you really love your motorcycle enough, and have way too much money, go for it, it is possible.

Having said all this so emphatically and being very well versed with what is required, a quick search on Ebay will turn up a few motorcycles that were Japanese only models with US registration. Now, you have to import and have a US title to get registration so it was done somehow. You wont find cars in this category unless they are antique or have been through the $100,000 cert process but there are motorcycles. I have tried calling the people selling these units and have never found out who did it or how. I get the "I dunno, bought it from a ad in a newspaper" or some such. If I ever actually find someone who got this done I would post it here. I have an hypothesis that they are brought back by State Dept employees. There are certain exemptions and free freight they are allowed and I know one employee who filled his container with motorcycles that he swore he could get titled as part of his exemption.

So there you have it. Join the State Dept, few years in Iraq and you can get your Honda Wave back with no trouble or expense.

Best of luck, let me know how much the engine weighs and if the airline charges you extra.

Adam, got some bad news for ya. Its cheaper to drive it off the dock. There is a big shredder at Long Beach and unless its EPA and DOT certified they will drop it in there after about 180 days of sitting on the dock costing you money.

What you could do, and I have seen it done. Is take it apart in about a zillion pieces, ship four or five of the bigger boxes back by Fedex and list the contents as motorcycle parts. That should only run about $1000. Dont ship the engine in this manner, it will get confiscated and scrapped. The engine you can break down into a bunch of parts and put them in three or four suitcases. You have a better chance of getting a non EPA certified engine past airport customs than port customs. Not a good chance but at least some chance.

If all your fedex boxes make it, and knowing fedex I bet they do, you can reassemble your treasure at home in your spare time. Under no circumstance should you ever venture on to a public road with your crotch rocket. The fines for driving a unregistered and uncertified vehicle on public roads will make you wish you had never learned to drive. Also, if its a California road, you will probably be prosecuted and your toy will be confiscated.

They do make lovely wall art and great deep well pumps.

Good luck!

Duhhh, i dunno. eeerrrrp. (scratch scratch) just sorta reminded me of sum one. haf to think bout it for a while.

The Associated Press, Reuters

Friday, November 26, 2004

BANGKOK The bird flu virus that rampaged across much of Asia this year is likely to be the cause of the next human flu pandemic, which could hit up to 30 percent of the world's people, a top international expert said on Thursday.

The expert, Dr. Klaus Stohr, who coordinates the World Health Organization's Global Influenza Program, stated that there was no question about whether another influenza pandemic would sweep through the world's more than six billion people, only a question of when.

"There are estimates that would put the number of deaths in the range between two and seven million, and the number of people affected will go beyond the billions as 25 to 30 percent will fall ill," Stohr said. Referring to the avian flu virus A(H5N1), which has forced Asian governments to kill tens of millions of fowl in a vain attempt to wipe it out, he said, "This virus is certainly the most likely one which will cause the next pandemic."

Pandemics usually occur every 20 to 30 years when the genetic makeup of a flu strain changes so dramatically that people have little or no immunity built up from previous flu bouts.

"During the last 36 years, there has been no pandemic, and there is a conclusion now that we are closer to the next pandemic than we have ever been before," Stohr told reporters. "There is no reason to believe that we are going to be spared."

The bird flu virus has killed 32 people in Thailand and Vietnam this year.

Stohr said a mutated strain of the flu would most likely originate in Asia.

There were three pandemics in the 20th century; all spread worldwide within a year of being detected.

The worst was the Spanish flu in 1918-19, when as many as 50 million people worldwide died.

A interesting method I use and it might come as a complete surprise is....money. I found handbag manufacturers this way and it can be fun. Find the largest vendor you can and just offer them between 500 and 1000 baht to introduce you to the person they buy them from. Go visit them, with an introduction and increase the money for the next introduction. For my handbag manufacturer it took five introductions and about 15,000 baht. Start with a big vendor so you can compare quality and you have the chance of cutting out one or two levels of the supply chain. Always remember that there is an amount of money that will take you one step closer to the factory. If you hit a wall, go back to the last successful step and get a new introduction as the first recommendation was a dead end.

You have a very good chance of ending up one step away from the factory. I dont want to go into the reasons for that here but in thailand that should be considered close enough, you will know when you get there. Dont try to cut that last person out if you catch my drift, might be bad for business.

Good luck and let us know how it works out.

Bangkok, 3:15 on Monday, no rain today.

The entire British police force. They would straighten out all these corrupt buggers. Shame I couldnt have a few dozen German engineers as well, but you said only one thing.

***An engineer dies and is mistakenly sent to h*ll, well says the devil, until we get this straightened out you might as well make yourself at home. So the engineer fixes the traffic, gets the place air conditioned, and fixes all the plumbing so things are quite comfortable. God looks down and is dismayed at all the progress, He immediately opens the big book, finds the mistake and calls down "HEY SATAN, SEND THAT ENGINEER UP HERE WHERE HE BELONGS" Satan thinks for a while and retorts.."not a chance!!! what are you going to do about it? Sue me?" God replies "AND JUST WHERE DO YOU THINK I COULD GET A LAWYER?"

While we are at it, how bout the entire Swiss civil service too????

I just read through seventeen pages of this and all I can say is that I want you kids to turn off the telly and go outside and play a while. The fresh air will do you good.

Before it rains.

Which it might soon.

Cant really tell, its still dark out.

Oh god, I am doing it too.......

You get a feel for how insignificant to the big picture you are when you dont even get spam from the rougue transvestites..... (lucky me!)