nokia

This 'termination' of the Constitution is what I find the most disturbing. Why 'terminate' not just 'suspend' it? This suggests there will another one - or none at all..

Most legal experts and commentators in the past have suggested Thailand's 1997 Constitution is actually a pretty good one. There are holes in it for sure - and that's how the meddling happened.

Transparency amendments are needed but that's about it...don't throw out the baby with the bathwater Herr General..

Without a constitution, there's a possibility for an absolute monarchy like Saudi Arabia.

"We will restore power to a government under the monarchy very soon."

what does that mean exactly? ill there still be an election for a new PM?

I dont think a government under a monarchy will have elections right? Things are still early to say, but we can only guess. Will LOS be the same without democratic elections? Your answer is as gd as mine....

ummm better go back and re-read ......

there will be elections ... the King will stay as Head of State .....

That's what they say but dont u think if there's elections next year October, there is a strong chance TRT will win the elections again unless it is disbanded?

"We will restore power to a government under the monarchy very soon."

what does that mean exactly? ill there still be an election for a new PM?

I dont think a government under a monarchy will have elections right? Things are still early to say, but we can only guess. Will LOS be the same without democratic elections? Your answer is as gd as mine....

Thailand under military rule

Monarchy to be restored, top civil servants to be told about new policy

Wednesday • September 20, 2006

BANGKOK — Thailand's army chief, who led a coup early today in the country's 20th such seizure of power since it cast aside an absolute monarchy and embraced democracy in 1932, has appointed a new Prime Minister to replace Mr Thaksin Shinawatra and has announced an intention to restore the monarchy.

Speaking on Thai TV, the coup-makers, led by army Commander-in-Chief Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, said the armed forces and police were under their control and they faced no resistance.

The military faction, calling itself the Democratic Reform under the Monarchy Council, immediately dissolved the Cabinet, the Senate and named General Surayudh Chulanont, a member of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Privy Council, as the new Prime Minister. The Constitution was also abolished.

"We will not seize power for long," said a spokesman for the group, which has called itself the Democratic Reform under the Monarchy Council. "We will restore power to a government under the monarchy very soon." The announcer, while avoiding the word "coup", said the seizure of power was necessary because increasing political conflict was threatening national unity.

The coup leaders later declared today a national holiday and ordered top civil servants to a meeting at military headquarters to announce their "new policy".

Thais who trickled out onto the capital's streets overnight welcomed the surprise turn of events as a necessary climax to months of demands for Mr Thaksin to resign amid allegations of corruption, electoral skullduggery and a worsening Muslim insurgency. Many people were surprised but few in Bangkok seemed disappointed.

A few dozen people raced over to the Prime Minister's office to take pictures of tanks surrounding the area. "This is exciting. Someone had to do this. It's the right thing," said one man.

In New York, the Thai mission to the United Nations withdrew a request for the world body to rearrange the schedule of its most important annual meeting so that the now-ousted Mr Thaksin could speak.

Mr Thaksin planned to leave the United States later yesterday, a senior Thai official said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was "not sure" whether Mr Thaksin would return to Bangkok. — AGENCIES

Folks, i think for 2 wheelers, a bicycle is far safer than a motorbike. Why? How often do you see a mangled bicycle on the road?

I rode on a bicycle in CM city for two months before upgrading to a pickup recently. Verdict: As a bicycle's acceleration is far slower than a motorbike, alot of time is spent waiting at intersections around the moat. Most motorbikes will zoom across intersections, change lanes recklessly, or cut in front of vehicles, and if they not fast enough, collisions may occur. Just my 5 satang's worth of opinion.

Folks,

As my insurance is dated 25 nov, and the blue book registration date is 23 dec,when do i go to the insurance agency? i'm not in LOS now, so trying to figure out when is the best time to come to LOS to renew the insurance & road tax. Is there any penalty for late renewal i.e. Jan07? Any advice is appreciated.

floods last ,floods this year and it will be floods again next year.

time for you people up there to invest in a boat each , not too big mind you, just about the same size as noah's.

just big enough to fit the night zoo animals in so you got something to eat when you cant get to the shops.

Global warming & buying a boat sounds reasonable. Who's got a boat here, and what's the price for a decent fibreglass boat? Cheers!

Folks, how about tooth fillings? What is the general price range? I visited a small clinic along Suthep road, and they charged me 600b for a porcelain filling, and 500-600b for cleaning. For Thai, it's written 300-400b for cleaning at the frontdesk.

sabaijai, you are absolutely right. The dentists that i've met spoke pretty decent English, much better than other professions including doctors.

P.s. we know dental treatment is alot more expensive over in the States/Euro, but can we pay Thai prices?

America:The average cost for one-surface filling in 1999 was $65.09, compared to the average cost for placement of a dental sealant ($29.09).

However even if the translation of these ages are correct, there's stil the issue of whether the claim is mythological or not. I've heard that many of the stories in the Bible can be traced directly to Egyptian and other mythologies, for example.

Mythology or actual Facts & History?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/m...e/hebrews.shtml

The story goes that Moses led two million Hebrews out of Egypt and they lived for 40 years in the Sinai desert - but a century of archaeology in the Sinai has turned up no evidence of this. If the Hebrews were never in Egypt then perhaps the whole issue was fiction, made up to give their people an exotic history and destiny.

Some archeologists decided to search instead in the Nile Delta: the part of Egypt where the Bible says the Hebrews settled.

They combed the area for evidence of a remarkably precise claim - that the Hebrews were press-ganged into making mud-bricks to build two great cities - Pithom and Ramses. Ramses II was the greatest Pharaoh in all of ancient Egypt - his statues are everywhere. Surely his city could be traced? But no sign could be found. There were suggestions it all been made up by a scribe.

Until a local farmer found a clue: the remains of the feet of a giant statue. An inscription on a nearby pedestal confirmed that the statue belonged to Ramses II. Eventually, archeologists unearthed traces of houses, temples, even palaces. Using new technology, the archaeologists were able to detect the foundations and they mapped out the whole city in a few months. The city they had discovered was one of the biggest cities in ancient Egypt, built around 1250BC. 20,000 Egyptians had lived there.

But was this city actually built by Hebrew slaves? There is a reference in ancient Egyptian documents to a Semitic tribe captured by Pharaoh and forced to work on the city of Ramses. A clay tablet lists groups of people who were captured by the Pharaoh and one of the groups was called Habiru. Could these be the Hebrews? No-one can be sure.

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Egyptian history is divided into nine periods:

Early dynastic period (3100-2686 B.C.)

Old Kingdom (2686-2181 B.C.) This was a peaceful and prosperous period of time. This was a time of economic wealth and political stability. It was the time of great pyramids, massive tombs, and mummification.

1st intermediate period (2181-2040 B.C.) This was the decline period of the old kingdom. It was caused by the low floods of the Nile resulting in full crops and political instability due to powerful priests and governors. This was a period of anarchy. The pharaohs lost power and could only control one part of the kingdom at a time.

Middle Kingdom (2040-1640 B.C.) This was a stable period beginning with one dynasty that was strong enough to control all of Egypt. During this time, Egyptian influence spread to Nubia.

2nd intermediate period (1640-1550 B.C.) This is another period of anarchy, this time caused by the high floods of the Nile. During this period, a group called the Hyksos was able to invade Egypt and rule it for a time. It is believed that the Hebrews were able to enter Egypt at this time.

New Kingdom (1550-1070 B.C.) This was a stable time period, full of military expansion. This was also the time that the Temple of Karnak and The Valley of the Kings were built. It is also believed that this is when the Hebrew slaves were able to escape Egypt under the rule of Ramses II.

3rd intermediate period (1070-712 B.C.) Another period of anarchy and chaos. For a short time the Libyans conquered Egypt and ruled as part of the 22nd dynasty.

Late Period (712-332 B.C.) During this period Egypt was not progressing. It was ruled by the Nubians, then by the Assyrians, and then by the Persians.

Greco-Roman Period (332 B.C.-395 A.D.) Now Egypt was ruled by Greece and Rome. From now on there were no more Egyptian rulers. After thatm the Egyptians were ruled by other countries such as the Byzantine Empire.

Is there archeological evidence that Hebrews were in Egypt?

What we do know is that from the 16th century B.C. down the next couple hundred years, the northeastern delta of Egypt had significant Semitic populations. It would be very easy to have the Hebrews among that group

Where in Egypt's history do Rameses II, and possibly the Exodus, fit in?

Under Rameses II, Egypt was very powerful, controlling Palestine and Syria up to central Syria. Then there was the big battle with the Hittites at Kadesh, and that led to a treaty with the Hittites. Along with the Hittites, Egypt was the dominant power at that time.

Reviving an old topic. i think the answer is Greed & Desire for more material wealth= power to acquire material things to satisfy Unlimited desires...

Humans are greedy by nature, they just want More & More. It's never enough.

If a child is crazy about jelly beans & has 10 jelly beans, he/she would like to have 100. Then when he has 100, maybe 1000, 10000, until the whole room is filled with jelly beans. The same goes for an adult with $$$. When does it stop? RIP...

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Gambling in LOS

by: Bill Grimson

If prostitution is the world’s oldest profession, then gambling must be its oldest obsession. In Thailand gambling is illegal but this ban is a classic example of no meaning yes. Go to many places around the country and it doesn’t take long to hear by word of mouth or innuendo that a lot of card games and other games of chance are taking place.

This probably applies more to Chinese/Thais. As has been well documented the Chinese have an almost genetic disposition to gambling. Across the river from Chinatown in Bangkok where my sister-in-law and her family lives, card games abound. It has often been pointed out to me that a lot of the men loitering around the narrow sois are in reality lookouts in case the police turn up.

The only sanctioned gambling in Thailand is the state lottery. Go anywhere in Thailand and you will be confronted in markets and streets by lottery ticket salesman and women. Many of these people have a physical disability and the commissions from ticket sales are their only source of income. Quite often they will congregate at places such as the Erewan Shrine, which are considered to be lucky.

In years past the most interesting thing about the State lottery was its illegal sibling. Until recently when the Government wised up and made the official lottery more attractive with better prizes, a considerable number of Thais would wager their money on the illegal version of the lottery. The results were based on the legal bi-monthly draw. With perceived better odds and prizes, the illegal lottery was probably as large or even larger than the official version. There existed a spider’s web of middlemen taking the bets and probably a cabal of Mr. Bigs or possibly even a Mr. Big. I often visualized that there could have been a master criminal running the whole show – at times lighting up a Cuban with a thousand baht note (I probably watch to much television)

But it was the tension-laden atmosphere leading up to the lottery draw that was most noteworthy. Everybody seemed to be involved – Farmers, Teachers, housewives, even Buddhist Monks – many wagering more money than they could afford. In rural areas before every man, women and child possessed a mobile phone; people would queue up at village shops to use the phone. They would call friends and family around the country to confer about lucky numbers. Sometimes these calls would be made to Monks renowned for picking propitious numbers.

The tension comes to a head on the day the lottery draw is televised. A hush seems to fall across the country. Thais are a pretty tolerant lot when it comes to noise and high spirits, but anybody making a noise during the draw is quickly told to zip their mouth. The only time I have seen people looking at a television with a rapt expression like this was when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. The televised lottery draw to is also different to other countries.

The official draw in Thailand in contrast is all seriousness. The long series of draws that seem to take an excruciating long time to complete take place in a large room filled with uniformed officials (At first glance it looks like a war room at the Pentagon).In the room is a long row of clear plastic tumblers filled with numbered balls with each tumbler overseen by a po-faced female official yet again in uniform. Each official manually rotates their tumbler and then reaches into the tumbler to pull out and then hold up a numbered ball for all and sundry to see. The whole point of the exercise and the vast number of officials is to make everything appear transparent and above board. However the more earnest the process has become, the more it seems like there is a level of fiddling going on.

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To end suffering, one must cut off greed and ignorance. The extinction of desire is Nirvana.

Unfortunately, popular Buddhism in LOS becomes a culture shock for Westerners, whether atheists, agnostics or theists who understand Buddhism is not about worshipping deities but self enlightenment/ nirvana.

In LOS, placating a pantheon of deities/"good spirits" & to avoid "malevolent spirits"/ghosts is a daily ritual for every Thais. In addition, with many colourful & rich festivals to placate the Lak Muang(City Pillar) and the different spirits residing in mountains, rivers, caves, cities etc, can a foreigner not do as the "Romans" do?

Do we prefer to spend our short, temporal life placating the numerous "spirits" in LOS, or in pursuing purse the Truth? Truly, few can do both, in trying to serve two masters...

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Atheism, in its broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of gods. This definition includes both those who assert that there are no gods, and those who make no claim about whether gods exist or not. Narrower definitions, however, often only qualify those who assert there are no gods as atheists, labeling the others as agnostics or simply non-theists.

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Although the Buddha did not deny the existence of gods/spirits, he taught that the worship of gods /spirits obstructed one's quest for nirvana. To him the gods inhabit the cosmos and are impermanent like all other living beings. Thus they too must escape rebirth through nirvana. Ironically many Buddhists revere the Buddha above the gods. What was important to the Buddha, however, was certainly not the worship of gods/spirits or himself but the following of his teachings.

I must admit that I had a few discussions with Thais where I also argued that the Phra Phrom statue was not Buddhist, but a brahmanical idol. Of course, the Thais insisted it was Buddhist, just as all the Ganesh statues are (that elephant god).

So that got me thinking, why do I consider these to be non Buddhist? Is it my rational western upbringing? Maybe Buddhism for me is textual - ie if it is not in the Pali Nikayas/vinaya it is not Buddhist, but a later degeneration. Is this view justified?

Bankei

Guatama Buddha did not make any claim to divinity, nor urged his followers to worship him, but the Brahmans-who were already worshipping idols of Ganesh, elephant god & Shiva, Brahma & Vishnu, quickly began to make statues of Guatama. And in time, those who are used to worshipping idolscame to worship these idols of Guatama as god for blessings, rather than a symbol that helps people to recall the qualities of the buddha.

Similarly, for Islam, When Mohammed was born in Mecca in 570 AD, the black Kaaba Stone was the religious center of all Arabia. In Mohammed's day, 365 idols were worshipped there, standing in the great courtyard. One of those deities was called Allah and was the god of the Quarish tribe, of which Mohammed was a member. When the Quarish tribe took control of Mecca, all the idols except Allah, the idol of their tribe, were destroyed. But he kept the Kaaba as a holy, sacred place and confirmed that the black stone had the power to take away man's sins. He obligated every believer to make a pilgrimage to the stone at least once in his lifetime.

Even for Christianity, in 300 AD, pagan rituals and idols gradually took on Christian meanings and names and were incorporated into "Christian" worship (e.g., "saints" replaced the cult of pagan gods in both worship and as patrons of cities; mother/son statues were renamed Mary and Jesus; etc.), and pagan holidays were reclassified as Christian holy days (e.g., the Roman Lupercalia and the feast of purification of Isis became the Feast of the Nativity; the Saturnalia celebrations were replaced by Christmas celebrations; an ancient festival of the dead was replaced by All Souls Day, rededicated to Christian heroes [now Hallowe'en]; etc.). A transition had occurred -- instead of being persecuted for failure to worship pagan deities, Christians who did not agree with the particular orthodoxy backed by the Emperor were now persecuted in the name of Christ! "Christianized" Rome had become the legitimate successor of pagan Rome! This is the sad origin of the Roman Catholic Church.

Sadly, it's all about the contextualisation of newer religions wrapped in the clothes of the older ones, keeping the baby without discarding the bath water. Any care to comment?

What also turns me of christianity is that Benny Hinn fella.

He supposley only heals the rich and charges alot to attend his shows.

Also see fottage him healing entire communities in Africa which look like BS to me.

There are always true & false adherents in every religion. The true believers vs the false professors. The liberals, conservatives, religious/ritualistic & the moderates abound in every religion. Fundamentalist religions place their priority on doctrinal conformity, rather than love, compassion and service.

Benny Hinn looks like more a con-artist/charlatan to me... That's my personal opinion. Try asking him to heal entire leprosy/HIV/blind communities for FREE, without collecting any offering... Religion is supposed to be free, without cost or charge, but unfortunately religion today has become like American Express, "Membership has its privileges" and membership is never Free.

Middle Way: The path in life between extremes.

Despite the advances in medical technology & DNA, many incurable diseases like cancer,HIV etc still exist today. Instead, strange new diseases/viruses like SARs & bird flu are appearing daily, capable of wiping out entire populations. With high levels of pesticides in greens, and meat from genetically modified animals, will human lifespan outlast the previous generation?

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Zim women have shortest lifespan

Fri, 07 Apr 2006

Life expectancy for women in Zimbabwe has plummeted to just 34 years, by far the lowest in the world according to data released on Friday by the World Health Organisation.

Women in the southern African nation and in nearby Swaziland are the only ones in the world who are not expected to live into their forties, the 2006 World Health Report indicated.

HIV/Aids

Both countries are among the hardest hit by HIV/Aids.

Male life expectancy at birth in Zimbabwe was 37 years in 2004, the most recent reference year used for all 192 countries in the report.

While the prospects for men were unchanged in Zimbabwe, life expectancy for women had dropped by two years in the space of 12 months.

Swazi men live shortest

Swaziland offered the lowest life expectancy for men — 36 years — of the states included in the WHO indicators, and 39 years for women.

The figures were nonetheless an improvement on the 33 years recorded for men and 36 for women in Swaziland a year earlier.

By contrast, Japan offered the healthiest outlook for its citizens, the WHO data indicated.

Life expectancy for men there was 79 years, while newborn girls could on average aim to live for 86 years. Both figures have improved by a year over the last WHO report.

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Buddhism declares that in this world there is nothing that is fixed and permanent. Every thing is subject to change and alteration. "Decay is inherent in all component things," declared the Buddha and his followers accepted that existence was a flux, and a continuous becoming.

According to the teachings of the Buddha, life is comparable to a river. It is a progressive moment, a successive series of different moments, joining together to give the impression of one continuous flow. It moves from cause to cause, effect to effect, one point to another, one state of existence to another, giving an outward impression that it is one continuous and unified movement, where as in reality it is not. The river of yesterday is not the same as the river of today. The river of this moment is not going to be the same as the river of the next moment. So does life. It changes continuously, becomes something or the other from moment to moment.

The Thai exporters are hoping that the government will devalue or stabilize the baht at current levels, but the govt's hands are tied due to the rising oil prices, hovering near 28b/litre, and likely to breach 30b in the near future. With a weak currency, you have to pay more for the oil, which affects minimum wage workers in LOS. Even BKK workers are grumbling at the 1b rise in bus fares because the wages remain the same. Even with the recent political turmoil, the baht remained strong. With billions of foreign direct investment(FDI) incl Shin Corp into LOS this year, the baht will continue to buck the expected trend, unless the govt or George Soros intervenes.

DIESEL

PTT wants to use reserves to ease shortage

Boosting imports to meet demand can only raise risk of widening trade deficit

PTT Plc is seeking to draw down the country's domestic diesel reserves to ease shortages that have sparked an uproar among truck and bus operators, the fishing industry as well as motorists who cannot refill their fuel tanks.

According to the Energy Business Department, Thailand's largest oil company has sought an approval to cut its reserves, which are required to be 5 per cent of total sales.

Two weeks ago, the Energy Ministry mentioned the possibility of a reduction in the legal diesel reserve requirement to ease the supply shortage.

"PTT is the only company that asked for the approval on the expectation that diesel demand in April at its petrol stations nation-wide will increase from 537 million litres to 545 million. It aims to reduce the reserves by 2.1 per cent," said Panich Pongpirodom, the department's director-general.

If approved, the new reserves will stay at that level for one month. The department expects to consider PTT's request in one or two days.

Panich still insisted yesterday that Thailand was not short of diesel supplies, despite reports during the Songkran festival that some consumers were turned away from petrol stations. Panich did admit that some stations had refused to fill up spare cans, but not vehicles' tanks.

If its reserves are not adjusted downwards, PTT will need to import more diesel immediately at a time when global oil prices have resumed their upward cycle, amid fears that imports would further widen the country's trade deficit.

Yesterday, crude oil futures in Singapore hit US$70 (Bt2,653) a barrel for the first time in seven-and-a-half months, lifted by concerns over declining gasoline stocks in the US, supply disruptions in Nigeria and tension over Iran's nuclear programme. The last time crude futures surpassed $70 a barrel was on August 30, when they traded at a record $70.85 a barrel after Hurricane Katrina struck the US Gulf coast.

Thai oil companies will consider today if they need to jack up retail prices - a move that was delayed before the Songkran festival.

Chaiwat Choorit, senior executive vice president of PTT, said that at present the company was recording a 50-satang negative marketing fee for every litre of petrol sold at the stations and a 30-satang negative fee for diesel. He added that PTT had halted wholesale trade of all fuels to make sure that all stations of PTT are adequately supplied.

"But we would not raise retail prices by as much as 80 satang per litre, as reported, to minimise the impact on consumers," he said, adding that the retail prices are likely to be raised by 40 satang per litre.

After the increase, octane-95 petrol prices will climb to Bt28.34, octane-91 to Bt27.54 and diesel to Bt26.69.

Other oil companies are expected to follow PTT's move.

Anusorn Sangnimnual, president of Bangchak Petroleum, said he preferred a 15-satang increase in retail fuel prices rather than the 40-satang rise. "We can opt for a lower increase at a time, but the price could be raised more frequently," he said. "The lower increase will not shock consumers and it will better reflect global prices."

To reduce oil imports, the Energy Ministry is implementing measures to cut imports by 5 per cent from the 2005 level, when an average of 828,000 barrels were imported daily.

Deputy Energy permanent secretary Pornchai Rujiprapha said there were discussions with crude oil producer and refiner Thai Oil, to refine more locally sourced crude oil.

"We concluded that an additional 61,000 barrels of onshore and offshore crude oil could be refined, to bring the total volume to 130,000 barrels. This should reduce oil imports by billions of baht," Pornchai said, adding that last year the country's oil import bill reached Bt650 billion.

Additional crude oil will come from the Thantawan and Benjamas fields, which are operated by Chevron. To refine the oil which is normally exported, Thai Oil needs to invest about $100 mil?lion-$200 million in new refining technology.

Coupled with lower consumption due to higher oil prices, crude oil imports in the first quarter dropped to 825,000 barrels per day on average, down by 3,000 from the 2005 level.

Pornchai of the Energy Ministry is confident that diesel imports will drop after April, when demand increased due to heavy travel schedules for the Songkran festival as well as the transportation of harvested agricultural products.

"Oil prices are much more expensive than our forecasts," he said. "Against our forecast of $50 per barrel, Dubai crude oil price is now $63 and many institutions expect it to rise to $70-$80. Still, we don't have a policy to stabilise diesel but will focus on the campaign to reduce consumption."

High oil prices have prompted truck and bus operators - who depend entirely on diesel - to consider raising service fees to cover the higher costs.

The association of northeastern truck operators called for a meeting yesterday to consider an increase of 10-15 per cent in service fees, which were fixed when diesel was at Bt20 per litre.

Surachan Kanakapinta, registrar of the association, said that if the association's proposal failed to receive official endorsement, truck operators could launch retaliatory measures including a mass gathering of trucks.

Suwit Tanvichit, chairman of the association of bus operators, also considered a meeting with members, who own about 7,000 of the more than 10,000 buses that offer tour and shuttle services.

"We barely cover our operating cost," he said. "Some operators are tied up in contracts struck for an annual period, which bound them to operate services at the old price. Some offer shuttle services for factories, but that might stop soon as they cannot cope with the escalating costs."

Sawai Jesyakom, vice chairman of the Songkhla fishery association, said that some fishing boats in the province bought illegal diesel from ships in international waters at a price if Bt21.30 per litre.

"The government's subsidy programme helps only small boats, not large boats which operate far from shore," he said. "Right now, over 600 fishing boats have halted operations and, without state assistance, more will follow. This will result in a chain reaction upon related industries like seafood processing plants and their workers."

Energy Reporters

The Nation

A lie is a lie. White lies, and all other lies for whatever reasons are still lies or untruth. For everyone lies, and does this fact makes us all feel better, or do we strive for a more superior conduct?

In Asia, esp LOS, people "Say what they dont Mean, and Mean what they Dont Say". Isnt it frustrating in the beginning? In the West, a "yes" usually means a "yes", a "no" usually means a "no", but in fascinating LOS, a "yes" can mean a "yes', or a "no" or a "maybe" or "let me think about it first" etc... And these white Lies are tolerated to a great extent, bending the truth in order to spare the feelings of others, to save "face" or to end disputes. For eg, Miss Tip couldn't make it for an appointment or needs some cash and conveniently lied that "mama is sick, or someone got into an accident"... Why cant she just say, "Sorry, i cant make it, or i need the money to buy cosmetics and look prettier"???

Children are usually either very straightforward, or excellent liars. It would be quite ambiguous for the former to differentiate which are the truths are to be stated. It is better to inculcate in them a pleasant lingo of kind words. As children are good imitators, parents should set an excellent example and should never criticize other people, whether in front of the children or without.

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Right Speech. By speaking kind and helpful words, we are respected and trusted by everyone.

Right Conduct. No matter what we say, others know us from the way we behave.

No lying Precept. Respect for honesty

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Lie

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To tell a lie is to make a declarative statement to another person that one believes to be false, with the intention that the other person believe that statement to be true, and with the intention that the other person believe that one believes the statement to be true.

Some have held that various other forms of intentional deception should be counted as telling lies. Hence the expression "lie of omission" or "concealment lie". This is when a person refrains from making some statement or statements, with the intention that another person believe a false statement to be true, produced entirely by the person doing the refraining. However, it is interesting to note that special expressions have had to be coined to refer to these so-called "lies". This suggests that these acts of omission are not lies, but rather may be consider as strategic positioning of truth. An example is omitting in conversation to one's boss that one has stolen as a child, This prevents the boss from making misjudgements about his employee's present day behavior. In contrast, one may not necessarily need to omit this to one's mother or close friend.

Omitting the truth by remaining silent may at times prevent one from speaking a lie. One may omit a statement of truth such as in the example that one stole as a child, giving another person a false impression that one did not steal as a child in order to prevent an authority figure such as a boss from misperceiving or misjudging them to be a thief as an adult when they are not. An omission or silence that has only the consequence of preventing illusion or misjudgement cannot truly be considered a lie. However, if the intent of omission in this example is to steal from one's boss, then this form of omission may be considered as a true lie of consequence. An omission that has the intent and consequence of producing further fraud or deception is in effect a lie.

Etiquette of lying

Although lies are normally condemned, it is also normally believed that some lies are worse than other lies. In particular, lies that are believed to be harmless lies are often called "white lies" or "fibs".

Augustine divides lies into eight kinds: lies in religious teaching; lies that harm others and help no one; lies that harm others and help someone; lies told for the pleasure of lying; lies told to "please others in smooth discourse"; lies that harm no one and that help someone; lies that harm no one and that save someone's life; and lies that harm no one and that save someone's "purity". Importantly, however, Augustine holds that "jocose lies" are not, in fact, lies.

Thomas Aquinas divides lies into three kinds: the useful, the humorous and the malicious. All are sinful according to Aquinas. Humorous and useful lies, however, are venial sins. Malicious lies are mortal sins.

Psychology of lying

Young children learn from experience that stating an untruth can avoid punishment for misdeeds, before they develop the theory of mind necessary to understand why it works. In this stage of development, children will sometimes tell fantastic and unbelievable lies, because they lack the conceptual framework to judge whether a statement is believable or even to understand the concept of believability.

Covering up Lies

The well known phrase "Oh what a wicked web we weave when first we practice to deceive" describes the often difficult procedure of covering up a lie so that it is not detected at some future time and then that detection serve to bring disadvantage to the liar.

In "Human All Too Human" philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche suggested that those who refrain from lying may do so only because of the difficulty involved in maintaining the lie. This is consistent with his general philosophy that divides or ranks people according to strength and ability. Thus some people tell the truth only out of weakness.

I used to ...with a 4WD club, almost every weekend for 2 years. Extreme driving with winching, not just towing ....sometimes all 4 wheels in the air. Crossed the Simpson Desert in Oz with it.

Then kicked the seats out, loaded surfboards and back to my old hobby - roamed the beaches for surf.

It was also comfortable for regular travel. With Mitsubishi, I could not make Sydney - Gold Coast in 1 go. Poor quality of the wehicle made driving it very diffucult after few hours.

With LandCruiser I could go in 14 hours (1100km) and no need to hire a room on my way.

Amazing. Just one question. If you stay in LOS, would u pay 3.6M baht for the same fantastic machine to use here?

"Honesty is such a lonely word, everyone is so untrue. Honesty is hardly every heard, and mostly what I need from you. . . . . .". (familiar song)

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The Fourth Precept: Refrain from Telling Lies

By Ven Kumara

Special occasion: Visit by the Sunday school children of Bodhi Langka Ram Temple, Taiping

As children are by nature restless, I’ll keep my talk short.

Do you all consider yourselves Buddhists? Good, I see a show of hands from all here. My next question is: Do you consider yourselves good Buddhists? Aha, I see a show of hands from only about half of those present! How then can we be good Buddhists?

Once the Buddha was asked, “What is a Buddhist?” What makes a person a Buddhist? How are Buddhists different from others?

You are a Buddhist if you take refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha. Whether or not you are a good Buddhist is a different matter.

The Buddha was also asked, “How is a person considered a good Buddhist?” The Buddha said that so long as he keeps the five precepts, he’s a good Buddhist.

Maybe we can say that there are different levels of being good Buddhists. Some may be able to keep only four precepts, others only three or two. But we should try to keep all five.

Today, I’ll just talk about one precept, one that’s very suitable and important to teach children. That’s the fourth precept. So what is the fourth precept? Yes, it is to refrain from telling lies. People say that this precept is very difficult to keep as compared to say, refrain from killing. For example, to kill a mosquito, you’ve got to take aim first. A lie can pop out from your mouth without having to think much.

How many of you have told lies before? Please raise your hand. Good. At least, we’re honest about that. So, all of us have lied before. So have I. See, I have my hand raised too. To refrain from lying is a very important precept to keep. If a person can lie, there’s nothing he cannot do because he can always cover up his misdeeds by telling lies.

This precept should be instilled into children from a very young age. If you do not tell lies, people will believe you when you speak. Have you heard the story, “The Boy Who Cried ‘Wolf’?” If you are a habitual liar, like the boy in the story, then no one will believe what you say, even when you are telling the truth. If you want to be a leader, you have to be someone who can be trusted and dependable. So you must be careful about what you say.

People look down on those who lie a lot and do not listen when they speak. Lying is bad kamma. As a result of telling lies, your words are weak and nobody listens to you. Some parents complain that their children do not listen to them. The reason for this could be their past bad kamma of telling lies.

Sometimes parents lie to their children in order to get them to listen to them. For example, they tell their children that if they do or do not do such and such a thing, the police will come after them. Children may believe that in the beginning. However, they are not stupid. Sooner or later, they’ll know that it’s not true. As a result, these children will learn to lie in order to get what they want. So, if parents want their children to be truthful to them, they themselves should not lie to their children.

[Ven Kumara then led the kids in a game of “Land-Sea”, which teaches children to be honest in a positive way. The children had a lot of fun and performed well in the game.]

I’m happy to see that the children seem to be quite well taught to be honest. They are willing to stick to the truth even if they have to be dismissed from the game. This reflects well on the parents and the Sunday school teachers.

Let me end by saying that we should all try to avoid lying.

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In regard to the moral precepts, the Buddha described himself as having put away the killing of living things, holding himself aloof from the destruction of life. Having laid aside weapons, he is ashamed of roughness and full of mercy, being compassionate and kind to all creatures. He does not take what has not been given, is chaste, and speaks truth being faithful and trustworthy, not breaking his word to the world. He has put away lying and slander and does not raise quarrels. Thus does he live:

as a binder together of those who are divided,

an encourager of those who are friends,

a peacemaker, a lover of peace, impassioned for peace,

a speaker of words that make for peace.

FUEL SHORTAGE

Oil firms to import huge lots of diesel

Wed, April 12, 2006

Domestic supplies close to crisis point

PTT Plc, Shell Co of Thailand and Esso (Thailand) will import 120 million litres of diesel this month to relieve current shortages, which is expected to spark a spike in retail prices despite government attempts to keep them under control, says a source in the energy sector.

"Domestic supplies are not sufficient to meet rising demand this month. Diesel must be imported, even though the imports carry a high price," the source said.

It was reported from Sakon Nakhon that some stations in that province were forced to shut down, because oil wholesalers limited supplies to each station to 16,000 litres a day, while demand was 35,000 litres.

Due to tight supplies that have already raised the retail diesel price to a record high of Bt26.29 per litre, the Northeastern Truck Operators' Association announced yesterday that after Songkran, they would raise their transport charges 40-50 satang per kilometre.

Association president Pramote Kongthong said high oil prices had caused more than 20 of its 392 members who owned more than 7,000 six- and eighteen-wheeled trucks have shut down operations.

"They will suffer more. Aside from the high prices, some stations refuse to sell fuel. So we have to raise transport charges," he said.

The new charge for transportation services for less than 200 kilometres will be Bt1.60/km, up from Bt1.20. Outside the 200km radius will cost Bt1.70/km, up from Bt1.40.

Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya, as acting prime minister, said after a Cabinet meeting yesterday that PTT Plc should keep its prices as low as possible in this situation.

"We will try to keep the supply sufficient," he told reporters. "Although there will be no extra measures, we will exercise existing ones like the energy conservation campaign and alternative fuel sourcing. Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry will have to minimise the impact on prices of consumer products."

PTT president Prasert Bunsumpun said PTT would import diesel if that were necessary to alleviate the situation, even though refined diesel oil is now priced as high as US$80 (Bt3,000) per barrel.

"Due to the high world price, domestic prices rise much more slowly. That might explain why some oil companies do not want to sell diesel," he said yesterday on the sidelines of a PTT shareholders' meeting.

Prasert told shareholders that thanks to the high oil prices, total revenues for PTT were expected to reach at least Bt1 trillion this year, up from last year's Bt900 billion. Also last year, its net profit was reported to be Bt85.5 billion.

Chaiwat Choorit, senior executive vice president for PTT's oil operations, said some Caltex and Jet stations had stopped selling diesel, due to the negative marketing fee. Clients have flocked to other stations: PTT, Esso and Shell.

He said that at PTT stations, diesel sales volume had increased from 15 million litres a day last month to 18 million litres now.

"The supply is extremely tight," he said.

It was reported that the diesel marketing fee is in the negative area, at minus 20 satang per litre.

Energy Policy and Planning Office (Eppo) director-general Metta Banterngsook explained that the situation would be tight this month, with Thais taking trips during the Songkran holiday and high demand for diesel to transport agricultural goods. Some local refineries have closed operations, while some in Singapore have switched to producing more jet fuel.

"Some oil companies have tried not to import the fuel, due to the low retail prices. Meanwhile, to import diesel from Singapore, they are also subject to a high price. Aside from the $80-per-barrel price, they have to add $6 or $7 more, so as to reduce the sulphur level to meet Thai standards," said Metta.

Eppo is now closely monitoring the situation by requiring all companies to submit their import plans, so as to keep imports at an appropriate level.

Earlier this year, the government tried to place controls on fuel imports, out of fear that high global prices would increase the national trade and current-account deficits.

Energy reporters

The Nation

I had that same problem with Mitsubishi Strada. Fixed it by replacing the whole wehicle with Toyota LandCruiser, the real 4WD.

Strada was 2WD with 4WD capability "on demand", I had to stop to engage it.

Leaf springs in the back, proper for agricultural needs but bouncy and uncomfortable when it comes to regular road crusing.

Erm...a rather expensive solution, 3.6M baht can buy a few Vigos/Stradas/Fortunas.... or build a huge mansion.... seriously, do you do river-crossings, go off-routes, or cross international borders with your excellent machine?

Rising baht hurting traders

Strong currency may start cutting into competitiveness

Rice traders have suffered from the recent strengthening of the baht, and exporters in other fields are expecting poorer performance if the Thai currency keeps escalating against the US dollar, making Thai products more expensive for global buyers.

They now fear that Thailand might not achieve its export income target, set at US$130 billion (Bt4.96 trillion) based on an exchange rate of Bt40 to the dollar, while some products, particularly shrimp and rice, could lose their No-1 position in the world market.

Thai Shrimp Association president Somsak Paneetatyasai said the stronger baht would directly reduce the country's export competitiveness, because exporters must quote higher prices.

"The government has undertaken a managed-float currency for years, which leads to export difficulties whenever there is a stronger baht," he said.

The baht strengthened to a six-and-a half-year high, briefly touching Bt37.98 to the yesterday morning. Exporters, however, prefer an exchange rate of Bt40 to the dollar, because a weak baht would help them offset extra costs resulting from steep fuel prices and higher interest rates. They say a strong baht would make products from rival countries more attractive.

Thailand is now the world's biggest shrimp-exporting country, with an average of 300,000 tonnes per year going to major export markets like the US, the EU and Japan. It also exports about 7.5 million tonnes of rice annually.

Export income is now the main engine driving the Thai economy. Without the burgeoning growth in the export account, Thailand could have recorded larger trade- and current-account deficits.

"If our exports are worth $1 million, each Bt1 increase to the dollar will result in a loss of Bt1 million," said Thienchai Mahasiri, president of the Thai Garment Manufacturers' Association. However, he said most members of his association had prepared for the situation by buying currency-hedging contracts. He said the association has targeted export growth this year of 8 per cent, to Bt145 billion. However, the strengthening baht may decrease growth.

Thienchai said the worst-case scenario was the baht's appreciation causing export income to fall 10 per cent this year.

Sumeth Laomoraphorn, president of leading rice exporter CP Intertrade, said the stronger baht would hurt all exporters.

"We have to accept that export growth this year will not be as good as expected. We didn't expect this problem," he said.

Currently, buyers are turning rice from Vietnam, India, China and Pakistan instead of from Thailand, because of Thailand's rising price.

Sumeth said that since the government had done nothing to prevent the baht from strengthening further, all that exporters could do now was try hard to promote Thai rice brands.

He said the Thai Rice Exporters' Association had targeted exports of 7.5 million to 8 million tonnes of rice this year. However, they might revise this figure downwards, if the baht continues to rise.

Sompong Kitireanglarp, president of rice exporter Ponglarb Co Ltd, said the stronger baht had decreased exporters' revenues, although they had received very low margins from their exports. He said he had lost Bt450 for each tonne of rice.

The Export and Import Bank of Thailand predicts the baht will strengthen further, reaching Bt37.50 to the dollar.

Sompong said the company's export target of 200,000 tonnes might drop to 150,000 tonnes. He urged the government to stabilise the exchange rate before the impact intensified.

Rut Subniran, chairman of the executive board of Pathum Thani Rice Mill and Granary Plc, said that at the exchange rate of Bt38 to the dollar, exporters were now facing trouble, because they had not prepared for such an appreciation.

Thai Frozen Food Association president Poj Aramwattananont said the association would conduct a meeting soon after the end of Songkran, to help exporters find a way to solve the problem.

The association has targeted export growth of 15 per cent this year, to $2 billion, but it may revise that figure after the meeting.

Pornchai Chuenchomlada, president of Thai Gem and Jewellery Traders' Association, said if the baht did not strengthen further for more a month, jewellery exporters could achieve their set targets. But if it kept strengthening, say to Bt37, they would face big problems.

"Our trading partners might then shift their orders to rival countries," he said.

Achara Pongvutitham,Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation

Tue, April 11, 2006 : Last updated 9:41 am

To rehash my prior post: the psi as recommended by the MFG is the place to begin. Period. And more so, the difference between front and back PSI is critical. This will be a process of trial and error on the drivers part. You need to start with the psi that was recommended by the MFG.

as for the air tanks at gas stations- the thing to be wary of is water inside the tanks. Try bleeding off some air from the tank while paying attention to how much water it contains. If it has a lot bleed off some more, if not, then go ahead and put some air in your tires.

I would never trust the air pressure guages on the petrol tanks or that the attendants may use. Most are just not accurate. Buy yourself a quality made gauge- brass preferably.

Will do some fine tuning with the front/back PSI when i get back to LOS next month.

Thanks for the fine advice, Goodheart!

Buddhism is probably the most tolerant religion of the world, and it can coexist with any other religion. Buddhism agrees with the moral teachings of other religions but Buddhism goes further by providing a long term purpose within our existence, through wisdom and true understanding. Real Buddhism is very tolerant and not concerned with labels like 'Christian', 'Moslem', 'Hindu' or 'Buddhist'; that is why there have never been any wars fought in the name of Buddhism. That is why Buddhists do not preach and try to convert, only explain if an explanation is sought.

Besides the The Karanitta sutra, it is also mentioned in the Lotus sutra.

Chapter 14 is the portion of the sutra dealing with actual practice and attitude befitting a bodhisattva and representative of the Lotus Sutra. It lays out a four-part scheme to aid the bodhisattva (1) in establishing the healthiest and most effective relationships within and outside the sangha, (2) in meditation, (3) in keeping tolerant attitudes towards other Buddhist faiths, and (4) in aspiring to buddhahood in order to use one's powers of buddhahood to literally draw beings towards enlightenment.

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Many Westerners are attracted to Buddhism because of its apparent tolerance. Although there is a body of teaching, it is not forced on the individual in a dogmatic way. Claxton states that even the Buddhist doctrine of reincarnation does not have to be adhered to. The only requirement that Claxton thinks is necessary is that a person must believe that it is possible for one's personality to change and that things can be seen differently. Room for tolerance is therefore wide.

The Buddha himself taught that there are as many ways of teaching the darma as there are practitioners of it. As well as Buddhism's creed of tolerance, others are attracted because it is not necessary to conform to any particular form of clothing, haircut, or ritual.

Unlike many other religions, Buddhism is also attractive to Europeans not only because of the tolerance that exists within its own system but also in its general acceptance towards other world faiths. It is this acceptance that attracted the Jesuit missionary Hugo Makibi Enomiya-Lassalle (1898-1990) to Buddhism and motivated him to incorporate Zen meditation practice into Catholic worship, proposing 'Zen for Christian'.

-Theravada Buddhism is neither prescriptive, authoritative, nor exclusive in its attitude toward its followers and is tolerant of other religions.

-Shinto Buddhism is a tolerant religion which accepts the validity of other religions. It is common for a believer to pay respects to other religions, their practices and objects of worship.

I have been a Buddhist for 11 years but this is my first post on this Buddhist forum. I am concerned at what I call the invasion of non Buddhist religions into Buddhist countries like Thailand. In particular the likes of christian missionaries which set up schools with the view of attracting vunerable Thais and forcing christianity on them.

Does anyone in the forum have any similar concerns or views?

The Buddha taught his disciples to be tolerant of other religions. For example, when one lights a candle from the flame of another candle, the flame of the first candle does not lose its light. Instead, the two lights glow more brightly together. It is the same with the great religions of the world.

Well, people convert to another religion due to ignorance, disappointment or because they find it more attractive eg. A foreigner convert to Muslim because of his attractive bride. As a lay buddhist, would you endeavour to spend the rest of your life teaching the pure Dharma to the people concerned, and be a good light in obeying the 5 precepts & in following the noble Eightfold Path?