wester

I went to the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh today with the application filled and my $40 fee for a Tourist visa.

I was told by the lady there that I needed

1. A reciept for a plane ticket from Bangkok to my home country.

and

2. A reciept for a hotel reservation.

Absent that she wouldn't touch my application.

A Cambodian outside the Embassy offered to get the visa without the receipts through his service for $10.

Good Luck to you and have a nice day.

PAD 'government' needs money for new army divisions, to pay the salaries of CRES, and other welfare projects for the next 1000 years, not to mention matching funds for Savings accounts and other programs copied from Thaksin in hopes of buying support of the poor...they can't raise taxes or expropriate property from you-know-who, so they have got to get all that money from somewhere.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX <-----redacted for censorship purposes.

Thailand (like America) still won't ratify the International Criminal Court, making Thailand a free floating judicial system, bereft of accountability or responsibility to anyone or anything but itself. (Cambodia and Afghanistan even ratified this treaty!)

This puts Thailand (et al) in the auspicious company of states like Yemen, Burma, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, North Korea and Uzbekistan -where they boil people in oil.

Maybe hauling Taksin to the Hague is a good idea, but unless the current Thai government ratifies the ICC treaty, my prediction is that nothing will happen regarding this. And I can assure you wholeheartedly the treaty will ~never~ be ratified because that would mean that Thaksin would have to stand trial equally right alongside every other 2 legged primate in Thailand that is guilty of International Crimes. Nope, sorry, won't happen.

However, this article does make for lovely public relations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Criminal_Court

Hah Hah --- My prediction - the emergency situation stays - permanently.

And anyway it is for your own good. The new 1000 year "emergency situation" will be great for business and tourism and is just the ticket to get alll that freedom you ordered.

And, Oh gods, who shall arbitrate attachment of the qualitative adjective "ill" to any noun that manifests itself within the world?

"Does anyone bathe in a mighty little time? Don't say that he does it ill, but in a mighty little time. Does anyone drink a great quantity of wine? Don't say that he does ill, but that he drinks a great quantity. For, unless you perfectly understand the principle from which anyone acts, how should you know if he acts ill? Thus you will not run the hazard of assenting to any appearances but such as you fully comprehend. " - Epictetus, The Enchiridion

`The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, `which is to be master -- that's all.'

_________________________

and in case you missed it:

Thai government can't hang; withdraws signature from the critical parts of the Declaration of Human Rights..."the Royal Thai Government has exercised its right to derogation...specifically in relation to its obligations under Articles 12 (right to liberty of movement), 19(freedom of expression and freedom of the press) and 21 (right of peaceful assembly) for the duration of the emergency situation"

http://treaties.un.o...〈=en#EndDec

Partial list of logical fallacies -

Ad Hominem Tu Quoque

This fallacy is committed when it is concluded that a person's claim is false because 1) it is inconsistent with something else a person has said or 2) what a person says is inconsistent with her actions. This type of "argument" has the following form:

1. Person A makes claim X.

2. Person B asserts that A's actions or past claims are inconsistent with the truth of claim X.

3. Therefore X is false.

Example:

A: All I want is a new election and my vote to count.

B: Last time you voted for Thaksin who is a terrorist and bad guy. Therefore you should have no election and no vote

_________

Poisoning the Well

This sort of "reasoning" involves trying to discredit what a person might later claim by presenting unfavorable information (be it true or false) about the person. This "argument" has the following form:

1. Unfavorable information (be it true or false) about person A is presented.

2. Therefore any claims person A makes will be false.

Example:

A: Somebody shot live bullets from the red camp. Therefore all claims by every red protester, their opinions, freedoms and very life are forfeit in perpetuity.

HINT: This is the central argument at the crux of the claimed legitimacy of the Abhisit government and its continued program. Continue to use it at your discretion.

_________________________

Appeal to Belief

Appeal to Belief is a fallacy that has this general pattern:

1. Most people believe that a claim, X, is true.

2. Therefore X is true.

Example:

Everybody in Bangkok knows Thaksin is a rat.

Therefore Thaksin is a rat.

____________________________

Appeal to Consequences of a Belief

X is true because accepting that X is true has positive consequences (for me) .

EXAMPLE: We don't need quick elections (cuz I'll lose)

__________________________

Appeal to Fear

The Appeal to Fear is a fallacy with the following pattern:

1. Y is presented (a claim that is intended to produce fear).

2. Therefore claim X is true (a claim that is generally, but need not be, related to Y in some manner).

Example: If there is an election, or the emergency decree is lifted then Thailand will descend into chaos and might cease to exist.

_______________________

Appeal to Novelty

Appeal to Novelty is a fallacy that occurs when it is assumed that something is better or correct simply because it is new. This sort of "reasoning" has the following form:

1. X is new.

2. Therefore X is correct or better.

EXAMPLE: Abhisit is not Thaksin. Therefore Abihisit is preferable.

_____________________________

Appeal to Popularity

The Appeal to Popularity has the following form:

1. Most people approve of X (have favorable emotions towards X).

2. Therefore X is true.

Everybody in Bangok approves of the killing of protesters and supports the actions of Abhisit's government and knows it is good for Thailand. Therefore it is good for Thailand.

________________________

Appeal to Ridicule

The Appeal to Ridicule is a fallacy in which ridicule or mockery is substituted for evidence in an "argument." This line of "reasoning" has the following form:

1. X, which is some form of ridicule is presented (typically directed at the claim).

2. Therefore claim C is false.

EXAMPLE: Red thugs and Red terrorists destroyed the peace and quiet. Therefore their demands are illegitimate.

______________________

Appeal to Spite

The Appeal to Spite Fallacy is a fallacy in which spite is substituted for evidence when an "argument" is made against a claim. This line of "reasoning" has the following form:

1. Claim X is presented with the intent of generating spite.

2. Therefore claim C is false (or true)

A: I think I'll vote Red.

B. Remember, Red's are non-human terrorists who threaten the very existence of Thaiand.

A: OK - maybe I will reconsider

______________________________

Appeal to Tradition

Appeal to Tradition is a fallacy that occurs when it is assumed that something is better or correct simply because it is older, traditional, or "always has been done." This sort of "reasoning" has the following form:

1. X is old or traditional

2. Therefore X is correct or better.

EXAMPLPE:

Institution X in its current incarnation has a long history in this country. Therefore Institution X and its current incarnation are correct.

________________________

Burden of Proof

Burden of Proof is a fallacy in which the burden of proof is placed on the wrong side. Another version occurs when a lack of evidence for side A is taken to be evidence for side B in cases in which the burden of proof actually rests on side B. A common name for this is an Appeal to Ignorance. This sort of reasoning typically has the following form:

1. Claim X is presented by side A and the burden of proof actually rests on side B.

2. Side B claims that X is false because there is no proof for X.

Red shirts are responsible for their own deaths despite the fact that they were all several meters away from the finger that pulled the trigger.

When lethal force is used which results in death and injury, the burden of proof (usually extremely high) lies with the shooter, not the shot.

Once a Burden of Proof fallacy has been invoked (see above), Poisoning the well is a necessary tactic of Propaganda to reinforce the mistake.

___________________

Circumstantial Ad Hominem

A Circumstantial ad Hominem is a fallacy in which one attempts to attack a claim by asserting that the person making the claim is making it simply out of self interest. In some cases, this fallacy involves substituting an attack on a person's circumstances (such as the person's religion, political affiliation, ethnic background, etc.). The fallacy has the following forms:

1. Person A makes claim X.

2. Person B asserts that A makes claim X because it is in A's interest to claim X.

3. Therefore claim X is false.

EXAMPLE:

A: The Red Shirts have a more well reasoned program, not riddled with logical fallacies

B: All of you reds took money from Thaksin, therefore your claim is bunk.

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Composition

The first type of fallacy of Composition arises when a person reasons from the characteristics of individual members of a class or group to a conclusion regarding the characteristics of the entire class or group (taken as a whole). More formally, the "reasoning" would look something like this.

1. Individual F things have characteristics A, B, C, etc.

2. Therefore, the (whole) class of F things has characteristics A, B, C, etc.

EXAMPLE

A: There were one or more shooters in the red shirt camp. Therefore all the red protesters are violent thuggish terrorists, totally illegitimate untrustworthy and bad for Thailand.

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Description of Division

The fallacy of Division is committed when a person infers that what is true of a whole must also be true of its constituents and justification for that inference is not provided.

There are two main variants of the general fallacy of Division:

The first type of fallacy of Division is committed when 1) a person reasons that what is true of the whole must also be true of the parts and 2) the person fails to justify that inference with the required degree of evidence. More formally, the "reasoning" follows this sort of pattern:

1. The whole, X, has properties A, B, C, etc.

2. Therefore the parts of X have properties A, B, C, etc.

EXAMPLE:

A: The Red Shirt movement is composed of terrorists that are a threat to Thailand. Therefore the 3 year old kid, teenage girl, guy in a wheelchair and 80 year old grandma who attended the protest are terrorists as well.

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Description of False Dilemma

A False Dilemma is a fallacy in which a person uses the following pattern of "reasoning":

1. Either claim X is true or claim Y is true (when X and Y could both be false).

2. Claim Y is false.

3. Therefore claim X is true.

A: You don't support the Yellows, so you are a Red.

__________________________

etc.....Get the drift? My advice is that you pray that this stuff never reaches an international court.

Any political propaganda which can't build its case based on reason, will continue to have to defend itself from claims against its legitimacy.

Imagine the scene:

Lawyer at the Hague questioning "Thai person X " in the dock.......

Thai Person X "But those bad guys made me shoot!!!! They killed themselves."

Laughter......fade to black

anti-X does not mean pro-Y. this is a demonstration of Logical Fallacy -

called false dilema http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies

This is a psychological trait of those who suffer from a totalizing, authoritarian or manichaen personality

http://members.shaw.ca/jeanaltemeyer/drbob/TheAuthoritarians.pdf

If you were a responsible PM, and you were asked for an apology for over 100 of your constituents who died and thousands who were wounded at the hands of your soldiers, and you knew that an apology would actually diffuse the situation and lower everybody's blood pressure,

...but you or those around you choose to be too sanctimonious or too proud or too crazy to do that,

then iyou should understand that the uneasy feeling in your gut is the Mandate of Heaven passing away.....forever....

and the most astonishing part is that it is passing by y'alls own choice.

Reminds me of a recent quote from James Kunstler: "Life is Tragic, Dude"

In the future, please don't ask for pity when you have shown none.

Good luck with the attitude and the program kids... I think you will need it.

Is this headline a metaphor?

If you understand how tiny US$1.7 million is in comparison to the problem, you would laugh. But this headline does make great PR doesn't it?

How many people who write de-humanizing hateful screeds containing the adjective red actually eat every meal sitting on a mat on the floor?

Hmmmm......

"Those who trade freedom for security will have neither" - some crazed red-white-and-blue shirt nutball during the American revolution aqainst the British monarchy

When I see a polical movement anywhere on the planet that adheres to the following program I will not support it :

tactical heavyhandedness, poverty of analysis, and intellectual weakness

no contrition for repression and death

stubborn refusal to offer reasonable justification for anything it does

constant bleating and refusal to take responsibility for almost anything - ie blaming everything on X

no plan to end the sex trade and provide those who are driven into it with alternatives that are not degrading and humiliating

no plan to make the economy environmentally sustainable and viable in the longterm (i.e. not a good place to invest my money)

no plan to reform a situation that allows foreigners to profit from the exploitation of the domestic population

no plans to transition away from unaccountable unelected non-transparent undemocratic ossified ineffectual institutions.

no realistic plans to close the wealth and income gaps between the rich and the poor

an economic policy that results in piling on the government debt with little creative effort applied towards creative economic solutions that

help those who find themselves in trouble

if any such movement gives itself a color, you can always call me anti- that color.

Anger management - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Methods of anger management

Psychologists recommend a balanced approach to anger, which both controls the emotion and allows the emotion to express itself in a healthy way. Some descriptions of actions of anger management are:

• Direct, such as not beating around the bush, making behaviour visible and conspicuous, using body language to indicate feelings clearly and honestly, anger directed at persons concerned.
• Honorable, such as making it apparent that there is some clear moral basis for the anger, being prepared to argue your case, never using manipulation or emotional blackmail, never abusing another person's basic human rights, never unfairly hurting the weak or defenseless, taking responsibility for actions.
• Focused, such as sticking to the issue of concern, not bringing up irrelevant material.
• Persistent, such as repeating the expression of feeling in the argument over and over again, standing your ground, self defense.
• Courageous, such as taking calculated risks, enduring short term discomfort for long term gain, risking displeasure of some people some of the time, taking the lead, not showing fear of other's anger, standing outside the crowd and owning up to differences, using self-protective skills.
• Passionate, such as using full power of the body to show intensity of feeling, being excited and motivated, acting dynamically and energetically, initiating change, showing fervent caring, being fiercely protective, enthusing others.
• Creative, such as thinking quickly, using more wit, spontaneously coming up with new ideas and new views on subject.
• Forgiveness, such as demonstrating a willingness to hear other people's anger and grievances, showing an ability to wipe the slate clean once anger has been expressed.
• Listen to what is being said to you. Anger creates a hostility filter, and often all you can hear is negatively toned.

A common skill used in most anger management programs is learning assertive communication techniques. Assertive communication is the appropriate use of expressing feelings and needs without offending or taking away the rights of others. It is typically started with the use of "I" statements followed by a need statement. For example, "I feel upset when you don't take my feelings into consideration when you talk about your past relationships. I hope you can be more thoughtful and know what you should and should not say the next time."

With regard to interpersonal anger, Dr. Eva L. Feindler^[1] recommends that people try, in the heat of an angry moment, to see if they can understand where the alleged perpetrator is coming from. Empathy is very difficult when one is angry but it can make all the difference in the world. Taking the other person's point of view can be excruciating when in the throes of anger, but with practice it can become second nature. Of course, once the angry person is in conditions of considering the opposite position, then the anger based on righteous indignation tends to disappear.

International law does not stop at the borders of Thailand - Much to the chagrin of some.

Thailand does not receive the same level of support from the USA that Israel gets, so it cannot thumb its nose at the international community .

More blaming,.More generalizations. This non-substantive posturing with ad-hominem attacks betrays weakness. The longer this line is pursued, the surer there will be some kind of critical mistake that might undo you. Projection is a psychological term that comes to mind. I am not trying to attack anyone, I'm just saying when you approach issues in this emotional way it doesn't help you reach your objectives. When the emotional energy dissipates, people who chose this path usually find themselves in a bad corner with few choices.

The idea that Thaksin and Amstedam are somehow non-humans unworthy of the right to open their mouth amazingly doesn't seem to be flying very high outside the rarefied air in Bangkok.

When all is said and done these issues should rightfully be decided in an international court and not within protected chambers in Bangkok. as many seem to prefer.

If your position is sound, you should not have any problem whatsoever with this idea.

I don't think there will be an extended international hall pass for yellow shirt exceptionalism. And pretending that it will, instead of taking care of business, betrays the truer state of affairs and may be courting disaster. I am now old enough to know that the piper will be paid and the scales will re-balance eventually. The important thing is how all parties act and react in the meantime.

Compitent, clear headed rational, able governmnet dosen't result in bloodbaths and thus doesn't result in you finding yourself being publically lectured by a slimy attorney.

Instead of whining, why not file counter charges, or meet the charges head on and say confidently

"Sir, you don't have a case, but I accept your challenge and I will see you in court"

????

I can respect that a lot more than calling names and this endless litany of blaming and ad-hominems

The real international law is this:

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice"

You should fear it because there are no exceptions.

Keep that in mind in relation to whatever position you chose to take and defend.

Pot, Kettle, Black

"When you blame others,

there is no end to the blame."

- Lao Tze, vese 79 - Tao Te Ching

The yellow hysteria and obsession with this betrays weakness.

A government and supporters confident of themselves and their position should not need to whine and scrape like this before the international community.

Dear CRES-

RE: Poor English @ http://58.97.5.29/www.capothai.org/

An access??? has been ceased?? Did you run this through a translating machine?

My slowest Matayom 5 and 6 English students can do better than this, gentlemen.

And I will NOT correct your English in this letter because you need to figure out for yourself the correct way to use the language.

You - who have access to all the resources of the Thai government and who obviously have an internet connection cannot even run your little blocking text past a native speaker to get a translation that isn't a grammatical travesty before you throw it up on the internet and show to the world your laziness and sloppiness towards what is considered the primary language of international communication. You should be ashamed. Iif you bring this attitude and this level of 'work' to my English class you will FAIL. Now consider what those around the world must think of you.

In Shock and Horror,

Ajarn W. G.

Elementary School Teacher, Chalerm Thai, Chonburi

Article 19.

* Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.

Article 9.

* No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 5.

* No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Since Thailand now chairs the UN Office of Human Rights, this might be a good time to reflect on the articles above.

Suggestion for a new, provocative website to censor???

Why not try:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

The best way to understand this is "Now the world is divided into Savers and Speculators". The Speculators are ascendant. They need to borrow money at low interest rates to fuel investment bubbles around the world (like Australia with its 4.5% rate). Never mind if they make a mistake. Governments have already proven that they will bail out any amount of speculative gambling debts.

Savers, like your old mom who just wants to enjoy her retirement on her small pension are being hammered 6 ways from Tuesday.

There are no Dems/Reps, Torries/Labor, Red SHirt/Yellow --- there are only savers and speculators and right now the gamblers are running the casino. Until you, your old mom and half the people on the planet grow a pair, not much is gonna change. Make your bets accordingly.

Today's price of gold: $1261 per ounce

Have a nice day

The cleaning and support staff at my business made about 5000-6000 per month.

This is about average.

I worked with a high salary of 240000 per month. This is ~mid class in Thailand.

Thais usually need a university degree for this level of salary

Avg Costs room: 3000-5000 per month (usually shared)

electric per month 2000+ (usually shared)

food + drink = 40-60 per meal for Thai

Bangkok numbers might be higher but not necessarily.

If the girl is pulling 20000 without lifting a finger and her boyfriend lives outside the country then the Buddha has smiled upon her.

There is 1 access point that connects Thailand to the outside world. This all data entering and exiting can be monitored. Huge chunks of data - including e-mail, audio (skype), photos, movies etc... - can be archived and searched. Filters can be set up to flag certain things, but this might slow traffic, so most data is probably just copied and searched.

Around the kingdom, sniffers and such can be set up at ISPs - and I am sure that ISPs cooperate 100% with the police/military. I'd be shocked if the situation is otherwise.

Bots can be programmed to read and collect data from message boards and web forums.

All data will contain your IP addess. The police have a physical list of IP locations so if you get crazy online, it

will be easy to find, trace and bust you.

Solutions:

Use a Proxy server - I saw an article where the government was warning about the great danger of proxies - so you know this one is effective.

use Basic Encryption and creative passwords - this will protect you most of the time.

This includes Hushmail and other programs. But brute force crackers can be unleashed on you so be careful.

IP masking - requires programming skills for creating your own TCP/IP packets. Not easy.

or Zip your files and put a strong password on it. But brute force crackers can be unleashed on you so be careful.

If you and your partners know some extremely esoteric foreign language like Cornish or Gullah Sea Islands Creole, then use it.

And keep in mind, this is Thailand. This is not Langley, Virginia, USA.

Imagine you return to your home and see a soldier with an AK47 pointed at your head standing in your doorway.....now exactly who "ran off" and left others to clean up the pieces?

Can a 2 week border run - "Visa on arrival" be extended?

and if so how much and how long?

Simply put, it is a sure fire round trip ticket for a person who probably envies bugs and insects

Are you a teacher?

Yes