nisakiman

Maybe it's the blood alcohol level that neutralises the irritant!

They don't bother me either. Sometimes they itch a bit, but mostly not.

Same old same old.

Christ, when are they going to give up on this "war on drugs" and start to address the problem in a realistic way? This approach hasn't worked for the past 80 odd years, and it's not going to work now or in the future. You'd think by now that the powers-that-be would have realised and adopted a different tack. But no, still the same obdurate, ignorant mindset. Positively neanderthal.

What a waste of time and money.

And lives.

I despair...

The problem I see here is the potential manifestation of the knee-jerk reaction. I sincerely hope Thailand doesn't follow in the footsteps of the UK, with it's socially divisive CRB checks.

Yes, of course we must protect our children as best we can, but the sad fact is that there have always been these types around, and there always will be. Community and communication is the best defence against them.

In real terms, these situations are rare occurences. It's only because the media thinks that such stories sell newspapers that they are given such prominence. Especially if the perp is farang.

The reality is that the vast majority of foreign language (and indeed, all other) teachers in Thailand, and around the world, are just regular guys who have not the slightest inclination to abuse the kids in their charge - quite the opposite, in fact. The bad apples are few and far between.

If the bond of trust between teacher and pupil is broken by media hype, then everyone will be the loser.

As an aside, I am not, nor have I ever been, a teacher. But I do have four children (all adults now) so I feel qualified to comment on this subject.

Blimey!

Only just saw this thread. There's only one shop that sells decent coconut milk on this island - I'd better get over there and clean out their stock while I still can!

Saw a tuk-tuk in Phuket years ago with a coffin in the back with a lad sitting on one end to stop it falling out. Not sure if the coffin was occupied; didn't have time to ask... Wish I'd had a camera with me though...

I flew LHR-BKK-LHR via Moscow with Aeroflot about 10 - 12 years ago, with my daughter who was about 18 at the time, and I think I can safely say that it was the worst airline I've ever flown with.

Never again.

The leg from London to Moscow (and back) was ok - fairly new plane, not bad service. But the Bangkok leg was terrible. Old planes (the seats on the 747 I flew back on were so worn that the sponge was quite literally falling out, and the plastic covers below the arms aisle-side were broken, jagged and sharp. The carpet was like you encounter just under the bar in a busy pub - sticky and disgusting.)

The service was appalling. Unpleasant, sullen cabin crew who were downright rude to you if you had the temerity to request a drink or anything else that meant they had to actually do something.

I laugh about it now, but it was truly grim.

But I suppose it was a few years ago. Perhaps they've changed since then.

However..............................never again........................

The top narcotic drug used is amphetamine

What an idiotic statement; narcotics are not amphetamines

Perhaps if these people knew something about drugs and treatment there wouldn't be such a problem

You have hit the proverbial nail on the head KT.

And the saddest thing is that it's not only Thailand - pretty much universally, the people who are making and enforcing all these laws really haven't got a clue. Not even an inkling.

They know nothing about the drugs they are criminalising people for; they know nothing about the effects of those drugs, long or short-term; they know nothing about dealing with addiction; and finally, and most crucially, they know nothing about human nature.

And while these people all run around feeling smug and important, hundreds of thousands of other people around the world are suffering the consequences of their misguided zeal.

I really do despair...

Great pics.

I didn't go to Pattaya when I was in Thailand in '71, but I did go to Patong, Phuket. Talk about change! You really wouldn't recognise it as the same place now...

At last a good idea. When the economics of it collapse into mush we can drink it.

Just about sums it up.

Another monumental white-elephant dreamed up by the eco-fascists in their ivory castles. "Let them eat / drink ethanol..."

Why do we allow these misfits to dictate global policy?

As for the "hub" bit, I really am at a loss for words...

There is an alarming endnote to this issue: Vegetables sold on the local market generally have lower sanitary standards compared to those for exports. If the EU has sent us a warning about chemical contamination in our food exports, imagine what Thai consumers are exposed to every day.

I wonder whether this statement actually does apply. Consider local markets with vegetables brought in daily by local farmers or middle men. Not much control here, they say, and even chemical pesticides fertilizers, etc constitute costs most farmers would prefer not to have. Consider the fact that local consumers usually don't have the same standard as EU bureacrats to whom even the curvature of bananas or the uniform redness of tomatoes matters. Not to mention what it takes to make them look fresh weeks after they were harvested. Perhaps, when push come to shove, one isn't too bad off with the not-so-perfect looking tomatoes and cucumbers bought on the small neighborhood market?

I think you may well be right. Food for export to EU must meet certain visual criteria, not just those imposed by EU dictat, but also by the big buyers, Tesco et al. In order to fulfil those criteria (assuming that a big export order is worth investing in), farmers will do whatever it takes to provide what the buyer expects. The local markets are a different kettle of fish, and visual impact is not so critical. Ergo, less spent on expensive pesticides to produce a given weight of produce.

Sadly we live in a world were exposing lies means one is supposedly supporting the ill that the lies was concerning.

"Lies" according to who?

A Critical Assessment of "Lies, Damned Lies, & 400,000 Smoking-Related Deaths" by Robert Levy and Rosalind Marimont Published in Regulation,* Fall 1998By Elizabeth M. Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H., Alicia M. Lukachko, M.P.H.

In the Fall 1998 issue of Regulation ("The Cato Review of Business and Government"), the Cato Institute published an article by Robert Levy and Rosalind Marimont titled "Lies, Damned Lies, & 400,000 Smoking-Related Deaths." In their article, Levy and Marimont contend that the U.S. government's estimate of approximately 400,000 annual premature deaths due to cigarette smoking is scientifically unsound and substantially inflated. The authors assert that "the war on smoking...has grown into a monster of deceit and greed, eroding the credibility of government and subverting the rule of law."

In this report, scientists at the American Council on Science and Health refute Levy and Marimont's key arguments (presented below) as unscientific and inflammatory. ACSH's critique concludes that the estimate of 400,000 annual deaths due to cigarette smoking is indeed reliable and may even be an underestimate.

http://www.acsh.org/.../pub_detail.asp

It's like the global warming debate, isn't it!

Really you can come to any conclusion you want with a given set of statistics. It just depends what agenda the organisation is running to and who is funding them.

In debates like this, my tendency is to give credibility in inverse proportion to the degree of "We're right and you're wrong and there's no argument" and how loud it's broadcast.

The anti-smoking lobby shout very loudly and want to make everyone to do what they say. Freedom of choice doesn't enter into it. Disagreement with their statistical conclusions is immediately shouted down and discredited, usually purely on the basis of "Our figures are right. There is no argument".

This is the mark of the zealot, and when zealotry comes into it, truth goes out the window.

Just like the AGW thing. - "Let's not let fact get in the way of the Grand Projet; we are on a mission and we must succeed. If the data doesn't say what we want, play with it until it does..."

Yes, the 'unintended consequences' syndrome.

It's been shown many times in many countries that higher levels of taxation result in lower revenues for the exchequer, but the politicians still don't get it.

It's like the ban on smoking in public places, the (publicised) theory being that it will protect people, especially children, from second-hand smoke. However, as a result of the ban, many people who would go out to a pub/bar for a drink and a smoke before the ban now buy their beers or whatever to take home so they can smoke( around the kids) while they have a drink. Good move, eh? Not that I buy into all that baseless propoganda about second-hand smoke, but it just shows how little thought goes into these laws that politicians are so fond of spraying around. A less draconian approach would have been of greater benefit to everyone, on both sides of the argument. That, however, is not the zealot's way...

Sadly we live in a world were exposing lies means one is supposedly supporting the ill that the lies was concerning.

Never a truer word etc.

It seems to be becoming more prevalent these days, the "if you're not with me, then you must be against me", and "the science is settled, so there is no area for debate" attitude.

The zealots are in the ascendency in many areas of life alas.....

So of course, even if you bother to read this you won't believe it, since it won't fit in with your preconceived belief structure.

Zealots are so predictable...

Yes they are, but that "report" could have been written by R.J. Reynolds himself. Excuse me if I do not buy it.

Robert A. Levy is a senior fellow in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center where he teaches "Statistics for Lawyers." Rosalind B. Marimont is a mathematician and scientist now retired after a 37-year career with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (formerly the Bureau of Standards) and the National Institute of Health.

No, not R.J Reynolds I'm afraid.

In fact, try as I may, I fail to find any reason (funding or otherwise) why the authors might support the tobacco industry.

They seem to be bona fide acedemics with a distaste for dodgy science and statistics, and a distain for peddlers of grossly exaggerated risk factors.

All cigarette smoking should be banned worldwide.

Its a drug industry that governments make lots of money from, just as they did from opium at the turn of the century.

Ban The Cancer Sticks, "Thai Government", or Continue With a Very Bad Karma, with Death and Suffering on Your Hands.

Addicts should be sent to government rehabilitation centers.

Facts:

Cigarettes should be banned from society and be illegal parallel to selling illicit narcotics such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

Tobacco smoking can be dated back to approximated 6000 BC. Today it is ubiquitous throughout the World.

The exponential increase in demand attests its highly addictive nature. Till today, some people rest assured that cigarettes are merely a mental addiction, and the "habit" can simply be tossed in the dust bin whenever they please. The media is culpable for this illusory misconception. Movie stars are seen quotidian puffing carefree on a cigarette. This allures many teenagers into thinking they be be lionized if they imitate their favorite actor/actress. In addition, teenagers are peer-pressured into smoking to maintain or achieve a status within their clique. There are an estimated 4000 chemicals compacted in each cigarette you smoke. Allow me to provide only a fraction of a percentage of them:

A. Carcinogens: a chemical that can cause or aggravate cancer.

Approximate 60 of the chemicals in cigarettes are known to cause cancer.

A1. Benzene: found in gasoline.

A2. Formaldehyde: chemical used to preserve dead bodies.

B. Toxic Metals

B1. Arsenic: Commonly used in rat poison.

B2. Cadmium: Found in batteries.

C. Radioactive Toxic Metals.

C1. Lead 210

C2. Polonium 210

D. Poisons.

D1. Ammonia: Commonly used in cleaning products.

D2. Carbon Monoxide: Present in car exhaust.

D3. Hydrogen Cyanide: used to kill people in gas chambers in WW2 in Germany.

D4. Nicotine: poison used in pesticides and addictive element in cigarettes.

As for second hand smoke, research has shown it contains 250 toxic chemicals, including 50 cancer causing chemicals.

Ostensibly, it is more pernicious than most assume. The makers of these cigarettes have kept the majority of these substances clandestine for a long time. There is no reason cigarettes should be legal anywhere. Greed, corruption, and dishonesty should be the producers motto. The egregious makers should be incarcerated and held culpable for their nefarious acts.

:annoyed::annoyed::annoyed::annoyed:

I bet you think that Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" is a documentary, too.

"Well, it was in the newspaper, so it must be true..."

So of course, even if you bother to read this you won't believe it, since it won't fit in with your preconceived belief structure.

Zealots are so predictable...

I read somewhere farly recently (sorry, can't remember where) that the optimum time to buy air tickets is about 8 weeks in advance. If I remember where I read it I'll post the link.

It ties in with my experiences. I generally manage to get tickets (ATH-BKK-ATH mostly) at about their price nadir if I book a couple of months ahead, although I haven't researched it like jfchandler has, so I might be kidding myself!

why not put all the white noise and nonsense about culture and the thai way out of your head and deal with this question the same way you would do it at home, be it a lover or a friend who came begging?

the people here on tv have neither the information, sense nor inclination to help you.

decide for yourself, unless your goal is to see your own indecision immortalized on the internet.

One of the better posts I've seen here on TV! I particularly liked the last sentence...

They can hoover up dealers and declare "crackdowns" until they're blue in the face, it won't make an iota of difference (apart from filling up more jail cells). The drug scene, like nature, abhors a vacuum. All those caught up in the sweep will be replaced by other chancers within days. And the meth will keep coming.

I don't know why they bother.

All the drunks and alcies up in arms i see....cannot go for a night or 2 without a drink......'a thoroughly disgusting announcement' ?? ....really ??

You must have a hangover to be so over the top about such a good decision.

I hope they take it a step further and ban smoking in all the National Parks also.

Oh yes, jolly good idea!

And while we're at it, let's ban all that obnoxious perfume and aftershave that people wear. I really don't like it.

And loud shirts.

In fact, maybe they should ban ugly people too. The parks would be so much nicer if they only let beautiful people in.

Ooh, yes, let's ban cars too. Dirty polluting things.....

Nawtier, I think you need to get a life. You come across as an obnoxios and intolerant bigot. A zealot who cares only for his own warped vision of how the world should be.

God how I despise the self-righteous, holier-than-thou crowd, forever trying to tell everyone how to live their lives...

It is fairly common knowledge our PM has a lot to contend with within his own party and that includes corrupt officials. Whilst the status quo may outwardly remain 'civilised' inwardly there is contempt. The PM has the way to solve a lot of Thailand's issues but can he ever garner loyal support from those without corruption?

Wars on drugs tend to consolidate dealers. The supply may slow, but as already stated, there has to be a war on corruption first to absolve the decision makers and then revise the effort based on results by decent people. Randomly picking up a street dealer will not solve the problem. Have inter-dealer shoot outs will certainly save the Police some time, but the drugs will continue.

Drugs are the scourge of the 20th/21st centuries and will not be easily controlled so best to put more effort into perhaps legalising some lesser drugs and removing the demand for something more costly and lethal. I have no solution but there is no doubt in my mind, unconscionable dealers who deal in supplying chemical 'relief' knowing the more they hook the user the more they buy, are the lowest life forms of parasites on this planet and should be taken down with extreme prejudice. They are worthless pieces of kuk and needs to be wiped out from society accordingly.

When you support gunning down alcohol and tobacco manufacturers/retailers, you will have my support (not). Until then, you and others who think like you are a big part of the problem. Vote-seekers will pander to your expectations and the carnage continues.....

Touché. You have pinpointed one of the main reasons we have a global drug problem.

Gullible people, who only know the officially sanctioned version; the government propaganda disseminated by an ever willing media... Opinions based on tabloid hysteria. They are the ones who perpetuate this lunacy through their ignorance.

Yes, the government will encourage this. So much easier to keep track of people.

I was in UK a couple of months ago (1st time for a few years), and it really struck me how credit/debit card use has become the default there. I went to get some stuff at Tescos, and I think I was the only one out of 30 odd tills paying with cash. It was really odd. I felt almost guilty about it!

Debit cards are great now, they do just about everything (purchasing-wise) that a credit card does. I cut up all my credit cards seven or eight years ago, and just use debit cards now. No more Amex and Visa bills...bliss.

Thailand has always been ruled by a military junta and they will never allow socialism to gain a foothold.

What branch of the military does Mark belong to?

Mark doesn't rule the country, so the question is irrelevant.

I can see how it can be exciting, but the bigger picture problem is the influence on driving behavior of ordinary people; some may want to emulate the high speeds in their own cars. Was there any promotion of safe driving at this event? Or at least a "please don't try this yourself" statement?

Oh purrrleease...

Are you, or have you ever been a health & safety inspector? Certainly sounds like it.

Thailand should get wise. Any deal with the EU is a poisoned chalice.

There is an army of overpaid jobsworths in Brussels to support. Where does the Thai government think the money comes from to pay them all?

Soup? Soap?

Many, many years ago when I was in Benares in India, you could buy lassie ( a yoghourt drink) in either plain or "bhang" version, "bhang" being a paste made from marijuana.

So you'd pop in for a lassie, and the big decision was "do I want to get stoned today or not?"