Shiver

I have a Thai neighbour that reposesses motorcycles. Historically I would see perhaps 2 per day on the back of his truck. For the last year or more it was steadily rising until it got to about 5 per day, where it remains until this day. As a "McDonalds Index", that says a lot about the economy here (Isaan). Meanwhile, I've noticed that a lot of (Thai) people have been buying trucks on the drip. Maybe the idea is to finance the way out of debts(?). Low interest loans seem easy to come by, but at the same time I hear stories from Farang about bar workers asking not for lady drinks, but food(!). I cannot verify the last part myself, and may be a shaggy dog story.

What percentage of GDP is tourism? I would have thought food exports would be a more important concern for them (I don't have data on this, just speculating), and if the THB is strong, then perhaps there's someone demanding the food at any price, so they're holding the THB up there as it's more useful to them than tourism, which would further suggest that someone knows there's a food crisis on the way. I believe China stocks of grains are well over reported. In India there's a multi-year crop failure and farmer suicides. GM crops, lack of cash to buy seeds blah blah... The weather is playing up strangely this last few years, and tourism might be the last of their concerns.

As for the shirt colour clashes. Again I'd watch the food harvest. Here in Issan you can't hire a worker anywhere as they've all started to plant the rice. When the harvest is in, that's when I would expect the shirts to resume their campaign. That's if there is a harvest. With the water table so low and no ban on SongKran, a stumble now could easily be a crisis down the line.

Do I read that correctly in the first post? that they expect a 45% gain in the economy? I've re-read that line several times. It must be a typo surely (just like "The third factor is the draught") Freudian slip perhaps...

Every time I hear SME's here, I'm reminded of the Uni students here using that acronym. They use it everywhere, but when asked, they don't know what it means. To me it means getting a cheap loan to buy a new motorbike and TV, not being innovative and creating an effective business, or even copying the business that the person next door is doing, and not thinking beyond today.

I'm not well versed in many of the areas this article alludes to, but even as a casual uneducated observer, it looks to me like BandAid has no idea what he's talking about. Worse, is that people will accept without question what is handed to them. I love this country, and it hurts to see it shaft itself like this, but Rome wasn't built in a day, and suspect it will be a multi-generational thing (real education), not a 6 month turn around, especially since its neighbours appear to have picked up the ball so swiftly. It's a hugely complex model, and statements like his will send the followers over the cliff. In a land so concerned about face, I wonder why they do this to themselves at every opportunity.

Just another way of saying "Pay money and I will let you publish" .. Its all about the money !!

Lets side track a little bit. does everyone (no only Thais) thinks that expats earns alot of money? if you think so, says "I"

I think I have a rare distinction, that last night I went into a bar I have frequented for a number of years (beer, never 'other services'), and they gave me my tip back. Flat out refused it. I guess that's what happens when you're a farang financial leper So once they do finally realise that farang and money aren't necessarily the same, and actually believe you through repetition and action rather than stereotype, things shift a little. It was quite a moment, tatoos aside

I think it's pretty clear that the masks we see here won't do anything at all. Even N95 masks are said to be inadequate, and N100 may be, but the cost of those means uptake will be minimal to none, and it's a hefty piece of gear to be wearing until you handle some food and remove the mask just to get infected anyway....

Here's what I'll be doing; Keep a stock of vitamin D3, Sodium Chlorite, and avoid getting a flu jab at all costs. You can see how peoples immune system goes up and down with the seasons (D3 you can get from sunlight), so the next wave it likely to me more severe than this one (which is currently more mainstream media sensation than anything of substance). If the flu, or more importantly the next wave (which might actually even be dangerous!) causes the cytokine storm that causes the breathing difficulties, then I'll use the Sodium Chlorite, if not then D3. Basically D3 enhances the immune system, but if the immune response is what causes the difficulties in breathing then I don't want to enhance that, so instead use the chlorite which would work along side the immune system rather than boosting it.

It should also be borne in mind that most of the people dying aren't dying just of the flu, but as an additional complication, which doesn't appear to be documented.

I would just continue life pretty much as normal, but keep hygiene at the forefront (why does nobody wash their hands when they leave the toilet here?), and some assists on hand should you suspect the likelyhood or actually have symptoms.

I use the (Hull) Multi O non immigrant each year, and I've always been very happy with their great service and don't wish to seem them go away. If I could lose the 90 day reporting then I'd be ecstatic. Single entry freebies make no difference to me personally, and I'm not sure what difference it makes to the market sector they're interested in. Seems to be between stools to me. Maybe if they gave me a Buddha keyring it would change everything(?) I think that was the last tourist encouragement they gave. Haven't seen one yet so maybe it's just rumour.

Really, any farang at all that you can ask, could answer all their questions. They're calling it Swine flue to save face and make it look like it's not their decisions influencing anything, and to farang who stay here regularly and can see, nothing on MainStreamMedia would change anything, but if they want to see what it looks like from the outside, it's 1) Global downturn, 2) Perceived political instability/stroke/airport protests causing delays (and compensation that they offer that they refuse to actually pay), 3) Tsunami potential. Swine flu? Nah... It's global rather than Thai, and version 1.0 is nothing anyway, maybe the next wave will be more virulent, but we have to wait a few months to see that.

Apologies for the run-on sentences, but it's how I'd say it if I was talking.

Best all...