Methuselah

I hope Tiger {Woods}puts up a better show in the Masters at Augusta.

Doesn't seem like a happy ending!

I wouldn't bet on the involved insurance company paying the bills.

Eating chocolate and rendered unconscious moments later??As far as I am aware no orally ingested hypnotic works within moments.The majority of hypnotics take at least 30 minutes to take effect,due to the delay in absorption from the gastro-intestinal tract.

Any drug spiking would have taken place before eating the chocolate,although there is a strong possibility that the victim's testimony may have been influenced by drug induced amnesia.

Presumably the first step in Pattaya's bid to hold the Winter Olympics.

This topic gives me an opportunity to report an improbable experience.Three friends on holiday from UK and myself boarded a passenger free baht bus in Jomtien.After driving about 200 yards the driver stopped and walked to the rear of the baht bus.In this situation 9 times out of 10 I would have expected the familiar words "where you go?" from the driver,and expect him to try to negotiate a fare.

Surprisingly he was one of the good guys,and all he wanted to do was to warn us that pickpockets were becoming a bit of a fixture on baht buses and to be careful.

He deserved a medal,not just a tip.

Thanks for the helpful replies.Googled "weather inversion effect" and found more information than my unscientific brain could digest.However it makes for interesting reading.

Seems the inversion effect is with us again today.

Thailand visibility reports today.

Bangkok--7 kms.

Rayong--5 kms.

Pattaya--3 kms.

I still don't understand.

Having travelled to Bangkok and back to Pattaya today,I can report that the pollution is the worst I have encountered since moving here two years ago.

Can anybody provide an explanation for the abrupt deterioration?

Retirement is great,but many people will miss some form of work if they retire too early.The novelty of continuous partying wears off after a year or so.

My advice would be to keep your full time work options open for a while before you make an irreversible decision.

This news item has triggered two emotional responses.The first is a deep sadness at the loss of a young life;the second is anger,which is related to an assumption, which may be proven wrong in time,that foul play was possibly involved.

Condolences to family and friends of the girl.

Concerning Mr Thaksin,it seems timely to quote Henry Kissinger's remark:"Absence of power corrupts,and absolute absence of power corrupts absolutely."

The first lesson in medical school used to be that a doctor's job was to humour the patient whilst nature cures the disease.

Things seem to have changed--now it seems that the rule is to take as much money as one can from the patient whilst nature cures the disease.Also send the patient home with as much unnecessary medication as possible.

I wonder if the Hippocratic oath exists in Thailand.

Sir Walter Scott summarised it very well.

"O what a tangled webb we weave,

When first we practice to deceive."

Simple but appropriate.

You could wait until you are 55,although if you really need peace of mind then the Bumrungrad in Bangkok has expert gastoenterologists trained overseas.

Must say that I was very pleased with the service at the Bumrungrad,and was sedated with dormicum which is all that is needed for the procedure.A general anaesthetic is not necessary.Recovery took about one hour,and was able to enjoy the night life in Bangkok that evening.

Total cost 20000 baht -excluding the night life.

My own impression of Walking street is that it would be far more pleasant if something could be done about the increasing infestation with "ladyboys".They seem to be breeding down there.

The figure of 50,000 per week sounds pretty alarming.If you extrapolate this figure over a year,when hopefully the virus will have faded away,then that amounts to 2.5 million affected persons.About 4% of the Thai population.

My guess is that as the infection rate accelerates through the community,then 50,000 new infections per week would be a highly conservative projection.One could only speculate on the numbers,but if only 20% of the population were infected,that would amount to 250,000 per week.

All very depressing!

A precise figure is virtually impossible to give-totally depends on your preferred lifestyle in Pattaya.If you are accustomed to western living,then I would guess about half of your current budget would see you through in Pattaya--but there are so many variables to consider.However it would be wise to err on the high side when considering your proposed budget.

Hope it all works out,and don't forget health insurance!

Have just endured{entirely self inflicted} 90 minutes of Scottish Premier Division football.

Thai TV programmes--all is forgiven!

Most of the reasons behind the drop in tourist numbers have been mentioned already,with a reasonable degree of unanimity.

Apart from a very serious global recession,most of the factors have been a constant over several decades----political instability,crime,law enforcement{or lack of it},corruption,scams,dual pricing,dirty beaches etc.

However ,a factor that is playing an increasing global role is ease of access to the INTERNET.Potential tourists actually check up on their planned destination,and the Internet is now helping to expose the negative aspects of Thailand.

I suspect that good news is easier to post than bad news.

The ACTUAL news is that Thailand has hardly changed at all.

For a few days I had been aware of rumours that it might actually be safe to enter Central Pattaya.As the accuracy of these rumours has now been confirmed I can save some baht by cancelling my mother in law's daily shopping expedition.

Can now save up for that motor bicycle she keeps asking for.

One could discuss the driving irregularities that one observes,and occasionally participates in,ad infinitum.The miraculous reality is that despite all the driving eccentricities in Pattaya,that the fatality rate is not much higher.Perhaps Buddha is having an influence.

Precise statistics are almost certainly unavailable,however personal observations suggest that the more frequent transgression is 120,119,118,117 and so on,vehicles flashing through red lights up to 10 seconds after the change from green.

The greatest risk for disaster occurs when the two transgressions happen simultaneously---helps keep mortuary attendents in business.

On a serious note concerning the "over the counter" availability of alprazolam,readers should be aware that in powdered form alprazolam readily dissolves in beer.I strongly suspect that it's availability and it's solubility properties have made it the drug of choice used against unsuspecting victims of those ladies involved in drugging and subsequent theft.The risk of overdosing the victim is high in the hands of those without medical knowledge.

It should be available by prescription only.

As another victim of a baht bus pickpocket--only a cheap cellphone--I can mention three similarities in modus operandi.

1]Busy baht bus,making close physical contact necessary. 2]uncomfortable jostling 3]the give away-large handbag,which seemed to be the most crucial element in the theft,not only screening their activity from other passengers,but also providing counter stimulation whilst the real activity is going on.

Hope this proves helpful.