sriracha john

  What the f!&K? hmmm maybe he thought he had a parachute instead of a rucksack?

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Well he was Italian.... maybe the contents of the rucksack was something not, shall we say, quite legal... and he sadly missjudged the height and speed ...

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Actually as far as I heard he had actually survived the fall. Very very lucky from 1000ft.

He would have almost certainly had to have landed feet first... but from my perspective as a professional skydiver the mind boggles as to his motive and mind set!!

He was actually a charter passenger and not the pilot. I just wanted to clear that up as the report is a little ambiguous in it's detail. I know the pilot personally and it was a terrifying experience for him. The man gave no warning and suddenly kicked the door off the plane and lept out.

It was a small light aircraft and keeping control of the craft throughout the incident and immediately afterwards took some fortitude.

The 'gentleman' concerned had in fact been asking to charter the plane for a week or so, so that he could use it to go to a local island on a photography trip.

Bearing in mind that we are trying to reestablish some credibility for foreigners in the Pattaya area as we are opening a new Drop Zone down there this is not the sort of behaviour that we would like to see from foreigners!

I would ask that people who wish to skydive in future would go through the correct channels.

Learn with my company, or another, and perhaps use a parachute instead of a rucksack!!!

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wonderful timing to be opening a skydiving business called the "drop zone"... hahahaha

PM likened to autocrat Marcos

Road to ruin forecast at academic forum

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra could well lead the country down the Ferdinand Marcos path to ruin with a full-fledged autocracy evident in his absolute control over politics, economy and the media, warned prominent political scientists.

sriracha john  2004-09-09 00:05:42

As for me, I'm getting a strange sense of deja vu ...

living in the Philippines in the late 1970's under the martial law of Ferdinand Marcos....

(may his corpse rot in ######).  

sriracha john  2004-09-28 15:11:04 

QUOTE (dkstoney @ Tue 2004-09-28, 12:41:41)

Sounds like civil unrest waiting to happen. I'll be there with my camera. Maybe he's hoping to spray the place with bullets and finally rid the world of his critics once and for all. 

Yes, it is certainly turning into quite an event... certainly worth witnessing. Reminds me of the People Power movement when I was in the Philippines that brought down Marcos. Hopefully the end results will be the same.

My my my...the academics have finally caught up with my assessment of three months ago....

Nation's largest aquarium takes shape in Chonburi 

CHONBURI: -- The Institute for Marine Science at Burapha University is building what promises to be Thailand's largest aquarium in the eastern province of Chonburi, hoping to compete with Singapore in offering a world-class underwater experience.

Dr. Phichai Sonchaeng, the institute's director, said yesterday that the new aquarium would hold 5,000 tonnes of water, larger than any other aquarium in Thailand or Singapore.

Hmmm... no mention on the source of funding for this huge project?

Perhaps a bit of over-simplification, but I put the cause of the devalued dollar at the doorstep of the White House's George W.

In that regard, I hope he gets his sh1t together as it effects my comfort here.

Any thoughts?

Yes. You should be booted out of Thailand.

Most expats codemn and are insulted by your presence.

You obviously know the system well and therefore need no advice or are a liar.

Your post is merely a boast or spurious - look how clever  I am. Good riddance to you.

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c'mon...tell us how you really feel...

but even more importantly....why?

How about some TJ "carne."  

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been there, done that.... never do it again..... yuck!

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?

It's great if you know where to go...

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yep... i can think of thousands of much better places to go than the septic tank known also as Tijuana.

How about some TJ "carne." 

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been there, done that.... never do it again..... yuck!

The stupidest thing I've seen Thais do is vote for Thaksin and Thai Rak Thai Party candidates.

The stupidest thing I've seen a German do is complain on Koh Phi Phi about the lack of finding "good" German food in Thailand.

The stupidest thing I've seen an American do is spend B3,000 for a taxi from the airport to Pattaya.

The stupidest thing I've seen a Swede do is move in and support a hooker, but had no qualms about knowingly letting her continue to hook.

Idiocy is an equal-opportunity employer.

You've talked about suicide in Thailand, but not about Thais who commit suicide. Thailand is a buddhist country. Europe(forgive me Britain) and America(very high suicide rate) are Christian countries(heaven save us all). The cultural contexts are quite different.

For Christians its the ultimate no-no, isn't it ? But what does Buddhist thought have to say about suicide?

Thai buddhists are typically very intolerant and non-compassionate of suicide. It will most often be viewed as a very bad sin, one delaying or even preventing reincarnation, which is a really bad "no-no". I think with their tendency to be closer followers to their buddhist faith then most americans are to their christian beliefs, they view suicide as a much less viable option on life's decisions-making chart, thus a lower suicide rate.

Depression can go to the stage where you totally lose your sense of self-worth and the negative thought patterns drag you deeper and deeper down into a world that is glum and full of despair. Nothing is fun, your friends who try to cheer you up appear as hypocritical liars, or at best as well-meaning but daft.

I have been depressed for most of my life. Still getting more and more depressed each day. Strangely, at the same time no one single person who knows me can notice it coz I look very cheerful and optimistic from the outside. Joke about almost anything anytime, always smiling, singing, dancing, and take nothing seriously. But deep inside, to me life is meaningless. the only reason I should still be here is to take care of/make happy my lovely wife and my 2 very beautiful cats.(Very importantly, protecting them from cruelty of human beings!) Oherwise, take me away anytime, mai ben'rai.

It is not exactly known to me what is causing all these problems(phenomena, a better word, maybe). But seeing human beings/animals being treated with cruelty on a daily basis, just think of the great amount of sufferings being produced everywhere every moment in the world.-- Saddens me. How superficial human interactions are.(well I live in HK, what's it like in the west?) How dumb and lazy people/but capable of being wicked(strange world, isn't it?) receive massive incomes whilst smart and hard-working genuine people get underpaid and looked down at. (I'm a civil servant, by the way)

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Have you seen anyone professionally or been assessed by a health care professional? If not, I would strongly suggest that you do... as it is possible that you might be helped with these thoughts/feelings. You sound as an intelligent and sensitive person, but you also sound clinically depressed. Remember this, my friend, you are not alone with your thoughts/feelings...not by a long shot... and sometimes just knowing that, helps. It does for me.

No need to now, right? The same info was obtained here without a fee......

Sadly, for something that's "illegal", I certainly saw a lot of it.... but then that's case of many things illegal here. TIT.

Astral is right about the work. Shame really that altruistic or a humanistic gesture on yours or others part, can be construed by a stickler of an Imm. guy, as the opposite. It's also shameful that volunteer teaching is so difficult to get a work permit for. I'm not aware of anyone obtaining one....is there anyone out there that has? It's one of the reasons I, myself, stopped doing it. Pitiful that Imm. will stop something beneficial, and free, to Thailand.

One situation where I do enjoy seeing the dollar price are various outlet stores where, for example, shirts already have their dollar price tag on it for export to the usa... it feels REALLY GOOD to pay a small portion here in baht, for instance GAP shirt had a $39.99 (you do the math) tag on it and paid 380 baht for it.

My father - High achiever, some of the highest academic grades in the uk, successful business, Professional martial artist,Team captain for England karate squad for a decade. Summer 1998 swallowed 100 pain-killers, drove to a nearby  road-bridge and leapt 250 ft to his death, I was 23 at the time.    He was 46. His suicide notes were long enough to write a book. Coroner came to the conclusion he wasn't unhinged. My dad organised the whole thing. Tied up business, returned monies to customers, even closed bank accounts, listed the people he wanted to have his worldly goods -right down to his gutiar. Said goodbye to friends and family, including myself ( Only after recalling last conversations we realised ). Seemed pretty rational/methodical people might say. My belief is that anyone who can jump off a bridge, onto the concrete below without bungee equipment or a safety net isn't in their right mind. His notes did state that he'd been enveloped in an agonising depression for years and that suicde was just a means to an end.

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I'm very sorry for your loss, siamsam, but I appreciate very much your posting of some of the facts regarding suicide and depression. It's not all about losers chosing a "cowardly" act. Lay people often fail to see the agony a depression sufferer goes through. Thank you again for your input.

also....WELL SAID, meadish.

Jock.......Did you read my whole posting or just the parts you wanted to read? Selective reading eh? I am a woman and I definitely have no "horns" in my pants.  Hope that is not your preference, if it is, hey its your life!

Pat Pong, sorry I dont have BO or bad breath, do you??

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...starting to sound like the Thai Senate now.....

Leave your watch at home and go on the BTS asking the time. Meet a nice middle class BKK girl with a JOB

Or tell a girl she has something in her hair and watch whilst she runs her fingers thru it trying to get 'it' out then you do it for her. And strike up a chat!

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Are you serious?

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Or put something in her hair and help her get it out!!!

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asphalt tar comes to mind...

There are many apartments available, for what Meadish quotes and some even lower, available in the northern suburbs, eg. Pak Kret, which is a 20-30 minute aircon bus (20 baht) ride away from Victory Monument and then a BTS connect. Best way is to simply go up to the various multi-storied condo/apartments and inquire. A 30K income would almost demand that no more than 4K is spent on housing.

A tourist visa enables a stay of 60 days, and it is extendable by 30 days more in Thailand. If you get two entries you can, by crossing a border once, you can stay up to 6 months in Thailand.

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shiva: If I get a tourist visa it claims to be for 60 days, but on this one site that I went to that helps you get your visa for a fee, it claims it's a 90 day visa?

What's the truth? This woman I called there didn't seem to know much..just show me the money attitude..

Sheesh dr., you're going to put these for-fee online services out of business...

it's amazing that they offer their "advice" for money when all they really can do is tell you that a 60 day tourist visa is extendable, in country, to 90 days.

Thairath newspaper article:

* The father of the 13-year-old student reported at the police station that a 27-year-old female teacher at Bangplama School in Suphanburi Province punished his son by knocking his head. She also ordered 49 classmates to also knock his head.

oops, Channel News Asia just updated that to TEN murders in the last 24 hours.

Gen. Prawit told TNA today that he believed the current spate of unrest in Thailand's southern border region would not spread to Bangkok.

"This is because security agencies concerned, led by the National Security Council (NSC), have joined forces integrally to contain the southern unrest", he said.

According to the evening news, there have been NINE new and separate murders in the South within the last 24 hours, including two policemen and two Buddhist monks.

So much for containment, General Prawit.

Update:

RAKKIAT MAY TEACH IN PRISON

Published on November 04, 2004

Former public health minister Rakkiat Sukthana, sentenced to 15 years in prison on a graft conviction, will be asked to teach law to prisoners studying for a bachelor’s degree in Bangkok Special Prison.

Bangkok Special Prison commander Prayad Chringchit said that he would ask Rakkiat if he is interested in co-teaching law with lecturers to 90 out of 200 prisoners who are studying towards a degree from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University while in prison.

Rakkiat, who on Monday started serving his sentence, has a law degree from Ramkhamhaeng University.

“The wardens will award convicts who behave and contribute to others by upgrading them to the status of well-behaved prisoners,’’ Prayad said.

Seven prisoners who share a jail cell with Rakkiat are rather excited about having an ex-minister as a cellmate, Prayad said. Most are in jail for assault.

***hahahahaha*** (poster's comment)

When Rakkiat has gone for his morning exercises this week, he has been the centre of attention for the 700 prisoners in zone 6.

“Rakkiat has been calm and shows no stress,” he said. “Doctors gave him a physical check-up for high blood pressure and heart disease but his health is normal.’’

Rakkiat has been given white rice instead of whole-grain rice like foreign prisoners, but he eats the same curries and side dishes as the other inmates in the prison, formerly known as Klong Prem Central Prison.

Prayad has allowed Rakkiat to wear clothes given to him by his family, saying the prison does not have enough uniforms. “We have more than 5,000 prisoners. The government has not supplied enough uniforms for them. Rakkiat will not be allowed to wear trousers and long-sleeve shirts,’’ he said.

Apart from that, Rakkiat will follow the same routines as the other inmates.

Prayad ruled out the possibility that Rakkiat would commit suicide, saying he showed no signs of stress.

Police, acting on a tip-off, arrested Rakkiat on Saturday morning while he was jogging in a Nonthaburi park.

The Muang Thong Thani apartment Rakkiat was staying in while in Nonthaburi was searched yesterday in an effort to locate his assets, said Police Colonel Yuthabul Dissamarn, deputy secretary-general of the Anti-Money Laundering Office.

The Supreme Court in October 2003 convicted Rakkiat in absentia and ordered the seizure of Bt233 million in assets belonging to him and his wife. The court had found him unusually rich after he failed to show how he had amassed the fortune.

Police found receipts of overseas calls and transfers of many land-title deeds before his assets were ordered seized.

What's it all about??

A couple of absolutes regarding HIV/AIDS

100% of people that are HIV+ develop AIDS, however long it may delayed in it's development through drugs.

AIDS has a 100% mortality rate.

There is no cure, only treatments.

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That's exactly what I did believe, before I did start to research and ask questions.

Based on my knowledge about cancer treatments and chemotherapy, I did try to understand, especially when I saw that similar chemotherapies where used treat HIV diagnosed patients. Unfortunately I did not find much to understand.

Again, I hear that a lot, even doctors say that. But whenever I ask for the usual medical studies, for any scientific evidence on which this statement is based, I get nothing. Yes. nothing. Even doctors only parrot what they heard, be it wrong or right.

The court judgement quoted in my former post does show that even the health officials in a modern country such as Germany did make such statements, just parroting, but without any proof. and they did so knowing that there is no proof!

I assume also you have nothing solid to base your statement on, unfortunately, otherwise you would have mentioned it, correct? In case you are aware of any medical study proving the assumed connection between HIV and AIDS I would appreciate to let me know. I'm still researching. But I do not ask for parroted statements, I ask for solid scientific evidence, if there is any.

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U.S. National Institute of Health:

HIV destroys CD4+ T cells, which are crucial to the normal function of the human immune system. In fact, depletion of CD4+ T cells in HIV-infected individuals is an extremely powerful predictor of the development of AIDS. Studies of thousands of individuals have revealed a near-perfect correlation has been found between infection with HIV and the subsequent development of AIDS.

Also:

EVIDENCE THAT HIV CAUSES AIDS

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/evidhiv.htm

or:

The Durban Declaration: HIV is the cause of AIDS

The declaration has been signed by over 5,000 people, including Nobel prizewinners, directors of leading research institutions, scientific academies and medical societies, notably the US National Academy of Sciences, the US Institute of Medicine, Max Planck institutes, the European Molecular Biology Organization, the Pasteur Institute in Paris, the Royal Society of London, the AIDS Society of India and the National Institute of Virology in South Africa. In addition, thousands of individual scientists and doctors have signed, including many from the countries bearing the greatest burden of the epidemic. Signatories are of MD, PhD level or equivalent.