Tata Young, Thai Songtress
(Thought I’d start this edition
right; she’s the subject of Story
# 5 — plus there’s a video!)
Submissions — only, please — to: squaronians [at] gmail.com
1. A Great New Food & Travel Website
2. Thai Elephant Walking Well With New Ariticial Leg(!)
3. A “Diversity Immigrant Visa” for the U.S. Is a Real Visa
4. The Nation and ThaiVisa.com Launch Joint SMS News Service
5. Tata Young, Very Talented (and Sexy!) Thai Songtress
6. Want to Fly to Some Out-of-the-Way Place? Rent a Plane or Helicopter!
7. “Smile Series” Available for Kindle Reader
8. Visa-Extension Confusion
9. Washington Square News
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A Great New Food & Travel Website
I have a Hong Kong-based American friend who’s a professional writer and who has started a new blog Accidental Travel Writer that is well worth exploring.
He has begun with a tight focus on cuisine, but the site is rapidly evolving into a much broader one, in terms of both subject and geography.
Michael speaks fluent Mandarin, which gives him a decided advantage in traveling around China, since that’s the official national dialect and practically everyone these days speaks it well, even if as a second dialect. (In Hongkong and environs, for example, Cantonese is the Chinese dialect of everyday life, and Cantonese is markedly different from Mandarin.)
Even a cursory glance at Michael’s blog shows he’s also a good photographer as well, which certainly adds much visual appeal to his efforts. that’s especially true when (1.) you’re starving, (2.) you’re salivating as you look at a photograph of some dish he describes, and (3.) you’re near your kitchen or there’s a great Chinese restaurant just around the corner!
Michael not only describes dishes and regional cuisines (including their histories) but also recommends specific restaurants that are his personal favorites for the dish or cuisine he’s writing about. Of course, if you’re sitting in Blahsville, USA, that don’t help you, but if you’re in town, it will.
I think he should make a deal with every restaurant within 3,000 kilometers that serves any cuisine he discusses — you go in to order and say “Michael Taylor sent me!” and he gets a commission!
One indication of the potential popularity of Michael’s blog is found in the Google ads showing up on it. (Blogspot is owned by Google, and a writer can have Google serve up relevant — supposedly — ads on his or her blog.) That sounds arcane, even unlikely, but it is some indicator. As he gets more widely known — or his blog does, more correctly speaking — then perhaps his site’s number of readers will starting growing exponentially.
Also — and this is important — you can become a “follower” of Michael’s blog, just the same as you can follow someone or something on Facebook, etc. When I signed on as a follower earlier today, I *did* have to scroll way down past the posts watching the right-hand column until I finally found the place to click, but it is there. Please follow his blog. It’s free, it won’t cause you to get spam, and it may help him. At the very least, it will build his ego!
Trivia question: Do you know what the name “Hong Kong” means? “Fragrant Harbor.” There was the day when people had a different concept of the meaning of the word “fragrant” than they do today, at least when they’re thinking about the breeze wafting the complex, um, “scents” floating above world-famous Victoria Harbor . . . but never mind.
Leave a comment on Michael’s blog and please loudly say I sent you!
Accidental Travel Writer
LOUD COMPLAINT AND DISCLAIMER: NO, I DON’T GET ANY MONEY FROM MICHAEL FOR WRITING THIS!!! I doubt I’ll get a BEER!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
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Thai Elephant Walking Well With New Artificial Leg (!)
A traditonal role of elephants in Thailand (as you probably already know) is that of carrying logs in logging camps.
Motola, a 48-year-old female elephant was working doing just that in 1999 near the border with Burma in an area with many landmines — and the unfortunate stately beast stepped on one, badly mangling a foot. Her foot and part of her leg had to be amputated.
But in one way she’s fortunate. There’s an Elephant Hospital in northern Thailand, and eventually she was treated there.
Her treatment wasn’t merely a case of popping her into surgery, strapping on a prosthesis, then sending her on her way.
About three years ago, doctors fitted her with a temporary prosthesis. Though I’m assuming here, I suppose her stump needed several years to settle into its final form, so the prosthesis makers could properly measure her for a prosthesis. And I suppose she “practiced” with the temporary one for three years to help her adjust to handling it.
She got fitted with her new prosthesis in August of this year — see “Thai elephant takes 1st steps with artificial leg“ for a short article about that — and is doing well. I say “is” because I’ve seen later stories mentioning her rapid progress in becoming quite capable of walking fine with her new leg.
Asian elephants are smaller, on average, than their African counterparts, but that doesn’t make much difference to you and me, since either one is huge compared to us. I’ve been Asian bull elephants that sure didn’t look “smaller” than much of anything to me!
It’s impossible to do justice in words to try to capture the splendor of an elephant, so let me direct you to a AN AP photo of Motola with her new leg. (I can’t reprint it here for copyright reasons.) Sure, a lot of us have seen elephants in zoos and circuses, but that’s somehow not the same as seeing them working, as I’ve had the good fortune to do here in Thailand, and I don’t mean just the ones whose mahouts take to tourist areas so tourists will buy bunches of bananas and cane to feed them. I’ve seen elephants actually working on construction sites. And that’s not the same as seeing them in the wild, which I’ve not done (and may not be too eager to do!).
Motola will undoubtedly be well-tended the remainder of her days And we can all rejoice about that.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
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A “Diversity Immigrant Visa” for the U.S. Is a Real Visa
We’ve all seen those online ads urging people wanting to emigrate to the U.S. to “CLick here now! For just a truckload of money you TOO can win the U.S. Green Card lottery!” Scams.
Ahem.
However, I ran across a story that steered me to an official U.S. Department of State webpage that shows that there is indeed an annual lottery to hand out 50,000 “diveristy visas” that are permanent residence visas — the famous “green cards.”
What you need to know right away is you (1.) don’t NEED to use a service, (2.) the lottery itself is absolutely free (though there are fees for winners), and (3.) the lottery is computer-generated, so there’s absolutely no way any person or company can “improve” your chances of winning a diversity visa. THe State Department explicitly says this online. “I’ll get to links in a minute, so be patient.)
This isn’t an entirely random lottery, which is something else anyone hoping to enter needs to know.
First, no one from a country that has sent more than 50,000 legal immigrants to the U.S. within the past five years is eligible. Yes, I tried to find out Thailand’s current status, but didn’t find it, so no, I don’t know if you can find out before you apply.
Second, there are a number of personal requirements, such as educational level, work experience, occupation, etc. While these requirements are simple, they’re strict. Or “incredibly rigid,” dpending on your point of view. (Many foreigners are surprised by the extent of anti-immigrant sentiment there is America, itself a nation of immigrants. Heck, I’m American, and it surprises me! I guess that’s one reason our immigration laws are very, very strict.)
Third, though I don’t know the details, I’m quite confident in saying you’ll have to show you have the financial means to survive on your own. In other words, even if you’re able to meet every other requirement, if all you can show before leaving for America is a one-way ticket and US$20, with no job and place to stay waiting, I would be hugely surprised if you would be allowed to go.
I’m not trying to deter anyone who wishes to go for the gold and try to win one of these visas. I just want you to understand it’s not going to be a quick or easy process. And I want you to understand it is a lottery, after all. And a lottery means a chance of losing — a far greater chance of losing than winning, in fact. (While I have no idea how many people apply each year, I would bet my last dollar that the number is far greater than 50,000.)
The Nation and ThaiVisa.com Launch Joint SMS News Service
I bet this becomes popular, although it’s not free (except for a 14-day trial). However, with a monthly fee of just 49 baht (a little under US$1.50), the cost is negligible to just about anyone wanting to keep up with news from here — keep up in English, that is.
Another attraction is that you can subscribe for the service whether you have a pre-paid or post-paid account.
The service is available to AIS, One-2-Call, DTAC, and True Move, according to the story on ThaiVisa.com “Good News for Expats“ (get it? get it? “Good News”???) — which is silent on whether other partners might become available later.
The two assure everyone they will *not* send any SMS spam (a real and growing problem — I just dumped six messages, all spam, in the middle of typing this, that all came within seconds of each other.)
Now (from me, not the story) if you travel outside the Kingdom frequently, have roaming service, and get charged for receiving SMS messages when your away, you might want to think about your service’s per-message charge. I’ve never received an SMS message when I have been away, so I don’t have any idea what such a fee might be, nor indeed, if providers here even charge for them (charge receivers, I mean). But I do know that roaming charges for phone calls are exorbitant to the receiver; last time I got one, I was in Cambodia, and it cost three baht per second — I love you and all that, but I’ll call you later!
It’s going to be interesting to see how this develops; it’s a smart move, I suspect, for both the paper and the ThaiVisa.com website. There is a lot of synergy possibilities there.
To subscribe, dial *424010011.
And NO, I don’t get any baht for THIS, either! Shoot . . .
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
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Tata Young, Very Talented (and Sexy!) Thai Songtress
Tata Young has a beautiful voice, in the opinion of many (including me), and is extraordinarily attractive. I’ve long enjoyed her music, and feel she doesn’t have as much recognition outside Thailand and the region — she does have a considerable following throughout East and Southeast Asia — as her talent merits. You can judge her attractiveness for yourself — in case you missed it, that’s her photo at the top of the column. (If you missed it, get glasses, or get new ones!) Here’s a well-done video of her singing one of my favorite songs:
If you like this video, you can go to www.YouTube.com and type in Tata Young in the search box and find others by this lovely lass.
[This story is specially dedicated to Brad "The Lad" and Tobin "The Robot." You're both most welcome!]
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
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Want to Fly to Some Out-of-the-Way Place? Rent a Plane or Helicopter!
Okay, so this isn’t for Mr. or Miss Weak Wallet, but renting an aircraft does open up possibilities.
I was looking around the Internet yesterday and happened to see an ad for an outfit called PriveJets that can arrange a turboprop, jet, or helicopter to take you to just about anyplace you want to go — anywhere in the world.
I made a quote request for a flight from Don Muang Airport here in Bangkok to Loei and back. Oddly, a turboprop is listed as starting at — are you ready for this? — US$117,900. But a light jet capable of carrying 6-7 passengers is listed starting at US$9,500! Go figure. And if you like your elbow room, why, just rent what they call a “heavy jet” that’s capable of hauling dozens of passengers starting at just US$41,100!!! No helicopters listed for that route, at least not on the dates I specified, though I imagine PriveJets’ folks could fix you up. Wouldn’t that be fun — buzzing all the Nakhon Nowheres betwixt and between! Roar right up Main Street, just a few feet off the ground! WHEE!!!
The list of places in Thailand is impressive, with a total of 68. That doesn’t mean 68 different cities, however; Chonburi alone has four listings, much to my surprise, particularly since on that page there’s only one listing for Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi International Airport (though when I checked the Bangkok-Loei flight, a window popped up requiring me to specify that airport or Don Muang). I imagine that if you give them enough notice, they can probably arrange to fly you literally anywhere that has a level enough spot with sufficient clearance for a helicopter rotor.
Just imagine . . . you’ve met The Girl of Your Wildest Fantasies on Soi Cowboy, and you want to impress her and her family, who live in some remote village in Isaan. So, you give PriveJets a call, arrange a helicopter, and descend like a god into Sweetie Pie’s Nakhon Nowhere! (Let’s gloss over the complete idiocy of your doing this.)
Since PriveJets says they can arrange even a jumbo jet, it’s possible to fly intercontinentally.
Besides opening up many more destinations, renting an aircraft has other advantages, not least in the airports at either end (unless you’re taking off and landing in a helicopter in the middle of nowhere). No long lines, no lost luggage, and so on.
Actually, I seem to recall reading somewhere recently that in the U.S. at least, the situation for private aircraft may be changing — for the worse, in terms of time, with increased security checks, etc. And the U.S. often sets the pattern, with other countries following suit.
Sometimes this can be downright ridiculous. I remember being on a flight from Hong Kong to Los Angeles that had to stop in Anchorage to refuel. In those days, there was still a smoking section, and I had specifically booked a seat in it. That was fine on the Hong Kong-Anchorage leg. Then we took off again headed to Los Angeles. I kept waiting for the “No Smoking” sign to go off so I could fire up, but it didn’t. I stopped a stewardess to ask her about it, thinking the cockpit crew had simply forgotten. Her initial response really confused me: “You can’t smoke when we’re in U.S. air space.” I was seated on the left side of the aircraft, and it was early afternoon; I could seen the Canadian Rockies not far off, and mentioned that little detail. She clarified, saying “But we’re flying between two U.S. cities, and as far as the U.S. government is concerned, that makes this a moestic flight flying through U.S. air space.” I’ve wondered since just what our friends in Ottawa might have to say about declaring the air above a Canadian province to be “U.S. air space.” All I could do was to grumble inwardly; it wasn’t the stewardess’s fault, after all.
Anyway, for the well-heeled, or for the executive on a truly generous expense account, renting an aircraft can be the way to go — literally!
Friday, November 6, 2009
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“Smile Series” Available for Kindle Reader
Got a notice from my friend, Christopher G. Moore, the well-known resident-in-Bangkok-for-many-years author that his classic “Smile” trilogy is now available as ebooks for the Kindle reader.
I’ve written before that this trilogy ought to be required reading for anyone coming to Thailand, especially men coming alone (whether married or not). And I’ve written they ought to be required to take an exhaustive test about the books before boarding the plane to come here — and to pass it with a score of, oh, let’s say at least 95%. (Women, children, and men traveling with their family would be exempt. Well — maybe not men, even if they are traveling with their family! Such men can sneak off from the hotel and get themselves into a heap of trouble — in a heartbeat!)
I put a link to Chris’ blog because it’s an excellent resource for anyone remotely interested in the art of writing. Learning at the feet of a master isn’t a bad way to go, and Chris is certainly an accomplished one. (He’s also one heck of a nice guy, by the way.)
Chris is a prolific writer; he has some 20 books to his name, and that’s no small feat. He’s very disciplined about his art, workind according to a set schedule, from which he varies only when he has to travel somewhere — as he has just done; he went on a mixed business and pleasure trip to the U.S. and his native Canada. (Hey — I’ll ask him what he thinks about “U.S. air space” in Canada! And he’s a lawyer to boot!)
Anyway, getting back to the Smile” trilogy, I don’t think they’re in print anymore, so it’s great they’ve come out for the Kindle. If I didn’t have the dead-tree copies I do have, I would certainly buy the ebook versions. (Though I prefer the dead-tree version; I plain like holding a book in my hands.)
And no, no, a thousand times NO! I don’t get a commission from Chris, either!!!
Friday, November 6, 2009
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Visa-Extension Confusion
I guess there’s still some uncertainty about getting a regular 60-day tourist visa extended.
Last time I went to Immigration here in Bangkok to extend such a visa, the lady handling my request called me back up to the desk to tell me the 30-day extension I had requested was no longe available, but that I could havce a 7-day one. She also pointed to a sign on a piece of A4 paper that had exactly that written on it, along with an official Immigration stamp and someone’s signature.
However, just a few days later, a friend of mine went, and got a 30-day extension. He didn’t notice any signs, but then he wasn’t looking for one, either.
Just a day or two later I saw a friend who was on his way to apply for an extension. I told him about my experience and the other guy’s. When this guy came back, we met in Washington Square and he told me he had gone to the appropriate window before filling out the application form and asked an officer if he could apply for 30 days — and the officer said “yes,” and, my buddy added, looked at him like he was from another planet. Said buddy also carefully looked all over the place but didn’t see any sign such as I had seen.
Further, the lady dealing with me told me I could get only a single 7-day extension, in contrast to the rules before. Then, a person 50 or older could get two consecutive 30-day extensions for a 60-day visa, for a total of 120 days.
Sometime after my buddy got a 30-day extension, he got a second one — just like before. But then a third friend went, only to be told he could have only a single 7-day extension.
It should be said that despite some apparent confusion, including among Immigration officers themselves, the Immigration authorities here are very, very generous with us; Thailand has about as laid-back visa regime as one can reasonably hope for, especially in terms of tourist visas.
There is another way to stay longer legally. You can fly out and back, even on the same day, and when you come back through Immigration at the airport, you get a so-called “visa on arrival” good for 30 days. This isn’t a visa, technically, but a stamp authorizing you to stay even though you don’t have a visa. I should note that certain nationalities are granted shorter periods, and a few aren’t eligible at all, but must have an actual visa to enter the Kingdom. But note this: if you enter by land or water, you get only 15 days, not 30, a situation that started in November, 2008.
Any extension will cost you 1,900 baht, at least for now. Also, be aware that if you overstay, you will be fined 500 baht per day, up to a maximum of 20,000 baht. You also are subject to arrest, though in over 15 years, I’ve never heard of anyone being arrested solely for overstaying a visa. I did know a guy who got accused of dealing in drugs who also was several months overstayed and who got arrested initially on the overstay charge, but once the police decided the accuser was lying (which he was), they let my friend pay his fine and leave the country — and he was back five days later!
There are other visas for which you might qualify that are valid for one year and that can be renewed without your having to leave the country.
First is a retirement visa for anyone at least 50 years old. You have to have 800,000 baht in a Thai bank or 65,000 baht per month coming into a Thai bank account. In any case, the money must come from abroad. You have to have had the 800,000/65,000 in your account for at least three months prior to applying and maintain it at least three months after being granted the visa. There’s also a stipulation that if the money is coming in monthly installments it must be from an “approved source” — but other than old-age pensions, government retirement pensions, and military retirement pensions, I don’t know what qualifies.
Next is a so-called “marriage visa,” though in fact this visa is available to anyone taking care of a Thai national, at least if that person is a minor. (I’m very unclear about what happens if, say, you’re supporting your girlfriend’s elderly parents.) The rules for this kind of visa are the same as for a retirement visa, except the amounts are half as much (which has always struck me as odd — a single person taking care only of himself has to have double what another guy who has a Thai wife has to have, although the married guy is caring for at least two people, and likely an entire village!). A word of caution: a village wedding has no legal status, though a village wedding is the way practically all Thais marry, never bothering to officially register their marriage with the government. So, if you do marry a Thai person, you can flat expect to have a village wedding — not to do so is simply unthinkable — but if you want then to apply for a marriage visa, you need to go to the appropriate government office, fill out a form or two, and pay a fee of 1,000 baht (last I knew, that is). I went with a friend and his wife to such an office, as they thought they needed a witness, but in fact none was required. They were in and out in under 20 minutes, so it’s pretty painless.
If you have substantial property or money abroad, you need to find out what the laws in your own country — even if your property and/or money is in a third country — treat ownership of those assets once you’re married, and your marriage is recognized by your government. For example, my ex-wife was a Chinese national whom I met and married in Beijing. We took the required paperwork to the U.S. embassy, where our marriage was formally recognized, enabling her to apply for U.S. permanent residency. The fact that the national government recognized our marriage meant that my home state’s government did, too; in my case, that’s Texas, where I maintain my legal residence. When we divorced a few years later, we did so in Texas, and had she wished, my ex-wife could have claimed up to 50% of my assets. (Lucky me, she wanted nothing — except out!) So, all you guys with oil wells and gold mines need to think about that!
There are other types of visas, such as student ones, but they apply only to a given category, obviously, and may not be for an entire year, depending on the specific circumstances. That is, if you come here to study in a 6-month course learning Thai, the visa will be for six months, not a full year. And so on. Check with a Thai embassy or consulate for further details for people of your nationality.
There’s another detail you need to know if you plan to work here. A work permit is an entirely separate matter from the accompanying visa, and is issued by the Labor Department, not the Immigration Bureau. Furthermore, you have to have a work permit even if you’re not being paid a single baht nor provided any food, housing, etc. That’s right — if you come as, say a volunteer with your church (or whatever), you are legally required to have a work permit.
Normally, visas (and work permits) are handled by someone here, though you well might have to make at least an initial appearance yourself at the Immigration Bureau, and, if appropriate, the Labor Department. But after that, As for anyone applying for a retirement or marriage visa, well, you’re on your own.
By the way, the law says you have to report your address every 90 days, even if you haven’t moved in 27 years.
Enforcement of some aspects of this apparently is discretionary, to some extent, on the part of Immigration officers, but it’s best to have everything in order — according to the law — just to be safe.
Note that I am not an attorney, so don’t accept anything I’ve said as the last word. Check with the appropriate authorities, i.e., Immigration and Labor Department officers and, if you feel it necessary, an attorney.
By the way, once you’re here, you’ll see advertisements for “visa service” companies. Beware: you pay a fee, and the company has someone take a bunch of passports out of the Kingdom (or sends them out some other way). Yes, the passports are stamped out and back in, good for 30 days (the “visa on arrival” business). A variation is the passports are taking to a Thai consulate and have visas stamped into them. But either is strictly illegal, and if you’re caught, you will have a bad, bad day. At best, you’ll likely be fined 20,000 baht and jailed until you can arrange a ticket back to your home country. Not to another country — your home country. And you do not want to be locked up in the International Detention Center, I assure you. There’s a bucket for a toilet and you sleep on the floor. And jail food is terrible (though you can have someone bring you food from outside).
Not fun. Don’t risk it. remember you’re a foreigner here, and any “rights” you may have are limited to those the Thai government chooses to extend to you — which is only fair.
Friday, November 6, 2009
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Washington Square News
Well, the short version is this: the beer, booze, and bums continue flowing serenely along. . . .
Actually, the weather has been a big topic amongst Squaronians; the cool season came to town in late October, and boy oh boy, has it ever been nice. It’s as warm right now (10:45 A.M.) as it has been for awhile, with the temperature about 29C/84F. There have been a number of nights I didn’t use my aircon at all — it would have been too cold. Up in the far north, in the mountains the temperature at night has dropped to around freezing; even at lower elevations, it has dropped to not very much above freezing. This is my 15th autumn in the Kingdom, and I don’t recall the cool season ever coming this early before.
I guess you folks in places like Yellowknife, Barrow, Archangel, Oslo, etc. can just be jealous!
Happily, there’s no real news, the “happy” part meaning no bad news.
Burma Richard is nearing completing his latest statue; he told me two days ago he imagines he’ll be ready to take it off to the foundry for casting. Richard reminds me of a 21st-century version of Van Gogh, except Richard hasn’t cut off his own ear . . . yet. (I’m waiting, however.)
“Ba” Burt Nestle made it to the Square this week — twice. The first day he came, he called me, and I said I’d go right up, but he told me he was going back home; his wife forgot to put his bank book and passport into his bag for him, and of course Burt can’t take care of himself, so he got to town only to discover he was flat broke! But we got together the following day, as the second time around he actually double-checked his bag before he left home to be sure he had everything he needed to withdraw some money from the bank. I bet he didn’t put his bank book and passport into his bag, though — Jan, his daughter, is off in Los Angeles, but undoubtedly Mrs. Burt stuffed them in for him! Anyway, he’s fine, and reports his wife and Jan are well, too.
Some of the offshore guys have been around, coincidentally arriving within the same time frame: Gavin, Cajun Riley, Scottish Alex, English Tony, and a few irregulars. They’re all fine, except after several hours in the Square!
Saw Taffy yesterday and asked about his Mother-in-law, who has been ill, apparently rather more ill than I had realized — but she’s out of hospital and well on the road to recovery, I’m glad to say.
Aussie Cal is still in town — in fact, I saw him yesterday and learned he’s not only been here about three weeks already, but that he went to extend his ticket a couple more weeks yesterday morning. It’s rare for him to be here for such a long time, and it’s nice to have him around. Great guy.
Chris Moore has made it back from his North America tour. I thought I was going to meet him and Burma Richard at the Texas Lone Staar yesterday, but they weren’t there. The staff had had someone paint a room or something, and the bar itself reeked of it. Richard called me a couple hours later and told me they had met then fled to the Dubliner; I hadn’t thought to look there for them, as that’s not one of their usual stops. Anyway, I hope to see Chris today — I’m leaving to the Square soon for that express purpose.
“German” Tony’s in town for his annual month’s holiday here. His first few days were, as usual, one long fog, of course, but he’s settling in now and enjoying himself — calmly, that is!
Have stopped by the Hare ‘n Hound to chat with the affable Dave, and by Cheers to chat with Chris. If you haven’t visited either of those places, do go by — they’re nice places, and Dave and Chris are both nice guys, plus the staff are all nice, as is Dave’s wife.
I was startled to learn that Flyers, which wasn’t within the Square itself but nearby, on the southeast corner of Sukhumvit Road and Sukhumvit Soi 22, has been literally leveled — the building (and an adjoining one) are gone. Kaput. Razed to the ground. No one I’ve talked to knows what’s instore for the lot, which is large and certainly a prime piece of real estate. Of course, with rumors about the fate of the Square, everyone got a little nervous; I think the ultimate owners of the razed lot are the same as own the Square’s real estate. Haven’t heard anything, though.
Well, let’s hope the cool season (gloat, gloat) keeps up!
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1. Wonder What’s Up with the Internet — It Has been SLOW for Several Days.
2. A Japanese Airline Asks Passengers to Relieve Themselves Before Boarding(!!!)
3. Two Bangkok Bars Rated Among World’s Ten Best
4. Odds and Ends
5. Do You Really Want Airlines to Post Your Location In-Flight Using Twitter and Facebook?
6. Washington Square News
7. A Reminder about the ASEAN Summit
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Wonder What’s Up with the Internet — It Has been SLOW for Several Days.
This is downright irritating. I tried uploading last week’s column to some of my sites, but failed — the page timed out before the upload went.
I checked the news, but haven’t seen any explanation. I am wondering if the authorities have it throttled, since the next ASEAN summit meeting is this month down in Phuket. There has been an announcement that about 18,000 police and military troops will be deployed in the Hua Hin area, with an equal number activat4ed here in Bangkok.
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A Japanese Airline Asks Passengers to Relieve Themselves Before Boarding(!!!)
That’s not a wrongly-typed headline. Intrigued, I just had to click through to the story “Use toilet before boarding, Japan airline asks” on CNN.
Why is the airline asking its passengers to go through what I instantly dubbed a pre=boarding “pee ceremony”? (I know, I know; there’s that other business we tend, but I could think of some phrase for that bodily function that plays so nicely on an ancient Japanese tradition’s name, the tea ceremony!)
The airline says it is making the request to help it offset carbon dioxide emitted by its airplanes, according to the story.
The “pee ceremony” isn’t the only step ANA (All Nippon Airways) is taking on its mostly domestic flights, such as using recycled paper cups and plastic bottles instead of glass. According to the airline, if about half its passengers went to the restroom before boarding, its carbon footprint would be reduced by 4.2 tons each month. I don’t know how much aviation fuel would be saved by having passengers relieve themselves before boarding, but when I realized that, I started thinking.
I’m a green-oriented person, and do take steps to try to reduce my carbon footprint. However, being green isn’t my only reason for this; I also save money. Could saving money be another reason the airline is taking the unusual step? Could it even be the major reason?
Okay, so having half the passengers do this would reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and I’m willing to accept the airline’s estimate of 4.2 tons. Any reduction in carbon dioxide is good (unless a step here causes even more emissions somewhere else in the process). For that matter, other greenhouse gases are also reduced, I assume.
There are, however, other direct costs involved in having a restroom on an aircraft. Presumably, costs for toilet tissue, paper hand towels, facial tissues, soap, and toiletries would be reduced. Of course, the plane has to have water for flushing the toilet and passengers to wash their hands — and less water would be needed, saving a little money there. And less water means less weight, which in turn means less fuel (though I don’t know if the airline calculated that in estimating the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions).
To be fair to ANA, it’s a small airline with just one internal and 38 domestic routes, so it has less opportunity to “go green” than huge airlines do. Further, one item I scanned for this story said that in 1992 global aviation contributed only about 2% of all these emissions and are expected to contribute no more than 3% by 2050.
If global warming isn’t a hoax or flawed science, will ANA’s steps “save the planet”? No. But is as true with many things, if enough people — not just airlines — cut back just a little, the effects are magnified. It’s identical to the concept of the economy of scale: if enough people demand, say, electric vehicles, the cost per vehicle comes down. And if billions of people reduce their emissions, it will make a difference.
If nothing else, the air, water, and soil will be cleaner!
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Two Bangkok Bars Rated Among World’s Ten Best
I have no idea how the assessments were made. I do know the page I read was one that (1.) I reached through clicking a paid Google ad on another page, and (2.) Singha asked the Lonely Planet travel guide people to provide the information for. With those caveats established — meaning I can’t vouch for this story — let’s get to the bars.
Coming in second is the Gazebo Bar on Bangkok’s Khao San Road, an area we normally associate with cheap hotels, backpack tourists, and so on. While I’ve heard of the bar, I’ve never been there, so I can’t offer any personal observations. I did visit the website and noted there is a cover charge, sometimes, of 300 baht.
In ninth place is the Moon Bar on the top of the Banyan Tree Hotel on South Sathorn Road here in Bangkok. I have been to it, and the views are stunning. The bar is perched 59 floors up, so the view is also a commanding one. There doesn’t seem to be a link for the bar itself, and when I went to the Banyan Tree website, I didn’t see anything at all about it. Unless the situation has changed since I was last there, there is no cover charge.
I do know the drink prices are fairly expensive for Bangkok in general, but not for this sort of bar, and not compared to other high-class bars in other cities in the world.
The main reason I wrote this story is that Bangkok is the only city to have two winners (as is Thailand the only country with them).
Congratulations to the two bars!
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Odds and Ends
1. What’s the largest megalopolis in the world? Chongqing, in southwest China.
2. Read about a man in the U.S. who was so unhappy in his marriage that he went to a bank and robbed it — then immediately surrendered and asked the bank clerk to call the police. He was arrested, sentenced, and went to jail for a few years, but since he went to prison, his wife has divorced him. Mission accomplished! The question I have is this: Why didn’t he divorce her instead of going to prison for robbery???
3. Never had your name in the lights of a marquee? Now you can have your chance and go out in a blaze of glory! “Funeral home offers electronic billboard obits.” Actually, if you read the story, this idea does make more sense than seems to be the case at first.
4. “Town cancels rabbit-throwing competition” in the tiny community of Waiau, South Island, New Zealand. A kids’ game held at the same time as the community’s annual pig hunt, it got the attention of the country’s animal protection society. However, it should be said that tasteless as the contest seems to some — the bunnies were dead already. Even so, this does strike me as peculiar. Why not use — oh, apples? Baseballs? Anything except a carcass!
5. “City council votes to nix tree house” says the headline about a controversy in University Park, Texas, U.S. The article doesn’t say this, but I can, since I am well familiar with the city. It’s one of two upper-class adjoining cities that as a pair of co-joined twins is entirely surrounded by the much larger city of Dallas. Apparently the city’s building codes prohibit the building of a permanent structure in the front yard (that’s the “front garden,” for my friends who are Citizens of Empire! ;-o ). A Father built a tree house for his children, and has been ordered to remove it.
I’m torn about this one. On the one hand, I can see a community’s residents wanting to have standards. On the other hand, a tree house isn’t an outhouse. I haven’t seen a picture of the tree house, but my guess is that even if it’s a tasteful, lovely structure, the people of the community simply don’t want it, even if banning it is rather extreme (assuming the tree house doesn’t look like a ruined cabin, that is).
6. Be advised: do NOT follow the link if you have a weak stomach. While the story’s accompanying photograph isn’t horrific in any traditional sense, it is extremely disquieting, to say the least. “Hairy ‘cow hide’ girls stuns scientists” is the headline blaring the story of a six-year-old girl in China whom skin has, at least in appearance, done exactly that. This is one of those odd stories that has absolutely no humor in it, and I debated before including it. I hope the doctors can find a cure for the poor girl.
7. “Real-life Harry Potter” doesn’t need any explanation, does it??? (If you haven’t heard of Harry Potter, then I have a question for you: “How was your trip to the Andromeda Galaxy?”
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Do You Really Want Airlines to Post Your Location In-Flight Using Twitter and Facebook?
Just read a story headlined “Airlines Using Social Media to Relay Location in the Sky” that reports some airlines are introducing a service doing exactly that.
There are obvious benefits, of course. For example, if your 12-year-old child is flying alone, it would be nice to have some tracking of him or her. If you yourself are flying, your friends and loved ones might like being able to know where you are, especially if one of them is supposed to pick you up.
But that brings up a couple questions the article doesn’t answer. While it does say the information is coming from the airlines, not the aircraft, it doesn’t say where the airlines are getting *their* information. If they are simply estimating but your aircraft is diverted far right or left to avoid a major storm system, then number one, the location given won’t be correct, and number two, the recipients will be unaware of the delay, too. And your wife may be unhappy when you land three hours late!
When I first read the article, I gave some considerable thought to whether there might be security worries caused by this service. I suppose it’s possible, but as a person who worked in security for years (if many years ago), I can’t think of any significant risks. But even a small risk is a risk — hence, the headline of this story. After all, as I understand the story, this reports on the entire aircraft, not passengers individually, and that means you can’t tell the airline personnel to leave you out.
There’s a side note to this: people need to be very cautious about announcing travel plans to the entire universe on social media services. Don’t write on your Facebook wall “Happy! I’m taking the entire family to Thailand for three glorious weeks. We’re leaving early tomorrow morning and coming back on the morning/afternoon/night of [your date of return]. We even found a kennel to keep Fido that doesn’t cost very much.” Reading that in the context of my story, I imagine the danger is obvious: now burglars may know you’re house will be empty — why else put your pet at the kennel? — for three entire weeks. And you could come home only to find the house or apartment ransacked.
Not
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Washington Square News
It’s Friday noon now, and I finally went up to the Square last night to see if there is anything to report.
I was happy to bump into “Singapore” Patrick at New Square One Pub. He and his visiting cousin, who is from Scotland, are passing through. (Patrick has business in Burma, and comes through Bangkok of necessity; there are no direct flights, I take it, linking Singapore with Burma. Or maybe that’s just what Patrick tells the Missus!) Anyway, he’s well, on his way back to Singapore, and will soon be going to Scotland for a much-wanted visit.
“Swedish” Tony remains in town, still in a party mood. He was also at Square One last night, having a very good time!
I’ve heard that Cal of Oz is in town and well, though I’ve not bumped into him myself. I do hope to see him this time, as I’ve missed him on his last two or three visits.
Had an e-mail from Kent Cummings, partner in the Texas Lone Staar but now living and working in Kentucky. He’s well — and happy to have a job! He works for Boeing, and as we all know, anyone having anything to do with the airline industry, including aircraft manufacturer Boeing, have been badly affected by the ongoing economic crisis. He also wrote that his two lovely teenage daughters are doing well as they adjust to education in an American public school, quite a huge shift from what they were used to in a private international school here in Bangkok. That’s a polite way of saying they’re learning how the *other* half lives!
Kent also said his Father, Roger, is planning another trip out this way, which will be his third or fourth “final” trip. I won’t say anything about that. . . . Looking forward to seeing him.
I stopped by several other Square bars last night, but with two exceptions, I was the only customer. And one of the two exceptions had customers I don’t know, so I assume they’re tourists. It’s still pretty quiet, so the bar owners are anxious for the high season to arrive.
I also stopped in two or three places across the road in Queen’s Park Plaza, and like the Square, it was very quiet. It was late evening, and a couple of people told me I was the first customer of the day.
Hope I have more to report next time!
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A Reminder about the ASEAN Summit
The much-awaited ASEAN summit is this weekend in Hua Hin, and anyone coming to Bangkok, Hua Hin, or Cha’am (near Hua Hin) needs to remember that security is very tight. The Prime Minister invoked the Internal Security Act in certain districts, enabling the military to work alongside police.
Everyone involved has worked very hard to stem any potential disorder before it can even start. Even a number of prominent anti-government people have called for peace and order during this important event, made more important for Thailand by the fact that Thailand holds the rotating chairmanship of the group this year.
There have been some meetings already of lower-level officials, and so far all has gone well, so let’s hope that’s true when the leaders meet.
Here are the headlines for the October 9, 2009 edition of “The Rounds.” You can read them at http://facebook.com/mekhongkurt — the column is in two parts because it was too long to publish as a single entry. And I couldn’t publish it here even after dividing it into SIX parts! Finally gave up. . . .
( 1.) Fuel Prices to Drop Half a Baht per Liter
( 2.) TOP’s: Tidbits, Oddities, and Peculiarities
( 3.) Bangkok Drops on Quality of Life List on One Survey
( 4.) Bangkok to Lease 4,000 NGV Buses
( 5.) Foreign Tourist Arrivals Down 14.1% Year-on-Year
( 6.) Thai Baht Strengthens Against the U.S. Dollar
( 7.) Luna-ly, or “How to Garden”
( 8.) Starbucks Destroys Social Interactions and Democracy
( 9.) Handy Online Calendar of Public/Banking Holidays – for Just about the Entire World!
(10.) October 1st: 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China
(11.) Rio de Janeiro Wins 2016 Olymics Hosting Rights
(12.) My Brief Career as a Rodeo “Star”; and, Texas Commits $3 Billion to Fund a Quest for a Cure for Cancer
(13.) Heavy Rains Bringing Floods to Many Parts of Thailand
(14.) Where Are the Tourist Deals?
(15. Check In for Your Flight – Using Your Hand Phone
(16.) Anti-Digicam Star Wars Technology: Implications for Holiday Photographers; and, “What’s A Squaronian to DO?”
(17.) The Earth Burps
(18.) Beware Facebook “Friendly” Scams
(19.) Website to Help You Decide If You Might Have Swine Flu and Need to See a Doctor
(20.) U.S. Air Force Precision Flight Team Will Perform in Bangkok Saturday, October 10th — but WHEN and WHERE???
(21.) Airport Rail Link Tested This Week
(22.) Can a Foreigner with a Thai Spouse Legally Buy Property?
Submit materials for possible inclusion to: squaronians [at] gmail.com
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“The Rounds,” Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Headlines
( 1.) Fuel Prices to Drop Half a Baht per Liter
( 2.) TOP’s: Tidbits, Oddities, and Peculiarities
( 3.) Bangkok Drops on Quality of Life List on One Survey
( 4.) Bangkok to Lease 4,000 NGV Buses
( 5.) Foreign Tourist Arrivals Down 14.1% Year-on-Year
( 6.) Thai Baht Strengthens Against the U.S. Dollar
( 7.) Luna-ly, or “How to Garden”
( 8.) Starbucks Destroys Social Interactions and Democracy
( 9.) Handy Online Calendar of Public/Banking Holidays – for Just about the Entire World!
(10.) October 1st: 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China
(11.) Rio de Janeiro Wins 2016 Olymics Hosting Rights
(12.) My Brief Career as a Rodeo “Star”; and, Texas Commits $3 Billion to Fund a Quest for a Cure for Cancer
(13.) Heavy Rains Bringing Floods to Many Parts of Thailand
(14.) Where Are the Tourist Deals?
(15. Check In for Your Flight – Using Your Hand Phone
(16.) Anti-Digicam Star Wars Technology: Implications for Holiday Photographers; and, “What’s A Squaronian to DO?”
(17.) The Earth Burps
(18.) Beware Facebook “Friendly” Scams
(19.) Website to Help You Decide If You Might Have Swine Flu and Need to See a Doctor
(20.) U.S. Air Force Precision Flight Team Will Perform in Bangkok Saturday, October 10th — but WHEN and WHERE???
(21.) Airport Rail Link Tested This Week
(22.) Can a Foreigner with a Thai Spouse Legally Buy Property?
(23.) A Great Camera for Tourists
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Fuel Prices to Drop Half a Baht per Liter
Good news for motorists: just heard a television news report that the prices for all vehicle fuels except E-85 will be reduced tomorrow by half a baht per liter as a result of the downward drift in crude oil prices globally in recent days.
I suppose drivers shouldn’t become complacent, since no one seems to know what crude prices will do in days to come, but I also suppose that any relief, however short-lived, is more than welcome.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
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TOP’s: Tidbits, Oddities, and Peculiarities
(1.) We’ve all seen streets and other public places with names that stand out; American towns have quite a reputation in this regard, such as Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
But I’ve just run across a street name that’s the most novel, if not the most captivating, I’ve ever run across: “@arjanelfassed tweetstreet” — that is, a www.Twitter.com address.
Now, if you don’t know what a www.Twitter.com address is, then this is meaningless to you. Twitter is a micro-blogging service that works much along the lines of a text message from your cellphone, computer, or other Internet-enabled device. But it’s more than that – you can have followers as well as be a follower. Some famous people have tens and hundreds of thousands of followers; U.S. President Obama has over 2 million. Since your messages are limited to 140 characters – spaces, actually, since spaces do count – you can’t blab too much in any one message, and many “tweets,” as Twitter messages are so charmingly called, are mind-numbingly boring, with a capital “B”!!! (Hi, I’m eating breakfast: ½ can flat beer from last night and stale cereal 2 months old.” You get the idea.)
Anyway, adding to the interest of this Tweety Street (that has a rather nice ring to it, doesn’t it?), is it’s location: Askar Camp. You can learn more at this URL:
(2.) “Your [U.S.] Tax Dollars at Work”: In mid-September CNN posted a report online exploring one aspect of an important consideration for the country’s national security, namely, land border crossings.
Most of our attention tends to drift southwards, towards the U.S.-Mexico border, while the U.S.-Canada border tends to get pretty short shrift in these consideratons.
After all, the U.S. and Canada share the longest essentially undefended border in the world, since neither of us is likely to invade the other or to present much of any other kind of threat to our respective national security.
CNN discovered that Senator Baucus (Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee) and Senator Tester (a member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee), Montana’s two senators, have seen to it that their state is protected from Canadian terrorists and others attempting to enter the U.S. along The Open Frontier.
Specifically, they’ve convinced the Department of Homeland Security to upgrade two border crossings, at a cost of some $31 million. Few Americans begrudge necessary expenditures to keep our country safe from danger, foreign or domestic.
So, how big is the threat posed by the crossings at Scobey and Whitetail?
Well, according to the story, about 20 cars cross the border at Scobey and about 2 at Whitetail daily, on average.
During the busiest time of the year.
During Montana’s brutal winters, the border traffic drops, essentially, to zero.
Secretary of Homeland Security Napolitano has ordered a 30-day review of the expenditure.
You can read the story yourself at the URL below; the observation of Senator Dorgan (D-North Dakota, Montana’s neighbor to the east) is particularly intriguing; the word “nuts” figures prominently in the quote CNN attributes to him. Anyway, here’s the URL:
(I know some may quibble this story doesn’t belong here in TOP’s, but it’s just weird enough, I felt, to include it within this setting.)
Saturday, October 3, 2009
(3.) This next is about Miracle Whip. Yes, Miracle Whip, the sandwich spread that competes head-to-head with mayonnaise. I don’t even like Miracle Whip, viewing it as “The Great Pretender.” In fact, when I heard that great Platters song as a child in the 1950’s, I thought they wrote it about Miracle Whip.
I remember going to Aunt Billie’s house or to a reunion at which she drew duty of feeding us kids. She would ask, “Honey, do you want a baloney and mayo sandwich?” in velvet, enticing tones. I LOVE balogey and mayo sandwiches. Ever hopeful, despite knowing her evil treachery, I would enthusiastically reply, “Yes!” (A good part of my enthusiasm was based on being terrified; she had the longest, evilest-looking fingernails I had ever seen. But, I hasten to add, she’s a wonderful lady.)
I knew not to watch her make my sandwich, To have certain knowledge verified via visual evidence was just too much. She would hand me my “baloney and mayo” sandwich, into which I would swiftly clamp my teeth, eyes squeezed shut.
It never failed. Aunt Billie’s baloney and mayo sandwiches come in two varieties: (1.) Miracle Whip and pickle loaf, and, (2.) Miracle Whip and pressed ham.
I detested pickle loaf. And I detested pressed ham. (I’ve since converted on those two.)
But I have to give the marketing folks at Miracle Whip credit for a simply splendid ad they’ve come up with. It’s very much an in-your-face ad – but in a light-hearted way, which is mighty difficult to pull off. The ad’s called “Don’t Be So Mayo,” which is pretty damned cheeky in itself!
Thanks for the folks at Slate for running a story, complete with the YouTube video. You can read the Slate story and watch the video at this URL:
http://www.slate.com/id/2228827?obref=obinsite
Alternatively, you can watch it directly on Miracle Whip’s YouTube page at this URL:
Saturday, October 3, 2009
(4.) As if we don’t have enough irritations when flying: pilots and cabin crew get into a scrap . . . at 30,000 feet. Wonderful. URL:
(5.) Apoligies to all of you who like to wander around looking for fossils; I just learned of an auction, apparently held a day or two ago in Las Vegas, in the U.S., of some dinosaur.
And not just any old dinosaur bones, mind you.
Up for grabs were upwards of 200 bones all belonging to a single dinosaur, one most of you have heard of: tyrannosaurus rex. Scientists estimate this sweetheart – the bones are of a female – was 40 feet long and weighed 7.5 tons. [Real, red-blooded American tons, not those overweight things people in other countries use! ]
The bones were expected to fetch several million dollars, though I can’t tell you the actual sales price, as (curiously), I could find no story written after the sale. (Assuming it wasn’t called of for some reason, that is.)
But just think what a traffic stopper it would be to have a pile of t. rex bones in your front yard, you with a ladder, mounting plate, and scaffold, and copious tubes of super-glue as you put Humpty Dumpty back together again. As it were.
WAIT! It’s sometime later after I wrote the above, and I just stumbled across a story written about the auction itself. Seems Miss T. Rex didn’t draw enough enthusiasm to meet whatever the auction house’s minimum was, the top offer having been well below four million dollars.
So, get yourself a dedicated piggybank, ar BIG piggybank, and start saving! Probably at least half-dollars, maybe silver dollars, since it may take, um, “some time” to save up several million bucks..
But there’s still time for you and she and some super-glue!
(6.) Do you know there’s a Swedenborgian Christian Church in New York City to this day? (Swedenborgian Christians are followers of the 18th-century Swedish mystic, Emanuel Swedenborg, a very interesting fellow.)
“Well,” you snort, so the heck what???”
Don’t be silly, Children; there’s good reason to mention this particular congregation (or parish or whatever the Swedenborgians call themselves):
According to the CBS News story I read, the first preacher at the NYC church was none other than . . . one George Bush. (The answer’s “yes,” though I couldn’t verify CBS’s claim.)
The claim is not nonsensical. Swedenborg believed, for example, that angels are a literal part of our daily lives, and that we can commune with the Almighty in a direct and personal way (as I understand it, anyway; I’ve read Swedenborg before, and he’s sometimes tough to interpret). It would be no surprise to learn that such deep faith was handed down through the generations; certainly, President George W. Bush is very open about his own faith. The bits I’ve heard him say about his faith aren’t fundamentally different from Swedenborgian teachings. URL:
(7.) Did you know that Juneau, Alaska – that state’s capital city – is inaccessible by car?
(8.) Most Americans and French (and a great many others) know the French gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States – but how many know what the gift signified? I didn’t, until just now: President Abraham Lincoln.
That little historical datum is woven into an excellent story in TIME headlined “How Moses Shaped America,” an excellent read. The paragraph about the Statue of Liberty is about halfway down page 2 (of 3 pages). Details of two Moses-specific links on the statue are detailed there.
Bonus oddity, since it relates to Moses as well, one I alreadey knew: the comic book (and alater television and movie) superhero Superman is based, in part, on the Biblical Moses, which the TIME article also mentions. That may strike you as crazy – well, just read the article, and you’ll slap your forehead as you say, “Of course!” [I didn't know this because I'm so smart or some kind of trivia expert. The development of the hero in Western culture was a major focus of my graduate studies.]
Monday, October 5, 2009
(9.) Did you know that enough sunshine hits the U.S. in 40 minutes to provide the nation’s total power needs for . . . and entire . . . year? (Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s still expensive, but make a line graph of the change in price over time, and notice it’s on a steep, sustained dive.)
(10.) McDonald’s is the Google of the restaurant world. They even have (or had last I knew, anyway) an outlet in the Forbidden City in Beijing. (Starbucks opened there, too, but got forced to close down because locals felt it was too Western for such a place. McDonald’s isn’t the epitome of Western???)
But now McDonald’s has gone a step further: they’ll open a restaurant at the Louvre Museum in Paris next month. Blasphemy! (Other sources say “by the end of the year; take your pick.)
CNN is one of a number of media outlets with a story headlined “’Bad taste’ cries as McDonald’s moves into ‘Mona Lisa’ museum” about this rather startling news. I looked around the Internet some and there sure are a lot of complaints. In one story, an art historian who works at the famous museum said that if there’s a McDonald’s trading on the museum’s name and reputation today, there will be low-cost clothing shops next.
Actually, to be completely fair and accurate, the new McDonald’s will be in the mall adjacent to the famous museum, not in the museum itself. That hasn’t soothed critics, one who notes there will be the “fragrance of fries floating under Mona Lisa’s nose.” Well, there’s already a Starbucks in the mall, so I guess the critics will just have to live with Ronald Mcdonald as a neighbor!
Wonder if the American fast-food giant has a lease somewhere in the Vatican???
(11.) How do you smuggle stuff to your service people who are P.O.W.’s?
Easy.
Smuggle stuff in Red Cross care packages containing . . . the popular board game “Monopoly.”
That’s an idea the British Secret Service came up with during World War II, and while no exact numbers are available, apparently the plan was successful – the government kept the program secret for decades after the war’s end.
Read about it here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/10021
By the way, that website is downright addictive, as it’s filled with all sorts of odd information. Don’t sit home bored to tears on a rainy afternoon – turn on your computer and read all you want – remembering this site is dangerously habit-forming!
(12.) Confederate General Joe “Fighting Joe” Wheeler, one of 425 generals in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, didn’t see his military career end when General Robert E. Lee surrendered on the behalf of the South to General Ulysses S. Grant in 1865. As his nickname suggests, he did love a good fight.
So, at age 62, he volunteered to go join in the Spanish-American War at the very end of the 19th century, with the American – i.e., Union – army.
You might reasonably asks if that matters. I guess it doesn’t, but there’s an interesting historical note in his new military career: he’s the only former Confederate general to attain the same rank in the American army.
The Alabama native gave new meaning to “If you can’t beat them, join them.”!!!
This information is contained in the story at this URL:
(The story is really about Helen Keller, who also hailed from Alabama.)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
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Bangkok Drops on Quality of Life List on One Survey
Ran across a survey of cities around the world that ranked them in terms of quality of life. The same company also has other surveys, including one on cost of living; for that survey, 143 cities are included. The quality of life one didn’t indicate how many cities were included, but I’m assuming it al ranked 143 cities.
In any case, Bangkok dropped from 2008 to 2009 from 109th to 120th, the largest single drop for any city in Asia. (I also don’t know how many Asian cities were surveyed.)
On the other hand, the company that conducted the surveys, Mercer, has a page on its website that shows the 50 most expensive cities for expatriates to live in. Happily, Bangkok is nowhere to be seen on that list, which doesn’t surprise me.
Other measures include the five top Asian cities in terms of infrastructure and the top five in terms of quality of living. Bangkok’s not on either of those, either. (Somewhat to my surprise, all five top cities for quality of living are in Australia and New Zealand.)
One big plus is Bangkok isn’t singled out as qualifying for any “worst of” lists, at least not on the website. (The company sells its surveys for considerable sums, so its website serves more as a teaser than as an information source.)
The government still has hopes to make Bangkok a hub in several areas, hopes carried over from previous governments, such as aviation, medical tourism, and education. Given the current government’s relatively short tenure to date, about nine months, as well as the continuing domestic political conflicts, to aim to make Bangkok a world-ranked hub is quite ambitious for now.
The Prime Minister did well in his trip to the United Nations last week. Naturally, with all the controversy over matters such as Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, he didn’t grab deadlines, but that’s understandable. The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian interminable conflict took a major part of the attention, too.
Another positive is that economists are saying that Asia generally is faring better than the rest of the world in the economic struggle. For instance, I read just yesterday that forecasters who had been pegging China’s growth this year set to come out a relatively poor 7% have revised that upwards to 8.2%. Even 7% is a figure enviable in many places, but the Chinese leadership believes an absolute minimum necessary to provide for the people is about 8%.
This has been a somewhat controversial proposal, partly because workers feared they might lose their jobs, since fewer workers will be needed as the buses will be equipped with electronic ticketing.
As I recall, sometime back, there was some consideration given to buying the buses outright.
In any case, a study has been done and the decision made to lease natural-gas buses for use on municipal routes here in Bangkok.
The project won’t be cheap at some 63 billion baht (about US$ 1.9 billion) – though the article I read [URL below] didn’t indicate how long the lease period is.
A great many commuters here do depend on buses, whether by choice or necessity. Some can’t afford to use the Skytrain-subway network, even if their homes and jobs both are convenient to it, while others either live far, work far, or both from that network.
One of the main goals in leasing these buses is to significantly reduce the carbon monoxide emissions – a most welcome result, when it happens!
It has been a long, long time since I’ve ridden a municipal bus, but one has but to look at some to realize that a fair number are well past their “use by” date and are plain worn out, so getting new buses will be welcomed by those using them.
This is the figure cited by a deputy spokesman of the Democrat Party, the chief party in the ruling coalition, for the first eight months of this year compared to the same period last year.
The spokesman said that this year foreign tourists arriving had dropped in number to 8.9 million, blaming various factors, including this past Songkhran’s [Thai New Year's] riots, but added that arrivals are picking up so the fourth quarter should see some improvement.
Of course, the fourth quarter includes much of the high season, so barring some major catastrophe, an increase is to be expected anyway.
The baht has gained fairly significantly in recent weeks compared to the greenback.
It was just a few weeks ago it was floating in the 34.0.-34.20 range per dollar, but this morning the Bangkok Post is showing a buying rate of 33.21 and a selling rate of 33.86 – a pretty wide spread. (This confuses some. What it means is if you use U.S. dollars to buy baht, you get only 33.21 baht for each dollar – but if you use baht to buy dollars, you have to pay 33.86 baht for each dollar you buy.)
Not everyone here is pleased with the strengthening of the baht (including me!). When the baht strengthens, Thailand’s exports get more expensive for foreign buyers, as international settlements are commonly made in U.S. dollars.
Thailand’s economy is largely dependent on exports, of course. Some here are saying the monetary authorities should make the necessary adjustments so that the baht reaches a level of around 37 baht per dollar, though not everyone agrees with that.
Foreigners, both business people and tourists, would be delighted to see the baht weaken against the greenback, even foreigners not Americans. Why? Well, unless things have changed, which I’m almost certain they haven’t, if you bring in, say, pounds or euros, the bank of money exchange will first convert it into dollars then into baht. That could work to one’s advantage, if the differing rates were just right, but it also can work against you.
The baht has been stable for quite a few years, which is a credit to the authorities here, particularly over the past three years since the coup, a time that has been tumultuous at times.
By the way, the rate is not engraved in stone. While the differences are small between various exchanges when we’re talking the amount you needed for a week or two holiday, if you’re bringing in a large sum for business or whatever reason, it may be worth searching out the best rate you can get.
As for me, I still fondly remember the day I got just a touch over 58 baht for each dollar I had . . . . oh, those were the days!!!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
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Luna-ly, or “How to Garden”
This arguably should be in the TOP’s story, but it’s so, um, “delicious” I felt it just had to have separate billing.
This jewel comes to us from the Telegraph [www.telegraph.co.uk] (and thanks to the cousins there for running the story).
Most of us have at least heard of “organic faming,” a notion some present as “The Only Way to Raise Crops” while others think of it as “Tree-Hugging 2.0.”
It seems that in the Island Nation a movement has arisen from organic farming, the central idea of which is biodiversity, which doesn’t mean what you probably think it means. It means planting, harvesting, and even eating your fruits and vegetables according to a calendar that has as a central feature the phases of the Moon.
Yes, lunar phases are key to this more advanced and refined organic farming. As are the signs of the zodiac, the position of the planets, and so on. Of course, such linkages aren’t entirely new. For example, some cultures have the “Harvest Moon,” which means just what it says – time to bring in the crops (in case you’ve led a sheltered life and didn’t know that already). However, the Harvest Moon is, as far as I know, merely a time marker, a celestial reminder, if you will: “Hey! Winter’s a-coming! Get off your duff and harvest the corn!”
But biodynamic gardening or farming goes considerably beyond this. For instance, an ascending Moon causes the upper part of a plant to have more vitality than the lower part, so during an ascending Moon is the best time to plant something whose upper parts are to eat. Conversely, a descending Moon means the lower part has more vitality – a great time for root plants such as potatos.
Apparently, some swear by this system; there’s even an official certification organization in Britain that signs off for luna-ly vegetables, fruits, and what have you. (Is there such an organization elsewhere?)
Too bad I didn’t know about this a couple months ago. My Mother has an autumn garden every year, so she has a month-long Pumpkin Patch, complete with hayrides and the like, the entire month of October. But as its mid-morning where she lives on September 30th, I am a tad late getting word to her this year.
The article does, sadly, leave one consuming question unanswered: when do I plant my potato chip seeds???
You can read further (and follow some links in the story, if you like) at this URL:
Starbucks Destroys Social Interactions and Democracy
Or that’s the startling conclusion of an academic at a leading American university after he visited scads of Starbucks outlets in a bunch of countries, as that wonderful newspaper the Telegraph – again – reports.
Now, I’m not a regular of Starbucks – I might have been in one of its shops three or four times, max – nor am I stockholder, so what happens to the global coffee shop is of little consequence to me personally.
The professor notes that a great many people go into a Starbucks, get their latte (or whatever), sit down with their computers – Starbucks provides free wifi at many of its shops – put on their headphones, and are immediately cut off from the world around them.
Okay, I’ll buy that. But Professor Simon takes his point a bit further, as the article notes:
“He said the rise of Starbucks and its rivals was a far cry from the British coffee houses of the 18th and 19th centuries, ‘which were the cornerstones of democracy with a small ‘d’.”
I say.
Clearly, a 21st-century coffee house is, both admittedly and decidedly, different from an 18th-, 19-, or even 20th-century coffee house, in the last instance at least until late in the century. Of course, 18th- and 19th-century didn’t have electric lights, air-conditioning, or plumbing, either. Probably some early 20th-century ones, too, which also suffered air-conditionless until after mid-century or so. I wonder what role those lacks had in (presumably) lessening or destroying little-d democracy.
I weary of these attacks, which is why I’m writing this.
The professor makes a couple fundamental errors, at least as reported. (If the fault is with the reporter, that person needs to take another run through Journalism 101.)
First – do we all assume that earlier coffee houses were indeed “cornerstones of democracy”? Perhaps. But saying so and demonstrating it are two entirely different matters.
Secondly, had a late 17th-century or early 18th-century inventor come up with a portable computer, would the coffee houses of the day have become nothing more than ancestors of today’s Starbucks?
I also wouold like to know which countries the professor visited. Why? — because public places do indeed still perform the social function he ascribes to earlier incarnations of coffee houses, if specifically British ones. Just go to a local Thai equivalent; in some, there are plenty of folks chatting away.
I’ve even been in the Starbucks nearest my home a couple times and now recall that both times there were numerous customers, most with at least one other person, all engaged in conversation – despite any number of portable computers visible, but not in use.
Handy Online Calendar of Public/
Banking Holidays – for Just about the Entire World!
Just ran across this extremely handy reference source, by far and away the most thorough I’ve ever seen – including offline. For example, each island in Tuvalu has its own island-specific holiday – listed here. With nine islands, the island nation east of Australia ends up with a complicated holiday calendar, for sure!
There is one small point to mention on the downside; place names aren’t 100% accurate. Take the case of Tuvalu; it’s listed under it’s old colonial name, “Ellice Islands.” But that’s a quibbling point for so useful a resource.
Here’s the URL – and I suggest you bookmark it; if nothing else, you can how off using it!
October 1st: 60th Anniversary of the
Founding of the People’s Republic of China
And you can bet your last dollar (or baht or yen or pound of whatever) that it’s gonna be a HUGE affair.
In fact, the media are reporting that plans call for the biggest national birthday party in the history of the PRC.
There are ancient cultural reasons for this. Chinese tradition has 12 signs of the zodiac, as does the West, but in Chinese tradition, a sign last one [lunar] year. So, it takes 12 years to complete one cycle of the Chinese zodiac.
The next larger cycle is 60 years long, comprising five 12-year individual cycles of the zodiac. In Mandarin, the word for “six” is pronounced “liu” (fourth tone, for anyone who cares). The second part of the way to say “stay” is similar, “liu,” but with the second tone. The full Chinese expression “tingliu” really means “remain,” giving a sense of permanence – and important consideration for people whose country has been ripped asunder both by forces within and by foreign elements so many times that they’re plain tired of it. (That’s one major reason so many Han Chinese have so little patience with separatists in Tibet and Xinjiang. I’m not taking sides, just explaining.)
But why five cycles? Why not four, or six, or some other number?
Well, obviously, 12 X 5=60, but that doesn’t tell us the “why.” That has to do with the five known planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
Viola: five.
It’s a lot more complicated than that, in truth. Anyone interested can explore it in more depth in a surprisingly well-done Wikipedia article at this URL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astrology
(A note of caution: you can go crazy trying to figure out all the myriad of factors that go into Chinese calculations in this regard. But there it is.)
Anyway, a 60-year cycle gives a feeling of stability, of permanence.
And China has been stable – territorially speaking – since Chairman Mao stood on the balcony above the main entrance gate of the Forbidden City on October 1, 1949 and declared the founding the the PRC.
The 50th birthday bash was a big enough deal – I was living and working in southern China at the time, so saw it firsthand. But that won’t be like the 60th, and I wish I could be there. Yes, I know – Bangkok has a thriving, large Chinatown where I can go, but let me ask you a question: “Are you CRAZY???”. It’ll be utter, total, chaos. Fun chaos, true, in many ways. But I don’t know Chinatown and that might not be the best time to visit.
Beijing will be the center of attention, naturally, where a vast parade is planned, partly to show off some of the country’s newest military hardware (to give pause to those separatists I mentioned earlier, among other things).
I get CCTV (China Central Television) English channel on my cable package – but the sound has been out for over a year. Not on my TV – from the cable service. As it has been for Channel News Asia out of Singapore. And as it intermittently is for Japanese broadcaster NHK.
But it’s about 3:30 A.M. As I write (messed-up days and nights, but never mind), and it’s an hour later in both Singapore and China than it is here, so I ay try to stay up long enough to bounce back and forth between the two channels to see some of the early festivities in those two places.
By the way, nine days from now, on October 10th, Taiwan will celebrate its own National Day – which is pegged to the 1911 revolution that overthrew the Qing dynasty, the last imperial dynasty in China. It’s a day Beijing always watches closely, trying to figure out what message the island’s leaders are trying to send – and they do try to send a message via the nature of the celebrations each and every year.
But back across what used to be called the “Strait of Formosa” to the mainland proper.
National Day is second importance only to Spring Festival, a cultural holiday (as opposed to a political one), though as China rises, one can safely assume that for some Chinese, National Day has come to rival Spring Festival (Chinese New Year). The groundwork for a festive mood has already been done, in that the annual Mid-Autumn, or Moon, Festival will be just two days later this year, and that’s another important traditional holiday on the Chinese calendar. The Chinese will have a government-mandated eight-day holiday for the two celebrations.
This is not to say that all this means it’s kumbaya time around the campfire. Despite China’s many advances, some of them astonishing, there remain unfulfilled promises from the revolutionary years. Of democracy (in something not far from a Western sense of that term). A free press (ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha – though the blogosphere is increasingly filling the role of the Fourth Estate, much to the dismay of some authorities). Of an independent judiciary, well, we know about that. Even just moving to a new place is impossible for a great many people, “thanks” to the household registration system, which ties you to one place, often for a lifetime.
But I bet they get there. Almost certainly not in my lifetime. Maybe not for a generation or two after that. I think the slow pace is a direct function of fear on the part of party leaders, fear of losing not so much control (though there is that, of course, especially in the conservative branch of the party) as losing stability. And then being held accountable for it.
Yet China is rising, and does have much to celebrate on this auspicious anniversary. With success comes confidence, and we see some of the fruits of increased confidence already. Yes, the folks running the show tend to wear two six guns with hair triggers, and to resort to them far more quickly than they need. But not as quickly as even 20 years ago, and, yes, I’m thinking “Tiananmen Square, June 4th, 1989.”
If you were anywhere in a Chinese setting for the day (I use the past tense since I won’t get this up-loaded in time for today), I hope you had a walloping good time of it!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
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Rio de Janeiro Wins 2016 Olympics Hosting Rights
I don’t know about you, but I’m glad not to be in Tokyo, Chicago, Madrid – of Rio right now!
I’m sure fans of the Olympics in the first three cities are disappointed, particularly since the new Japanese Prime Minister, the U.S. President, and the King, Queen, and President of Spain all showed up to make a last-minute pitch for their respective cities.
Somewhat to the Americans’ surprise, Chicago was the first city to be eliminated, followed by Tokyo. Madrid and Rio were apparently pretty much even with each other going into the final vote.
I’ve already read online speculation that though there’s no formal rule against awarding an Olympics on the same continent in two consecutive Olympics may have played against Madrid, as London will be hosting the games in 2012.
For me as an American, sure, it would have been nice to see Chicago land the Olympics. But I can certainly see the appeal of Rio, a.k.a. “Party City, S.A.” both as a city in its own right and as the first one on the South American continent to win an Olympics bid. (Yes, yes, Mabel, I know Mexico City had them, but Mexico’s in NORTH America. . . . What’s that? — No, Mabel, NORTH America and LATIN America are NOT one and the same. Tell that to folks from the southern Mexican border with Central America right down to Tierra del Fuego; they’ll correct your geography, “Muito rapidamente!” (*wink!*)
I’ve never been anywhere south of the equator, so other than what I’ve read, seen on TV or the Internet, and so on, I don’t know a whole lot about Rio. Friends who’ve been there have told me it’s a simply splendid and beautiful city.
“Cingratulations ao povo do Rio de Janeiro e do Brasil!”
(Whew. I don’t spreak Portuguese; sure hope Google Translate got that right!!! It means – supposedly — “Congratulations to the people of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil!”)
Hm. Never been south of the equator. Never been to an Olympics. Hm. Maybe if I’m still this side of the chimney come 2016, Rio just might be the place to go.
Hey! Wait a minute! Something just struck me! I think the 2016 Summer Olympics will be held in mid-year . . . during Rio’s winter.
Well, okay, I just looked up a month-by-month chart of Rio’s weather, and it looks like it’s never cold, with a “winter” akin to our here in Bangkok, or maybe a bit further north of here. But to South Hemisphereans, won’t it be downright weird to have the Summer Olympics during their hemisphere’s winter???
Well, anyway, congratulations to Brazil for winning the Summer-Olympics-to-Be-Held-During-Your_Winter!
(Packaging this could drive travel agents nuts!)
Saturday, October 3, 2009
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My Brief Career as a Rodeo “Star”: and, Texas
Commits $3 Billion to Fund a Quest for a Cure for Cancer
The topics in the headline aren’t as unrelated as they appear, actually.
Just about anyone who’s ever so much as heard of Texas knows all about the image a lot of non-Texans have of the Lone Star State. They’re enchanted with details such as the fact that six sovereign flags have flown over the state – including that of the Republic of Texas, as Texas is the only state in the union that was ever it own, real, genu-ine country, if briefly (1836-45).
And most people have heard of the Texas Rangers, the lawmen, I mean, not the baseball team. Mean, tough bas- — gentlemen, I meant – even today.
And the gunfighters the Rangers chased, men such as John Wesley Hardin, born in Bonham, not real far from where I grew up. (We’re not related, though.) Hardin was one of the most violent gunfighters there was – imprisoned in 1858, he claimed he had killed 42 men. (Not that it did him any good; he got shot in the head from behind by a lawman with whom he had words earlier in the day. That was under three months after his 42nd birthday.)
The oil. The vast ranches in the days of yore. Do you know that at its zenith, the King Ranch, headquartered in (where else?) Kingsville, Texas stretch from northern Mexico all the way north nearly to the U.S.-Canadian border. The piney woods of Deep East Texas, and the deserts of southwest Texas.
Big D, as Dallas is known, and Fort Worth, “Where the West Begins.”
My fellow Texans, given our state’s colorful history, can be, um, “sometimes given to airs.” [But not as much as Okies! ]
Everything’s the biggest, the best, the grandest, the fastest, the meanest, the sweetest, the everything-est, to hear us tell it.
I never really bought into that legend, which is a good thing. And that brings me to my rodeo career.
I grew up on a small spread just outside a tiny town. There was zero to do at night, except a weekly “calf-roping” at a “calf-roping corral” on the edge of town nearest home, and my parents would let me walk or ride my bicycle to go watch.
Mostly, it was just roping. But sometimes there would be bronc and bull riding. One of the local men – probably Carroll Mohon, though I’m not sure after so many years, but he ran the show – convinced me to try “bull-riding,” though on a calf, not a full-grown bull.
Stupid me. Whover the guy was sure made it sound easy, and I could ride a horse already (but a real gentle one).
And there I was, flush with excitement, scared s***less. I leapt onto the calf from the fence plank on which I was standing, and there I REALLY was – my moment of glory! Me, a real Texas cowboy!!!
I guess that ended quick-quick, ’cause I don’t remember getting to hear the cheers and applause. I do remember being flat on my back dazed, and confused.
I rode horses a gazillion times afterwards – but never tried my hand at “bull-riding” again.
But Texas does, sometimes, really do things in a big way, or people from other places come and do big things – think of T. Boone Pickens’ plans for a huge wind farm in west Texas. If he ever gets the financing figured out, he’s talking 4,000 of the things.
Texas has been pretty lucky over the years, especially in the sense of income-producing natural resources (oil and gas) and lots of other stuff. That let’s our state government take on some mighty big projects, and now one’s underway, for which the state has the announced goal of curing cancer.
And they’re not kidding. That’s why they established the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas in Austin, the state capital. The article I read (link at end of story) says, “Gov. Rick Perry said he dreamed of the day ‘we talk about cancer the same way we talk about polio’.”
The current Great Recession has gummed up the works a bit for the peculiar way Texas legislators sometimes go about actually putting money on the table to fund stuff, the state has committed $3 billion over ten years – more than any other state, and second only to the National Cancer Institute, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland.
Texas already had some fine cancer research and treatment places, the best known likely M. D. Anderson in Houston. (My oncologist here had a full career there after going there to study but ending up being recruited. Upon retiring, he came home, got bored, and went to work as Chief of Oncology at Bumrungrad Hospital, a post from which he has now retired. Again retired.)
I hope the researchers have better luck than I did riding that doggone “bull.”
Maybe Texas is larger than life . . . sometimes.
Here’s the URL for the story, which does have some more information:
Heavy Rains Bringing Floods to Many Parts of Thailand
No surprises here, really, since we are in the midst of the rainy season, after all.
However, the flooding is quite widespread, from the southern part of the Kingdom right up through the Central Pailn, branching east and northeast into Issaan and north towards the border areas with northern Laos and Burma.
For instance, I just heard that there is some flooding in Nakon Ratchasima, a.k.a. Korat, and the ancient capital Ayutthaya – i.e., pretty close to Bangkok, where most international travelers still enter and leave the country. Bangkok itself has had some relatively minor flooding.
Concerns are rising as the waters do, particularly along the Chao Phraya River, which of course is “the River of Kings” that courses its meandering way through the capital. With heavy rains upriver, more serious flooding could be in store for the City of Angels.
Here in my neighborhood, in the vicinity of Soi Asoke and Rama 4 Road, there hasn’t been any flooding at all, and the rains have been relatively intermittent. About a week ago, it did begin raining about sundown, at first fairly heavily, but it eased up to a very moderate rain two or three hours later. It continued right through the night up to about midday the next day. However, my soi didn’t flood in the least. In fact, it was pleasant, especially the temperature, which topped out the next day at about 28°C/83°F, which for Bangkok is quite please, even with a thousand percent humidity! A nice, gentle, mostly continuous breeze helped.
If you’re planning on coming here, don’t forget your rain gear, or, alternatively, put buying some here on your to-do list. You can get umprellas and plastic ponchos very cheaply here. For instance, because I’m terrible about losing umbrellas (aren’t most people?), I buy cheap ones that are perfectly serviceable for as little as about 100-120 baht for small collapsible ones that easily fit into my shoulder bag. I don’t bother with a poncho, preferring to time my goings and comings to catch the rain when it has let up and never walking very far at any one time anyway – about the furthest I ever walk continuously is maybe two blocks, out to Sukhumvit Soi 22.
One problem that invariably arises during the rainy season is that taxis drivers become very picky – and very greedy. On the first point, they don’t want to take you to where you want to go; sometimes, I’ve had a driver stop, and even though I’m going only to Washington square – on Soi 22 and under a kilometer away – but the driver has refused. Even when he has readily agreed he’s going to Sukhumvit road, Ice., passing directly in front of the Soi 22 entrance to the Square.
Go figure.
And, as I said, sometimes a driver will want a ludicrous amount. Last year I wanted to go to the Square, and the fare is typically 37-40 baht, though if it’s raining, it can easily run up to 50 baht or a bit more – drivers here just can’t seem to handle driving in even a light rain; the city goes into gridlock – but the driver I flagged wanted a rather astonishing 300 baht to take me.
Needless to say . . . need I say?
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
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Where Are the Tourist Deals?
I’ve been surprised at the relative paucity of tourist-attracting deals this low season, surprised even more in light of the ongoing recession plaguing the world and knowing that tourism operators are beyond desperate, in some cases, as their tensions and worries escalate to the madly frantic level.
Yesterday, I saw an interview on the English-language Thai channel TAN (Thai-ASEAN News Network, formerly ASTV, formerly TOC – they can’t seem to make up their minds about the name, TAN being the third in about five years). The interviewee is the owner of a small but rather prestigious hotel here, apparently; I had never heard of it and now have forgotten the name, since I didn’t know I’d be mentioning it in this column.
The interviewer specifically asked the hotelier about the paucity of deals, a paucity not only in the context of attracting foreign visitors, but little to motivate even domestic tourists. Since the hotelier had spent some time emphasizing her hotel’s strong points (and the footage did show it to be quite beautiful), including a competitive – in normal times – price range. But in response to the question, she talked at considerable length . . . only to say, ultimately, absolutely nothing.
Language wasn’t a problem, as the lady spoke excellent [North American] English, with only the faintest trace of an accent. Thinking I had missed something, since I was fooling around on the Internet at the same time, when the show was rebroadcast later, I dedicated myself to watching that portion of the interview again, giving it my full attention.
Nada. Nothing. The lady could be a teacher of public speaking for the United Nations, helping diplomats “improve” their diplo-speak skills even further. (Not that those skills need enhancement; even the newest diplo-critter to the U.N. Can speak for hours on end and say exactly zero.)
Not that there are no deals, mind you. For instance, I saw flights Bangkok-Vienna-Bangkok for some 16,000 baht each way, which is reasonably competitive. Extraneous charges (taxes, fuel surcharges, etc.) were also reasonable.
Also, some of the hotels are still having food specials, but not as many as previously. The interviewer, who apparently likes to go out for lunch and dinner with her husband frequently, mentioned that these days, even when they find a nice special and even when they get to wherever early, the place is packed and they end up waiting – sometimes waiting long enough to miss out on whatever the special is! Or they ge4t inside after awhile, but much of the food is gone.
If you’re coming and want a good rate on a hotel, try www.AsiaRooms.com – it continues to get top reviews. Even if you walk in, if you do a bit of research ahead of time, you can get a reasonably-priced hotel. For instance, I know of one that’s rated a 3-star one, but which is high-end 3-star, that has rooms for one person for about 2,900 baht (about US$88 this morning; the baht is selling at around 33 to the dollar). And if you don’t mind staying further out from the city center, you can do considerably better than that, even if you stay close to the Skytrain or the subway so you can zip around easily. (The mass transit systems here are a real blessing, and downright cheap to ride.)
This being the rainy season, travel times can be greatly lengthened, something to factor in should your plans include traveling about some, whether intracity or long-distance travel. Factoring these times in is easier said than done, of course, since how can you know when you board halfway around the planet what’s going to be happening when you hit the tarmac here? Well, if a thphoon is moving this way, you can pretty much depend on rains and longer travel times, but in the absence of those blows, it remains something of a guessing game.
Sort of like your spouse’s/significant other’s bad moods. You know they will come – but neither when nor why!
Back to deals for a minute. Maybe it’s different when you’re accessing the major travel portals from some other country, but accessing them from here, I have yet to find anything approaching a deal for anything – hotels, car rentals, air/train/boat tickets, even packages aren’t great – and that’s being kind.
Something I flat don’t understand I, the ridiculously wide range for air fares. What I mean is sometimes I look online to check, say, round-trip fares Bangkok-LosAngeles-Bangkok. And get a sometimes lengthy list of possibilities, usually listed from cheapest to most expensive. In this particular example, last time I checked, fares started at around US$550, only to range all the way up to upwards of US$ 8,000. Economy class.
Even more puzzling is when you see the same airline flying the same route with exactly the same kind of aircraft, the only difference being one flight is maybe an hour later or earlier than the other – but one can be, literally, two or three times as expensive as the other. Why? Does aviation fuel go up and down by orders of magnitude hourly? Or wages? Or airport landing fees?
What gives? (Any travel agents or airline employees out there who can shed any light on this unhappy state of affairs?)
A few weeks ago I checked a flight Bangkok-Dallas (Texas)-Bangkok, a flight going through Europe. How about US$13,000++??? Is that ridiculous, or what? Economy class? Are there real, live human beings who actually pay these kinds of prices???
Were I to meet such a person, I would be tempted to say, “There, there; I can get you to a nice shrink just down the road.”
You can bargain, to an extent, in some cases. You might be able to get a room upgrade. Or if you’re going with a reasonably large group to a restaurant for a meal, you might be able to negotiate a discount, or to get, say, dessert thrown in at no extra charge. Or a couple bottles of nice wine. Etc. If you’re buying air tickets here in Thailand through a travel agent, especially domestic air tickets, on the odd occasion you might get a small markdown on the fare – but it’s important to remember that travel agents operate on very thin profit margins, so they don’t have a lot of wiggle room themselves.
More upbeat news is that long-distance bus and train fares remain dirt cheap, by just about any standard. None of the trains are going to be luxurious, a la Orient Express, but they are comfortable, unless you opt for the lowest-class tickets – wooden seats, no air-conditioning.
Want a deal on centuries-old Asian art objects? Precious gems? Name-brand consumer goods – watches, clothing, etc.? You can get them here, just about everywhere. . . but they often are knock-offs. Fakes. As in counterfeits. If you genuinely know your stuff, you can indeed get some rasonably good deals. If you don’t, either steer clear or go with someone who does know. For instance, if I were to have a spasm one day to go buy a gem, I would call my buddy Burma Richard and ask him to go with me, since he’s a real expert about gemstones. And I wouldn’t even consider buying any stone he didn’t give his unqualified stamp of approval.
Finally, and still upbeat, Thailand remains a very competitive destination, especially outside the major tourist areas, such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, etc.
Further, while political tensions remain, the country remains stable, perhaps surprisingly so; it appears the competing groups may have decided the negative publicity about themselves, of which there has been plenty, just isn’t worth it.
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Washington Square News
I haven’t been to the Square since Sunday-before-last, so don’t have much news this time around.
I did talk to the owner of Silver Dollar Bar on the phone three days ago; from what I was told, it seems business is normal for this time of year, meaning the regulars come and go pretty much according to their usual patterns, except me, which is why the owner called me in the first place – he had been asked about me a number of times during the preceding week and finally decided to call me himself to ask if everything’s okay (which it is).
So, I guess there’s nothing new under the sun, at least not where it shines into and around Washington Square!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Ended up going to the Square yesterday for awhile, and indeed, it was very quiet in the two places I went, the Texas Lone Staar and New Square One Pub. Taffy, owner of the latter and a rooming house nearby told me it looks like things will pick up over the next few weeks; he already has several reservations from friends abroad who plan on coming, some intending to stay several weeks.
All the owners will be pleased to see returning Squaronians, for sure!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
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Check In for Your Flight – Using Your Hand Phone
Just read a really interesting article at www.Forbes.com headlined “Mobile Check-Ons Take Flight” about this very topic.
Turns out McCarran Airport in Las Vegas has joined a group of about 30 U.S. airports offering this service. You do have to use your phone along the way to (1.) check-in for your flight, (2.) drop off your checked luggage, and (3.) just before boarding your flight, which isn’t explained in the article, but which I presume is likely to be a passenger-matching security step for the TSA officers.
This saves the airlines and airports buckets of money, and saves passengers time. If I’m correct the third time is for security purposes, I imagine the TSA officers appreciate it, too – saves them time since they don’t have to manually scan passenger lists. (I’m betting that’s exactly what that third step is for; why else have it???)
doing stuff with mobile phones sure seems to be the wave of the future, doesn’t it? I’ve read about some stores where you can pay for your purchases with your hand phone, which is pre-loaded with credit, sort of like a debit or cash card.
Mobile phones are moving rapidly to becoming mini-computers, for all intents and purposes, especially smart phones. Look at all you can do. The last phone I had (but lost) was one for which I paid the princely sum of 1,120 baht, at the time equal to about US$33.00. It could take pictures and video clips, record audios, had a calendar with the ability to mark birthdays, anniversaries, one-off events such as weddings (well, those happen one at a time, if maybe more than once in a given person’s life!). Smileys and other graphics, etc. etc. etc. and it was a “basic” phone – the cheapest Nokia I could buy new.
Of course, screen and keyboard size still remain an issue for using a phone as a computer, but I’m hoping some bright spark will come up with a fold-up or roll-up screen and keyboard, small enough to fit into your pocket, briefcase, or purse but which opens out to a decent size.
One thing I really don’t understand about some countries is how expensive it is to use mobile phones. Here, if I send an SMS locally, it costs me THB2.00/US.06. Phone calls can be as cheap as half that (which itself is a bit odd – cheaper than an SMS).
Now, there is one area I don’t want to see go onto my mobile phone: getting served once aboard the aircraft. I’ll stick with lovely hostesses, thank you very much. If I wanted to use a vending machine, I would have taken the BUS!!! even a fancy-dancy vending machine that I just wave my phoen at to get something!
Anti-Digicam Star Wars Technology: Implications for
Holiday Photographers; and, “What’s A Squaronian to DO?”
This story is based on an over I ran across at www.wired.com headlined “Russian Billionaire Installs Anti-Photo Shield on Giant Yacht.”
It seems Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich really likes his privacy. For his new yacht, the Eclipse, he has installed high-tech gear to defeat the paparazzi, i.e., free-agent photographers who plagued famous people. (Or perhaps a better name for them is “stalkerazzi,” since that’s fundamentally what they do. Add your own adjectives. ) The article has further details, but basically he has equipment that can detect digital camera gear automatically and zap it with a “bolt of light,” in the article’s words, which I assume to be a laser of some sort (hence my headline here). (Later note: read elsewhere it is indeed a laser beam.)
Abramovich’s New Plaything. All Nearly Two Football Fields of It
By the way, Abramovich’s little floater is pretty impressive: ~170m/557 feet, swimming pools (yes, plural) helipad, etc. The price tag is pretty impressive, too, at nearly US$1.2 billion – yes, that’s “B,” as in “Bubba.” Which is above most people’s pay grades, at least the ones I know or who read this. (If, however, there are any Bill Gates-likes or Warren Buffett-likes amongst you, by all means, contact me. I’ve got all sorts of good deals, and my go-between fee is quite modest. Smile!) Anyway, this ship is nearly half the length of an aircraft carrier, and is the largest yacht in the world.
But more to the point, I immediately thought how this sort of technology might affect us ordinary mortals, and taking casual snapshots in public places came to mind.
What if, for instance, the U.S. Secret Service got the heebie-jeebies thinking about people taking pictures of the white House. Would they install this kind of stuff to prevent the gazillion tourists who visit the white House every year from taking photos? Can they do that – legally, I mean?
And can these light beams harm my camera – or my precious, if decrepit, body? I’m not really up for a body transplant. (Unless it makes me like 17 years old again and irresistible to women. And the surgery doesn’t hurt.)
You may recall that any number of individuals and government’s have complained about Google’s photographic projects. While maybe you and I couldn’t afford the equipment to foil google’s photographers as they drive around, assuming we would want to do so, what about governments? And can this technology foil satellite imagery? (That may be a stupid question, but on this point, I’m, well, stupid, I guess, which I’m sure some kind soul among you who knows will happily confirm to me.)
I mentioned the White House already. There could be a whole slew of other places that might want to use this sort of technology for commercial purposes. For instance, say your at a fair where enterprising entrepreneurs sell stock, custom, or both kinds of photographs. Museums might be interested, especially those containing objects that flashes can damage over time (paintings, fabrics, paper stuff, and so on).
Hey! I just had an inspiration! This stuff would be GREAT for Washington Square! Lots of Squaronians get downright skittish when someone pulls out a camera in one of the bar, especially if the happy-snap person is a stranger, not a Squaronian. Especially at inconvenient times, such as when a Squaronian has had, um, “a bit too much” and is piling into a booth for nappy-time.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
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The Earth Burps
Well, this isn’t exactly news, but there sure are a lot of typhoons and earthquakes in the western half of the Pacific this year. In fact, a big earthquake hit the island nation of Vanatu a little over two hours ago as I write, and NHK, the Japanese broadcast, is warning of a tsunami 1-2 meters tall striking various places, moving out from the epicenter.
A tsunami that size – 2 meters is about as tall as someone 6′6” — isn’t nearly as big as the one that hit a number of countries, including Thailand, a few years ago; that one killed well over 200,000 people, with many more unaccounted for to this day.
But it’s big enough. You sure as heck don’t want to be anywhere near a beach when a wave that size comes thundering ashore.
Some of my Thai friends have been muttering darkly that all these earthquakes and typhoons in recent years that have afflicted this part of the world are some kind of cosmic payback. They’re quite sincere, if wrong, in my view. There’s nothing statistically significant about these events, according to scientists; it’s pure happenstance they’ve occurred in a tight cluster.
Last week saw the quake in Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga, followed by another quake in Indonesia, quakes that may have been causally related as the two areas are at opposite ends of the same fault line. Wonder if the Vanatu quake might trigger one around these parts. . . .
Hm. Since typing the above I got an alert that another large quake struck well south of Manila, which is of course considerably closer to these parts than Vanatu is (which lies about 2,200 kilometers/1,400 miles northeast of Sydney).
Burp.
Late note: The tsunami warning has been lifted as of about three-four hours after the quake.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
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Beware Facebook “Friendly” Scams
I suspect word about this is slow getting out, but any of you who have a Facebook account need to be aware of this latest scam flood.
I just read a story”FBI Issues Warning Over Facebook Scams” [link follows] about this. Though I already knew, I decided that since Facebook recently passed the 300 million mark in its number of users, and since I know some of you have accounts with the social network’s site, I decided to go with this story.
The story mentions that victims need to report their case to the FBI. I think I remember reading the bureau tracks incidents outside the U.S. as well, so it wouldn’t hurt to try to report it, even if your not an American citizen and even if there’s no connection the the U.S.
The kind of scams I’ve read most about are (1.) a frantic message from a friend in dire need of money, and, (2.) links to pages that steal passwords, usernames, whole address books, and so on – enabling the bad guys to clean out your bank account, for example, or to use your credit card information to make purchases.
This sort of thing happens more than we realize. I’m having an ongoing problem with my U.S. bank account (money vanishing into thin air, but not in huge amounts at any one go). I’ve managed to eliminate Facebook, but still haven’t gotten to the bottom of it, and neither has my bank. (I haven’t reported this to the FBI yet because I can’t give them a clue where to look.)
Okay. There’s an FBI representative here in Bangkok at the embassy, so I decided to call and ask him about it. While he’s unfamiliar with the Facebook scam in particular, he did mention some useful information in deciding whether to go to www.ic3.gov – the reporting portal for the FBI. Generally, on an individual level, there’s an informal threshhold of about $200,000 in losses before the FBI really sits up and takes notice. That’s not to bad-mouth the FBI; after all, they don’t have unlimited resources, so they can’t very well jump into relatively small cases. They are, however, interested when, say, someone steals a Facebook account to bilk people out of money. Why? Though no one person is likely to get bilked out of a vast amount, if the nogoodniks get, say. $100-200 (my number; the agent didn’t mention one in this context), when that’s multiplied out over many victims, we’re talking serious money. If just 1/100th of 1% of Facebook’s users were to fall victim, that would be over 30,000 people. Meaning, using my numbers, $3 million-6 million+ for the bad guys.
Not fun.
So, if you get a message or e-mail from a friend saying he’s stuck in the Congo because his money got stolen, verify it directly with him should you be inclined to help out. And I don’t mean verify online; get in touch with him directly. If all else fails, contact the State Department, if he’s American, or his country’s foreign ministry if he’s a citizen of another country, maybe by calling his country’s nearest embassy or consulate.
And be careful clicking links, especially in an e-mail. Further, be careful in allowing a site to display images in your web browser. If you want to store sensitive information on your computer – don’t. Instead, disconnect from the Internet, connect a thumb or external drive to your computer, put the information into the thumb or external drive, then DISconnect it BEFORE you get on the Internet again.
I also advise you not let your browser store log-in information for websites you visit.
It also isn’t a bad idea to store your documents and so on in a separate drive, meaning you have only programs on your internal hard disk. Why? Because it’s worth doing a complete reformat of your internal drive once in awhile then re-installing the operating system (Windows Vista or XP, for example) plus any other programs you use. Yes, that’s a huge pain in the derrière, but much better than getting ripped off for thousands of dollars.
The Internet is wonderful, and has changed the world beyond imagination even just a single generation ago. Unfortunately, it’s also a very dangerous place – so please be careful.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
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Website to Help You Decide If You Might Have Swine Flu and Need to See a Doctor
I just read an article at www.aol.com headlined “Web tool helps advise when flu needs a doctor” that steers someone with flu to another website where the sick person answers some questions then recommends whether or not to go to the doctor.
The flu website was set up by Microsoft as part of a wider effort to lessen the number of people in the U.S. rushing to emergency rooms when they really don’t need to do so. (That’s a real problem in America, with 46 or so million people have NO insurance. Under U.S. law, no one can be turned away from an emergency room, regardless of his or her ability to pay; in recent years, for people unable to pay for care and who don’t have insurance, the emergency room has replaced a doctor’s office.)
Though the website is aimed at Americans, it’s useful for anyone wherever a person is – including here in Thailand, where swine flu, last I heard, had claimed 160 lives. Here’s the URL:
And here’s a link to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control that has further information:
http://www.flu.gov
No website can replace a medical professional, of course, but you can make better decisions concerning your health care by having more, and better, information.
Let me express an opinion – and that’s all it is, so take it for what you think it’s worth – about the current panic about swine flu: it’s overblown. The number of people affected compared to the totalo number of people is the world is very small. Take Thailand, for example. The number of people here is about 67 million. Since only 160 people have died from swine flu, that means only 1 person in every 418,750 people has died.
Does that mean the worry is merited? Apparently not. I’ve read in numerous places that ordinary flu claims as many or more lives every year as swine flu has claimed so far. Malaria kills more people every year. Diarrhea kills more. A number of illnesses and diseases kill more – but they don’t have a lot of news stories written about them, unlike swine flu. It reminds me of bird flu, which made everyone very concerned, but which in fact affected relatively few people.
However, if you have even just a small suspicion you have the swine flu, it’s better to see a doctor than to risk becoming very, very ill or maybe even dying.
Neither is much fun, right?
Friday, October 9, 2009
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U.S. Air Force Precision Flight Team Will Perform in
Bangkok Saturday, October 10th — but WHEN and WHERE???
The USAF Thunderbirds are pilots with many, many hours of flight experience, some in combat. Once a pilot is chosen to join the team, he receives intensive additional flight training, as the Thunderbirds fly fighter aircraft at high speeds, flying very close together – dangerously close.
They’re good. Very, very good.
I saw them once, many years ago, at the U.S. Naval Air Station near Dallas, Texas. Awesome.
Two maneuvers stand out in particular.
There are five jets, today the F-16, but a different one then. (I don’t remember – I think the F-104, a fighter that was used during the Vietnam War.) At one point, four fighters climbed high above the south end of the runway, while the fifth flew equally high above the north end. From their positions thousands of feet above the ground, all five fighters turned and dove nearly vertically towards opposite ends of the runway, their engines at full power, the announcer told us.
The jets started flying parallel to the ground, very low – maybe ten meters – the four wingtip-to-wingtip flying north, the fifth fighter flying south. Their combined airspeed was nearly 1,000 miles per hour – and they were flying towards each other. A collision course.
At the last possible moment, the pilot of the lone fighter flipped his jet upside-down and flew through the tiny space below his four fellow pilots’ jets and the ground. Impressive? Well, once my heart started beating again and my lungs started breathing, I realized it was a VERY impressive maneuver.
The Thunderbirds’ final demonstration was equally impressive. The five fighters climbed in a spiral high in the sky, then turned down and dove. Once they got nearly to the ground, the pilots yanked the aircraft up, climbing again, but vertically, the bottoms of the jets turned in towards each other. Once they were thousands of feet above the ground again, they lket the aircraft fall over, the tops down, then curved over towards the ground. At that time, they turned on smoke machines, the smoke from each a particular color, no two smokes the same color.
Each jet came down and started flying level with the ground, all of them pointed at the same spot above the runway. And they met simultaneously, five jets barely missing each other as they sped above and below each other. The highest jet was maybe a hundred meters above the ground.
And they’re here. It’s early Friday morning, and I just heard a story on TAN TV about it. The reporter said they landed at Don Muang Airport yesterday, and that the pilots will practice today, then perform tomorrow. But the reporter did NOT say WHEN they will perform, nor WHERE. I assume they will perform at Don Muang Airport. It would be nice to know what time they will fly. I searched the Internet, specifically searching the websites of the Bangkok Post and The Nation. There’s not a word about these “Ambassadors in Blue,” as their called. (The uniforms of the U.S. Air Force are blue, except for some special teams. Makes sense, since the sky is blue.) I found the Thunderbirds official website at www.thunderbirds.airforce.gov and saw a link to their performance schedule, so I checked there. Sure enough: “Bangkok, October 10th” — but nothing about when they will fly, specifically, nor what time.
Anyway, if your anywhere around the old airport tomorrow, you might look around the sky for the airplanes. Even if you don’t care about skilled flying, I promise you that you will be impressed. Really impressed.
Why is the U.S. Air Force sending the Thunderbirds here? They’re visiting a number of places in this part of the world. The goal is to support relations with other countries and their armed forces, specifically their air forces. The aerial demonstrations have several purposes. They impress people, and make them feel good about the U.S. military (maybe). A young man or woman might be inspired to join his or her own air force and become a pilot. People get to see the amazing skills of well-trained pilots.
I believe goups like the Thunderbirds do as much or more to help U.S. relations with other countries than a thousand diplomats. (Sorry, dip-lo-types.)
Thailand is a member of a reasonably exclusive club of very close allies with the U.S. Whenever the subject of the Vietnam War comes up with young Thai people, I’m always surprised that very few younger Thais, born after the war, even know that Thais fought together with Americans in Vietnam. The U.S. Air Force had several air bases here, such as the fighter bases in Korat and Udorn Thani. U-Tapao was built by the U.S. Air Force for bombers and cargo aircraft; at the time, the runway there was the longest in Southeast Asia.
Friday, October 9, 2009
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Airport Rail Link Tested This Week
The State Railways of Thailand had a test run of the airport rail link between Makkasan and Suvarnabhumi Airport, for which they let people ride free of charge.
The run was a success. A local television station reporter interviewed some people after they had ridden the train, and they all were pleased.
The train is scheduled to begin regular service in the first half of next year, though I don’t know if it will start operating on a limited schedule next month, as was planned.
I don’t know if there will be a stop at the Chonburi Highway, but if there is, and if the bus companies will stop there, it’ll be easier to go to Pattaya and places beyond Pattaya than it is now, at least from central Bangkok. That area isn’t built up very much – yet – so traffic is less there than it is in town.
Choo-choo!!!
Friday, October 9, 2009
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Can a Foreigner with a Thai Spouse Legally Buy Property?
The short answer is “yes,” as long as the Thai spouse has her (or his) own money. That is, if the Land Department discovers a Thai citizen uses money from a foreign spouse to purchase property, the deed will be revoked.
This puzzles me somewhat, as Thailand wants foreign currency, so it seems logical to me that if a foreigner married to a Thai wants to give the Thai money to buy a condo/apartment/townhouse/home/land, then that’s just that much more foreign money coming into Thailand. In any case, a foreigner can’t legally have more than 49% control, and because of changes in the law not long ago, the Thai partner(s) has (or have) control – no more powerless nominees.
Even relatively inexpensive places in places such as Bangkok are too expensive for a many Thais, given the income levels here. (Last I knew, the average monthly income in Bangkok for Thai nationals was about 8,000 baht. And a cheap apartment, without any land, costs at least 250,000-300,000 baht, on the outskirts of the city.
Considering the expenses of daily living here, most Thais simply cannot afford to pay so much. (Of course, neither can a lot of foreigners, for that matter.)
I do not want to own any property here. The laws can and do change, and I would be afraid my ownership might be declared illegal. Besides, I don’t know if I want to trust someone else to control such a relatively large investment.
As I understand it, I can’t even give a Thai national money as a present for him or her to use to buy property 100% in his or her name, with my name nowhere. I suppose it would be easily possible for a Thai to take the money and buy land or a home without the authorities ever even knowing the money came from a foreigner – but I think if the authorities did find out, they could and would revoke the deed.
Let me emphasize that I don’t know this is true. I have read only news reports about the subject, and I’m not a lawyer.
Obviously, if you are thinking of buying property here, you almost certainly will want to consult an attorney with expertise in this area of law.
In any case, there may be a big problem concerning visas. It has been reported that Thai immigration authorities are trying to stop people going outside Thailand every two months to get a tourist visa at a Thai embassy or consulate then returning to Thailand – to work, which is illegal. In my case, I don’t work, but how can I prove that? I don’t know that I can satisfy an immigration official.
If you are at least 50 years old and can meet the income requirements – with money from outside Thailand, or if you have a Thai spouse or dependent (though I’m unclear about who qualifies as a dependent) and can meet the income requirements with money from outside Thailand, you can get a retirement visa or what’s informally called a “marriage visa.” Those are valid for one year, though technically one is required to report his or her address every 90 days. It used to be you had to physically report only once each year, and report by mail the other times, but I don’t know if that’s still true.
How much money do you have to have? For a retirement visa, you need at least 800,000 baht transferred from abroad to a Thai bank, or a monthly income of at least 62,500 baht coming into a Thai bank from abroad. The requirements for a marriage visa are half those amounts. Therefore, even for a marriage visa, you have to have about 4.5 times as much money as the average monthly salary for Thai employees in Bangkok.
Though Thailand remains an attractive place for business investment, there is some concern among potential foreign investors regarding ownership limitations. While most Thais are honest, it’s possible a foreign investor could lose his investment if the Thai partner isn’t honest. (Of course, even in their home countries, minority owners can get cheated by other people from their own country.)
On the positive side, for investors, is that Thai courts have become increasingly fair to foreigners in recent years, a trend that continues.
But that doesn’t help a retiree or foreign spouse.
I don’t know what to suggest, though I expect to have a better idea once I apply for another 60-day visa, and I will report about that then.
Friday, October 9, 2009
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A Great Camera for Tourists
Sony has just come out with a new ultra-compact camera with excellent low-light sensitivity, 4X-7X zoom, and 10 mega pixels plus a lot of other features. For instance, you can pan a scene and the camera automatically stitches together a panoramic picture.
But what makes this camera so good for tourists is it’s size: 3.75 x 2.38 x 0.65 inches (or about 9.38 x 5.95 x 1.62 centimeters) – easily small enough to put into your pocket.
While it’s not cheap with a price of about 12,650 baht/US$380, neither is that expensive for what you get.
I fear for my country, the United States of America.
A few weeks ago, we had a Republican representative interrupt the President during the latter’s speech to a joint session of Congress to shout, “You LIE!” Not to be outdone, a Democrat representative argued in the House — complete with supporting, pre-prepared posters — that the Republicans’ health-care plan is for us to “die quickly.”
That’s sad. “I say you LIE!” “They say, ‘You DIE!’”
And just to keep the pot simmering, in between these two, ahem, “gentlemen’s” utterances, someone with a Facebook page posted a poll asking if President Obama should be killed. Killed, as in assassinated.
This isn’t about President Obama any longer; it’s about the fabric of our public and civic discourse. It’s about respect for our institutions, including the Presidency and the Congress.
That Facebook poll, however, takes us into darker realms. What if some nut case out there decides he wants to be remembered as Lee Harvey Oswald II?
Much as I dislike certain public figures, and not just in politics, I can’t imagine asking if one of them ought to be killed [read: "murdered," or "assassinated."]
Thomas L. Friedman, the well-known columnist for the New York Times has a thought-provoking — frighteningly so — column titled “Where Did ‘We’ Go?” in the paper’s September 29th edition at this URL:
It really doesn’t matter, except for the very fringes of both the right and left, if one likes or dislikes Friendman, the NYT, or both. Friedman’s basic point is hard to dispute (impossible, I’d say): there is no “we” in today’s political discourse. There are only “us” and “them.”
Where is the middle, the much-famed, much-heralded, much-ballyhooed Middle America?
The Middle America populated with decent folk, folk who may have their differences, sometimes great ones, yet plod along. And when the neighbor’s house catches on fire, they go to help put it out and salvage what can be salvaged. That go to work, raise their kids, become a part of the fabric of their community.
Where are they?
Apparently they’re not at their desks (or wherever) writing or e-mailing or telephoning their elected representatives, at least not the ones in the nation’s capital.
Maybe they just feel they can’t make a difference. Washington’s too remote, too cut off from their daily lives.
Well, no they’re not, not if enough of the “we” speak out. President Obama showed that during the election campaign with his use of every avenue possible to get people involved.
Yes, if enough people write a letter, send an e-mail, make a phone call, even buttonhole their CongressCritter should they see that person on the streets of Hometown, U.S.A., it does get through. Eventually, anyway, when enough of us, the “we,” speak up.
And if we vote, of course.
I’m not hoping only one side or the other speaks up. Everyone needs to be speaking up. It happens Obama is President, and I’m horrified by the rhetoric, and even more so by that despicable Facebook poll. Had Senator McCain — an honorable American — won the Presidency and we were in the same sort of situation with him at the helm, I would be just as horrified.
There is one group I do hope remains completely silent, populated with people who will be outraged I’m grouping them together: the fringe extremists at both poles. Everyone’s got it that some leftwingers think Republicans by definition are Nazis and eager to see Americans die quickly so insurance companies and the medical establishment can make yet more money. [No, they aren't, on either question.] And everyone’s got it that there are the rightwingers who think all sorts of things about the Democrats generally, but I’ll limit myself here to the accusations they’re hurling that the Democrats are socialist/communist/facist/nazi (sometimes all four in a single breath) who are seeking a dictatorship. [No, they're not.] In the case of the President, there are the further accusations from some that he’s not “really American.” [Yes, he is.] And that he’s a Muslim. [No, he's not.]
And so on. All those people need to get a life (but not a pen, computer, or telephone!).
I can’t escape this niggling feeling that way too many people, good people on both sides of The Great Divide, are sitting in today’s version of “The Silent Majority.”
Please speak up, but speak from reason. Not from hate.
Google Translate Browser Bar Buttons for *52* Languages!
Float Thine Enemies! (Or a Problematic Girlfriend)
Oddities
Dasa Book Cafe Moves to New Location – But Just a Few Meters
Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary Dies, Age 72
Should Prostitution in Thailand Be Legalized? — One Official Says “Yes”
Thailand to Have a New Airline
Chao Phraya River Delta Said to Be Sinking Quickly Due to Rising Seas and Land Sinking
Flavored-Cigarette Sales Ban Takes Effect in the U.S.
So, You Want to Live Forever? Just Stick Around 20 Years (or So)
Holders of Back-to-Back Tourist Visas But Who Actually Work in Thailand, Beware: Thai Authorities Are Cracking Down
An Idea for Thai Businesses to Advertise – Cheaply: Text Messages (SMS)
Washington Square News
For Folks in the U.S.: A Map Showing Percentages of Uninsured by Congessional District
THAI to Raise Fuel Surcharges
THAI International will be raising its fuel surcharges between US$1.50 and US$20.00 per flight sector effective October 1st, according to a story I read in the Bangkok Post early this month. You can read it at the URL below:
In another story the same day, the Bangkok Post also reports that U-Tapao Airport, formerly a military airfield built by the U.S. During the Vietnam War, will be upgraded to handle passengers on a regular basis.
The Royal Thai Navy, which operates the airport, has planned an upgrade for years, but it is only now the budgert has been allocated and work started.
Thailand-watchers will recall that late last year, protesters took over and shut down both airports in Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, and that about 100,000 stranded international travelers were re-routed out of the Kingdom through U-Tapao.
Apparently that incident led the government to move swiftly to upgrade the air base.
At one time, U-Tapao boasted to longest runway in Southeast Asia, at 3,505 meters/10,844 feet.
While this upgrade, scheduled to be completed late next year, won’t mean U-Tapao will replace Suvarnabhumi as Bangkok’s main airport. That’s partly because is 190 kilometers southeast of the capital, so not convenient. However, it’s only a short distance from Pattaya, and some flights will go directly to the airport so passengers headed for the seaside resort won’t have to travel two or three hours after coming out of Suvarnabhumi.
You can read the story at the URL below:
Google Translate Browser Bar Buttons for *52* Languages!
Pretty impressive, huh?
This is really useful in two ways. First, let’s say you’re not very good reading English but want to explore a website that’s written in English. You can use the button for your language – assuming it’s one of the 52 offered, of course to translate everything into your language. Second, webmasters can embed code into their pages so that it can appear in other languages.
For details about those functions, go to the URL below:
http://translate.google.com/translate_tools?hl=en
Also, there’s another function that I’ve found really handy. If you go to http://translate.google.com/ you’ll see a dialogue box with two select-a-language boxes side by side directly below it. In addition to being able to use it in the same way you can use the translate button I mentioned above, you can type in whatever you want in your language then click the “Translate” button a bit further right, and what you typed in, say, English will appear in whatever target language you chose. One of my neighbors who speaks essentially no English sometimes comes by and I want to tell her something. I type it in, and presto! — there it is in Thai!
I had another Thai friend, a bilingual one who can read English pretty well, check it out. I wrote a fairly high-level English paragraph, then had her read that FIRST – I.e., before translating it. Once I was sure she fully understood, I went ahead and clicked on the “Translate” button so she could read it in Thai. And she assured me the translation was very good. I can’t read Thai at all, but she wanted to do the reverse, so she sat down and typed out something in Thai and translated it into English, and was more than happy with the result.
(There is one caveat: anyone formally studying a foreign language in school is plain cheating if he or she uses this to translate an assignment.)
Anyone can see all sorts of possibilities. Maybe you’re working in a multilingual office and can’t verbally communicate with a colleague but need to, and no one’s around to interpret for you. Assuming what you want to say isn’t so sensitive that there’s absolutely zero margin of error. Google Translate could be a real lifesaver in any ordinary situation. It can even be used outdoors, if you have a cellphone, satellite phone, wi-fi computer with a connection available, etc.
I can even see applications in emergency situations, such as a paramedic trying to find out what’s wrong with, say, an accident victim.
Okay, the universal translator the characters on “Star Trek” had available it isn’t – but it’s a significant step towards easing communications between people.
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Float Thine Enemies! (Or a Problematic Girlfriend)
Well – okay; not just yet.
But some scientists doing research for NASA, the U.S. Space agency, went one better than earlier researchers, who had levitated frogs and grasshoppers. NASA’s team levitated mice.
Now before my American readers start moaning about wasted tax dollars, there is a serious purpose. With long space flights on the horizon to Mars and beyond, researchers want to learn the effects of prolonged exposure to micro-gravity. We already know that bone density is negatively affected.
Mice are much more like humans, biologically, than are frogs and grasshoppers – that’s why they’re used in medical trials, right? Therefore, if scientists can learn just what happens and why, then they have a chance to develop ways to counteract the effects.
The article I read (URL at the end of this story) didn’t mention this, but I imagine this could have medical applications right here on Earth. In the past I’ve read speculative scientific articles that people with incurable heart problems might benefit from living on the Moon, which of course has a much weaker gravity than does Earth. The same may be true of people suffering degenerative bone diseases.
If this technology can be scaled up to handle people, and if it’s safe, heart and bone patients might be greatly benefited – without having to go to the Moon.
Rookie astronauts might appreciate it, too. Currently, to experience weightlessness without going into space, they are taken up in a specially-equipped jet that climbs steeply to a very high altitude, then the pilots nose the jet into a steep dive rapidly, and for brief periods, passengers in the back experience weightlessness.
Such a jet is informally known, with little affection, as a “Vomit Comet” — some rookies do vomit!
Imagine the amusement park possibilities. . . !
Meanwhile, let your imagination run wild thinking about how handy it would be to have a “levitating gun”! That big bully about to beat you half to death? — no problem: just point your handy levitator at him and let him dangle in midair, helpless, until you deactivate the device (after you have an army surrounding you, of course). And when your girlfriend goes nuts because you gave her only one gazillion baht this month instead of ten gazillion and comes at you with a pair of sewing shears, intent on doing serious damage to a very, um, “delicate and personal” part of your anatomy . . . well, wouldn’t a levitator be nice to have then???
1. Both the world’s shortest man and tallest man are both from the same part of Inner Mongolia in China. Saw this first on NHK TV, but you can read about this here:
4. A snake with a foot??? So the story claims.
Snake With Clawed Foot Found In China
5.For years there’s been a story floating around that NASA spent US$12,000,000 to develop a pen that would write in the almost zero gravity in space. When someone at NASA mentioned it to the Russians, their reply was, “We just use pencils”!!!
Great story. Too bad it’s an urban legend. A private U.S. Firm had developed the pen a few years earlier and had it on the market. Both NASA and the Russians paid US$6.00 apiece for them. Or that’s one version. Another holds that the maker didn’t develop the pen until the mid-1960’s – but not at NASA’s request.
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Dasa Book Cafe Moves to New Location – But Just a Few Meters
The excellent Dasa Book Cafe has moved a few meters east of its former location on Sukhumvit Road. I haven’t had the chance to visit the new location yet, but the books are all second-hand and, therefore, cheap. And they have thousands of titles – over 14,000, in many languages.
I’ll use one particular title as an example, since I want to recommend it anyway. That’s an excellent, if controversial, biography of China’s (in)famous Chairman Mao titled “MAO: The Unknown Story.” Yes, the capitals and italics are exactly as they appear on my copy.
I forget where I bought my copy – though I know I bought it new, so it wasn’t at Dasa. Anyway, I paid 550 baht for it, and thought that price a real bargain, considering the book is just shy of a thousand pages long.
Dasa lists it for 350 baht, or upwards of 40% less.
Anyone interested in modern China will likely want to read this biography, which is both exhaustive and scathing. Well-written, it reads more like a good novel than a major examination of one of the most important figures of the 20th century.
To put it in a nutshell, Chang and Halliday not only don’t give Mao credit for much of anything positive, but portray him pretty much as an evil, egomaniacal monster. With that, I have no argument. In fact, I might add another negative: insane, in some way.
For instance, one little particularly horrific little tidbit is that at one point, Mao wanted to provoke the U.S. Into invading China, and for the People’s Liberation Army to retreat, allowing U.S. Forces to advance deep into the country. Was there a method to Mao’s madness? Well, yes, in an Alice-in-Wonderland sense: at that point, he wanted the Soviets to launch a nuclear attack on those forces, wiping them out.
Even the Soviets were horrified, finding it impossible to believe that Mao could so blithely sacrifice untold number of his own citizens. (One estimate placed the possible number of dead Chinese in the 350-million range. And who knows how many ill and maimed ones.) Further, Mao conveniently ignored the fact the the Americans would certainly launch an all-out counterattack against the Soviets.
Where I question the book, to some degree, is in the assessment of other people around Mao, most notably Zhou Enlai, who is assessed to have been as bad as Mao himself.
Given Zhou’s reputation, both at home and abroad, during his lifetime and since his death, I find that assessment extraordinary.
Zhou wasn’t able to stop any of the terrible episodes during Mao’s reign, such as the so-called “Great Leap Forward” or the “Cultural Revolution.” Yet many people believe Zhou mitigated some of the worst excesses of those events, and give evidence to back that up. Further, Mao himself saw Zhou as a dangerous (to Mao) rival, not an adoring lapdog. Chang and Halliday do say Mao saw Zhou as a dangerous rival, but they also say that Zhou was a willing servant.
The book was more than thoroughly researched, as well-demonstrated by the 150 pages of notes. Just notes. Further, it received wide critical acclaim. Further, the authors spent an entire decade of research. Chang is a noted writer, and a native of China – and she lived through the Cultural Revolution, briefly serving in the notorious Red Guards who terrorized the nation. And Halliday is an Asia scholar of great repute.
That said, much, much of the book is excellent, and beyond any reasonable dispute. It should be on the bookshelf of anyone with even a passing interest in contemporary China, including, by the way, the decades before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, as it traces Mao’s life – Mao was born in 1893, when China was still under dynastic imperial rule. (The utterly corrupt Qing dynasty wasn’t overthrown until 1911.)
And anyone with a newfound interest in modern China could do far worse than this book, as one of its greatest strengths is helping outsiders get not only in the thinking of Mao and his fellow revolutionaries, but into the Chinese national psyche – better so than anything else I’ve ever read in over a quarter of a century reading about and watching China (several years from the inside, married to a Beijing native, by the way).
So, coming full circle to Dasa Book Cafe, hike right on down (even if you don’t have the slightest interest in the biography) and poke around.
And tell them I sent you – they’re nice people.
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Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary Dies, Age 72
This sure has been a rough year for celebrities, hasn’t it?
No, this doesn’t have one iota to do with Thailand. But I just want to note Travers’ death because the trio hold a particularly important place in my life. Not only did they bring me to then-contemporary music when I was but a lad, but as I began to connect the dots between some of their songs and what was going on around me, the broadened my awareness of the world. And they helped stoke my interest in that world and the events going on in it.
While it’s impossible for me to identify my favorite song they sang, I can say “If I Had a Hammer” undoubtedly electrified me the most. It still does.
No doubt I’m just one of millions of fans who mourn her passing. . . .
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Should Prostitution in Thailand Be Legalized? — One Official Says “Yes”
The headline sure caused me to do a double-take. Yes, prostitution is widespread here. But a lot of people like to pretend it doesn’t, and certainly in polite society one just doesn’t talk about it in anything other than scandalized tones – if it’s discussed at all.
Udon Thani Industrial Council chairman Prayoon Homewong’s arguments are pretty standard ones, but it’s still surprising to read of anyone openly calling for the legalizing of the flesh trade, especially someone in a responsible position.
I did a quick search for the Industrial Council in Udorn Thani, on both Google and Yahoo!, and got thousands of returns – and a quick glance at the first three or four pages of returns showed that nearly all of them were linked to a story about this politician’s call.
What I haven’t heard is anyone else clamoring to implement his idea.
Read the story if you wish at this link:
Udon Thani official calls for prostitution to be legalised
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Thailand to Have a New Airline
Read a story in the Bangkok Post headlined “Southern cities get air link ” of possible interest for those wishing to travel between Hat Yai and Phuket in the Kingdom’s far south.
Happy Air will fly daily between the two cities starting October 26th.
The Phuket-based airline will fly two SAAB 330A’s, which are twin-engined turboprops with seating for 34 passengers.
The story makes no mention of fares, but says the marketing and sales manager said the targe4t travelers will be tourist and business ones – I.e., a premium airline.
Maybe this will increase travel between Hat Yai and Phuket, as the flight will take just 40 minutes – compared to a seven-hour bus ride now.
It also will connect both cities with Langkawi, a resort island off Malaysia three times weekly, that service also to start in October. Actually, Langkawi is a large island in the Andaman Sea some 30 milometers offshor far northwestern Malaysia is is part of a group of 99 islands. It’s about 100 kilometers north-northwest of better-known Penang.
The airport is on the southwest shore; flights to Kuala Lumpur are also available, and take about an hour. The Langkawi airport is around half an hour from the town center.
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Chao Phraya River Delta Said to Be Sinking Quickly Due to Rising Seas and Land Sinking
If you’re among those who believe global warming is occuring, you won’t be encouraged by an AFP story headlined “That sinking feeling: world’s deltas subsiding, says study ” that mentions the Chao Phraya River Delta as one in the highest danger band from the twin effects of sinking land and rising seas. It reports a claim the delta has been sinking 50-150mm/year (about 2”-6”/year) over the past decade. It also says that even moderate long-term forecasts are painting an even gloomier picture than the UN presented in 2007, the result of taking into account melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.
Awhile back I saw a local expert on television talking about rising seas and the land subsiding around Bangkok generally, and he painted a grim picture. He claimed the coastline will be dramatically altered in just a decade or two, with waters creeping deep into parts of greater Bangkok.
I do know of one temple that just two decades ago was set well back from the high tide mark – but today that mark reaches beyond the temple inland, forcing the monks to build a floor some distance above the previous floor to avoid the water.
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Flavored-Cigarette Sales Ban Takes Effect in the U.S.
Here’s a story to warm U.S. anti-smokers’ hearts: “FDA ban on flavored cigs takes effect .”
So why would smokers outside the U.S. Care?
They won’t – unless they plan on traveling to anywhere in the U.S. And like such cigarettes, because the law also prohibits the importing of them. Actually, the article is silent how individuals might be treated under this law, so I’m making a pretty big assumption, granted. But I’m willing to lay odds that if individuals currently aren’t subject to the law, it will be amended to include them.
There is one exception: menthol cigarettes. But if you like, say, clove cigarettes – popular in Indonesia, among other places – then you’re out of luck. Even if you can get away with taking clove and other flavored smokes into the country now, you won’t be able to buy more when you exhaust your supply.
Though I smoke (regular filtered ciggies), I’m not complaining about this law. Though I don’t keep a daily record, I’ve reduced my own smoking by upwards of a third, over time, and hope to reduce it much more or even quit, which I’ve tried to do, fruitlessly, before.
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So, You Want to Live Forever? Just Stick Around 20 Years (or So)
The story “Immortality ‘only 20 years away’” in Britain’s Telegraph newspaper reports that American scientist Ray Kurzweil is making that claim, that is.
On the one hand, such a claim seems ludicrous, at least at first blush. In any case, 20 years is a mighty short time span for such an accomplishment.
On the other hand, who knows what science might eventually bring? As Kurzweil points out, we already have available artificial pancreases, for instance. He goes as far as saying that nanobots will be developed to replace even our blood.
Let’s say, for a moment, that he’s on to something, and that sooner or later we can become immortal, or very long-lived anyway. This ignores a few fundamental questions (unless he addresses them and the newspaper didn’t report it).
First, do we really want to live forever, or even “just,” say, a thousand years? My guess is some would say “yes,” while others would say “no.”
Second, do we even have the right to live so long? If we say “yes,” then that brings up the next question.
To wit: where are we going to put everyone??? Presumably, at least some people would continue to have children, and things could get terribly crowded.
Further, what social effects would be wrought – not least on religion?
Well, I’ll leave those questions to the thinkers.
Meanwhile, I’ve got a pretty darned good idea what many of my friends would say: “HECK YEAH!!!”
One eternal party time!!!
Uh – maybe not: if I live forever, doesn’t that mean I have to work forever??? THAT prospect doesn’t sound fun at all!
So, Squaronians and kindred spirits, better think twice before rushing to sign up. . . .
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Holders of Back-to-Back Tourist Visas But Who Actually Work in Thailand, Beware: Thai Authorities Are Cracking Down
While Thailand has been quite generous about visas and violation of visa terms over the years, the authorities have started cracking down.
First came the sharp cutback in visas issued upon arrival from 30 days to 15 days (though 30-day ones are still issued to those arriving by air).
Now they are cracking down on holders of 60-day tourist visas issued abroad by Thai embassies and consulates, as many foreigners do work here illegally.
It’s unclear, at least from the story I read over at www.ThaiVisa.com, whether that crackdown extends to those who don’t work but do live here yet can’t obtain a yearly visa based on local employment, aren’t married to or support a Thai national, or don’t meet the minimum income level to qualify for a retirement visa, a rather high level.
If I learn anything further, I’ll post it. Meanwhile, thanks to ThaiVisa.com, whose story you can read at this URL:
An Idea for Thai Businesses to Advertise – Cheaply: Text Messages (SMS)
Well, okay, for any business anywhere that has access to mobile phone service (and/or Tweet).
I’ve read quite a few articles about this recently, and while virtually all of them were U.S.-specific, I see no reason they can’t work just about anywhere that has a decent hand-phone-equipped target customer base, and Thailand sure fits the bill on that point, considering that the cellphone market here is basically saturated.
From what I’ve read, this approach to marketing doesn’t replace more traditional forms of advertising, nor is it meant to do so.
But consider a couple statistics I just read – again, from the U.S., but worth thinking about: 97% of text messages are opened, 83% of them within an hour. Reportedly, that far, far better than just about any other type of advertising.
The next bit I’m unsure of in the context of Thailand, for the simple reason I haven’t the slightest notion whether the services I’m about to mention even exist here, as they do in the U.S. And, I presume, elsewhere.
One of the most interesting services is from companies that don’t just blanket your target consumers all at once. Instead, they send your message when a potential customer is somewhere in your neighborhood. (Nothing I read said your message would be grouped with those from other advertisers in your neighborhood, but I would assume that to be the case, which might imply a lower response rate, though, again, I don’t know.)
Other services have been around awhile for other channels, but now being applied to this type of advertising as well. For instances, targeting by postal code (a “zip code,” for my U.S. Readers!). Other demographic breakdowns are also available.
I’m thinking even tiny businesses could use this, especially those with regular customers as their main source of business. Take an independent restaurant here in Bangkok that’s not much on the tourist path so depends on locals, whether they be Thais or resident foreigners (or maybe both). Owners and managers could ask those customers if they would like to receive an occasional SMS about some special or the other. Maybe an unexpected special, especially late in the day, so to speak? “XXX Restaurant will be giving a 10% discount on the daily lunch special tomorrow Noon-1:00 P.M. Only! Come by!” That sort of thing.
Of course, you wouldn’t want to overdo it and bombard anyone. But that’s true of any kind of advertising.
I do know of a couple of places that have already been doing this awhile, and it happens I know the bosses of both. I gather it has been one successful avenue for them to reach out to their customers. They both do get some tourists, but they also have large local customer groups, in percentage terms.
This isn’t difficult or time-consuming. On my last phone, I had a message option of “Send to many,” and if I clicked that, all I had to do is troll through my phonebook, marking the recipients. Then I could write my message, click “Send,” and they all got it. My new phone is even easier. I can set up a group – customers, in this case – and click just that group – a single click – then proceed as I did before.
Also, it cost me precisely the same to send an SMS to one person as it did to 20 or 40 or however many. If my phone company, AIS, has a limit, I haven’t reached it yet. Without getting into the technical details, it costs the company virtually nothing to handle SMS messages anyway, their whines and moans notwithstanding.
This kind of messeging is really catching on, and not just in the U.S. But I happen to know a statistic for the U.S. That underscores this: people there send – get ready for this – about 3.5 BILLION text messages – per DAY! In a country with a population of around 3.6 million.
That’s a bunch of “blabbing,” as it were.
There are other variants of text-messenging. My service, for instance, allows me to send audio and video files as well, either by themselves or as part of a regular SMS.
Oh, almost forgot: for those businesses with a mix of customers, in terms of language, you can set up two groups, one for English, the other for Thai (in the case of here). Can’t write Thai and don’t have anyone to do it for you? — Use www.translate.google.com – and read the story I wrote about it above. (You’ll have to ask your phone company if you need two phones to do this, but, hey, phones are dirt-cheap these days.)
Naturally, I’m thinking in particular of my friends in Washington Square and the area most of all, but I can mention this to them directly.
And I haven’t even talked about other possibilities, such as YouTube.com, Facebook.com, etc. . . .
All these social media sure have turned things upside-down. For instance, President Obama has a bit over a million followers on his Facebook page – and his wife has approaching half-a-million on hers, too. There are many public figures with huge numbers across various sites.
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Washington Square News
Actually, there’s simply not much going on around the Square these days, which isn’t surprising, really, given that we’re still in the low season, which is pretty bad this year, given the ongoing global economic woes.
Though it appears the worst of the recession is over, I guess would-be tourists are opting for cheaper destinations or staying home altogether. As for business travelers, I don’t know how many articles I’ve read about companies greatly paring their travel budgets, and even when they have to send executives off somewhere, they’re sending them in considerably less grand style than previously was the case.
Actually, that there is no news of import is, in a way, good news, in that there haven’t been any deaths, sicknesses, etc. Not that I have heard about anyway. It’s true I’ve not been around the Square much the past 5-6 weeks, having gone there only about as many times during that time span. But had something of import happened, I would have heard about it either during one of my forays there or by phone.
No new places have opened – no surprise there – and no place has closed (which is good news for Squaronians).
I did go down later in the evening awhile last night, too late to see a lot of Squaronians, many of whom are daytime visitors. (Hey, if you hit the sack at sundown or shortly thereafter, gotta get your lick – and drinks! — in early!!!) I did see “Jolly” Gene, an American I’ve not seen in quite awhile, despite the fact we’re what you might call “vertical neighbors”: we live in the same building, me on the ground floor, him on, let’s see, I think it’s the sixth floor. Upstairs somewhere, anyway. He’s a nice guy and has been around the Kingdom for years, over 20, as I recall. He was doing well, if already a bit, um, “festive” by the time I arrived. Sat with him, Phil (Silver Dollar night-time glad-hander), and another younger American whose name invariably escapes me. We had a pleasant hour or so just blabbing.
Went to Texas Lone Staar next, and while there weren’t a lot of people there, it sure was lively. Lively enough that everyone was already involved with someone or the other, so I had little chance to do anything other than to greet a couple of people – specifically, “Cajun” Riley and “English” Paul, who were sitting together having a grand time of it.
Made my next port call at Wild Country, but I was the only customer, so I moved on quickly, stopping next at Cat’s Meow. A gal who used to work there and whom I’ve not seen in quite awhile was there, so I sat and chatted with her for awhile. There was one other customer who was a one-man hit parade, as far as the ladies were concerned – he had been buying rounds for quite awhile before I arrived, and continued to do so, departing shortly before I did. Did chat briefly with him, and he said he had never been to the bar before – it’s his first trip to Bangkok – and as he left, he remarked he’d likely not be back, as he had his Missus with him, awaiting him, impatiently, at the hotel – she called while he was there (and I overheard the conversation, which was pretty one-sided — “Yes, Dear – what’s that – yes, I’m leaving – wait a minute! I’ve got to pay my bill, Dear!”
Stopped by Square One, but didn’t stay but a minute, as it was nering closing time and the ladies were about to shut shop. Decided to walk over to Queen’s Park Plaza. Walked by a few places, popping into one or two, but it was fairly quiet around the whole place, so I came on home.
Haven’t caught up with Burt lately, but we do talk on the phone a fair bit, so I know that he and his are fine.
It’s coming up on 4:00 P.M. Saturday (September 26th), and I may go to the square a little while soon to see if I can catch up with any of the daytime crowd. If I do, and if there’s anything to report, I’ll add it here.
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For Folks in the U.S.: A Map Showing Percentages of Uninsured by Congessional District
As anyone who follows U.S. News knows, health care is THE talk of the nation at the moment.
NPR (National Public Radio) has put together a nifty map providing anyone interested with three tidbits of information for every congressional district: the name of your very own congresscritter, how many people under 65 don’t have medical insurance, and how many under 16 don’t (the latter two expressed as percentages).
Further, the map is customaizable. The above is the default setting. However, you can also view the map for the states. There are other choices on the right side of the map.
Also, the map is color-coded, whether you view it showing all the states or all the congressional districts. For once, it’s an easy-to-understand code, involving only three shades of blue, each clearly different from the other two.
One perhaps unintended bit of info you can get from viewing the map as congressional districts: gerrymandering. Just take a look at the vastly different-sized districts, not to mention the sometimes-torturous boundaries that mark them!
Let me make something very clear: my placing the link to the map here is NOT meant to indicate my personal view either way; this is not the place for me to opine about such. Besides, opponents of change will find comfort in the map – but so will supporters. Perceptions matter immensely when we’re dealing with statistics, something we too often forget, or at least I do, if I’m not careful about it. Anyway, here’s the URL:
Read it and weep – or whoop – as suits you. (Just don’t forget to curse or congratulate YOUR congresscritter – again, as suits YOU!)
Note aside: My own state, Texas, “leads” the way, with 26.5% of the total under-65 population without insurance – whatever that means.
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Enough for one go!!!
Just a quick note — I know there’s a problem with the paragraphing, and I haven’t figured out a way around it yet, despite having tried several “tricks.” I *have* written WordPress.com, but no answer as of yet, and I can’t find a solution in the FAQ’s. I will keep working on it –
It’s been very quiet in these parts this month, with not much to write. I have heard that John Grovenor did pass away; someone told me two-three nights ago, saying he had spoken with Ae, John’s wife, on the phone. So, I guess that report’s true (though I’ve not spoken with Ae myself). Anybody who pays attention to news from Thailand (which would be most of you) are aware that things are a real mess, politically. So far, I personally haven’t been affected, though one day when I was at the square a guy came in all excited that a crowd of “red shirts” were marching down Sukhumvit Road in front of The Emporium, headed into town (which would take them right past the Sukhumvit entrance to the Square). Down Pattaya way, Songkhran was basically cancelled. For some reason, that seaside resort, alone in the Kingdom (as far as I know) celebrates the festival the week before everyone else. ASEAN was having a summit there, but when demonstrators entered the hotel, the Thai PM was forced to call it off; it wasn’t pleasant for Thai authorities to have to evacuate ASEAN top leaders by helicopter. The PM imposed a state of emergency, since lifted, that among other things prohibited congregations of more than five people in public. Adding to the the folks woes down there who had been counting on picking up some money from the revelers was that the U.S. Navy was scheduled to put into port, with over 4,000 military personnel, but the Navy cancelled. I’m not clear if the ship(s) put into Sattahip Port but wouldn’t let the troops off or if the commander just had them do a u-turn. I read online today that some estimates say the resort lost in the range of 70 million baht per day for the multi-day festival — about US$ 2 million per day. Heavy hit, when the bars, hotels, etc. are sitting half-empty (or worse). Actually, it *has* had a small effect on me: I have a yellow shirt with His Majesty’s emblem, but I haven’t worn it in a long time. I also have a bright red shirt, but not Thailand related, but I’ve recently stopped wearing *it* after realizing the occasional Thai was giving me the hairy eyeball. On top of that comes alarm over swine flu, now renamed — here — “Mexican flu.” The reasoning is people stopped eating pork, so the government decided if it’s called by the latter moniker, people will start eating pork again. And just this afternoon I heard on TV news the government in conjunction with the private sector is going to temporarily reduce the price of pork to try to tempt people to eat it again. (You may not know that a lot of Thais won’t eat beef, for religious reasons. I’m not clear why it’s okay to eat pork, beef, fish, etc. if one isn’t supposed to eat beef, but there it is.) Don’t know what to say regarding possible travel to the Kingdom, especially regarding the political uncertainty and conflict. Some people claiming to be red shirt representatives have reportedly threatened violence, even while claiming they were entirely innocent of any during the recent Songkhran [Thai New Year] riots. Former P.M. Thaksin reportedly is really turning up the heat, though he himself is receiving some as well. Just today I read online the UAE has announced he can’t use there as a political base (though the spokesman for the UAE government added he could come back as an investor.) Reports say that Nicarauguan President Daniel Ortega has granted Thaksin a diplomatic passport and named him a special ambassador. Other reports say he may have some sort of passport from a second country. And there are rumors — not even strong enough to label “reports” — he might have one from Cambodia. All that said, there are still great deals, especially on airfare from Europe. I flew to Kuala Lumpur last Friday, paying 6,400 baht for a return ticket on Thai Air Asia. Then, over the weekend, a friend told me his two grown sons are coming here in July on Air Asia’s long-haul branch (Air Asia X, I think) from London, and that they paid only a little over 8,500 baht — return! Just 2,100 baht more than *I* paid for a two-hour flight versus theirs all the way from London! Let me put those numbers in another context: my price = US$180; theirs equals $US240 — just 1/3rd more for *several* times the distance! And there are hotel deals; one place I always recommend is Asia Rooms (this is a live link to the site’s homepage). But by all means check individual hotel sites as well; some of them are suffering very low occupancy rates and are offering great deals. The rainy season is sneaking in on us; day before yesterday, the entire city of Bangkok got hit by monsoons, especially, as it turns out, right here in my neighborhood. The lightening was so bad and near I turned off and unplugged EVERYthing except my refrigerator, then made my way to the Square. That little trip took me 55 minutes — to go 4/5’s of a kilometer — because of the flooding. And the wading in water well over the tops of my knees, in places, especially right by my sub-soi in Sukhumvit Soi 22. Coincidentally, April 27th is widely believed by Thais to be the hottest day of the year every year, as that’s the day the Sun reaches the zenith directly over Bangkok in its march into the northern part of the sky as summer approaches. But this year the temperature topped out at maybe ~30C/~85F, a far cry from the hottest day of the year. (Which suited me JUST fine!) Hasn’t rained yesterday or today, though. Anyway . . . My personal big news is I lost my passport (and my ageing, going-on-the-blink, digital camera) nearly two weeks ago — the DAY before I was supposed to leave for a visa run, for which I had a cheap, good-for-three-days-only/nonrefundable ticket. Went to the U.S. embassy the next day and got an emergency 1-year passport, then it was off to Immigration to get my entry records transferred into the new passport. Wrong, The government basically shut down April 10th-20th, dates inclusive. By the time I could get to Immigration, my cheapo ticket had expired, and it took me a few more days to get out — meaning I ended up paying an overstay fine of 3,500 baht — a cool US$100, almost to the penny. At least now I’m legal again. My trip to Kuala Lumpur was interesting, though all I did was fly down, sit there a little less than four hours, then fly back. I’ve never been there before, and still haven’t been anywhere except what they call the city’s “Low-Cost Carrier Terminal,” actually a second airport some kilometers away from the capital’s main international airport. While the LCCT isn’t *small,” neither is it huge, as is Suvarnabhumi here in Bangkok. Yet it had a surprising number of restaurants, fast-food places, and the like. (Forgetting where I was, I went into a restaurant and asked the friendly young lady behind the counter for a beer. She just laughed, and I slapped my forehead, saying “Of course not!” Yet they do sell booze — no beer — by the bottle in the duty-free shop, which is AFTER you clear customs and immigration on your way out.) I was particularly impressed by the friendliness of one and all, as has always been the case the numerous times I’ve been to Penang (where I’ve also been to some great bars in which I COULD get beer and booze!). Even the young lady I asked for a beer in the LCCT just chuckled, without comment. Though I’ve never spent more than about three days in Malaysia at a stretch, always in Penang, I sure do recommend the country as a side trip if you do come out here East of Suez. Thankfully, there’s no further news about the Square and it’s previously hotly-discussed pending demise, as was the case last year. Somewhat inexiplicably, at least to this non-expert, property prices remain very, very high in both the commercial and residential sectors. I don’t expect anything to change anytime in the short-to-medium term, and maybe not after that. All the long-time places are still puttering along, in what has become the normal pattern of some days boom, other days bust, with the odd half-and-half day scattered in between. Mykonos is apparently closed (did I write this already?), but never mind, as it catered to a distinctly non-Squaronian personnel: it was a gay bar. And always sure seemed out of place with all these retired military and spook types, oilfield workers, etc. (I should say it was nestled off in a corner by itself, on the other side of the parking area on the west side, and no one from there ever made their presence known elsewhere around the Square; some guys didn’t even realize it’s there for years. I didn’t.) The guys are all well — Taffy, Dave (Hare and Hound), Big Ken (from London), Sevenski, Nigel, Hugh, The Crazy German, Paul (Lone Staar), Chris (Cheers Pub), Doug (Bourbon Street), Ned and Ott (Silver Dollar), Brad “The Lad” (back for another teaching stint), and probably others I’m forgetting for the moment. And yours truly, too. Enough for one go . . . Mekhong Kurt
This actually isn’t old news, as I received a phone call from Bear about it a little after 5:00 P.M. this past Saturday afternoon, i.e., just over two days ago. And yhes, it’s more unhappy news.
B. K. Hubbard of Pattaya, a.k.a. “Hub,” passed away about 45 minutes before Bear called me; he had just received the call, and called me from his new base up in Surin to help start spreading the word down this way. Though I have initial info concerning the funeral, that has yet to be confirmed, but it should be by tomorrow. I’ll post it here once I have the information.
It’s particularly sad that Hub died just two or three weeks after he lost his daughter. But Hub’s passing wasn’t entirely unexpected, as he had had serious health issues for awhile, though it was sudden.
As far as John Grovenor is concerned, I’ve had no further information since my last update here Friday. By the way, I sent out an update alert on my third-party service Friday, but I think that must not have got sent, as there was only one more visitor to this blog after I sent it — and my list numbers in the hundreds.
So, I’ve decided to use Twitter as well, a service for which I signed up well over a year ago but then never did anything with. You have to join (free) to become a “follower,” which you do by going to my Twitter site at then click the “Follow” button you see there. It’s at this URL:
http://twitter.com/MekhongKurt
Though I havenn’t explored how to receive “tweets,” as the short messages the service allows me to send are called, on cell phones, it’s possible. So, if you want to receive update alerts from me on your mobile phone. set up your account to receive my alerts. NOTE: Be asware that many carriers charge YOU to receive messages, so you may not wish to do this.
An update regarding John Grovener: night before last I heard that he isn’t technically dead, but is brain-dead.
Apologies for the uncertainty. When I wrote the other day, I was writing what several people had told me, but it turns out we may all have been misinformed.
As I now understand it, there are some legal issues involved; such cases can get really convoluted here (no criticism of the local laws intended).
Disclaimer: I don’t know if the latest I heard is correct. As far as I know, no one has spoken with Khun Ae, John’s wife, nor with anyone else actually in Phuket, so there is some uncertainty.
It does seem clear that John is in a really bad way, with little hope of recovery.
I’ll post more as I learn it.
It’s continued to be a pretty quiet week; yesterday, I was at the Square for well over an hour before even a single other customer happened along.
Let’s see, what to report. Burma Richard and his lovely wife Junko were in Japan earlier this month to visit Junko’s Mom. For those who don’t know, Junko would be something equivalent to a duchess were the imperial system still in effect; she’s an only child of a line that dates back about 800 years, a samurai clan. And since she and Richard have no children, she’s the end of the line — no siblings, cousins, etc. Anyway, as they always do, they went with her Mom to a mountain resort to play around in the snow and swim in some hot springs. Richard always looks forward to these visits, during which he just forgets about the world and lazes around.
Two guys have lucked out at their jobs, both landing positions right here in Bangkok, lucky devils. One is Rick S., and the other is “California” Dennis. Rick’s staying at an upscale hotel down by the Don Muang tollway, while Dennis is staying in a place he’s maintained here for some years now.
Can’t believe I forgot to mention this the other day. Greg and his lovely Missus, Khun Ae, had a baby back sometime around the first of the year. She’s been after him a good while to have a baby, and he finally relented — a first for both of them. Last time I saw them, a couple of weeks or so ago, her Mother was still here helping take care of (and spoil!) the family addition, though I don’t know how long she’s here, nor even if she’s still here. Congratulations to the happy parents!
Big “Crane” Joe is still in town; he’s been “leaving” for awhile now, but given the slowness of business, he’s not in any big hurry to go to the desert in Arizona, where he has a house. No one’s in any hurry for him to leave — he’s a heck of a nice guy, and very well liked around the Square.
Cajun Riley B. is going back to work at his job in Malaysia soon, then next time off will be heading back to the bayous of Louisiana to fish and basically fool around. His splendid Missus, Khun Lek, will be going with him; turns out she cottons to American food — specifically, Cajun food. Which Mr. Riley sure knows how to fix! Got to see Khun Lek the other night for the first time in a good long while, and that was nice. She’s great, and sure does make Riley happy. Nice lady.
Sweetie Pie’s 32nd birthday was Wednesday, and she apparently had a festive day indeed down at a friend’s in Pattaya. She called me Tuesday to say she’d be back in town for her birthday, but then she called me about mid-day Wednesday well into her cups — she and her girlfriend had gotten an early start about 5:00 o’clock Tuesday afternoon and hadn’t been to bed since! She SAID she would try to come home later Wednesday — but it’s about 7:30 A.M. Friday as I write, and she’s STILL not back. Or I don’t think she is, anyway; last time I talked to her last night, she was still one hurting kitten! Maybe today . . .
I know this isn’t a lot, but I’m trying to get back on schedule. I was pleased to see a rather steep increase in traffic, and want to thank anyone who visited and maybe sent along the link to others.
Shoot . . .
Looking forward to seeing him.