Too many eggs in one basket

Such surveys don't tickle my curiosity

Responses from 18,135 expatriates There are roughly 50.5 million expats worldwide.  Where are the respondents living on what budget?? . . . working or retired  compared the 2017 Top Expat Destinations by Country Thailand was 18th last year listed by country.   2017 Top Expat Destinations by City Bangkok was 8th in the city ranking In regards to feeling welcome MY-THAI.ORG writes Thailand’s somewhere in between There are also surveys regarding peacefulness, political stability, personal safety I have read articles of many disenchanted expats leaving Thailand, but around here (Sakon Nakhon) the expat population has grown in huge numbers

สกลนคร Sakon Nakhon

They change those suits too frequently

A couple photographers on the field, no credentials. They had obviously arrived with the opposing team.  They only took pictures mostly of their own team. No problem. I've been taking pictures of  local and away games for close to 15 years. This time I was on the street which separates the field from the viewing stands. Two men in uniform told me I could not be there and to go and sit down. Hell yes I was 'upset at these provincial security guards. Asked for and received a press pass from the team representative, something they should have offered to me a decade ago. As it turned out it wasn't these security guys doing.  It was the new 'Suit' in charge.  It became obvious when he next sent the security guards to the opposite side of the field on what turned out to be a 'wild goose chase.' I've had great rapport with most 'Suits' in charge of football games. One even handed me a printouts of the starting lineup of the games. Never any discussion in regards to my moving around to take pictures.   These suits seem to change quite frequently and some like to flex their authority and they are not very polite about it: The Football Grinch at Mukdahan. Never needed a pass at any away game.  I'll take it with me to Yasothon next Sunday, but won't flash it unless confronted, which I doubt.

สกลนคร Sakon Nakhon

Cave boys rescued ........................................................... capsized boats 44 bodies recovered who received most of your attention?

Did The World Care More About The Boys In The Cave Than Other Kids In Crisis? : Goats and Soda : NPR

The blame game, who is really at fault?

Seen quite a few comments blaming the 25 year old assistant coach for leading eleven players and a friend into the cave.

The Tham Luang cave is listed as a tourist attraction in the Tham Luang–Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park.

As a public park certain passages should have been blocked off from the general public. The path the boys took was well documented long before the boys went on their latest exploration

The cave is expected to be rehabilitated and reopened as a tourist attraction. Hope they have enough common sense to block dangerous paths.

Not the Mobile Generation, nobody is moving

It's not really just a phone. It's also a browser, a music player, a camera, a remote control, and a game machine. It's a gadget generation

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Everybody is doing it

Deceive mislead journalism.  It's not just the Russians. Theirs are just the more laughable facts

Mass tourism is a temporary financial gain with long term permanent damage

During the sixties it was a propaganda tool :: Nowadays it's 'community announcements'

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Russian Interference OH PLEEZE give me a break, it's called PSY OPS; propaganda, they all do it

Before the internet, there was radio World War II Propaganda Broadcasters Besides radio, leaflets were dropped during the Vietnam War  In one incident the US printed leaflets which encouraged Vietnamese to participate in an election (1966).  A reporter stumbled upon the leaflets and pointed out that the US was not to interfere with this  election in any form.   The reporters ultimatum burn em or be part of the evening news.  We unloaded truckloads of leaflets, dug a huge pit, had a huge bonfire.  These days propaganda is on the net.  Some more sublilital is the NEWS, which we all know is opinionated. These days propaganda goes by a new name: "FAKE NEWS."  Always check the source, anybody can start a website Media sites need to become more proactive in identifying the source, before accepting advertising money

สกลนคร Sakon Nakhon

Norwegian Sensibility

สกลนคร Sakon Nakhon

That's my opinion

You would think infrastructure is of higher priority than a Chinese built railroad.  

It's all about money, China is on a buying spree

Price of a sixpack of Leo

Joey is disabled. Resulting in stroke victim type injuries. Drags his foot,limited mobility of his right side. Hand unable to hold a pen. I finally scared the bejesus  out of him to do something.  Get doctor certified, check with government offices how they can help, get physical therapy, job retraining. Joey got medically certified. Now  receives monthly government assistance of 500 Baht, REALLY !!!  That's 16 baht per day.  What a deal !! It won't cover  daily survival, much less therapy or retraining

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Sakon Nakhon

It's a media frenzy with few facts and lots of conjecture

To date the Bangkok Bomber has made a clean getaway: Via  Lumpini park  That is a fact. 

Almost everything else you hear is conjecture.  Many headlines read "bomber identified," it's a very misleading statement.  No name has been put to the face.  No nationality has been identified.  All they seem to have is a very grainy picture.

Thai red-shirts were the first to draw the suspicion of investigators. That suspicion is doubtful. 
There are a few things all Thais agree on. Respect for religion and national heritage his high on that list.

"It's the doings of former dictator Shinawatra, a US puppet" according to one propagandist.

He's not Thai, they say he's a foreigner, he spoke a foreign language. His phone call may have been part of the deception.  No phone call would need to be made indicating 'mission accomplished.'  They'd get that from the media, social network included.  A pickup point would have been prearranged.

Those two guys providing coverage while the device was planted were identified as "suspects" instead of persons of interest.  As it turns out they were innocent bystanders who shrieked in dismay when the explosion occurred.

Media reports indicate the bomber has not left the country.  I consider that another opinion.  This country's borders are very porous.  How can one be sure.

There is speculation that the bombing was to hurt Thai tourism and subsequently the economy. Probably right.

Capture of the culprits as quickly as possible will aid in restoring confidence in Thai tourism, but then that's also just as opinion

Travel Insurance Considerations

Most Insurance companies do not insure tourists vacationing in Thailand at the moment.  Thailand does furnish insurance for tourists upon arrival called Thailand Travel Shield  The insurance has two options with a payout limit of 1,000,000 or 2,000,000 Baht (US$30,000 or $60,000).
Considering the recent injuries and deaths in Bangkok, this coverage seems far from sufficient

	Tuesday

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Opening the door to TEA MONEY

Booze Ban to be Arbitrarily Enforced During 6-month ‘Study’ khaosodenglish

Thailand Shoots Itself In The Foot With New Alcohol Laws
In Se Asia


Arbitrarily: Subject to  individual discretion or judgment

A Case for SOLAR energy

Hunger strikes, protests 

to oppose Thailand's plan for 

coal plants on Andaman Coast 

| Fox News




Outcry grows over plans to build coal plant 
near Thailand’s most popular beaches
 | South China Morning Post

         Lesson in Chinese

September 12, 2013 China bans new coal-fired plants in 3 regions - The Hindu

Lesson in (American) English

Cleaner Power Plants

No special treatment for superstars

Eostra, the goddess of spring and fertility

	Before Christianity rolled into town, folk had other gods, goddesses and deities. All those celebrations were cancelled and replaced with christian festivals. At times they did leave some clues behind as to the origins of the celebrations Eostre, the goddess of spring and fertility is one of those. Pagan legend tells us that Eostre was reincarnated as a rabbit in early spring, after rescuing a dying bird Christian Easter is the celebration of Jesus rising to the heavens. Apparently the rabbit stayed behind to deliver the eggs.  The egg being the symbol of fertility.

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