Of Interest

KUALA LUMPUR
Study confirms mothers-in-law are the chief cause of divorces. The Star online
Local expats give careful attention.

Phuket
Job fair May 29..1667 vacancies, sales, service, housekeeping, cashier, etc.

phuketwan.com
What is the present unemployment figure?

Thailand
New laws regarding alcohol advertisement.
No more than 2 second images on television.
Subliminal message?

Goal to half HIV infections in two years in Thailand. MCOT.NET
Been a few years since school kids paraded around with condoms as balloons.
The HIV rates actually declined during those years if I remember

At Home: 

Cruised past TOON ARMY BAR early afternoon yesterday. 

Doors shuttered and locked from the outside.
Anyone know???

Looked at some treadmill's at MACRO yesterday.
Recovering from my recent illness I decided I need one.
The outdoor display there was stacked, not accessible and dusty.
At least I have an idea what sort of price I'll be looking at.

PB Air upgrades fleet

...replaces Brazilian-made Embraer ERJ 145 LR jets with ATR 72-500 turboprops.
read more at Bangkok Post:  (Some interesting facts about the airline in this article).

Turboprop Quotes at WIKIPEDIA
Turboprop engine exhaust gases contain little energy compared to a jet engine.
The most common application of turboprop engines is in small commuter aircraft, where their greater reliability as compared to reciprocating engines offsets their higher initial cost.

Turboprop engines, are mostly used where high-performance short-takeoff and landing (STOL) capability and efficiency at modest flight speeds are required. In a civilian aviation context, the most common application of turboprop engines is in small commuter aircraft...
read more at WIKIPEDIA

More ATR 72 technical information at
www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/atr72/

Soap Box Proclamations

To the mostly British gossip going around...

that my knowledge of German is like the stuff in the crapper.
I added another point by not being able to translate Chicken Pox into German.


When I brag, as I recently did, you hear, "yeah right."
For you nonbelievers, here is a screen capture from 24 July 2008.
No I did not edit the content in any way.



I have received this particular video clip from a number of friends.

I am atheist. I do not believe in god.
I see religion as the eventual cause human extinction.
I see nothing wrong with the muslim faith, or any other faith for that matter.

It's extremism at both ends.
It probably also explains why I live in Thailand. Buddhism teaches tolerance.

Chikungunya Virus to the North and South of us

The mosquito borne disease Has now been confirmed north of us at Srisaket, and to the South at Ubon Ratchathani.
Chikungunya at wikipedia
News item at phuketgazette

Similar to dengue fever.The pain associated with CHIKV infection of the joints persists for weeks or months

Sunday Adventures

Sundays is gardening day at my house. The gardner shows up every Sunday morning.
Today I can say he earned his keep. Remove over a dozen bamboo trees, roots and all.
Planted too close to the hanger, they started to cause damage to the tin roof.
They are not the kind of tree you want four feet from your house.

On the other hand, some bushes in front of the house are at their seasonal prime.
A lilac smell in the air. I'm still waiting for internet "scratch and sniff.

After gardening was done, it was time for a prearranged trip to Sawitree Cafe.
Heard about the place, nothing but praise. A Must Go SEE.
Quite pleasant place. Mostly done in wood, gives you a feeling of and earlier Thailand.
Back in the sixties, before everything changed to cement.



I had a latte. I prefer a shot of rum in my latte. Sorry not available at this time.
For a Sunday afternoon, the place seemed at capacity.
By mid afternoon, two Germans, a Brit, Belgian, and the Assie owner sat around chatting.
For every round of beer ordered, an extra bottle arrived each time. Must have been a spirit sitting with us.

Then my embarrassing moment: I went to the toilet.
Unfortunately the pictures identifying mens and women's restrooms looked identical to me.
I had to choose. I peeked in. They looked identical. I used neither.
I looked at the garden, played with a puppy and returned to the gathering.
Everyone had watched my indecision, it was a laughing matter



I should have taken a few more pictures, but I'm still somewhat in recovery mode. Not quite ready for that sort of thing.

Sawatree will have it's official opening June 9. Worth a visit.

Note: Location is approximate, will correct when I am informed



Chicken dinner was waiting for me when I arrived home. Four pain pills. A very early good night 6:30 p.m.

Survey Rerun: Isaan women prefer foreign husbands

I vaguely remember a similar survey done some five or six years ago.
At that time students were asked their goals, after school.
If I remember correctly over 70% of the girls replied that they sought to marry a foreigner.
In a recent survey of almost 500 Isaan ladies, the result seems to be almost unchanged. THAI VISA

Talking about surveys, American tax payers are in an uproar since it became known that the National Institutes of Health is funding a study why prostitutes in Thailand have high HIV risk.
The tab for interviewing 36 women and 24 kathoey is $178,000 FOX NEWS

Getting the facts straight

Toon Bar is not closing

Had been hearing a number of rumors in regards to the future of the place.
So I went to get it 'straight from the horses mouth.'
What I got was an offer to buy the pool table from Graham.
Then Graham stated that everything was going into storage.
He also stated that he was planning on staying in England.
Thus I posted that the place is shutting down.
Friday evening Graham called me and stated the bar is not closing!!
No further explanation given.  

Lost in Translation Medical Labeling

Imagine you have a very painful outbreak on your skin over your chest, side and back.
Four local doctors informed me it was Herpes.

What do I know about Herpes, it's a sexually transmitted disease.

Then I'm told there is not much that can be done, just ride it out, two to four weeks.
Three visits to a local clinic, I was given over a dozen different pain medicines within a week.
Some labels simply said vitamin for pain. None of them really seemed to be too effective.
Finally I got some morphine pills and injections. But nothing to treat the symptoms.

After three weeks of misery I happen to get to the CDC web pages to discover that Shingles Disease is also known as Herpes Zoster.  The pictures on the webpage were identical to what I have.

This type of herpes is not sexually transmitted, rather a leftover virus that stays in your body after childhood chickenpox.

Translating the word Shingles into Thai, I sent someone to the local drug store.
I finally got the medication I should have been on three weeks ago.
Two hours after the first maximum dose, I feel the difference.

This makes me seriously wonder why doctors failed to prescribe more appropriate treatment.
In the future I may visit a local druggist first.

Questions about Thai law? 

Look at our sidebar "Useful Information." 
The link to THAI LAW ONLINE may be of great help to you.
It has plenty of good information worth looking at.

Swine flu renamed AH1N1 is inevitable.
A recent major outbreak in Japan, confirmed cases in Malaysia, Australia, etc..
Temperature screening at airports is more of a show that something is being done.
Infected persons show no sign of illness or fever for the first three  to six days.

How about blood tests before you board a plane, train or bus.<>Joke

Another Black Eye for Thai tourism: The Aussie Beer Mat incident.
Aussie vacationer goes to Assie bar. "Friends' play a prank and put a beer mat in her purse.
The bar's undercover man arrest her as she leaves the bar. 'Theft."
She goes to jail, gets out on bail.
Every Aussie media has the headline. Aussie's are enraged
A scheduled court appearance rescheduled four days early.
A guilty plea. The fine is paid by the local governor. Quick departure.

Lesson: You are responsible for your purse, handbag, anything you carry.  Choose your drinking friends carefully.