True (UBC) lineup changes

Channel 38 formerly BBCE has been changed to AXN Beyond
Find a daily schedule here

Channel 40 formerly Animax has been changed to ASN All Sports Network
Find a daily schedule here

Channel 42 formerly STC has been changed to Nickelodeon

According to web postings changes were based on customer request and popularity of new channels within Asia

Bang Fai Season

TiT. I was informed at noon that there were a number of Bang Fai Celebrations around the area.
An hour later we headed out of town.

Just a few miles out of town, parachutes could be seen on both sides of the road.
I counted eight parachutes on one side of the road, so that's where we headed.
No breeze, and those parachutes seemed to just hang in the hair indefinitely.

Four rockets shot into the air simultaneously as we arrived. A dozen parachutes in the air.

Of course many hello's and where do you come from.
I declined a number of invitations to indulge in some Whiskey White.
Walked around for 40 minutes. I needed the exercise.
Who am I kidding, I love public events because I love people watching.

The meet market.






Waiting line to fire, trampoline (first I have seen in this country).  Of course the security guys had to get into the picture.

Bang Fai Celebrations claim more victims

Roi Et Province, May 30: One person killed, another injured.
Previously (May 12) reported of a local celebration, here in Sakon Nakhon Province, which decapitated a victim.

The Weekend

Toon Update
Friday, after the rains eased off I ventured for a drive to see if there was life at Toon Army Bar.
There was. I am horrible remembering names, a younger chap with his companion was there.
We had a nice chat.
Had missed Cowboy Jim, who, as I was told, had been there earlier.

Opening hours had been somewhat haphazardly as of lately,
but I was promised, that regular opening hours would be restored.

I had hoped to stay for more than one beer,
but I got quite lightheaded and called some friends to drive me home.
Guess I'm not quite up to venturing out too far from home on my own yet.

Gardening
Saturday, with the help of my daily entourage, I cut down the two Banaba trees.
Also known as Crape-myrtle or Queen's Crape-myrtle, the trees provided plenty of shade.
Over the years they have been a constant attractant to red ants.
Ant control had become Mission Impossible.

Replaced the trees with seven Papaya trees.
Papaya require less maintenance and produce an abundance of fruit, which my neighbors gladly take off my hands.



Meanwhile work on the website continues as a daily effort.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Net Readings of interest

Land purchase through Thai spouse forbidden: Phuket Gazette

Rubber Trees in Isaan;  News in Bangkok

Thailand Banks scrutinized: Thailand jumped the shark

The world is watching Burma.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi did make one obvious mistake:
She failed to report her uninvited visitor to the authorities, a stipulation of her lengthy house arrest.

Another direction at Sakonnakhon - Live

Sakonnakhon - Live started out as a website in April 2008, it was a learning process in using Dreamweaver web design software. Changing to a more user friendly software Rapid Weaver.
The major difficulty in running that website was connectivity. Of course there were other limitations.
This blog was started January 15 of 2009. I did migrate some earlier posts into this blog.
The Hotel listing, a project not yet complete, was placed temporarily into it's own blog.

Google recently offered a new service: free web space complete with online software.
Thus the website is being recreated. Mind you it's a self-taught process still in the works.
In case you want to take a preview peek go here http://sites.google.com/site/sakonnakhonlive/

Toon Bar Update 

Opening hours are apparently a bit later in the day. Our friend Paul has been seen there in the evenings, helping out.

Camp it up

Camp

noun: something that provides sophisticated, knowing amusement, as by virtue of its being artlessly mannered or stylized, self-consciously artificial and extravagant, or teasingly ingenuous and sentimental.

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.