Floods persist - Death Toll at 31 - anticipate MORE

• eThailand 9:59 AM August 18
  

  DDPM  warns of flash flood until Aug 21

• Thai Meteorological Department 5:30 AM August 18
  

  Weather Alert
  "...isolated very heavy rain, is likely in much of the North and Northeast."

• The Nation August 18    
  

  Floods persist in 12 provinces 

• MCOT August 17     
  

  Thailand’s flood death toll reaches 31

Pool Quick Fill

Weather Warning (again!!)
 
.. widespread scattered rain with heavy rain in some North and Northeast areas.
The warning is in effect thru Sunday, August 21 Bangkok Post


Heavy downpour, which started at 1 PM and lasted for twenty minutes did help in refilling my pool.

At that rate the pool should be filled this afternoon.

Rains forecast thru Sunday, after which temperatures and especially the humidity should rise with real temperatures in the low 30s, feels like low 40's

 



August 16  Thailand Tourist Deaths Linked To Pesticide Medical News Today


August 14 Sakon FC at Ubon video by Zintiara

August 14 Miss Thailand Crowned  video by CiNNtv1

New Helicopters for the Thai Royal Navy readied for delivery 

 video by LockheedMartinVideos

 

Rice Price Rise forecast

Sakon FC won at Ubon 2-1

Streaming video was continuously interrupted due to poor service provider in Ubon.
The win did not lift Sakon FC from its standing. Sakon remains in eleventh place in the division.
Sakon FC next Hosts Amnat Charoen on Sunday, August 21.

Overnight high winds

Thought its was noisy neighbors until I stepped outside and saw a few trees uprooted and bushes bent.  I quickly retreated when airborne debris headed my way.

Drilling for Water

Don't see the logic in drilling for water here in town.  My monthly water bill is generally under 200 baht.  Our wash machine runs through at least three cycles per day

Damaged Crops, shrinking inventories cause of Rice Price Rise

• Rice Set to Climb as Thailand Imposes Curbs, U.S. Crop Shrinks - Bloomberg

Death toll still rising  from Indiana State Fair disaster

 

Poland no longer interested in joining EURO

Dog rescue draws international attention

Pool Chores

Some of my annual chores include draining and re-grouting the pool.
It's a four day project, with most of the time spent waiting for the new grout to cure.
Plenty of disappointed faces, especially since the waiting period is over the weekend.
After cleaning, my water tanks (6,000 liter 1,320 gallon) will fill the pool three quarter full.
Filling the pool to the brim will depend on the rain.  A tropical rain can fill the pool within minutes.

Thailand's political landscape is changing (the series) 

• Thaksin offers to be trade Ambassador National News Bureau of Thailand - NNT

• No plan to get Thaksin a new passport, says Yingluck - THE NATION 

I'm a tablet skeptic

They were celebrating Mothers day in the early evening

Didn't attend the public gathering myself, but there was plenty of activity right across the street from my house.  A birthday party. I was quite surprised that the noise level was almost non existent after 10 PM.
After I went to sleep I slept undisturbed until the party ended at 5 AM.
Anyone who lives in Thailand can tell you that these parties can get quite noisy, especially with all night off key karaoke.



Thailand's political landscape is changing quite noticeably

• Terrorism Charges Against Red Shirts Were 'Inflated'  The Nation

• Japan To Allow Visit' By Ex-Thai PM Thaksin  ASIA ONE  

Thailand's 1 Student 1 Tablet policy

• Pheu Thai defends its 1 student 1 tablet policy Thai Financial Post
• Primary students will definitely get tablet PCs Bangkok Post

Based on my own experience, I'm quite skeptical about the outcome.  

First year teaching English I bought all my students dictionaries.  

By the next day most of the dictionaries were no longer available. Most had been traded in for CASH.

Then there was the incident where  missionaries on bicycles were happily passing out dozens of Thai bibles, convinced they had converted a whole flock.  At the end of the day Mama collected all the bibles to be traded for CASH.

I seriously doubt that this policy will serve its intended purpose of a improving literacy.  

Instead I suggest it will improve gaming skills.

Nakhon Phanom Dog Rescue

• Dogs saved from dinner tables, but still in danger

Of course this sort of news is abhorrent to most, but eating dog meat is more prevalent than you think  WIKIPEDIA. It won't be part of my diet!!

It is the rainy season

Earlier this week I observed that our neighbor province Nakhon Phanom was getting heavier rains than here at Muang Sakon (Wetter than Wet).  Apparently my observation was correct

• Non-stop rain swamps Nakhon Phanom in worst flood in decades -  The Nation

A new weather warning has been posted today at the Thai Meteorological Department website

• "Heavy to very heavy rain in the North and the Northeast" 

This warning affects the upper portions of NE and N Thailand.

Daytime temperature forecasts thru the middle of next week  indicate temperatures in the low 30's, with feels like temperatures in the low 40's  Nighttime temperatures remain in the low to mid 20's.


Flood warnings had been posted earlier this week for Bangkok and surrounding provinces.  Been checking this Bangkok webcam daily and haven't noticed any drastic changes.  I'm not denying that flooding is occurring, but it's not noticeable at this particular view. 

 

Mothers Day Celebrations at School

When I arrived at the school, 9 AM, they were busy preparing lunch.

Fish BBQ

They were still setting up some of the displays.  Didn't quite figure out what was on display here.
I kept looking for darts

Is that a spare gas tank or the glove compartment (BLEND)

Adults seem to be more into the POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE (formal ceremonies)

Ceremonies honoring mothers

For some reason this part of the mothers day ceremonies quite often becomes very emotional.

For some reason this poster made me think of 'Hot Dogs.'

On my way home I passed a number of schools, all seemed to be having mothers day celebrations

Rain Alert (again), Mothers day Friday, My IRS migrane

Video posted to You Tube two days ago taken at the nearby school.

Heavy rains and flash flood highly likely over the coming days Bangkok Post Aug 8

Mothers Day this Friday.  Even though I quit teaching at S-BAC, I did receive a formal invitation to attend their celebrations this Thursday. Public holiday on Friday.



Computer glitch at the (U.S.A) IRS?
They sent me a refund on my 2009 tax return.  Then I made the mistake to ask for an explanation. 

I received a notice to pay over $750 in back taxes for that year. "Failure to pay will result in the matter being turned over to collection."

Mailed in my check for the money and requested a review of my file.

I received a refund.  Thought the matter was settled.  I was wrong.  A week after the refund check arrived I again received notification to pay up, now with increased interest.

Of course phone numbers given are all prerecorded messages.

Mountain roads dangerous during extreme weather

Advice: 

• Avoid driving on Phu Phan highway during extreme weather conditions MCOT (Thai)
  Some road shoulders have slipped down the mountain side

Debit card users

• If you have a Thai Bank account, recently enacted policy throughout Thailand lets you use other banks ATM up to four times a month without charge.

Sakon FC vs Loi City FC

• Final Score Sakon 1 Loi 3

• Next Game at Ubon.

• MY OPINION: Sakon FC, formerly ranked in the upper half, is now ranked number 11 of 16 in the division. No surprise there. At the beginning of the season 5 of their players were traded to Nakhon Phanom. At mid-season foreign players left the team for teams where paycheck were not a worry.
  Hiring a new coach hasn't had any impact on team performance to date.
  Obviously it's a shoestring operation...

... compared to other teams.  Some teams additionally provide bus service for their fans.

Wetter than Wet

• TV broadcast of the Nakhon FC football game seem to indicate that they are getting more rain than in Sakon. Anyone having business on a thoroughly soaked field had to wade through an ankle deep stram surrounding the fields

Britons are behaving better than in previous years, 
or is it just fewer are traveling?

• ....the place Britons were more likely to be arrested was Thailand... Mail Online

Stock Market Jitters, Yeah me too

• My pension fund depends heavily on the stock market.
  Gives me a good reason to be nervous.
  The dominoes just keep on falling.

• Slim pickings World's richest man loses $6.7 billion in stock market rout The Sydney Morning Herald