StoneSoup

So - there will now be a "special zone" where normal, existing laws are actually enforced - and the rest of the island, where life unfolds under what - the law of the jungle?

'Good show, Koh Tao!

Cheers!

SS

I am a strong supporter of Israel, and I have no negative feelings toward people of Jewish faith.

However, I am deeply negative toward ALL religious fundamentalist extremists who insist on imposing 7th Century practices upon the modern people around them. Muslims are the worst, then the ultra-orthodox Haredi, then the Hassdics, then the Christian fundamentalists.

They all deserve to spent eternity chained together in a box - to enjoy one anothers' company - fed only BLT sandwiches..

SS

Earn 4 billion baht, face charges of 6 months in jail, and a 4,000 baht fine, plead guilty - pay 2,000 baht, plus receive six months suspended sentence.

That sort of draconian punishment will certainly deter future crime. Yeah, right.

SS

Well, by definition, the "average" IQ of everyone combined should be 100. It seems unlikely that a pure intelligence measurement would result in such varying local norms.

Presumably, the content of the intelligence test is biased - probably toward urban, academic, modern lifestyle.

What is "intelligence"? A combination of information, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom

Cheers!

SS

For this outbreak, with local transmission of the disease

First case - December 2013 - Guinea - Ongoing problem

Next country added: - March 2014 - Liberia - Ongoing problem

Next country added: - May 2014 - Sierra Leone - Ongoing problem

Next country added: - July 2014 - Nigeria - "As of 16 September, the outbreak appears to have stabilized with 22 confirmed cases and eight deaths, no new cases having been confirmed for two weeks"

Next country added - August 2014 - Senegal ?? - One single sick traveler from Guinea - who recovered. No further cases confirmed.

Next country added - August 2014 - Democratic Republic of the Congo - Note: This outbreak is considered unrelated to the West African cases. This is the fourth time since 2007 that isolated outbreaks have occurred in this country.

The following nations have "imported" individuals ill with the disease, with no reported cases of local transmission:

Germany

France

Spain

UK

United States

So - for the "West African" outbreak, there has been no report of expansion of locally-transmittable cases to a new country since July 2014.

This is not a trivial disease, and the situation bears watching - but the problem has thus far been confined to areas with very poor standards of medical care. It certainly would be no fun to be in Guinea, Liberia, or Sierra Leone right about now.

Since 1976, there have previously been 17 outbreaks of Ebola that killed people (not counting laboratory accidents with "captive" infectious agent) - and they all faded away.

Cheers!

SS

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/this-man-has-had-sex-with-60-prostitutes-8211-and-sydneys-ratepayers-footed-the-bill-20140920-10iwug.html

Three years ago Fred Allen* was a taxi driver working 12-hour shifts to make ends meet.

Today, he is a gun for hire, having received tens of thousands of dollars from Sydney's metropolitan councils in exchange for crucial evidence that is presented in court to help expose and close underground parlours. In short, Mr Allen has paid sex with prostitutes and ratepayers foot the bill.

"Never in a million years would I have imagined a job like this existed, let alone me doing it," the 60-year-old said, with a hint of a smirk. "It's a strange world for sure."

Those "evil" dancers get prison terms and lashes - meanwhile, this "happy" Iranian guy would probably be a hero:

http://youtu.be/tx5FZL4dCdE

That is one farked up country.

Cheers!

SS

Now, about that work permit (or.... "Never Say Never"):

http://stuppid.com/grandfather-busted-prostituting-himself-young-women/

Grandfather Busted For Prostituting Himself… To Young Women

88-year-old grandfather, Edwin Venn, was arrested Tuesday night for prostitution, along with his "john ", Amanda Pearson, 23. Police had been watching Venn for several months and noticed a peculiar pattern.

“His johns were all young women. Twenties, thirties. Most quite beautiful. Never really seen anything like this dynamic, but strange things do happen.â€

Mr. Venn stood most weekend nights with cardboard sign on Hollywood Blvd that read: “I’m for sale.â€

Pearson admitted during her arraignment that when she found the 88-year-old Venn trying to turn tricks she and her friends decided it would be funny to sleep ‘with an old guy.’ Word spread and lots of girls paid Venn for sex. Pearson said he only charged five dollars and gave them lollipops afterward.

Lollipops!?! Man, what a class act!

Cheers!

SS

Here is s video of some Thai ants moving a large "take home meal". I've never seen anything like it - in terms of the "mule team" approach used by the ants:

http://www.wimp.com/possibleteamwork/

Archimedes once said (the equivalent of): “Give me a place to stand, and a lever long enough, and I will move the world.â€

It appears that if somebody strings together enough Thai ants, they can drag a drunk StoneSoup back to their place, and eat him. Hmmmmm.

Cheers!

SS

This has no particular "message" that I can discern, but it is an extraordinary piece of technical craftsmanship:

http://www.etv-hella...2014-03-05.html

If anyone reads Greek, I would be interested to know who the the sponsor is for this video clip.

Cheers!

SS

From the "be careful what you wish for department" comes this story about an American guy who obviously had too much free time on his hands:

American who tore up tourist visa so he could be imprisoned 'to experience human rights abuses in North Korean prison' is sentenced to six-years hard labor in communist country

In first few seconds of the video, you get a glimpse of the car license tag. I can't tell what country's plate it is, but it's not Thailand.

Cheers!

SS

For my draft day: E-1 -4mos $87.90...per month...after 4 months E-1 96.90...

Late 1966. I was ten years old.

My year group (born 1956) was the last one to actually be issued draft cards - but I think that last actual draft lottery was held in 1972 - the US Military went all volunteer as on January 27, 1973.

Cheers!

SS

At this website, you can look up US Military pay tables going back to 1949: http://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/payentitlements/militarypaytables.html

I see that as newly-commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in 1978, my monthly base pay was $844.20. I was on jump status with the 82nd Abn Div, so the additional $110 per month jump pay added another 12.4% - which was much appreciated.

Military pay used to be pretty awful. Now - given the bad economy in the USA, military pay is looking reasonably attractive, as long as you are not dodging bullets, RPG's, and IED's.

Cheers!

SS

Well, it appears that white people ("white devils"?) are no longer welcome to even live in parts of Obama's America:

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/bk-women-force-tenants-gunpoint-squat-apartment-cops-article-1.1931834

Two Brooklyn women tired of 'white people moving into the area' force tenants out at gunpoint, then squat in apartment: police

Precious Parker, 30, and Sabrina James, 23, were arrested Saturday after they allegedly kicked two men and a woman out of an Ocean Ave. apartment on Thursday. Authorities say the crime was partly motivated by race and class resentment.

I sure am glad that Obama (and Eric Holder) came along to help build racial harmony, and "heal the wounds" of strained race relations in America.

Cheers!

SS

That was a well-written piece. He should have added: don't bring a farang wife!

6,000 baht per month "studio" apartments are definitely available - but won't tend to be in very nice properties. All the rest was pretty much spot on.

Cheers!

SS

No worries.

SS

I posted this a few minutes after Flasher posted a similar headline about a Thai lady who lost half her body weight - when she got chopped in half by a train. This seemed to be a way to "balance" that gruesome outcome with a little bit more uplifting story. And - that was the tie-in to Thailand - juxtaposing against a sad Thai story.

But - I suppose I was asking too much of the general population - at least those who have responded. You don't seem to be able to get beyond that which slaps you directly in the face.

I have to say that I am shocked that the majority seem to think the guy was better off as a seriously obese lump of lard - and that this outcome is also a sad outcome. I can't even fathom such a viewpoint. I'll give you all a hint: you can pump steroids into a lump of lard forever, and you won't get a hard-body. That only comes from also adding MASSIVE additional effort and discipline.

Whatever. As Teddy Roosevelt put it:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.â€

Cheers,

SS

'Cut in half in a good way - astonishing actually: http://www.dailymail...ood-demons.html

Before:

And after:

'Good on him.

Cheers!

SS

'Time to put all the "global cooling deniers" in their places:

Surprise! Glaciers appearing in Scotland

Hazards common in arctic and alpine areas but described as "extremely unusual" in the UK during the summer have been found on Ben Nevis.

A team of climbers and scientists investigating the mountain's North Face said snowfields remained in many gullies and upper scree slopes.

On these fields, they have come across compacted, dense, ice hard snow call neve.

Neve is the first stage in the formation of glaciers, the team said.

The team has also encountered sheets of snow weighing hundreds of tonnes and tunnels and fissures known as bergschrunds.

The large, deep cracks in the ice are found at the top of glaciers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-28885119

OK - it is now September 5th. One week from now, the USA will be sorting through the wreckage of this year's vintage of 9-11 terrorist strikes.

In his infinite wisdom, President "More Mush from the Wimp" Obama's administration has announced the removal of funding from some or all of each of the following programs:

Hellfire missile

Tomahawk missile

A-10 Thunderbolt ("Warthog")

So - my question is: where are likely to be three targets hit on 9-11-14?

My guesses:

Texas

Colorado

Virginia

Oh - and Iraq and Afghanistan don't count - the "background noise" explosions would likely make it tough to accurately discern a strictly anniversary-based attack.

I will be delighted if 9-11-14 is actually "kaboom-less" - I just don't think that the slavering jihadists will be able to pass up the opportunity to take cheap shots at Uncle Sam, while the feckless Obama cruises the golf links, and fist-bumps his way through various celebrity fund-raising parties.

And - those three weapons systems up above? As a former Infantry officer, I have a hard time thinking of any other weapons systems that have done a better job of taking out bad guys, while minimizing risks to the good guys. WTF are they thinking, to diminish or eliminate these programs????

Cheers!

SS

I stumbled across this website while doing some research for a company start-up customer.

The content appears to be circa maybe 2005 to 2007. It was quite an ambitious project.

http://www.bangkokin360.com/virtualtour/

You can pull down a map at upper right, and you can access selection menus for different types of venues at bottom menu bar.

Interesting to be able to "walk around" inside places long closed - such as the Bulls Head, The Home Run Bar & Grill, and the Q Bar.

Cheers!

SS

I always got a kick out of the Japanese way of saying "no" in a business context - suck in air through there teeth with a faint hiss, and mumble "That will be very difficult ...." (or - more correctly - .... velly difficurt)

Cheers!

SS

Long overdue.

I second that comment. Raising flag drop to 40 baht is a 14.3% increase, and that should not kill anyone. I usually tip taxis at least 20 baht.

Cheers!

SS