Dexi

If you are confident about the gold price ( which I`m not ) there are other ways to benefit from a rise in price of the yellow metal.Buying gold related equities ( shares of gold miners ) represents a leveraged play on the price of gold ( ie. price movements are bigger than the underlying commodity ).Gold exchange traded funds ( ETFs or ETCs ) effectively track the gold spot price without having to hold and store the physical metal with all the associated problems.They can be bought and sold just like any other share.There is a level of tracking error due to the charges levied by the fund but this is usually quite small ( ie. less than 1 % ).ETC s that hold the physical metal are generally considered to be better than those which rely on rolling futures contracts.Gold tends to be a " fear " purchase ie. something people turn to if all other avenues look unpromising - something to hold if you think markets are on the verge of another melt-down.

Well done to the Germans who seem ready to welcome hundreds of thousands of migrants - means the rest of us don`t have to take that many

Problem is,if you agree to having " nam kairg ",they fill up the glass completely with ice first,then try to add beer for which there is no room.After a few mins you just have very watery beer.

Charles Kennedy who died recently is an interesting case.A talented politician and one time leader of the Lib Dems in the UK,he had a long-term problem with the booze which ultimately led to his early demise.Strange how he was unable to control this one aspect of his life ....

Most amusing - almost as if they had generated random words and just put them together.I like no. 2 ..." farmers gas party animals " wtf -bad news for Ko Pang ngarn backpackers or no.13..." Paper hand job "....

Maybe you purchased a phone plan instead of the data plan ? try putting the SIM back in the phone and connect to the AIS site where you can check your current plan,credit etc.If all else fails,take it in to the shop,although IME the staff don`t really know much .

Why leave out Udon ?

Patts may have had some sort of charm a few decades ago....now its rather difficult to find anything good to say about the place.Seemed to be booming though when I was last there ( March this year ) with new condos going up all over the place,not to mention the hundreds of new retail outlets in the malls.As for the nightlife,I`m still trying to work out how some of the go-gos make a profit after paying all the staff wages and rent,with kee-neow punters like myself only spending 80 bt.on one happy hour beer per establishment

If these reserves do exist,its strange why Greece has not made any effort to extract the oil and alleviate their financial stress.Maybe its uneconomic to extract,especially at the moment when prices are low and not likely to improve any time soon due to Iranian supplies coming on to the market after the recent successfull outcome of the nuke talks

Of course the Greeks voted in favour of the bailout > they are going to be given another 70 -80 billion Euros,who would refuse such an offer ? The conditions attached may look strict ,such as selling off state assets.But the figure of 50 billion euros seems very optimistic .My guess is they will be back,cap in hand,asking for more cash in a couple of years and we will go through the same process again.Much better to let them default and leave the Eurozone and have a fresh start with their own currency.They will probably never repay their debts anyway

Nigel Farage in the UK seems spot on with his views.The fat cat euro politicos in Brussells want an " ever closer " union in Europe despite what the populations actually want.

So,the situation seems to be that Greece has huge debts that it can`t pay back,so obviously the solution is another baleout and giving them even more money that they can`t or won`t pay back,only this time with more stringent conditions that they won`t adhere to

I would bet that most Greeks with substantial assets will have seen this coming and transferred their $ abroad long ago .....leaving just the lower classes,pensioners etc. to pick up the bill

Some would say they have " Lost their marbles "

With no pneumatic tyres or suspension of any kind,hitting a stone or pothole must be painfull

Swimming against the current in one of the large irrigation canals,then drying out by blasting along near deserted roads up around Khon Kaen - happy days ......that was some years ago.Wouldn`t get back on a bike now though,after getting knocked over by some loony girl doing 60 kph past the local market

Another case of drinks being spiked - look at the girl slumped over the table in the background

Looks like there will be lots more ladies looking for Mr. Jai Dee / Hansum man Farang sponsor.

Do a runner while the wife is " powdering her nose "

My AIS phone used to connect to the AIS website automatically when pressing the web button on the phone.On there were all the details of the various phone and data plans,also how to unsubscribe to the calling melody.Easy really.I found the 99 bt. data add-on quite usefull for casual net useage while out and about.Unfortunately they keep changing the promotions ,so its probably different now

I`m retired now

In many of these countries that support Blatter ,bribery and corruption is no big deal,its just standard practice and the way things get done.They must be scratching their heads and wondering what all the fuss is about .......we need someone of impeccable character and moral virtue to replace Blatter as head of FIFA......how about Mr. Taksin

Sitting in Baby Dolls Agogo in Patts can provide an insight into what sort of cash some of these girls are making.Besides the basic salary for a dancer or " performer " ( you will know what I`m referring to if you have ever visited there ) of 12-18 k there are lady drinks and tips,barfines,not to mention long term sponsors remittances.Chatting to one of them she enquired as to my monthly budget.Although she didn`t say it I could tell from her reaction she was thinking " I make a lot more than that per month ".

Maybe the mini-fridge was in an elevated position,attached to the wall,in a similar way to the small tv s often found in budget hotel rooms ( usually surrounded by a metal frame to prevent them being pinched )

Quite a few cheapo smart phones on the market now from AIS ,DTAC etc. Less than half the price of Samsung/Iphone and with good processing power.