Coss

Heres one on climate change http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11465003 NZ should expect more droughts.

or at least, righteous eruptions

Not those evil Aussies though http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/indonesia-waives-visa-requirements-for-45-countries and Vietnam soon too.... http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2015/06/vietnam-extends-visa-free-list/

"...the vessel hit her while reversing." One of the basic tenets of good boat handling is 'keeping a good look out'

Actually feel a little sorry for this one. http://phoenixfloe.tumblr.com photo at the link

I plead constipation, the 2nd amendment

I'm so glad that he's wearing a woolly hat, this leading man from Japan, he's experiencing being a prat, and showing he definitely can.

Nice to see Brosnan in this type of role, he's getting better as he gets older.

Survivor 2015 - Milla Jojovich Pierce Brosnan, both very good in this, modern day explosions, intelligence people, well worth a watch.

Sure - "reduced yields and thus higher prices." no arguments with that The myth, however, goes - we will all starve and die, economies will crumble to dust and the very existence of the human race will be threatened. That, is what I'm disproving.

Only in terms of ease of use, there're also plenty of non bee pollinators who'd step in to fill the role if domestic honey bees were gone. Nature abhors a vacuum.

I think we all remember the alarmist stories that the domestic honey bee was in decline and therefore the world food supply was under threat and we'd all starve to death... Apart from the fact that things like rice, wheat, corn, feed grass for cows etc are all wind pollinated, here's another reason those scaremongers are idiots. http://www.agprofess...e-honeybee-free Populations of imported European honeybees, relied upon for centuries in American agriculture, continue to decline under pressure from an array of pathogens, parasites and other problems. Danforth said honeybee hive managers are seeing losses at 30 to 40 percent each year, with damages during the worst “colony collapse†years topping 70 percent. With that key agricultural resource insecure, apple growers in New York – the nation’s No. 2 apple-producing state – face a future of higher hive rental costs or limits on honeybee availability. As one of the nation’s leading advocates for native bees as an agricultural asset, Danforth is among 11 faculty members who rely upon Cornell Orchards for research support. Since 2008, he and members of his lab have been surveying bee activity at 20 upstate orchards, including Cornell’s Ithaca and Lansing sites. His team has found more than 100 wild bee species at these orchards, far more than previously thought, with often surprising levels of diversity and abundance. Danforth’s group has detected a total of 26 wild bee species at Cornell’s Ithaca orchard alone. more at the link...

Dear national Police Chief Captain General Colonel Vice Regal Admiral 1st class Right Honourable Companion of the Order of Meritorious Lions of the Golden Water, Somchai Police officer, your beloved Mr Thaksin, has exhibited behaviour that damages the dignity and reputation of police, by allowing, during his tenure, the Police to continue to be nepotistic, corrupt and feckless. This has lead to the police being widely regarded, both domestically and internationally, as 'Keystone cops with consequences'. Your continued defence of this position, and loyalty to your progenitor, demonstrates only your short sighted hopes that the Thaksin family will one day resume the reigns of power in Thailand and that at that time you hope to be rewarded. Your are sir, the representation of everything a properly defined police force, should not be. Kind regards Coss

The Nation BANGKOK: -- NATIONAL police chief General Somyot Poompanmuang said Friday he has sent back a request for him to strip former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of his rank as a police lieutenant colonel to the police committee that considered the issue. The panel had failed to thoroughly determine how Thaksin's behaviour deserved the action, he said. Previously, Somyot sent back a request to strip Thaksin of his rank on grounds that a panel member failed to sign his name to endorse the decision. "I insist that I'm not buying time. I don't fear [anything]. Everything must go through the process in accordance with the regulations," Somyot told reporters. According to the 2004 regulation on police rank, an officer is to be stripped their rank if they violate the regulation through behaviour that damages the dignity and reputation of police, he said. Source: http://www.nationmul...e-30261704.html

"While the IQ of pre-school students is acceptable, IQ drops as primary schooling commences," Now there's your problem, it's the schooling!

Debt-ridden Thailand being sucked into whirlpool of deflation Thanong Khanthong BANGKOK: -- Disinflation - or negative inflation - has hit Thailand for the past five months in a row. In the first quarter of this year, inflation was minus-0.5 per cent. The situation worsened in April, with inflation at negative-1.04 per cent. In May the disinflation surged to -1.27 per cent, prompting growing concern as to whether deflation is waiting on the horizon. While disinflation is a temporary phenomenon of price decline, deflation represents a general collapse in prices and demand, aggravated by a lack of fresh investment and a marked slowdown in the velocity of money (its speed of circulation). Once an economy plunges into a deflationary spiral, it is extremely difficult to perk it up again. A dose of fiscal expansion and sharp rate cuts will have to be met with renewed confidence and fresh investment to create employment. The advanced economies - the United States, the UK, Japan and most recently Europe - have embarked on this policy of Keynesian spending and zero interest rates to pull themselves out of the severe slump, yet despite seven years of unorthodox methods a recovery is nowhere in sight. Indeed, a recovery can never come under the current insurmountable level of indebtedness. Global debt has reached $200 trillion, or three times the size of the global GDP of $70 trillion. The global economy can't grow with more debt. Without debt restructuring, any recovery is out of the question. Most Thai economists agree that deflation is not on the table yet, as the marginal fall in prices, caused by weak oil and food prices, will hit rock bottom soon after the economic pickup. "We expect headline inflation to bottom out and then pick up gradually from June onwards," Phatra Securities reported on Tuesday. "However, we expect that headline inflation will not turn positive until the fourth quarter of 2015." Disinflation and deflation aside, Thailand is entering a dangerous period of economic slump and geopolitical risks. The downturn is caused by weak demand, both internally and externally. Household debt has reached Bt10.4 trillion, in a Thai economy whose total size is Bt13 trillion. Thai consumers no longer have much room to buy. To consume more they will have to further leverage their household balance sheet. They can't create more debt. This has resulted in an overcapacity or oversupply situation in the economy. Businesses do not want to invest further because they can't sell their goods or products. Banks are more reluctant to lend for fear of bad debts. Small and medium-scale enterprises are being hit hard by the lack of fresh credit and weak consumer demand. Externally, the Thai export sector, which has been the engine of the Thai growth, is sputtering. The export sector has also registered shrinkage five months in a row, with figures for the first quarter of 2015 showing minus-4.3 per cent growth. The explanation is either weak overseas demand or a lack of competitiveness in Thai industries. If overseas demand is the problem, there is nothing much we can do. If we cut the prices - by lowering the baht exchange rate - other countries can do the same, triggering a currency war. If the problem lies in exports' loss of competitiveness, then Thai industries have to take responsibility. So what should be the appropriate policy response from Thai authorities? Government spending grew almost 30 per cent in the first quarter of this year, offering a degree of economic stimulus. But we all know that fiscal stimulus has its limitations. One can't expect the government to create a heavy debt burden year in and year out in order to perk up the economy. Japan and other welfare states have tried this medicine before and all ended up with unsustainable public debt. In the case of Japan, the government debt to GDP has reached a staggering 240 per cent. Creating more debt risks destroying the value of the yen, now hanging by a thread and on life support provided by the Bank of Japan's government bond-buying programme. Then it comes to the efficacy of monetary policy. The Bank of Thailand acted as if it had blood in its eyes when it cut its benchmark rate twice in a row to 1.50 per cent. The banking authorities must have seen disturbing signs in the economy, prompting them to cut the rates in a hurry. First, they want to send out a signal that they are providing an accommodative environment to stimulate domestic demand and growth. Second, they want to encourage the banks to extend further credit, particularly to the SMEs. Third, they want to rely on exchange rate targeting to boost exports. In macroeconomic management, we can't overdo both the fiscal expansion and the monetary stimulus. Government overspending will create debt burden for future generations. Besides, disbursements are not timely enough. At the same time, monetary stimulus, if it is overcooked, discourages businesses, industry, households and the private sector in general from making appropriate adjustments to the actual prices. For the Bank of Thailand's low interest rate policy carries a double-barrel effect: lowering the cost of borrowing and weakening the baht. But we can see that the banks have not cut their borrowing rates to match the central bank's rate reduction. Thai banks' profit margins remain at a historic high compared to banks in other countries, with profits of Bt50 billion in the first quarter of this year. A quick calculation projects bank profits at Bt200 billion this year. Banks are fattening their pocketbooks at the expense of the general economy and Thai borrowers. That's why Bank of Thailand governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul was rather emotional when he found out that the banks had maintained their borrowing rates intact. That means Thai consumers are not benefiting from this round of rate cuts. Now we come to the exchange rate targeting. The baht is losing value in a hurry under the Bank of Thailand's deliberate policy to weaken the currency. Last month alone, the baht weakened by 4 per cent, almost touching Bt34 to the dollar. Siam Commercial Bank recently predicted exchange rate targeting could drive the baht down to Bt35 before the end of the year. Destroying currency value is a bad money policy, but, strangely enough, most central bankers have adopted it in earnest. Weakening a country's currency might benefit the domestic export sector in the short term, but overall it harms the nation's purchasing power. Inflation will strike back with a vengeance. Under good money policy, the value of the currency remains stable over time. This benefits not only grass-roots citizens but also the overall economy, because all the participants do not have to play catch-up with runaway inflation. A low interest rate environment, coupled with a weakening currency, discourages the economy from making the necessary adjustments. Bad companies, which should have folded, remain on the scene to create future burden. They use resources that they don't deserve access to. A low interest rate policy also drives away savings. Capital accumulation gives way to speculative investment in the stock market or real estate. Retirees or pensioners earn nothing from their bank savings. They do not deserve this kind of punishment from bad money policy, in which they almost earn nothing from interest returns while at the same time the baht's value diminishes steadily and harms their purchasing power. In the end, the way out for Thailand is a combination of appropriate doses of fiscal and monetary medicine that allow the economy to adjust at its own pace. Thailand has already fallen into a debt trap, with combined private and government debt to GDP reaching 130 per cent. This high debt level will have to be brought down via restructuring, because raising incomes to pay down the debt looks almost impossible now given the global outlook. The government can tax the rich more to help out the poor. The banks must make less profit. The Bank of Thailand must not be tempted into a monetary trap, which would risk plunging the country into a zero interest rate environment. By that time it would be too late to save the baht. Source: http://www.nationmul...o-30261656.html

World Bank zeroes in on Thai education The Nation But the government is still placing the emphasis on saving face rather than securing the Kingdom's future prosperity BANGKOK: -- A recent report from the World Bank titled "Thailand's Economic Monitor" shed light on a number of weak points the Kingdom needs to address. Among the most disturbing was the state of the education system here, which clearly requires substantial reform. According to the report, one-third of 15-year-old Thai students are "functionally illiterate" - they lack the basic reading skills to manage their lives in the modern world, leaving their chances of finding well-paid jobs slim to non-existent. World Bank Southeast Asia director Ulrich Zachau pointed out that Thailand's export growth has been slowing since 2012, part of a long-term trend. To change that trend, the Kingdom must launch structural reform to bolster the skills and productivity of its labour force. "The single most important thing for Thailand is to improve its education and skills outside Bangkok," Zachau said. The suggestion is not new. Successive governments have vowed to make education reform a priority, yet student performance has not improved. The World Bank's findings are the latest evidence of that failure. Obviously the gap between what we know of the issues and how to fix them remains as yawning as ever. Finance Minister Sommai Phasee, presiding at the unveiling of the World Bank report, admitted he has been reluctant to raise the problem in Cabinet because he didn't want to offend the ministers who oversee education. "I dare not speak up because there are three ministers responsible [for education and skills], and all are soldiers," he said. "We are still not walking the right path and we are still walking slowly." Sommai said he agrees with the bank's assessment that education and human resources are critical to the future of Thailand's economy and political stability. However, he needs to understand that he has a moral obligation to speak up, regardless of the type of government in place. After all, the matter at hand - the future of the country - far outweighs the egos of a few generals. This involves more than the quality of our children's education. It extends to the economic well-being of the nation as a whole. Here, the trend in recent years has been alarming. From 2012 to 2014 exports grew by an average of just 1 per cent annually. This represents a precipitous drop from the 13-per-cent growth between 2006 and 2011. The World Bank points out that the decline was partly due to eroding competitiveness and slow improvements in productivity compared to other countries. Moreover, the disparity between public schools in the cities and those in rural areas must be addressed if we are to move forward. This means we need to improve resources for schools in the provinces. It's wonderful that we can produce a few students who excel in international competitions but, if the majority of their contemporaries are "functionally illiterate", it reflects poorly on Thailand as a nation. More significantly, this disparity will have a negative impact on the country's economic future, as the World Bank report notes. One of the recommendations the bank offers the government is that smaller rural schools be reorganised and merged into larger institutions. This would optimise teaching efficiency and offer better-quality education in the classroom. Thailand could slash the number of classrooms with less than one teacher per class from the current 110,725, to 12,600 simply by merging its 9,421 "non-isolated large schools and 16,943 non-isolated small schools", the World Bank says. That would mean the total number of schools dropping to 14,252. Raising the number of teachers per class upcountry to Bangkok levels could also be achieved by recruiting 160,000 more teachers. There are no easy decisions, but all constructive measures must be taken into consideration if we want genuine reform that improves education. We can make a start by getting our priorities straight. Source: http://www.nationmul...n-30261651.html

Firstly, please note the post earlier, entitled "Defense Minister: Thailand will be able to have yellow card given by EU rescinded" ________________ Agriculture Min admits inability to end IUU fishing by deadline BANGKOK, 5 June 2015 (NNT) – Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Petipong Pungbun Na Ayudhya has indicated a possibility that Thailand’s effort to eradicate illegal fishing will not yet be successful within the six-month deadline given by the European Union. After Thailand was given a yellow card by the EU due to its failure to comply with the Regulation on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, Mr Petipong affirmed the government has clearly demonstrated its determination to address the issue. Personally, he believes it is unlikely for Thailand to become completely free from the problem of IUU fishing in a matter of only six months as demanded by the EU. However, he insisted that the goal will eventually be achieved with the cooperation from all sectors. At present, the minister sees the need for the government to beef up its control of fishing methods that can be harmful to the environment and make amendments to the existing fishery laws for higher effectiveness. He said the overall operational plan will also have to be improved in order to restore the EU’s confidence while anticipating more clarity on the plan within this month. Regarding the management of fishery workers to prevent human trafficking, Mr Petipong conceded it is a difficult task despite the ministry’s cooperation with the Royal Thai Navy and the Immigration Bureau. According to him, the inspection of fishing vessels departing and arriving at the port is especially hard to manage while the shortage of workers on board experienced by some operators is another issue to be addressed. Ahem

I thought the cure for this, was the prospect of becoming fat and lonely, surrounded by cats?

If Love Scene is the one I think it is, I have less fond experiences. As an experimental diner, excited about untried and unknown delicacies, I'd eaten many strange and interesting meals in Bangkok, I then went to Cambo. I promptly had an illness, which consisted of the inside of my body, leaving through my two major orifices, over a period of several days in the hotel bathroom. Coincidentally, I was feeling like death at the time, I am sure there is some connection. I had no idea, what had caused this illness and when the lovely hotel receptionist at the Hotel California of old, had nursed me back to health, I returned to Bangkok and Love Scene, to unwittingly confirm the source of my ailment. For a second time I was confined to the hotel bathroom for three days. But this time I knew, it was the Duck Tongues.

AFAIK most asian cell phone providers will load you with extra services like calling melodies and pink frilly emotions on an opt out basis, i.e. you have to tell them you don't want them. Even with my limited language abilities I've found the best approach is to confront a pretty and nervous service girl at the phone companies offices and point at the offending service on the phone, whilst uttering "Mai Ow" (Thailand) or "Bor Ow" (Laos) this usually works and has the tangential result of flushing the nervous and pretty girl's complexion. Hope this helps.

Good memory Bubi, the fishing goes on unabated. The Sukhumvit Deep Klong Anglers´club, failed to attract sufficient membership fees, to justify the administration costs, the accountants were unable to do anything to combat this position and the lawyers advised a cessation of the membership drive. There have been several informal expeditions, including one yesterday evening, where no fish were caught, though a brown trout broke, the surface, at my feet, and I deemed it to be a whale, as the only part of it visible in the black water, was the upper half of it's caudal fin, easily as big as the palm of my hand. Other events have been located in Laos, wherein captive behemoths in ponds were hooked through a haze of merriment, pert female parts and whiskey. Should any esteemed members of this board wish to express interest in a future resurrection of the Sukhumvit Deep Klong Anglers´club, I am, as always, at your service. Coss

I still want to know, where are the cows that Takkie promised my ex's in laws, they were due two, I'd suggested they could be named Daisy and Maisy, no one has an answer, they don't even want to talk about it, even though they consider Takkie is a good luck supernova.

Ex Machina 2015 - quite good, notable for beautiful female lead and also a hot asian chick. Deals with AI and Turing test, for real (well movie real). Not quite as deep and meaningful as the makers no doubt think it is, but well worth a watch.