Coss

Modern thinking suggests they are all able to be rehabilitated. Though I'd bet a dollar or two, that the young'un who held up the human head, will do it again when he's a teenager and full of angst. The tribalist in me says put them in the grinder and make fertiliser.

Kingsman The Secret Service 2014 - previously reviewed here. My take is - enjoyable, some nice music, a little 20 something-ish, nice exploding heads, if they do a sequel I'll look. Worth a watch.

On the other hand, I'm one who has found, the pricing high and attitude of a lot of places in LOS to be substandard compared to the old days. But I have, found bliss, with a singular entity, and now can say, if I'd had this 25 years ago, I might have never ventured into a gogo bar. Not that I'd avoid them now, I've been infected, you see.

The Dark Half 1993 - Quite a good thriller/horror, not zombies, not inane. Well worth a watch. The Judge 2014 - reviewed here earlier I believe - potentially a very good movie - but ultimately worth a watch. The Flowers Of War 2011 - Christian Bale in war-torn China with a bunch of orphans and ladies of the night - good - worth a watch.

Smart phones are also for middle aged or older men, who want to communicate effectively to goofy little Japanese, Korean and Thai girls with arses we kill for.

To get the ball rolling - 10,000-year-old Antarctic ice-shelf 'gone in five years' http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11450770 Antarctica's Larsen B ice-shelf is on course to disintegrate completely within the next five years, according to a study by US space agency Nasa. The 10,000-year-old ice-shelf, which partially collapsed in 2002, is "quickly weakening" and likely to "disintegrate completely" before the end of the decade, researchers have predicted, after observing warning signs including large developing cracks and faster-flowing tributary glaciers. "These are warning signs that the remnant is disintegrating," said Ala Khazendar of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. etc etc ___ We have to wait 5 years for this one, but I'll still be here to see...

I propose a thread of, then and now predictions. Or let's see if this is going to be true.. Examples may be - Arctic Ice Cap disappears completely predictions, but it hasn't. Or any topic at all, but it should be a prediction and whether or not it turns out to be true, or not.

Same same, though I got lucky and landed a 'contract' for a short time, which is like saying "we want your work" but when they learn what is is I can do, they'll let me go...

Difficulty getting citizenship implies that it can be gained. I would think that the Hidden Kingdom just outright bans it.

Whilst I have a certain admiration for people who make their own decisions about their kids' future, I see real social problems, being created by people who want to live 'off the grid' but then avail themselves of 'the grid' at the drop of the hat when they need it. This is not just an argument about whether to not there is an entitlement to society's benefits, but whether or not they are skilled enough to interface with 'the grid' or whether or not they do harm to 'the grid'. I saw a family on the TV the other day where the teenage kids were teaching themselves to read, from texts on their phones, they could not read a basic web page with things like 'home' on it. Can you imagine a teenager taking an injured sibling to hospital to save it's life? would they know how to recognise a hospital? would they know what a hospital was? could they read the road signs to get there? Then there's the vaccination issue, pockets of measles are still threatening thousands of thousands of infants and kids because 'off the grid' folk know better. It'd be different if the 'off the grid' folk could be put behind a wall, and left to their mediaeval life, but unfortunately, they all end up wanting mobile phones etc.

Fierce Creatures 1997 - the follow up to A Fish Called Wanda - John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Ronnie Corbett et al. Funnier than it was the first time around. Worth a watch. Inherent Vice 2014 - I really liked this, a very Hippy, 60's, slow moving, Detective Noire - Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin (very good), Owen Wilson, well worth a watch. Mortdecai 2015 - Panned by critics apparently, I liked it, if they make a sequel I'll watch it, it takes a moment to get used to Johnny Depp doing a "Dr. Bombay" from the Bewitched TV series, but I laughed several times and his manservant is beaut, well worth a watch. Sharky's Machine 1981 - remember when Rachel Ward was the sexiest thing on the planet? Well here she is in a movie, tastes have changed I feel. Burt Reynolds - well I guess he's not the actor people reckon he is/was, pretty dismal performance, mooning about the place. Enough shoot outs and fighting to be worth a watch if you're bored and wanna see Rachel again.

Amazing

talk about business opportunity...

Texas suburb in lockdown after shooting at anti-Islam art show Last updated 14:27, May 4 2015 MIKE STONE A police officer seeks witnesses to the shooting outside of the Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest sponsored by the American Freedom Defense Initiative in Garland, Texas. A building in Dallas, Texas, which was hosting a contest for cartoon depictions of the Prophet Mohammed, has been locked down after a shooting outside. An officer dressed in SWAT gear took the stage during the event at the Curtis Culwell Centre in Garland and told attendees, including an Associated Press reporter, that a shooting had occurred. The Dallas Morning News reported that the two men pulled up in a vehicle and shot a Garland Information Services Department (ISD) officer. The men were fatally shot by Garland police, and their bodies remain on the street outside the events centre. The injured officer was released from the hospital after his wounds were treated. No one was being allowed to leave the facility and nearby businesses were evacuated. Authorities were investigating a car within that zone. Garland police were waiting for a bomb squad to examine the vehicle. Reports of the incident began to develop shortly before 7 pm (local time), when the event had been scheduled to conclude. Throughout the event, there had been no notable protests, despite its controversial nature. Garland Police Department spokesman Joe Harn was unable to confirm details or comment on the incident. The New York-based American Freedom Defence Initiative was hosting the contest to award $US10,000 ($NZ13,297) for the best cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed. The decision to book the event came a little more than a week after Islamic militants in France killed 12 people at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Well well...

For a contrast on police shootings, read about someone getting shot by Police in NZ. 1st he had a gun. 2nd " we heard two gunshots" not two hundred, two and then, 'stand down, stand down', you know, stop.... LINK

Vast Brides, why I'm cautious about thinking of going to 'merica. and a telling portrait of wannabe brides looking towards South East Asia, where their men are

Footage on the TV appears to show, 2~3 cops having to lift, an already incapacitated young man from the ground, before placing him in the van. I would suggest that any injury, is already in place by the time he is handcuffed.

How unfortunate for you...

"Stand by me" = music

Not forgetting the Lao

"The trial of two Myanmar migrants accused of murdering two British tourists last year is set to resume Thursday on Koh Samui in Surat Thani province. Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun are charged with murdering David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, on Sai Ree beach on the neighbouring island of Koh Tao on Sept 15. They also are charged with raping Witheridge. The case has drawn much international attention, and various observers have accused the Thai authorities of framing the Myanmar men, both 21, and organising a cover-up after members of a local organised-crime gang were implicated. Defence and prosecution lawyers at Thursday's hearing are expected to update the court as to the progress of preparing witnesses, the Democratic Voice of Burma reported. The court is also expected to consider the recent requests by the defence team that physical evidence be re-examined by the Ministry of Justice's Central Institute of Forensic Science, and for more information provided regarding the process of DNA analysis. Thai police nevertheless remain confident that DNA evidence will prove the Myanmar pair are guilty. Results of an investigation by British police from Scotland Yard were never made public, but the families of the two murdered Britons have reportedly been in contact with British authorities and say they are convinced Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun are guilty. A lawyer representing the migrants told DVB in October that the pair told their legal team and members of the Myanmar embassy that they were tortured into giving confessions. Meanwhile, some 100 Myanmar migrant workers joined a workshop on Koh Tao on Monday and Tuesday to discuss migrant rights. Participants in the workshop, organised by the Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN) and the Human Rights and Development Foundation, on Tuesday set out an eight-point list of demands to Thai authorities, including: regular pay for migrant workers; the opening of a Myanmar migrant passport centre; preventing police and officials from acting above the law; and conformity to labour regulations. A letter with the demands was handed over to the Koh Tao municipal chief on Tuesday. "I believe that organising networks here will be very helpful in promoting the rights of migrants," said a Myanmar organiser of the event. "Many migrants on the island live in fear. They do not know their rights and are afraid of the authorities." Some 4,000 Myanmar nationals work on Koh Tao. Organisers said most did not attend the workshop because they feared repercussions from the local police. One attendee told DVB: "Previously, I would have been afraid to come to a workshop like this. But if both migrant workers and officials are aware of and respect labour rights, this island will be a safer and better place for us." Andy Hall, a British activist working on migrants' issues for the MWRN, said, "I have been to this island many times in assisting (Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun) during the hearings in the murder case. During that time, I have learned more and more about the plight of migrant workers on this island which is so popular among foreign tourists.""

Lucky Them 2013 - a gem, Toni Collette is her usual interesting self, Thomas Haden Church plays a dick so well, you come to like him, worth a watch. Interesting cameo. Unbroken 2014 - as noted earlier above, good movie, worth a watch

Banker warns of dire effect on economy if fishing ban is enforced A leading banker is warning of the possible banning of Thailand’s fishery products by the European Union will have a dire effect on the country’s economy. Banthoon Lamsam, chairman and chief executive officer of Kasikorn Bank, stated that the main problems facing the country at the moment are the economy, civil aviation industry and the fisheries sector. But the last of which will require immediate attention as fishing standards, especially for boat crews, lags behind international standards which may result in the EU banning fishery products. If so, this action will have an adverse affect on the country’s economy as in every year Thailand exports vast amounts of fishery products. He advises that both the private and government sectors coordinate to resolve the problem to avoid an economic crisis that could cripple the country. Meanwhile the Department of Harbour is coordinating with the relevant departments to solve the problem of human trafficking which is the root complaint of illicit human trade by western countries. Nat Japjai, the deputy director-general of the Harbour Department, stated that they were coordinating with all the relevant government departments to quickly solve the problem of human trafficking which is the main point of contention with western nations and could possibly result in the EU yellow carding the country’s fishery products. First to be tackled will be the stricter regulating and monitoring of all fishing vessels which will require them to be registered with the Harbour Department. The deputy director-general revealed that the department will be foregoing inspection fees for vessels not exceeding 20 gross tons and new criteria will be formulated for the issuance of crew’s papers to address the problem of illegal workers. He admitted that in the past counterfeit papers were widely used by fishing vessels but the problem is now being looked after by the Department for Special Investigations (DSI) and there should be a dramatic reduction in the foreseeable future. LINK ______________________________________________________ Whilst one, like Bubi, is not qualified to comment on matters in LOS, because I am not being able to understand Thai-ness, because I was only having been married to ex-wife of Thai persuasion for 20 years and because I may care about what happens to LOS, I do feel moved to comment on the above journalistic missive, and suggest pertinent points that may not have occurred to the gentle reader, without my altruistic prodding, all done with the most caring and sharing and supportive intentions. 1. Thai government (such as it is, Military rulership) is seeking to avoid massive, massive monetary loss, for the Thai economy, by beginning to actually address, the issue of Slavery on fishing vessels. This is something that has been going on for a long time and well known to the world and Thais alike, but because there has been no impending massive, massive monetary loss, the Thais have been quite happy to keep face intact, ignore Slavery and pocket massive, massive profits. 2. Tourism, is not going as well as it could be, despite graphs and statements from TAT showing near vertical arrival and spending growth, the facts are that Tourism is hobbling along from one problem to the next, and value for money, is no longer present. 3. Thai airlines (severally), with old planes, nepotistic over staffing, the usual corruption, is seeing a real threat to continued revenue over safety concerns, this is important not just because some routes or new routes may not be allowed, but that if the travelling public get an idea that Thai planes are not safe, they'll fly with someone else, for decades. 4. There have been no recent pronouncements on the rice market, but the previous government heads, are being held to task, the financial loss to the country, is massive. It's not all beer and skittles in the rice trade. - Western Nations have long regarded Thailand like the little sibling, who pays lip service to the rules and being a sibling is not seriously punished as it grows up, but there comes a time when the sibling is old enough to bear the consequences of flouting the rules. Thailand has no sense of being a sibling, but rather regards itself as 1st nation, unfortunately held back in all things by Westerners who are jealous of all that is Thai. The unfortunate concept of face, is extremely detrimental to a nation, that is desirous of being a full member, of a modern world.

Thanks for that, and yes, like Dorothy and numerous others, I am not in Kansas

Kochs - who?