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Apparently, those jockeying for political power are not interested in becoming, or continuing to be, puppets for Thaksin. The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Thaksin Told It's All Over AEKARACH SATTABURUTH After his ex-wife Khunying Potjaman Damapong failed to get Newin Chidchob on the phone, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had to make the call himself. A source at the Puea Thai party said Thaksin decided to call Mr Newin after his once close aide refused to take calls from his wife and other key party members. But Thaksin did not get the reply he was hoping for. Mr Newin made it clear he would not let his faction join Puea Thai and help form a new government. According to faction member Supachai Phosu, a Nakhon Phanom MP, Mr Newin told his former boss: "Sir, everything is over." After not answering Khunying Potjaman's calls on Saturday, Mr Newin had told some members of his faction "it's too late", Mr Supachai said. His faction leader was now very selective about taking calls from members of the Puea Thai party, he added.

Ok, my next question is how many megapixels is a good number for point-and-shoot?

Huh? What?

Even though total numbers of posts have nothing to do with winning this contest, I thought some of you might be interested in some of the numbers. So far, 28 posters have their names in the hat at least once. Some, a great many times more than once. The posters who have exceeded 100 posts since the contest began are, as of December 8: MonkeySee: 301 posts Laurence: 124 posts Lvdkeyes: 124 posts Pattayamale: 101 posts There were some posts that were deleted for various reasons, but those posts were still counted toward the daily minimum of 3 in order to get your name in the hat that day.

That's one of the reasons why I dislike modern so-called music. I can't understand the words. It seems almost as if the more a singer slurs the words to the point of incomprehensibility, the more of a "superstar" they become. Sometimes it's difficult to explain to a Thai boy, when he asks what the words are, that I don't have any idea. Sorry, but if I have to struggle to make out the words, and still can't make them out, that's music I'm not interested in listening to. The great Elvis Presley? Not interested. You know what he sounds like to me? "You ain nuthin buh a han dog, crockin alla time." Then, "ain wenna wenna ain no frenna mine." Wonderful! An Elvis impersonator? Yeah? Impersonate this! Somehow I really don't want to have to have a translator sitting next to me just to listen to music. I think the last time I understood all the words in a song was when Cole Porter songs were still at the top of the charts. My favorite singer was always Ethel Merman. No matter what she sung, I was always able to understand every single word.

Probably both.

I thought you were doing this with a motorcycle. I didn't realize until now that you're going to do this on a bicycle. You know what I say? Go for it! It could turn out to be a big mistake, but it could also turn out to be the greatest adventure of your life. If you back out of it now, without at least trying for a few days, then for the rest of your life you'll have to wonder if you should have done it. I've done my share of crazy things in my life. There have been times when I was right in the middle of whatever it was and wondered what the hell I was doing. But I did them. I'm happy I did. I wouldn't do some of them again, but I'll always be glad I did.

I don't know why, but with me usually it's exactly the opposite. The instant I walk in to a mom-and-pop store or the instant I express interest in a relatively expensive item in a large store, a staff member is hovering over me constantly, to the point that it can become very annoying. Maybe there's no happy medium. You're either totally ignored or a staff member practically glues himself to you while you're trying to shop. I don't find too many Goldilocks clerks where everything is just right.

Even if that happens, I doubt much would end up settled. There always seems to be another corrupt politician who manages to get himself into office.

If you ever get a chance to see the film, "Reversal of Fortune," you'll know the story. I think it's an excellent film and they leave it up to you as to whether Claus von Bulow was actually guilty or not. Maybe you can rent it. I think it's worth seeing.

Monday, December 8 OPENING RATES: US Dollar: 35.38 Euro: 45.095 British Pound: 52.02 Australian Dollar: 22.875 Canadian Dollar: 28.7735 _____ CLOSING RATES: US Dollar: 35.31 Euro: 45.445 British Pound: 52.90 Australian Dollar: 23.4125 Canadian Dollar: 28.04

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Pheu Thai in Desperate Bid for Power Published on December 8, 2008 The Thaksin Shinawatra camp is not giving up in its race with the Democrat Party to form a new government even as the former PM's ex-wife Pojaman Damapong pours her resources into winning over supporters. Discussions were conducted in the war room in the Shinawatra Thai Silk building of the Pheu Thai Party yesterday. The party's strategies, the political situation and making contacts for MPs to join the party were all discussed. Pojaman quietly returned from Hong Kong on Friday in a bid to mobilise supporters for the new government after the dissolution of the Somchai Wongsawat's cabinet following a court ruling. "Those who have any close associates, please bring them back to the Pheu Thai Party," a source quoted Pojaman as saying. However, another source said the MPs in the camp agreed that the chance for them to form a government had become slim. But they have not given up entirely. They tried hard with the help of veteran politicians like Prawat Uttamote of the Group of 16 to use personal relationships to urge former coalition MPs to return to the fold. However, the former coalition MPs said they wanted to protect the country and the monarchy so Pheu Thai needed to improve its strategy. Former Pheu Thai spokesman Sakda Noppasit said the party had only a slim chance as the military had lobbied the others to join the Democrat Party. Pheu Thai has vowed revenge and said it would challenge the Democrat-led government's legitimacy in every way. "It would be tit-for-tat and could be more severe," he said. A party source said plans to destroy the credibility of many institutions such as the justice system had been laid out. Protests like those staged by the People's Alliance for Democracy would be planned. Demonstrators would work closely with the red-shirted pro-PPP government group. Pheu Thai's key member Yongyuth Tiyapairat, a former PPP deputy leader, would be in charge. However, Newin Chidchob's red-shirted supporters would not join, the source said. On the other hand, Pheu Thai MP Somchai Petprasert from Nakhon Ratchasima said the Democrat boast about having the numbers to stitch together a government was just the first step. The former coalition party had just said they would consider the Democrat bid. "Pheu Thai is full of unity. If you cut the heart of the former People Power MPs you will see 10-20 more MPs wanting to join the Pheu Thai. I believe Pheu Thai can form a government and the people have shown which party they want to form the government," Somchai said. Caretaker prime minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul rejected the idea of dissolving the House to prevent the Democrats from forming a government. Chaovarat said there was no necessity for House dissolution at the moment. He said the former ruling party and the opposition were trying to gather support for a coalition. It would be unreasonable to dissolve the House. He denied that his decision not to dissolve the House was a result of his son Anutin being a close associate of former Thai Rak Thai executive Newin Chidchob. Pheu Thai MP Surapong Towijakchaikul from Chiang Mai said it was impossible for the Democrats to gather 260 MPs on their side. Out of the total of 438 MPs at the moment, Pheu Thai could count on 220. "I believe we won't lose any support. Many northeastern MPs in the Friends of Newin group have joined us. We have to make this clear to the people," he said. "Democrat chief adviser Chuan Leekpai has always said his party will let the party with the most seats in the House to be the first to form a government. If it fails, the second one then will form the government. The Democrats are going back on their word," he said. However, Deputy House Speaker Apiwan Wiriyachai, a Pheu Thai MP from Nonthaburi, said his party had fallen behind the Democrats after Chart Thai Pattana refused to back it. But Pheu Thai was ready to form a government if the Democrats could not.

Don't forget, a great many Thai businesses are run by people with little education beyond the ability to read, write, and handle basic arithmetic. I would guess the average motorcycle taxi driver is someone who was able to afford the monthly payments on a motorcycle and was able to come up with whatever fees he has to pay to be a motorcycle taxi driver. I doubt they would have ever even had an opportunity to learn to think in terms of what we would consider to be business sense. One of my favorite examples is the story I heard about why Bruno's restaurant moved from their former location to their current Jomtien location. The way I heard it, the restaurant had been in the same North Pattaya location for years. Then, when it came time to renew the lease, the building owner demanded somewhere on the order of three times the price they had been paying. It was explained to the building owner that it would be less expensive for them to move out and build their own restaurant unless he was willing to reduce the rent increase to a reasonable rate. The owner refused to budge. Bruno's moved out and as far as I know the building has been vacant ever since. Assuming that story is the way it really happened, then business sense obviously had nothing to do with the building owner's decision.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- After spending nearly 28 years in an irreversible coma, heiress and socialite Martha "Sunny" von Bulow died Saturday in a New York nursing home, according to a family statement. She was 76. Von Bulow was subject of one of the nation's most sensational criminal cases during the 1980s. Her husband, Claus, was accused of trying to kill her with an overdose of insulin, which prosecutors alleged sent her into the coma. He was convicted of making two attempts on her life, but the conviction was overturned on appeal. He was acquitted in a second trial. His retrial in 1985 received national attention. "We were blessed to have an extraordinarily loving and caring mother," said the statement from Von Bulow's three children -- Annie Laurie "Ala" Isham, Alexander von Auersperg and Cosima Pavoncelli -- released by a spokeswoman. "She was especially devoted to her many friends and family members." Martha von Bulow was born Martha Sharp Crawford into a wealthy family. She inherited a fortune conservatively estimated at $75 million, according to an article on the von Bulow case posted on truTV.com's Crime Library Web site. In her early years, she drew comparisons to actress Grace Kelly. She became known as Princess von Auersperg with her first marriage, to Prince Alfred von Auersperg of Austria. That marriage produced two children: Alexander and Annie Laurie. The von Bulows married in 1966 and had a daughter, Cosima. On the morning of December 22, 1980, family members found Martha von Bulow unconscious in the bathroom of the family's posh Newport, Rhode Island, home. She never regained consciousness. She had been hospitalized a year earlier after lapsing into a coma but recovered, according to the Crime Library site. Doctors had diagnosed her with hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Prosecutors accused Claus von Bulow of twice attempting to kill his wife by injecting her with insulin. The case also led to a major motion picture, "Reversal of Fortune." Actor Jeremy Irons won an Oscar for his portrayal of Claus von Bulow. Famed defense attorney Alan Dershowitz, who won Claus von Bulow a new trial on appeal after his conviction, said in a statement Saturday that Martha von Bulow's death is "a sad ending to a sad tragedy that some members of her family tried to turn into a crime. We proved overwhelming[ly] that there was no crime and that the coma was self-induced. We saved his life, but could not save hers." Claus von Bulow's defense team maintained that Martha von Bulow's alcohol use, among other factors, caused her coma. Dershowitz said he had spoken with Claus von Bulow, who now lives in London, England. Claus von Bulow was saddened by his former wife's passing, Dershowitz said. The family statement said Martha von Bulow is survived by her children, their spouses and nine grandchildren. Alexander von Auersperg and Ala von Auersperg Isham, who had sided with prosecutors against Claus von Bulow, filed a civil suit against their stepfather after his acquittal. The case was settled out of court in 1987, according to a 2007 article in the Providence Journal newspaper in Rhode Island. Claus von Bulow had agreed to waive his claim to his wife's money and to a divorce in exchange for the suit being dropped. The von Bulows' daughter, Cosima, sided with her father. Vanity Fair writer Dominick Dunne, who covered the von Bulow case, told the New York Daily News in 2007 that Sunny von Bulow was moved from Columbia Presbyterian hospital to a private nursing home in 1998. Ala von Auersperg Isham served for a time as president of the Sunny von Bulow Coma and Head Trauma Research Foundation, according to the Providence Journal. An offshoot of that organization, the Brain Trauma Foundation, still operates in New York, the newspaper said. advertisement The family statement notes that Martha von Bulow actively supported the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Opera and the J.P. Morgan Library in New York and the Preservation Society of Newport, Rhode Island. A private memorial service will be held for family and friends in New York in the coming days, the family statement said Saturday, along with a private burial.

Maybe I should have phrased it differently. The bars will be open. Only the banks and government offices will be closed.

Amsterdam to Close Many Brothels, Marijuana Cafes By TOBY STERLING, Associated Press Writer AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – Amsterdam unveiled plans Saturday to close brothels, sex shops and marijuana cafes in its ancient city center as part of a major effort to drive organized crime out of the tourist haven. The city is targeting businesses that "generate criminality," including gambling parlors, and the so-called "coffee shops" where marijuana is sold openly. Also targeted are peep shows, massage parlors and souvenir shops used by drug dealers for money-laundering. "I think that the new reality will be more in line with our image as a tolerant and crazy place, rather than a free zone for criminals" said Lodewijk Asscher, a city council member and one of the main proponents of the plan. The news comes just one day after Amsterdam's mayor said he would search for loopholes in new rules laid down by the national government that would close marijuana cafes near schools citywide. The measures announced Saturday would affect about 36 coffee shops in the center itself — a little less than 20 percent of the city total. Asscher underlined that the city center will remain true to its freewheeling reputation. "It'll be a place with 200 windows (for prostitutes) and 30 coffee shops, which you can't find anywhere else in the world — very exciting, but also with cultural attractions," he said. "And you won't have to be embarrassed to say you came." Under the plan announced Saturday, Amsterdam will spend euro30 million to euro40 million ($38 million to $51 million) to bring hotels, restaurants, art galleries and boutiques to the center. It will also build new underground parking areas. Amsterdam already had plans to close many brothels and some coffee shops, but plans announced Saturday go further. Asscher said the city would reshape the area, using zoning rules, buying out businesses and offering assistance to upgrade stores. The city has shut brothels and sex clubs in the past by relying on a law allowing the closure of businesses with bookkeeping irregularities. Prostitution will be allowed only in two areas in the district — notably De Wallen ("The Walls"), a web of streets and alleys around the city's medieval retaining dam walls. The area has been a center of prostitution since before the city's golden shipping age in the 1600s. Prostitution was legalized in the Netherlands in 2000, formalizing a long-standing tolerance policy. Marijuana is technically illegal in the Netherlands, but prosecutors won't press charges for possession of small amounts. Coffee shops are able to sell it openly.

It would probably come out "Taiwan." "I have always loved California. I practically grew up in Phoenix." - Dan Quayle

I doubt that. I keep saying it, but nobody listens. I know who ought to become Thailand's next Prime Minister:

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Potjaman Back Khunying Potjaman, the ex-wife of fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra, returned to Thailand Friday night and was whisked away from the airport in a van as political circles buzzed with speculation over the timing of her trip. Rumours of her return have been going around for at least two weeks. Many believe that the couple divorced for convenience, since most of Thaksin's frozen assets are in his ex-wife's name. Khunying Potjaman could start legal action to try to regain the 72 billion baht in frozen assets. Some believe she may also take a hand in the troubles of the ruling People Power party, now known as Puea Thai, and the efforts to name a new prime minister. Parliament is due to meet on Monday to nominate and elect a new prime minister. She arrived on a Thai Airways flight from Hong Kong, with her son and daughter. "She was on flight TG607. She travelled under her former last name "Damapong," an airline official said. Former members of the People Power Party, the political party affiliated with Thaksin that ruled in coalition until its forced disbandment on Tuesday, were at Suvarnabhumi airport to greet Khunying Potjaman along with her son Pantongtae and daughter Pinthongta as they left through a private exit. She will face legal action for her flight from justice last August, but authorities said she was not under an arrest warrant. Khunying Potjaman was convicted on July 31 of evading billions of baht in taxes and sentenced to three years in prison. She appealed that case, was released on bail and left the country the same day. She was declared innocent in the Ratchadaphisek land-sale case at the Supreme Court a month later. Judges found Thaksin guilty of influence peddling and he remains at large as a fugitive. The couple were divorced in Hong Kong on Nov 14.

That's just what TOQ said would happen: Gay venues closed, girlie bars business as usual.

For those of you concerned about Kevin Quill, I'm not going to go into all the details of the history of his problems, but I do know that many of you are interested in his condition and his prospects of being sent back to the UK. I have been asked not to reveal the source of this information: "The UK's Foreign Office has now advised Mr. Quill that they cannot assist him in trying to go home to the UK for medical treatment; first, because the cancer, according to Bumrungrad Hospital medical reports, has been cleared or is in remission and, second, because he has shown that he can have his condition competently treated in Bangkok at Bumrungrad Hospital and, in their opinion, better than he would be if he was being treated by the National health service in the UK. "Apparently he will have to serve at least one more year at the prison in Bangkok before he can be considered for repatriation under the prisoner exchange program to serve out his sentence in the UK. Normally, repatriation would not be considered until half of his six-year sentence is complete, which would be another 2 years before the Thai system would accept the paperwork."

I appreciate that.

The airport is open and flights are beginning to operate. However, the political problems are far from over. The rival parties are, of course, in a new dispute over who the next Prime Minister will be. Just to add fuel to the fire, Pojamon, Thaksin's technically ex-wife, is returning to Thailand. Her plane is due in at the very moment I'm writing this post. Of course, the rumors are already circulating as to why she is picking just now to return and why she is returning at all. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Suvarnabhumi Airport Resumes Full Service Suvarnabhumi International Airport officially resumed full service again at 11am on Friday after thousands of anti-government protesters ended their weeklong siege at the airport on Wednesday. Large number of passengers lined up at check-in counters since 6am, altogether in a festive atmosphere. Traditionally-clad dancers and rural kathin players beating gongs and drums greeted departing passengers with apologies from the people of Thailand, in elegant processions organised by the Ministry of Culture. The first three flights were Thai Airways International, Thai Air Asia, and Bangkok Airways, while varied international airlines were to gradually resume their flights later in the day, with it being expected that a total of more than 100 flights would operate Friday. Acting Transport Minister Santi Prompat had inspected the readiness of the airport as officials from many agencies including the Department of Civil Aviation, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the International Air Transport Association and the Airport Operation Committee who together observed the airport in operation on Friday morning to ensure passenger safety and security. Customs Department director general Uthit Thammawathin said the department - and Thailand -- had suffered the loss of revenue from taxes and duties amounting to hundreds of million baht as many cargo shipments were stranded because of the closure of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.

Personally, I wouldn't call the prices a bargain, but knowing the quality and service at Casa Pascal, I also don't see the prices as outrageous. It's definitely expensive by Pattaya standards and I can't afford the New Year's Eve dinner . . . but if I could, I'd be there.

Wednesday, December 10 is Thailand's Constitution Day holiday. It is a public holiday. The banks and government offices will be closed, but there should be no problem about the bars being open.