Bob

A perfect example of Thai justice (lack thereof) is the non-action against the wackos that took over both government house and the international airport. For over two years, the cops kept saying they needed more time to investigate. Shit, they could have just watched the news when it happened or actually gone out there for a look-see themselves. Alternatively, they could have asked a blind Barney Fife to investigate. Of course, politics had nothing to do with it......

I'm not sure that's really fair. Michael and GB have had a lot of history here (and elsewhere)and I think most people feel that they've contributed more than their fair share. And I hope/expect that they'll stick around as they both have a lot of offer (there are very few posters who have the Thai experience - both in depth and in time - than GB and GT sure isn't a newbe either). The more the merrier.

I'm not sure anybody (here at least) disagrees with that concept. The only issue there is where is the line between civil and criminal responsibility and my view is that it is the state/federal regulators' job to determine that. If, for example, a bank is going to earn FDIC protection in the states, then it certainly needs to comply with certain capital and lending requirements (or no intelligent depositor ought to even consider depositing money there). I personally would attach criminal responsibility only where the banker knew or should have known what he did (or, more likely, what he said in written reports or assurances to the FDIC, Treasury, or others) was false or misleading. Many years ago, the FDIC had to take over a relatively small (65 million US) bank in my town and it was found out that the bank had provided interest-free and non-collaterized loans to several of the members of its board of directors (so-called insider loans)and to relatives and personal friends of the officers and directors, most of which were never repaid. In my view, the bank officers that gave the loans and the directors who got them should all have gone to jail. None of them did.

No sense, at least to me, to get back into a discussion about what's true and not true about this case, especially when none of us is (or will ever likely be) privy to what really happened here. Either the cops and the alleged victim lied or Pietnev lied and/or money was or wasn't paid. All of those options are on the table at least in my mind.

I can understand the sentiments but it only reminds me of the occasions when we gays are unwelcomed by facial contortions and comments in straight establishments. We seemed to be offended by that for some reason, didn't we? For me, I prefer just to be around people of whatever stripe who don't give a hoot about what stripes the other people are wearing. I do remember a couple of occasions in Pattaya a decade or more ago when I was siting in one of the Boyztown bars while middle-aged ladies were oogling (and vying for) the same guys that I was. It sure seemed strange at first (hell, what was my mother or sister doing in a place like this!) but ultimately I thought it was just funny as hell. And, begrudgingly, I kinda admired the old broads for having good taste....hehe.

I'm not sure if you made a mistake here (how the heck can anybody vote when all 5 designs are essentially identical?) or if this post is just spam (albeit, gay spam, but still spam).

No, you're wrong (not that it's all that relevant). Greenspan (who's rather widely respected with the obvious exception of yourself and some others) originally advocated that the banks could and would regulate themselves. Since the almost crash of the system, he along with many others have acknowledged that they were not only surprised at the rapidity with which it happened but, also, that they were clearly wrong that the banks and investment houses could and would regulate themselves. Hence (as supported by him, most leading economists, and the banking experts in both the House and Senate), we have new regulations for the banks. Greenspan's change of tune and admission that he (and others) were wrong advocating less regulation in the first place was, at least to me, a refreshing acknowledgment that events required an altered view of what banks and investment firms ought to be allowed to do (and not do). Your view seems to be that what works best is little or no regulation and it would appear that you, like Greenspan in earlier years, simply trust the bankers and investment houses to do the right thing, have adequate capital, be allowed to use depositors money to invest in whatever fly-by-night investment (or derivative) their hearts desire, etc. Recent events in the US (and other countries) obviously demonstrates that that theory doesn't work too well.

Based on my experience, I'm doubtful that there's any noise ordinances at all in Thailand (or at least none that are enforced).

Antoine is damn funny as is McGillis ("the rent's too damn high") and there's no doubt that the Greyson kid is a prodigy who'll bankroll millions. But....the goofy singing guy from the slavic country somewhat reminds me of Howdy Doody on crystal meth....

I, too, side with Peter on this one. Sure, there were a fair number of bankers who were not guilty of any criminal offense although, civilly, gross negligence might hit the mark (along with their so-called expert advisers on the directors' boards). On the other hand, you had (besides the raft of Bernie Madoff types) the lead investment banks making big money shorting investments they were selling (and making money off those sales) to trusted clients. That's stealing in my book. I don't see much difference between a guy sticking a gun in your face and taking your money versus the guy in the white suit lying through his nose to steal your money. On the other hand, the robber with the gun was at least honest up front about what he was doing. What happened in the US banking system in the last many years is absolute proof in my eyes that regulation is needed. Even Greenspan has acknowledged that he was wrong in thinking that the bankers and the banking system could properly operate in a low regulatory environment.

Blindness to what's going on and poor moderation really isn't adequate justification for spewing out that claptrap. Saying "If you challenge someone to a fight, be prepared when he attacks" in one sentence and then immediately following it with "Personal attacks are not allowed on the board" in the very next sentence is extremely lovely logic. What might be even funnier is how you'd classify the posts by Mr. HeyGay above. Using your logic, I suppose one would conclude that they're simply cooking recipes.

After reading what you wrote, I honest-to-god had to scroll up to see if he was even wearing any! Yep, he is, nice red ones too ( I must have previously been focusing on either the lavender drapes in the background or the nice windows....).

Yea, I never understood why prileges like that were ever allowed. It is supposed to be prison. Even if there is little deterrent to being deprived, at least there would be the punishment aspect.

Thanks, GT. Once I hit the big/ugly/ohmygod age of 65, I'll have to buy coverage here (if it's available) and am slowly trying to educate myself on what's available, trustworthy companies, etc. As you know, Medicare won't pay diddley for out-of-country service. [Don't worry, TJ, I'll likely talk with you too when the need arises.]

Glad to hear you're back on the mend. I've been concerned about dengue fever here but luckily haven't had it as yet. Those pesky mosquitos here in Thailand are irritating and, other than carrying around nasty things like malaria and dengue fever, I'm surprised at the ferocity (effect-wise) of their bites. In the states, when I get bit by one of those bastards, it itches for a day or so but that's about it. Here (I've only gotten bitten 3-4 times in the last 2 months), the damn bites itch a lot more and the irritation seems to last a couple of weeks.

GT, you started this thread with at least the implication that your friend was left flat-footed by BUPA....and it would be helpful if you'd provide some details as requested. I'm not that concerned about your friend (although I wish him well) but I know that I'll need some form of coverage here in a couple of years and you've raised, perhaps unnecessarily, the suggestion that BUPA won't live up to its insurance contracts. So, just for my own knowledge (and others too), it'd be helpful if you added a little information so we could determine for ourselves whether your pal simply had lousy coverage or if BUPA truly shafted him.

Has that happened to people before? Sure. But it's not the norm by any means. Until one knows the details (see 2lz's comments above), nobody can make a judgment about this case. GT - can you ask the guy what type of coverage he had? You're the one somewhat implying he was shafted in some manner but I'm not sure how one can guess that without knowing the details. I've seen all kinds of BUPA policies....some that will only pay so much a day and some that will only pay some set total for a single illness. So it's somewhat difficult to guess if the guy got screwed or if he simply bought crappy coverage.

Baloney. Sure, as GT pointed out (which he hardly needed to do), there is an underage issue at a few venues in Sunnee; however, there also is an underage issue in Boyztown proper although apparently to a much smaller extent. But the majority of venues in both locations don't have the issue and there's no need to or basis to paint the whole area with the same brush.

More than likely the Chinese surreptitiously have a full set of all Boeing and Airbus plans for all their planes. The issue, of course, is whether they adhere to the necessary material and manufacturing standards and, on that note, I'd be a bit nervous about it too.

While it's nice to know that it's fairly certain that the manufacturer will acknowledge exactly what happened, any engine ultimately would freeze or blow up if there is inadequate oil pressure to a moving part. For example, lack of adequate oil to a car engine cylinder can result in the piston actually puncturing the engine block. Something blew apart on that Trent 900 engine and a piece of something of that engine put a fairly nasty gash in and around the leading edge of the airplane wing. They're lucky that there was no puncture of the fuel tank in that wing or we likely would have witnessed another disaster like what happened with the one Concorde. Given they've found other Trent 900 engines with unusual oil stains (meaning: oil leaks), it was wise of them to ground all of those engines until the problem can be fixed.

In case people don't know and may be interested, you can get a somewhat fair interest rate on bank accounts here in Thailand (more than double what you can get in the states). I use the 800k baht requirement for the 1-year visa so I always have at least that amount set aside permanently. Recently, the lady at SCB told me that had a special account that I could get 3-4% interest and that account would qualify for the one-year visa (I note this as not all cd's and other savings accounts qualify for the one-year visa - meaning, more precisely, that the bank won't give you the standard letter for certain accounts). In any event, for those able and interested, keeping funds in Thailand of course protects you against any exchange rate changes and currently provides you with a heck of a lot more interest than you're going to get in the west (at least in the US). P.S. I keep a separate SCB account for living expenses and that account pays a lousy 1/2 of 1% interest (about what one of my US accounts gets).

Understand the frustration but your overblowing it just a bit. I've seen a lot of people get caught with liquids over the limit as well as an unbelievable host of stupid items. Have you ever seen the refuse barrels they sometimes have with hundreds of liquid bottles, knives, numchucks, and god knows what? It's easy to claim they're all idiots and doing nothing useful. I don't happen to believe that's accurate or fair at all. The vast majority have been courteous as hell to me and no hassle (other than the sometimes wait in long lines...like at LAX) whatsoever.

I typically buy them at the local mall (Kad Suan Kaew) and have had no problem getting the ones you mention above or any of the latest. Quality's been no problem here. I've been to the various night market places where they "quietly" go out to a car or somewhere to get a copy of whatever but, since they sell the same ones for the same price in the mall, that's where I buy them. Always 100 baht each or 6 for 500 baht although rarely you can bargain them down a little.

It's been 2 days or so since the world premiere of this movie in London and I'm only wondering when I'll be able to buy the 100 baht dvd here in Chiangmai. I'm betting it'll be available and openly sold within the next 7 days or so.

Until they figure out what's the problem with those Trent engines (which are on some but not all of the 380's), there's not a chance I'd fly any 380 with one of those engines. The one incident could have brought down that airplane (the engine or cowling explosion did damage the wing above it).