Rogie

Just how sneaky can you get? If you click on the link below there's a short video that shows this wretched snooping drone speculatively hoping to take some candid photos of the 'celebrity'. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/willardfoxton2/100007870/how-those-kate-middleton-topless-photos-make-a-fortune-for-online-porn-sites/

Your British friend would get funny looks from me too Bob. I'm with you and your other, non-British friends. Note the difference in spelling pronounce pronunciation no 'o' after the n in the latter mind you, spelling is not always a good guide to proNUNciation at all! But in this case it is.

In theGet 1 Year of SirusXM Radio for Free thread I used the expression (to) chat up. "Between listening to the radio, watching TV/video and posting on message boards, chatting to your visitors and chatting up the male orderlies, time will fly, and before you know it you'll be plus one nice new hip." I thought nothing of it, but apparently the expression was not heard on America much before the '90s. (see graph below). Quite coincidental to my using it, the BBC News Magazine has an interesting web article that discusses Britishisms and the Britishisation of American English. The use of chat up to refer to flirtatious conversation really began to take off in the 1990s, says Kory Stamper. Often you can't pinpoint why a word or phrase gets picked up, she says. Chat up is a good example of a Britishism that has "snuck in on cat's feet". There are many other examples given, such as ginger, sell-by date, (to) go missing, spot on, chattering classes, cheeky, the long game, twee, gastropub, metrosexual, snog, trendy, one-off, gormless . . . http://www.bbc.co.uk...gazine-19670686

I like her! She's spunky and knows her own mind, articulate and hi-powered, maybe from a would-be suitors point of view, it's for the better she's a lesbian. She looks like she enjoys her job as executive director and doesn't seem the type of woman who'd happily play second fiddle to a man. Most men (at least those who're her social equal) don't like that. Her father must be a terrific advertisement for condoms. Otherwise, he fired blanks 9,999 times . . .

That's a shame TJ about your hip. Between listening to the radio, watching TV/video and posting on message boards, chatting to your visitors and chatting up the male orderlies, time will fly, and before you know it you'll be plus one nice new hip.

I'm stunned! I had no idea it was so complicated. But I suppose quantum mechanics looks a bit scary at first sight but is rather neat and orderly once you've grasped it. But then airline codes aren't quite the same thing, so why can't they just KISS ?? Maybe other people have a similar problem to me. My trips usually last several weeks, and often involve visiting Australia as well as Thailand. I'm stuck with economy but I really appreciate flexibility that allows me to change dates, but it's always a lottery as to how strict the rules for date changes are. Now, almost the first thing I ask after agreeing the fare is "and what are the rules for date changes?"

IMO good thing you're not TJ. Working with people from five countries,Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Burma. Not only that but the Mekong is a hot potato. Maybe I have misunderstood and the use of the word Mekong is just a geographical term but if it includes the river then whoever gets this job has an immediate headache. . . the proposed, is it on?? or is it off?? Xayaburi Dam project! How to reconcile the conflicting wants of Laos, hungry for the prospect of hydroelectric power against objections from Cambodia and Vietnam that the dam will seriously affect agriculture downstream in the Mekong Delta. Thailand's 'interests' are with Laos as they'd be the principal buyers of energy, and it seems a Thai company is the main contracter building the dam.

On the subject of airlines - routes, types of seats, and prices, this board has some very clued-up members. However, not all of us are that experienced (I include myself) so if you come across that kind of headline and then go on to see it refers to a particular airline you might be inclined to steer clear of them in future. So it's important not to be misled!

I rarely go to the theatre. What does through-composed mean? I would be sorely tempted to see this show if I was in Bkk but the run finishes before my next trip. Do you think there is any chance the run will be extended?

Good analysis. Surely Thailand cannot afford this! 2014 is not far off, considering the money involved. Taking Z's comment a little further (apologies if I have overstepped his implications), Ecclestone must be rubbing his dirty paws in glee. Formula One racing is a dorty dorty business - Britain's Labour government landed themselves in deep sh** by trying to bend the rules and currying favour with Ecclestone. Desperate governments do desperate things. http://www.pitpass.c...e-truth-emerges If I was a Thai government minister with any clout I'd run a mile from this. The BP article is headed Thai GP gets nod from boss so, that's all right then, da boss says and all the heads nod like nodding dogs do. Can't beat a nodding dog when it comes to the crunch. Crunching the numbers, that is. I don't follow Formula One, but surely unless the number of European/North and South American venues diminishes in order to facilitate the Asian wannabes, there has to be some sort of sensible decision-making that says enough's enough, you can't organise a Formula One race without some sort of pedigree. For example, America, Europe and Japan have a history of producing and racing cars capable of competing in races such as Formula One. Where is Thailand's (and many other countries to be fair) pedigree? Desperate governments do desperate things (like forget money doesn't grow on trees).

It's been very wet in Britain too, with the worst September storm in 30 years. Meteorologists are saying although total rainfall throughout the year is not much different from usual, when it does rain it tends to be in more intense bursts, often causing localised flooding. Earlier in the year we were being told reservoirs were low and water rationing was imminent, in fact in some parts of the country there was rationing, eg. hosepipe's were banned. That seems a distant memory now. Perhaps weather patterns have changed and we can expect more unpredicable weather in the future. I wonder if Thailand may be experiencing something similar?

Shame on me, my knowledge of Shackleton's expedition and its aftermath is almost zero. In this day and age when the news is filled with stories of greed and corruption and petty squabbles, it's good to reflect on mankind's innate qualities. Similar qualities were on display during the Olympics and Paralympics, and in accounts of people coping with natural disasters.

On the evidence of that photo, I think it's only fair to say we live in a post-Rockwell age He looks to me like a bad case of constipation, obviously eating all the wrong foods. What that guy needs is a good spanking

That's a very inviting hole, is it a mini black hole, in which case it must be an inlet. Presumably there are controls to vary the speed and direction of suction. It also looks like it moves up and down, maybe in a gyrating motion. Scratching my head here, I really have no idea what it can be!

Clarke's second law: The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. The importance of blood type in Japanese culture There's also recommended diets and type of exercise depending on which blood group you are. http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/the-importance-of-blood-type-in-japanese-culture I agree that in the realms of pure science the distinction between what is possible and what is not is usually clear, and when it is not one can formulate a theory to test the boundaries. This can then be tested, and in some cases, such as the Higg's boson ('God particle') there can be quite some delay between formulation and confirmation. Equally a theory can be wrong and often is. Personally I wouldn't include astrology as a 'science', if you want to use the word science then by all means go ahead but it is really a pseudoscience. But in the arena of human belief systems or convictions or superstitions, what's impossible to some is possible to others. I don't believe in the idea that one's blood group can determine any of the characteristics attributed to it by some Japanese, but if some of them believe it maybe to them is is possible, rather than impossible.

I haven't had to meet anybody at Suvarnabhumi but I can imagine it's not straightforward. The old airport at Don Muang had two exits so if you were supposed to be meeting someone it was 50:50 you'd guess wrong!

Oh dear, i think khun TW would've ticked the warning box if only he could've. Then I'd be on my first warning, maybe on my way out, kicked out because I had the temerity to attack this guy Tyson who I'd never heard of until I did a search engine just now and see he's a bit like our own Britisher Brian Cox, popping up here and there with his boyish smile and floppy hair explaining the complexities of science to us plebs (Cox). Tyson has plenty to say about religion - he's been described as an armchair atheologian, sounds like he should be wearing a comfy pair of slippers, smoking jacket a la Noel Coward and sporting a dapper waxed moustache. Maybe the sort you might see bouncing his bonny grandson on his knee in the manner of a Norman Rockwell scene. WARNING! Suffering catfish - He says religions destroy civilisations. . .

According to the BP article, the individual record is 27,000 visa checks in a month, which works out at about 170 checks an hour based on an 8 hour day and a 20 day month. Whoever that immigration officer was won himself an overseas package tour! But 5,000 - 6,000 visa checks a month is average so about 30 an hour.

astrology was discredited 600 years ago with the birth of modern science. I am suspicious whenever anyone uses the (undoubted) great strides mankind has made since the dark ages as ammunition for debunking all previous modes of thought, beliefs, rituals, etc. "To teach it as though you are contributing to the fundamental knowledge of an informed electorate is astonishing in this, the 21st century," he said. Agreed - any good teacher has to be able to back up his subject matter if pressed. If he cannot do so he will be seriously compromised. I go back to the idea of coming up with a theory to explain how astrology works. We have already discounted the fraudsters so that leaves astrologists who have established a good reputation. So I could form a theory that says "any experienced astrologer should be able to produce an accurate reading whether he consults his astrological charts or not". That could be tested, and if the outcome was as predicted, hey presto, the suggestion made by khun Koko would seem to be correct. You could do adopt the same tactic with palmistry, tea leaf-readers and so on. If, on the other hand, it seems the astrologer really does need his charts in order to come up with an accurate reading, I could form a second theory: "if the person who's horoscope is being read and the astrologer are in separate rooms so that they cannot be seen to 'communicate', the accuracy of the reading will suffer". And so on . . . Education should be about knowing how to think, Tyson said. "And part of knowing how to think is knowing how the laws of nature shape the world around us. Without that knowledge, without that capacity to think, you can easily become a victim of people who seek to take advantage of you." This part of Tyson's comment is far too generalised. To be sure, being taught how to use the thinking 'function' of your brain is a vital skill. But equally, keep an open mind. If you come across something new, think about it carefully, if it is something outside your field of experience think about it very carefully, and if you are still unsure or maybe confused you have options: conveniently file it away as something you don't need or want to bother with, or treat it as a fresh challenge and get stuck in. A good example might be suppose you need your house re-wiring, and assuming you have no electrical training, you could read up about it and maybe ask an electrician friend, or you could look in the yellow pages, phone an electrician, and let him deal with it. To all intents and purposes, that electrician could be a Martian for all you care, he's just doing his job, but to you he's doing a thankless task that's well worth the money. He's not a miracle worker because you know the basic principals of how electricity works, but just imagine a qualified electrician aid worker in a third world country connecting up a rural village to the national grid for the first time, any villager watching him might well think of it as a 'miracle'.

I don't live in Pattaya and nowadays visit rarely, maybe once a year for just a few days, thus I cannot objectively comment on recent influxes. Foreigners contemplating retiring to Thailand usually narrow the choice down to: Bangkok Pattaya Chiang Mai 'somewhere in Isarn' eg. Udon, Ubon, Korat, etc. I can well imagine a time (well before I ever set foot on Pattayan soil) when Pattaya was the choice for most retirees. I believe the sea was sparking in those days, the visible gay scene nascent but welcoming and clearly a major draw. Judging by comments made over the past few years, the cost of living was lower too, helped by favourable exchange rates. One sometimes hears about ranking places according to their quality of life, which would also include things like medical care in the event of illness or accidents. Then there are the locals to consider. Stories abound of tourists being ripped off - jet ski frauds are still happening. The police are complicit in many of these and other shady dealings. Corruption is rife (to be fair it's a national problem). As per the thread about box jelly fish: Thai authorities are not the most transparent and honest in the way the public is kept informed. Maybe the quality of life is just as good as ever, or maybe it's declined. Every ex-pat will have a different opinion no doubt. Personally I would be surprised if the influxes referred to in the OP made much difference provided there is minimal encroachment, so I wouldn't expect to hear of many well-established Pattaya ex-pats upping sticks in favour of . . . where exactly?

Interesting quotes. Shows there is a mystic side to even the most celebrated scientists. They tie in with some thoughts I had yesterday regarding the origins of astrology, the constellations, star signs and so on. Mankind has always been looking to explain things and throughout millenia the more curious of our species have tussled with trying to make sense of the world as they perceive it. Inevitably many people became superstitious and believed in all sorts of things - to take a probably still current one as a silly example, the idea if you are with a group of smoking friends and one of them offers you the 'third light' you make an excuse not to accept it - but I don't think astrology falls into that camp. Nowadays it is like many of us in the developed world are on a giant roller-coaster which goes around in perpetuity, but rather like the earth spinnning on its axis, people don't realise their situation. To them it's just life as they know it. I think this is a quite recent development - until recently mankind observed the seasons, he got up at daybreak and went to bed at nightfall, and as there were few distractions such as computers, television or radio he had plenty of time at the end of a hard day's work to contemplate his life. He tried to make sense of existence, the 'why are we here' and 'what are we here for'? moments. Not surprisingly, the sky at night was a wonderful sight to behold. Small wonder their high significance as people saw shapes amongst the stars and the way the constellations moved around the heavens they sought a deeper meaning. The opposite in fact of the classic science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov Nightfall where a society has never seen the stars owing to light pollution and when their advanced civilisation crumbles and the stars become visible they panic!

Those sneakers are nice. I like anything different and there's no doubt they're different all right. A bit like same same but different, these are different different and definitely not same. (sorry, sounds a bit like Peter Piper etc. try saying it fast). A quote from the Inside TV link above: Weintraub said in a statement. Gosh, are all execs so gushing! By his mere utterances you can tell he's fallen under the Liberace spell already. And what's all this about Thorson's pivotal parts? Hands off the young man I say!

Yes, it does seem incredible, and there are many other strange phenomena that baffle the unbeliever. The believer is not baffled, just content to accept it as a 'truth'. The field of medicine is another area rich in these kinds of things, usually referred to as 'alternative medicine'. Things such as acupuncture, homeopathy, psychic healing, reflexology, etc some more 'outlandish' than others, with some such as acupuncture accepted as a valid methodology by the mainstream. Perhaps scientific is not the best word to use when investigating things like this. Yes, it has to be systematic and of course statistics must be used to decide if the observed result is significant, i.e. deviates from randomness beyond what might have been expected by sheer chance. A good example of such studies is extra-sensory perception (ESP). Hundreds of experiments have been done but as yet there is no firm conclusion. Here is the protocol: A sceptic, Ray Hyman, went on record: The importance of using a random 'normal' population in such studies is discussed here: I like this insistence by Hyman "Acceptable evidence for the presence of anomalous cognition must be based on a positive theory that tells us when psi should and should not be present. Until we have such a theory, the claim that anomalous cognition has been demonstrated is empty." Sounds like good rigorous science, but easier said than done! Has anyone come up with any theories yet? So, when might a convincingly accurate astrology reading be provided and when not? I could have a theory that it happens when the astrologer is genuine and doesn't happen when he/she is a fraudster, but that's just plain obvious. Why does it 'seem' to happen when the astrologer is genuine? Well we need some studies to test that and as can be seen from the parapsychology field they are far from easy to perform to everybody's satisfaction. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganzfeld_experiment

Like me: I'm dull as can be. Like Liberace's alter ego - he can't have been incandescent 24/7 - I expect he was quite a dull boy when stripped of his finery away from the limelight. Perhaps he wore Y-fronts whilst practicing. You can always try your luck in Fountainhall's Christmas quiz.

Perhaps you will recall the incident in October last year in which the bodies of 13 Chinese men were found in mysterious circumstances. I remember when first hearing of this incident I thought to myself "that's a really bad move - whoever did this - killing Chinese citizens, they won't get away with this as the Chinese authorities won't take this lying down", and so it proves, apparently . . . Now the trial has started in China. I am sure most of us are highly sceptical anything will change as a result of this trial. Putting one drugs warlord behind bars is all window-dressing, he''s probably already been replaced by one or more new 'drugs barons' only too happy to fill the vacuum left behind. What is unusual about this trial in China is the fact it's happening at all! http://www.bbc.co.uk...d-asia-19671446