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There are probably some Thais who are skeptical of us farang fossils. 🙂

From Thai PBS World More than 10 fossilised footprints, believed to have belonged to a species of carnivorous dinosaur, have been found in a huge sand stone bed in Phu Faek forest park, in Na Khu district of Thailand’s north-eastern province of Kalasin. According to the Department of Mineral Resources, Damrongsak Chusrithong, the head of the forest park, and officials went to the park to investigate, after a villager fromBan Nam Kham, in Phu Laen Chang sub-district, reported the find. The footprints range in length from 21cm to 30cm and are from 17-31cm wide. The officials said that the prints belong to a small meat-eating dinosaur, which stood about two metres tall and was about five metres long. It lived about 140 million years ago and this is the first find of this species in Thailand. Millions of years ago, Phu Faek forest park was home to many species of dinosaur, as evidenced by the discovery of fossilized footprints in the park, which has become a tourist attraction.

Did the same four years ago and he uses it daily. Truly a gift that keeps on giving.

HINT: Look for the word "trip" in the threads in this forum. You may be surprised at what you find.

My experience was that virus downloaded automatically (in a matter of seconds) on my android PC but did not on iPhone or iPad. I immediately deleted file without opening and ran complete scan that indicated no infections. I agree with GB that the safest thing to do is avoid the site until problem is resolved.

If you've inadvertently went to site before becoming aware of hack, be sure to check your download folder for file describe above. It downloads immediately and quickly. Do not attempt to open it. Gaybutton, did Moses provide the name of the virus?

From Coconuts Bangkok Photo: Buakaw Banchamek A Muay Thai fighter has stood up to declare he is indeed Thai amid a widening spat between Thai and Cambodian fans over the sport’s origins. Sombat Banchamek, aka Buakaw, announced publicly this week that, even though he belongs to an indigenous ethnic group called the Kuy, he is of Thai nationality and not Cambodian as some have claimed. “Be proud of Thailand that we have Muay Thai … It is the wisdom invented by Thai ancestors,” Buakaw wrote on social media last night alongside a few very welcome shirtless photos. “Do not forget that it’s our national sport that’s accepted by people around the world. Let’s help conserve it.” Why this sudden need to stress the “Thai” in Muay Thai? Khmer and Thai sport authorities are currently battling over the sport’s identity. Cambodia has said that when it hosts the SEA Games in May, they will ditch the name “Muay Thai” for the combat sport and instead call it “Kun Khmer,” after what they say is the martial art’s true origins. It will be the first time Cambodia has hosted the biannual multi-sport event since it was founded in 1959. Infuriated Thai officials responded by saying they will boycott the so-called Kun Khmer sport. In tat for tit, Cambodia said it will retaliate by not sending any boxers to Thailand when it hosts the SEA Games in 2025. The ongoing quarrel quickly spread online, where sports fans discussed whether the 40-year-old fighter and national prize Buakaw was actually Thai or Cambodian. Continues with photos https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/im-thai-boxing-superstar-buakaw-declares-amid-latest-thai-khmer-spat/

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon Although prostitution between consenting adults has been illegal in Thailand since the 1960s, Pattayans have always known that the many laws covering sex for hire, brothels, backroom frolics, pimps and soapy massages are to be taken with a pinch of salt. Some of the arrests over the years have been quite bizarre. A raid on a Pattaya club hosting “indecent displays” resulted in the arrest of two stage-hands playing backgammon, whilst a buxom maiden detained for “provocative dancing in the nude” was released after arguing successfully that she was not naked after all. She was wearing a top hat. Currently, there is mega-agitation by Thai pressure groups such as the Empowerment Foundation to reform the law wholesale by making adult prostitution legal for the first time. Leader Thanta Laowilawanyabul has campaigned for many years to give dignity to sex workers by providing access to social services and health care, whilst protecting them from nasty brothel keepers and human traffickers. Some politicians are showing interest in a parliamentary bill after finding out that paid sex could be taxable. Cynics say the real issue, as in the legalization of casinos debate, is who gets to milk the cash cow. The Pattaya sex workers themselves are far from convinced collectively about legalization. For one thing there’s the issue of zoning. It’s being suggested by government spokesmen that lawful commercial intimacy would be restricted to certain areas such as Walking Street in Pattaya. 25-year old Samantha said, “I and many others get our johns (clients) on Beach Road and not in night clubs. Many men want to cruise in public at night. Forcing us into restricted areas isn’t going to work.” She also claimed that 10 percent of female prostitutes in Pattaya are migrant foreigners – Ugandans and Uzbeckis for example – who won’t be covered by liberalization of the law in any case. They are usually fined 100 baht (US$3) for a first offence and deported if persistently on the game, according to local media reports. A transvestite prostitute, who goes by the name Sunny Side Up, argued it’s a myth that legalization dignifies sex workers. “The whole idea is to copy Germany and Holland and to make money for the top people.” She explained she had visited Australia with her former boyfriend where she found out that in Victoria government-sponsored casinos authorized the redeeming of casino chips in local brothels. Her friend Eggs Benedict said that most girls-on-the-game she knew were free-lancers who certainly did not fancy registration and health checks with the authorities in return for paltry state benefits. While it is claimed by liberalization groups that decriminalization would not result in an expansion of the sex industry, research from other “liberated” countries suggests otherwise. A more likely consequence in Thailand would be an explosion of tabletop dancing extravaganzas, peep shows, phone sex, porno and bondage centers in the zoned areas as they will experiment just how far they can go. Payments to corrupt policemen won’t stop. The situation in gay areas of Pattaya, notably Boyztown and Jomtien Complex, also has to be taken into account. For example, go-go dancers are forbidden in Jomtien which is technically described as a “residential area”. That distinction might be hard to maintain when gay clubs are part of the hank-panky zones. While it is undeniable that human trafficking and physical and sexual abuse are part of the prostitution game worldwide, it is far from clear that decriminalization in Thailand will bring about the golden dawn promised by the legal reformers. Meanwhile, patrols by police and welfare workers found no trace of prostitution in central Pattaya on a well-publicized night march last month. A prostitute later admitted she had hidden behind a tree whilst the procession passed by as she contacted her john by mobile. “What’s the point of changing the law on night clubs when people prefer to use their telephones?” she wondered. Quite so madam.

ChatGPT takes exams from law and business schools From CNN ChatGPT is smart enough to pass prestigious graduate-level exams – though not with particularly high marks. The powerful new AI chatbot tool recently passed law exams in four courses at the University of Minnesota and another exam at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, according to professors at the schools. To test how well ChatGPT could generate answers on exams for the four courses, professors at the University of Minnesota Law School recently graded the tests blindly. After completing 95 multiple choice questions and 12 essay questions, the bot performed on average at the level of a C+ student, achieving a low but passing grade in all four courses. ChatGPT fared better during a business management course exam at Wharton, where it earned a B to B- grade. In a paper detailing the performance, Christian Terwiesch, a Wharton business professor, said ChatGPT did “an amazing job” at answering basic operations management and process-analysis questions but struggled with more advanced prompts and made “surprising mistakes” with basic math. “These mistakes can be massive in magnitude,” he wrote. The test results come as a growing number of schools and teachers express concerns about the immediate impact of ChatGPT on students and their ability to cheat on assignments. Some educators are now moving with remarkable speed to rethink their assignments in response to ChatGPT, even as it remains unclear how widespread use is of the tool among students and how harmful it could really be to learning. Continues with video https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/26/tech/chatgpt-passes-exams/index.html

But you must care a little because you continue to think about me. That's so precious that I find myself blushing at the attention. 🤗

From Thai PBS World The COVID-19 situation in Thailand is steadily improving, with the number of hospital admissions and the death toll dropping by 30%, to an average of 90 and six respectively, between January 15th and 21st, according to the Department of Disease Control. DDC Director-General Dr. Tares Krassanairawiwong said yesterday (Wednesday) that 627 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals, averaging 90 cases per day last week, 277 of whom were suffering from lung infections, including 179 cases requiring ventilators. The death toll in the past week was 44, or an average of six cases a day, representing a fall of 32.3% compared to the previous week. Accumulated hospital admissions this year are 2,593, with 167 deaths. Among foreign tourists, eight were found to be infected, but only one was admitted to hospital between January 8th and 21st. The eight cases include three Chinese and one each from Myanmar, Cambodia, Japan, the UK and South Korea. According the Medical Sciences Department, most of the infections in Thailand were found to be the Omicron BA.2.75 sub-variant. RT-PCR tests on passengers departing Thailand for countries requiring such tests before departure have shown between 300 and 400 cases, including Thais and other nationalities. There were only 10 cases involving Chinese nationals, representing just 4% of all Chinese arrivals.

You're shy. I find that so sexy in an older man, Scotty.

AI will gradually make idiots of all of us, leaving us virtually incapable of writing a coherent sentence on our own.

I'm just lucky, I guess. 😊

Of course you do, you silly boy.

Love means never having to say you're sorry. 💘

Thank you, Detective.

Tell us something we don't know, Scotty.

From Pattaya Mail Motorists who fail to stop their vehicles for pedestrians at zebra crossings face a maximum fine of 4,000 baht and have one point deducted from their driving license immediately under the new law. Deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said the new law, which was put into effect on Jan 9 increases penalties and adopts the point deduction system to ensure the safety of pedestrians at zebra crossings. Each licensed driver has 12 points. Any drivers who lose all 12 points will have their licenses suspended for 90 days. At the third complete point loss in three years, licenses may be suspended longer. At the fourth complete point loss, licenses could be revoked. Any driver who violates the suspension order will be punishable by a maximum of three months behind bars and/or a maximum of 10,000-baht fine. Deducted points will be restored in one year after the dates of violation. (TNA)

From Pattaya Mail After China approved overseas group tours to resume to several countries including Thailand from Feb 6, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has seen about 25-30 per cent of Chinese tour group bookings. TAT deputy governor of marketing for Asia and South Pacific, Thanet Phetsuwan said that Thailand is among 20 countries approved by China for outbound tour groups. The TAT joined hands with leading Chinese tour agencies to prepare for tour package sales in major cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Kunming next month. It is expected to clearly see an increase in arrivals of Chinese tour groups from March or April. Currently, there are about 25-30 per cent of tour group bookings from China as only 30 per cent of flights between China’s major cities and Thailand have resumed.

Even models have to make a living beyond posing for pics.

Scroll down in this thread for info on this shop.

Covid vaccine jabs are available free to Thais and some expats, but if you have a regular guy from one of the other ASEAN countries who's not adequately vaccinated you could take him to one of the locations offering the vaccine for a price. From The Nation The Public Health Ministry on Tuesday asked provinces nationwide to open vaccination centres so foreign tourists can get affordable Covid-19 jabs. Ministry permanent secretary Opas Karnkawinpong said the move is part of measures to contain Covid-19 as Thailand is a top destination for international travellers. Vaccines procured by the government would be available at the centres, he added. Opas also confirmed that foreign residents such as businesspeople, workers and diplomats can still receive free vaccine jabs. Foreign travellers can receive Covid jabs at Bang Rak Medical Centre and the Institute for Urban Disease Control and Prevention in Bangkok. He added that Covid vaccination is also available in tourism provinces such as Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Phuket. "Several agencies including the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and medical schools have submitted requests to set up vaccination points for foreign tourists," he said. He added that the Institute of Dermatology and Rajavithi Hospital are the main vaccination points for foreign tourists as both are located near tourist hotels and have staff who are fluent in foreign languages. "The department has laid on [hospital] public relations staff who are proficient in English and Chinese," he said. AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs are priced at 800 baht and 1,000 baht, respectively. He added that foreign tourists must pay a 380-baht medical service fee on top of the jab cost. https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024303

The mamasan(s) owe you an explanation. It sounds like you missed out on a very good experience.

I've had wonderful experiences with guys from all over SE Asia. In my experience, it depends as much on my attitude toward them. I believe it's a mistake to take the "I'm paying and you're doing" approach, especially with Vietnam guys. Actually, that's probably a bad idea with any group of men regardless of where they're from.