Bob
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Everything posted by Bob
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While I'd even join you with criticizing many of the US actions over the years, that's perhaps best left to another thread. The issue, as you somewhat note, is the effect of the Chinese policy of non-interference with the internal affairs (that's the lingo, I think) of other nations. While China no doubt adopted the notion as a defensive measure (to try to prevent the world from criticizing China itself when it stepped over the line), my bigger complaint is how the policy prevents the world from effectively changing the horrid behavior of some nations that border (and are supported and coddled by) their giant asian neighbor. Had China alone or in concert with other nations pursued a serious effort to change the ways of the North Korean regime, my guess is that the North Koreans would not now have nuclear weapons but, even more important, a lot of North Koreans who have starved to death over the last decade would still be alive today. Nobody necessarily has to live up to any fixed "western" standard such as that found in the UK, the US, or elsewhere; however, I see nothing wrong with using what pressure nations can bring to bear in an attempt to force other nations to live up to the basic human rights adopted by the United Nations. Last I knew, China was a member of that body and even agreed to adopt those standards both for itself and for application to other countries.
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First, no, it's not only the US complaining about the Chinese not allowing their currency to float in the free market. And, yes, everybody ought to play by the same currency rules - having one country artificially set their exchange rate while others let their currencies go up and down as the free market dictates will create an imbalance/unfairness somewhere. You also have it backwards with regards to what happens if the Chinese currency would appreciate if allowed to float in the free market. The cost of Chinese exported goods would increase to the importing nations, not decrease.
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Alas, poor Yorick, none whatsoever (and, according to Khun Khortose and a raft of psychiatrists, whenever the word "hope" comes up it's usually preceded by the word "beyond"). It's the...ugh....1948 year when bad things happened. But I really don't look a day over 80 or 85....
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Damn, you ruined my day.....a rat I be! But happy Chinese New Year to you too. I spent most of the morning in Chiangmai's little "Chinatown" watching the small parade, ceremonies, occasional dragon floating by, and, of course, eating. A whole lot of red silk was paraded around there (the street due west of Warrarot Market/Kad Luang) this morning.
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I think I was....but I forgot what I was thinking that you were thinking. It's an age thing.
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Well, I am vastly younger than Fountainhill, Michael, Z, etc. And decades younger than poster Khortose (when he was young, he didn't study history at school because they didn't have any history then*). (* stolen from some comedian, probably Rodney Dangerfield)
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I like that one. And, of course, it reminds me to ask the question as to why they have glass-bottomed boats in Italy? So one can go out and see the Italian navy......
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Lol (as to the "great personality" part - there are people that know me better than that). Seriously, the whole key is your attitude....just go, expect to have some fun, and you will (guaranteed!). You've already listed several ideas that are good - spend a half a day at the Grand Palace (just take a taxi out there, be polite and but refuse to engage one of the "guides" who'll try to latch onto you around the gate - just go in and wander around yourself with your camera), spend a half a day (sweltering) out at Chatachuchak market, etc. And don't worry as to "how to act"...just go with a good attitude, be yourself, and smile on occasion. If it'll help, I'm fairly certain after you've been there that you'll tell yourself: "Hey, that was easy!" Before I got to the Land of Smiles the first time, I heard about a tour package offered at the Oriental. So, I headed over there at 7AM the first morning, talked to the tour desk person there, and signed up. I don't remember what it cost (probably about $50.00 or so) but it was a ride up to Ayutthaya on a small but nice bus, a tour around the ruins up there, an elephant ride (which I declined as it was too damn hot), and then a 4 hour ride in a large boat down the river back to Bangkok (the boat's lower level was a dinning room with great foods whereas the top had chairs to observe the world and, of course, a small bar to wet your whistle). It was a lot of fun, met some nice people (falang mostly), took a lot of photos, relaxed a lot, and got a good/interesting first day impression of Thailand. I'd recommend it if you can afford it. Then, when I got back, I had dinner and then hopped into a taxi to go watch the muay thai fights at Lumpini boxing arena. Then, after another shower (third of the day), I hit the first gogo bar. Exhausting but fun! And I was up at 7AM the next day to have breakfast, head off to the Grand Palace, etc., etc., Hell, that was a long time ago and I was younger then - I'm getting tired just thinking about what I used to do on vacation over here.....
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While I join in welcoming you to the board, you're asking the impossible when you don't give us any indication of your interests or desires. First, how long are you going to be in Thailand? Do you have any interests in visiting boybars? Are you interested in cultural things (such as visiting the Grand Palace or other unique things in Thailand)? Do you want to see other parts of Thailand (rural areas, shopping centers, nice beaches)? Etc. Give us a clue as to what you're looking for or interested in and maybe some of us can make a few suggestions. As an added note, the first time I came to Thailand in the late 90's, although I did have a few ideas of what I could do and where I could go, all I had was a round-trip ticket and no other fixed plans or reservations. I had a great time.
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Apologies to Khun Buckbee for at least my part in totally side-tracking his original post. And it's unfortunate that the side-tracking now includes some less than humorously-intended personal attacks. Neither the time nor place for it.
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Well, heck, congratulations! There's always a first time......
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Any photograph can be copyrighted (well, at least in the US and some other countries) if one has the intent to do that. And, if you want to add tighter legal protections to a photograph, you can even register it with the copyright office (although it's not necessary). As to whether somebody in Hong Kong or Timbuktu can do that, heck if I know. Then there's the fair use doctrine which is about as fuzzy as you can get [you generally only know for sure if it's "fair use" (for criticism, comment, etc.) if and when a judge says so]. Then, of course, there's the issue of actual damages (for Ansel Adams, it'd be a bunch but, for me, it'd probably be a single satang if the judge was in an especially generous mood that day). As for what GB told us/you/bedpost, I'm still trying to figure that one out. I'm allowed to be dense (denser) on Wednesdays.
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This whole discussion is getting ridiculous and muddled and also probably belongs in a separate thread in any event. Since people are mixing copyright law (US-style) with privacy concerns, maybe we ought to separate the issues. As concerns copyright laws, I have taken tens of thousands of photos in private and public settings and not a single one of those photos has any cloak of protection under the copyright laws of the US or any nation. So much for the "original works" theory. As concerns privacy concerns, one might want to break that down to legal rights to privacy, simple ethical concerns, and a given message board's rules. With respect to legal rights to privacy, not a single subject in any photo I've ever taken has any legal right to privacy with respect to same - whether I took the photo at a public parade or in a private bedroom with the subject's consent (to allay the tittering, I have none of the latter). Now, in my personal view, ethical concerns and my own personal compass prevent me from posting any photo of friends or the like but I see no such ethical concerns if I should ever choose to post a photo taken at a beach, a public parade (such as the beautiful photos previously posted by poster FH), or even in a gogo bar. Finally, as concerns possible violations of a given message board's rules, that's between the owner and the poster (and other "aggrieved" parties who can't stop themselves ought, in my view, simply PM the owner versus engaging in their own little private battle on the board itself); and, I might add, one can probably engender a more serious reading of the concerns by leaving out the jabs and insults. While we're at it - no, I can't maintain a level of seriousness for more than 30 seconds or so - if somebody wants to quote and reprint my "original work" here, go ahead and make my day (I'll hire Bkkguy and sue the pants off of you!). (And, if you're relatively young, good-looking, and asian, I mean that only litterally....).
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A brief quote from Cervantes: Just then they came in sight of thirty or forty windmills that rise from that plain. And no sooner did Don Quixote see them that he said to his squire, "Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished. Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them. With their spoils we shall begin to be rich for this is a righteous war and the removal of so foul a brood from off the face of the earth is a service God will bless." Persistence, when tilting at windmills, may not be a virtue.
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I, too, considered that irritating but, since the new software changes took place in the last week or so, the second "click-in" for me is no longer there. And I use my dinosaur IE.
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Heck, I don't have you on ignore. Why would I do that? I'd miss the fun/idiocy/insults. You seem to dispense advice that others don't believe in and then you liberally sprinkle insults within your comments. Look, you didn't post the photos and, last I looked, you didn't own this board - so why the hell would you care if somebody else violates copyright rules here? Or, as somebody else appropriately asked, are you with the internet cops?
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We were talking about this at lunch a bit. When you have a billion (?) dollar ship, it's almost unfathomable to think that it doesn't have enough electronic gear (depth sounders, sonars, radars, etc.) to give anybody driving that huge ship a whole lot of clue that they're about to get into trouble. My guess is either faulty equipment (which I tend to doubt) or a really inadequate skipper and crew.
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I share part of the same conundrum, believing (logically, I guess) that one does not and cannot create something out of nothing. So I don't buy into that there was "nothing" prior to the big bang. As to your question about about what the big bang products have been expanding into, I don't have much of a problem with the notion that nothing is nothing and, by definition, it's an infinite nothing. Sometimes by our own experiences (i.e., an empty room), we tend to describe finite nothings and, I suppose, that the so-called voidness has to have dimensions. By definition, I don't think it can (or it wouldn't be nothing or void from my way of thinking). Then again, I still have no clue what as to what all those damn buttons are on my TV remote control.....
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The week before and a few days after, most likely. But I remember flying over here to Thailand on Chinese New Year day itself a few years back and the airports were eerily empty (I remember actually asking some janitor in LAX airport if the airport was open!). And Taipei's airport was largely deserted too.
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Blair's probably made millions annually in speaking fees and, of course, various companies have paid handsomely for what they think is the prestige of having him on their boards or whatever. While his getting rich rather quickly is, I suppose, a bit puzzling, I can't understand at all the criticism of it (he's supposed to be dumb enough to turn down getting a couple of hundred thousand for a speech in New York or Singapore?). He, like anybody else, is entitled to make whatever business deals he wants and I personally don't see how his previously being a politician adds up to any loss of privacy about such matters that all the rest of us enjoy.
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Haven't seen any of these movies as yet but plan to see (meaning getting the dvd at the mall) at least Tinker and Iron Lady. I've read a few critiques of Iron Lady but, rather than talking about the acting, the pieces have dwelt on the political effect of the movie (conservatives supposedly moved to tears in fond rememberance and liberals remembering why they disliked her with a passion). Perhaps contrary to the UK citizens, I think most of us yanks admired the old broad and her lack of timidity in doing what needed to be done. In a sense, she reminded me of Golda Meir (excepting that Golda at least came across as "grandmotherly" on some occasions).
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Well...the insurance idea cropped up when I realized that I lived far too close to a certain falang I know! (folks, we live about 100 yards apart). Thanks to those who provided...I'll check it out and try to figure out if personal property insurance is available and, if so, what's the cost. If/when I find out the info, I'll try to remember to re-open this thread and post it.
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The question I have is whether there are any expats out there who actually have theft/fire insurance for their belongings here in Thailand. I'm renting (long-term) so I don't own the townhouse I live in here in Chiangmai but I did pay out a fair amount to furnish it a year ago; however, I don't have any insurance on the stuff and, so far, I've asked 4 other falangs who live here in Chiangmai and none of them have it either. I'm not even sure if it's available and, of course, have no clue what the price might be. If anyone actually has it, could you generally advise as to whether the insurance you have covers fire and theft and the general cost for it? Thanks.
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I doubt it too as he's been too busy shooting at windmills lately. If one cannot distinguish between photos in public settings versus private settings, there's no sense even discussing the issue. For example, Bkkguy, you might agree that the lovely gay pride photos poster FH kindly provided involved guys parading in public and it's slightly likely that they noticed the thousands of cameras aimed at them. So too with the boys parading up and down Dongtan Beach. They're not wearing those outfits (thank god) not to get noticed!
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Little-known things that will happen in 2012: Poster FH will meet the love of his life, a violin maker, on a pier in Hong Kong; fortunately or unfortunately, he'll fiddle the opportunity away. Poster TW, while performing a "magic trick" for his boyfriend, will use a little black magic and cause the boyfriend's mojo to shrink; unfortunately, TW forgets the words to reverse the dark magic and so ends up on the short end of the stick (or maybe schtick?) the rest of the year. Poster KT travels to Gnome, Alaska, to see a dramatic play performed by Sarah Palin. Unfortunately, having confused some funny-sounding English script with a Tarzan movie ("Tarzan VIII - Jane Gets The Point"), she says nothing at all but only stands on the stage while she shakes-a-spear. Kevin Spacey is not impressed although he does note that a much worse tragedy could have occurred, i.e., Sarah Palin actually saying something. Film at eleven....
