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Home Spa has upped its game with addition of this new "T & B" masseur.

And Japan authorizes were quick to acknowledge that their own communications protocols may have been a contributing factor.

You mean Swiss guards (ones with big poles) are offable?

From the Associated Press Japan issues improved emergency measures following fatal collision Japan's transportation ministry said Tuesday it has introduced improved emergency measures for the country's airports, a week after a fatal collision between a Japan Airlines jetliner and a coast guard plane at Tokyo's busy Haneda airport that is seen as a result of human error. The measures — including more visible stop line markings on taxiways leading to runways and use of clearer language in traffic control communication — are to be implemented right away at Haneda while they are slated to go into effect at other airports across the country in the coming weeks. The probe into the collision has focused on what caused the coast guard flight crew to believe they had a go-ahead for their take off. A partial release of the air traffic control transcript showed no clear takeoff approval was given to the coast guard plane. According to the text, the Tokyo air control gave the JAL plane permission to land on the 34R runway, noting that there is a departing plane, with the JAL pilot repeating the instruction. In the transcript, the traffic control tells the coast guard plane that it was given a “No. 1” priority for takeoff, an expression some experts say might have led the Bombardier crew to mistakenly believe they got a permission to proceed to the runway. According to a report Tuesday in the Asahi newspaper, the coast guard plane may have started communication with the traffic control only after the JAL plane got its landing permission and may not have been aware of the airliner’s arrival. The ministry's new emergency measures call for making sure pilots understand the terminology specifically related to runway entry, urging them to repeat the instructions given by the traffic controls, and ask if they are uncertain. They also instruct traffic control not use numerical terms such as No. 1 suggesting takeoff and landing priorities to avoid confusion. The Haneda traffic control tower has created a new position specifically assigned to monitor a radar system that indicates any unauthorized runway entry, beginning next Saturday. The Haneda airport is the world's third busiest, and preferred of the two in the Tokyo region because of better accessibility to the city's downtown. During its peak time, flights come and leave every few minutes, a frequency comparable to Tokyo's commuter trains.

From Yahoo News errifying video footage has captured the moment two American women were threatened by a knife-wielding taxi driver over the cost of a ride in Bali, while it’s been reported the cabbie has since been caught trying to flee the country. The frightening three-minute clip taken by one of the tourists begins with the pair begging to be let out of the taxi and asking to go to the police while travelling through Kuta, a beach and resort area in Bali’s south. While they offer the driver 50,000 in Indonesian Rupiah (AUD $4.80) for the fare, he insists on USD50 (A$74). Continues with photos https://au.news.yahoo.com/terrifying-moment-bali-tourists-held-up-at-knifepoint-over-taxi-fare-072003507.html

From VN Express Airlines are scrambling to launch direct services between Southeast Asian tourist hubs and China, the world's largest tourism market before Covid broke out. Cambodia Airways on Saturday began flights between Phnom Penh and Chongqing, China’s most populous city with a population of over 31 million, the Khmer Times reported. The twice weekly service is on Mondays and Saturdays. The carrier also flies to Beijing, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Macau, Sanya, Jinan, Jieyang, and Haikou. Cambodia attracted 498,250 Chinese visitors in the first 11 months of last year, or 10% of all foreign arrivals. Singapore-based Jetstar Asia recently launched a direct service to Wuxi City on two days a week. It said on its website that the frequency would be doubled from Jan. 15. Malaysian budget airline Thai AirAsia plans to launch flights, five a week, between Bangkok and Shanghai starting on Feb. 2. Vietnamese budget carrier Thai Vietjet plans to start direct flights from Bangkok to Beijing on March 1. It already flies to Shenzhen and Hangzhou, Nation Thailand reported. Thailand expected to get five million Chinese visitors last year but only managed 3.51 million out of a total of 28 million arrivals. This year it is eyeing eight million Chinese visitors after the two countries agreed to waive visas for each other's citizens starting in March.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon Thai premier Srettha Thavisin has told the Cabinet that he is seeking a much more powerful Thai passport which will be enable holders to enter far more than the 34 countries which currently do not require a prior visa or a visa on arrival. Thailand has recently expanded its visa-free policy to several nations including China, Russia and India. Mr Srettha is particularly pleased with the Thai-Chinese agreement which permanently allows tourists visa exemption in both directions. Vice-president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, Phumiphiphat Meesamran, told the Bangkok Post that the Thai government should now push for visa exemptions for Thai nationals with European nations, the UK, the US and Australia – none of which allow Thais visa-free entry even though their nationals are visa exempt to Thailand for 30 days with an easy option to extend for a further month at local Thai immigration for another month. Mr Phumiphiphat noted that visa-free access in both directions would encourage tourism and further economic growth. The main barrier to visa-free access to western nations is their belief that Thais may be tempted to overstay, or even settle, without the approved paperwork. The UK, mainland European nations, Australia and US currently insist that Thais applicants have good reasons to return home, such as property ownership, proof of significant employment or other forms of wealth. There are also some Thai critics of the Cabinet policy. Sumate Sudasna, president of the Thailand and Convention Association, said visa-free access normally applied only to tourists and businessmen would still need to apply for special visas. He added that security issues could be compromised by wholesale abandonment of visas. There is some evidence to support security concerns overall. Some Thais pretend to be tourists visiting South Korea, but they act as “phi noi”, or little ghosts describing their status as illegal workers. Conversely, several Chinese citizens have recently been arrested for illegal working in Thailand. The Thai Chamber of Commerce observed, “If the government and the private sector together advance efforts to build relationships with other countries, the Thai passport can improve its global ranking.” The Asian country whose nationals can visit the most countries without needing a visa is Singapore with 164 choices.

It's ironic that legalizing it was the brainchild of Anutin Charnvirakul, who was Minister of Health in the cabinet of the previous administration and now Interior Minister in current one.

NOTE -- Using the Omni velocity calculator, an object falling 16,000 feet strikes the ground at a speed of 691.8 m.p.h. From CBS News iPhone that got sucked out of Alaska Airlines plane and fell 16,000 feet is found on the ground – and still works When a door plug on an Alaska Airlines plane suddenly ripped off minutes into a flight on Friday evening, everyone on board remained safe, but several objects were sucked out of the aircraft and fell roughly 16,000 feet – including what appears to be an intact and working iPhone. Washington resident Sean Bates tweeted on Sunday that he found an iPhone on the side of the road that was "still in airplane mode with half a battery and open to a baggage claim" for the plane involved in Friday's incident, Alaska Airlines ASA1282. The phone also has a piece of a charger still stuck inside. "Thing got *yanked* out the door," Bates tweeted, "...survived a 16,000 foot drop perfect in tact!" Bates said he called the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency investigating the incident, and an agent told him it was the second phone to be found from the plane.

The investigation into this incident reflects why it takes time and effort to uncover all the reverent facts. From CNN NTSB says, as new details emerge about the aircraft Federal officials examining the horrifying midflight blowout of an Alaska Airlines plane section have announced the discovery of the lost piece that had fallen from the aircraft – a key element in the investigation into what happened during the plane’s “explosive decompression.” A Portland schoolteacher named Bob found the refrigerator-size Boeing 737 MAX 9 fuselage door plug in his yard and reached out to the National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference Sunday night. The plug door had been missing since it blew off an Alaska Airlines aircraft Friday, leaving a gaping hole on the side of the plane as it flew at 16,000 feet shortly after taking off from Portland. The harrowing ordeal – which saw headrests ripped off and items sucked from the cabin – has led to the nationwide grounding of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft and a slew of flight cancellations. “It must have been a terrifying event to experience,” Homendy said Sunday after seeing the chaotic aftermath of the plane’s interior, which included damage in several rows. Complicating efforts is the loss of critical cockpit audio recordings because of a device setting, according to Homendy. Plane was restricted from flying over water amid auto pressurization fail lights Alaska Airlines had restricted the plane from flying from over the ocean to Hawaii to ensure the plane could “return very quickly to an airport” in case any warning lights in the aircraft went off, according to Homendy. The decision came as the plane’s auto pressurization fail light had illuminated three times in the past month, Homendy said, noting it is unclear if there is any correlation between the warning lights and the Friday incident. The fail light came on December 7 and on January 3 and 4 –- the days leading up to the blowout, she said. Each time, the flight crew flipped a switch to the system’s backup, Homendy said, describing the move as “very normal.” “They flipped it, they reported it, it was tested by maintenance and then reset.” “They did order additional maintenance to look at the light that was not complete before (the fuselage blowout). We plan to look at that more and we’ve requested documentation on all defects since delivery of the aircraft on October 31,” she said. CNN has sought comment from Alaska Airlines on the plane’s flight restriction and warning lights. The Boeing 737 Max 9 involved in Friday’s incident had been in service for about three months and has flown about 150 times since October 2023, according to FlightAware and FAA records. Interviews with flight crew members and the examinations of the damage left behind inside the cabin shed light on the loud, “violent” and chaotic scene inside the aircraft when the plug door tore off, causing an incredibly forceful depressurization and sending flight attendants rushing to the side of children on the flight, the NTSB chief said. After the “explosive event,” flight attendants scrambled to ensure four unaccompanied minors onboard were wearing oxygen masks and lap belts, Homendy said, praising the attendants as “heroic.” But “communication was a serious issue” between the pilots and flight attendants, who said they were having difficulty quickly sharing information, she added. Cockpit recorder setting wipes crucial evidence The cockpit voice recorder, which captures sounds such as engine noises and pilots’ voices, was “completely overwritten,” since devices are currently only required to retain two hours of audio at a time, Homendy said. “There is nothing on the cockpit voice recorder,” she said, noting the maintenance team went out to get the recorder around the two-hour mark when the devices begin a new recording cycle. The audio captured by the recorders is “critical” to helping investigators understand what occurred during the incident, Homendy said. Without it, there is no record of communications between pilots and flight attendants as the crisis was unfolding. “If that communication is not recorded, that is, unfortunately, a loss for (the NTSB), and a loss for the FAA and a loss for safety because that information is key not just for our investigation, but for improving aviation safety,” Homendy said. Continues with photos and video https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/08/us/alaska-airlines-plug-door-found-investigation-monday/index.html

From Forbes Thailand's cannabis landscape may change soon as the Southeast Asian country is to ban recreational use of cannabis. The new Thai government has introduced a bill to amend the current cannabis legislation in order to ban the recreational use of cannabis after decriminalization has led the country to flourish cannabis stores around the country. Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew signed last weekend a bill to amend the current cannabis legislation, emphasizing that it can't be used recreationally, as reported by local news media outlets. Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to decriminalize recreational cannabis in 2022 after regulating its medical use in 2018. However, the absence of regulations led to a proliferation of cannabis shops selling products without oversight. This prompted the newly elected government in 2023 to review the country's cannabis policy and establish clear legislation. Under the proposed legislation, cannabis will be strictly for medical use, explicitly prohibiting its recreational use. Additionally, the legislation specifies that authorized stores can only sell parts of the cannabis plant that are legally allowed, likely excluding the plant's flowers due to their THC content. The proposed legislation has not yet clarified whether a medical certificate will be necessary to purchase medical cannabis. Although legally registered cannabis stores are unlikely to lose their licenses, they will only be allowed to sell parts of the cannabis plant that are legal in Thailand. n that regard, the proposed legislation aims to assist law enforcement. By making products containing more than 0.2% THC illegal, it aims to facilitate the prosecution of individuals who use cannabis recreationally.

From Pattaya News The Pollution Control Department (PCD) has issued an urgent warning regarding the hazardous levels of PM 2.5 particulate matter in the air, impacting 20 provinces across Thailand. The alert calls for immediate action to address and mitigate the severe air quality crisis that poses significant health risks to millions of residents. The provinces on high alert include major urban centers such as Bangkok, Pathum Thani, and Nonthaburi, as well as key industrial regions like Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon. In a statement, the PCD has outlined a series of steps that need to be taken to combat the escalating air pollution levels. These measures include stringent control of industrial emissions, enhancement of traffic management to reduce vehicular pollution, and an increase in public awareness campaigns. The agency also highlighted the importance of cooperation from both the public and private sectors in tackling this environmental challenge. The government’s response to this crisis has been swift, with local authorities being mobilized to enforce pollution control measures. Special attention is being given to areas with historically high levels of air pollution, such as Bangkok and its surrounding provinces. The administration is also promoting alternative and cleaner forms of transportation, along with stricter checks on vehicles contributing to air pollution. For the most up-to-date information on air quality and PM2.5 levels in Thailand, visit www.pm25.gistda.or.th.

Actually he is working for the money. He has been born with the gift of appearance that many find very attractive. They tip him because he brings them pleasure and ambiance. However, what I believe many customers tip staff (bartenders, waiters) because they've built a relationship over time. Same thing happens in non-sex venues where they feel comfortable and accepted.

From Thai PBS World The “30-baht Plus” health care scheme, under which only an ID card is needed to get access to medical care at state hospitals, private hospitals, clinics and pharmacies which join the program, will be launched in eight more provinces in March, Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew said today in Roi-et province. The minister, along with other key members of the Pheu Thai party, among them Paetongtarn Shinawatra, chair of the National Health System Development Committee and the Prime Minister’s Secretary-General Prommin Lertsuridej, are in Roi-et this morning to check the readiness of medical facilities joining the program, before its official launch this evening, to be presided over by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. A similar program is to be launched simultaneously in Phrae, Phetchaburi and Narathiwat provinces. Dr. Cholnan said that, in the second phase, the program will be launched in Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan, Sing Buri, Sa Kaeo, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nakhon Ratchasima, Amnat Charoen and Phang-nga and in the rest of the country at the end of the year. The public health minister and the other Pheu Thai party members first visited Chaturaphak Phiman private hospital, which joined the “30-baht Plus” program, to check its readiness. Dr. Charnchai Chanworachai, director of the Roi-et provincial hospital, said today that all the systems are ready for the launch this evening, adding that the hospital normally treats an average of 3,500 patients a day, suffering both general ailments and chronic diseases. He said that the hospital has hired additional personnel to supervise the back-office computer system, to ensure that every patient who has received medical services, whether with medication or not, inserts their ID card into the computer system, so the hospital will know exactly how many people have received services each day, so it can claim compensation from the government. In Phrae province, Dr. Suwan Phetrung, the provincial health chief, said that one private hospital, 22 pharmacies and private laboratories and seven clinics have already joined the program.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon The Thai tax authority has announced, in its fiscal report for last year, the scooping up of a total of 395 billion baht (circa US$11 billion) in personal income taxes. This was in addition to huge sums raised via value-added tax on sales and corporate or company taxes. Thai Revenue, as is well known, is taxing assessable overseas income, no matter when sent to Thailand, starting on January 1 2024. Foreigners and Thais who believe they have tax to declare should include their overseas taxable income during 2024 on their tax form for 2025. Significantly, the Revenue also reports that the number of people filing personal income tax forms during the last 12 months amounted to 11 million, mostly Thais, and only about a quarter of the adult working population. In other words, the vast majority of Thais and foreigners do not register with the Revenue via a tax identification number. Personal income taxes in Thailand are collected in arrears and require registration and the filling in of a tax form in the following fiscal year. Contrary to numerous inaccurate reports on the internet, international cash transfers to Thailand are not taxed on arrival. Very many Thai expats are concerned about the tax implications of sending money from abroad now that January 2024 has arrived. Any taxes due won’t be payable until the tax year 2025 and will require registration to obtain a tax identification number. In other words, there is time for more detail to emerge before any taxes would be payable. Many tax accountants in Thailand believe that foreign transfers from pre-taxed savings, pensions and gifts will not be taxable again, although the Revenue has not specifically addressed that issue or the implications of double-taxation treaties with 61 countries. The main aim of the Revenue is to close tax loopholes which formerly allowed Thais and some wealthy foreigners to reap huge profits from overseas investments, currency speculations and cash buildups in offshore accounts often held for years. Separately, the Revenue has published new reporting rules for digital platform operators to allow it to collect information on sellers’ total income from their online activities, aiming to nudge more online product and service providers into the tax system. Many experts believe that the recent words of Lavaron Sangsnit are highly relevant to all recent tax announcements: “The world is getting smaller, more connected and traceable because of digitalization. In the past, it may have been impossible to detect tax evasion, but now it can easily be detected.” Now that Thailand has joined the Common Reporting System (CRS) of around participating 120 countries, financial institutions round the world will inform member governments of individuals’ transactions to fight tax evasion and protect the integrity of tax systems. In other words, when you send money abroad it is no longer a private affair.

Recognize you anywhere, Love the pumps.

At least no one can accuse you of being loquacious or pompous.

According to Japan's NHK Newsline, investigators are now in the process of interviewing the controllers and examining the cockpit voice recordings. I'll withhold judgment until they finish their work and issue their report. I think we can agree that no pilot would intentionally place his aircraft in jeopardy and more than a surgeon would intentionally remove the wrong limb. Let's give the process time to do its work.

I'd avoid whenever I have an opportunity. But the only competition is the Airbus 321 and neither manufacturer can produce enough copies to meet demand.

From Thai PBS World A Myanmar rebel alliance group has gained control of a key town along the country’s volatile northern border with China after weeks of fierce fighting with junta troops, it said in a statement late on Friday. The “Three Brotherhood Alliance”, as the group is known, said it took over Laukkai town after the military’s regional headquarters located there surrendered. The fall of Laukkai is the latest victory in a sweeping offensive by an alliance of rebel groups that began in October and has become the most significant threat to Myanmar’s military government since it seized power in a 2021 coup. “All Kokang (Laukkai) region has become a land with no Myanmar Military Council anymore,” the statement said. A junta spokesman did not respond to calls from Reuters seeking comment. The alliance comprises three groups with extensive fighting experience – the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Arakan Army (AA). They were accompanied by individuals from the loosely organised People’s Defence Force, supported by Myanmar’s parallel National Unity Government (NUG), suggesting that the rebellion is taking on an increased level of coordination and planning. The capital of Myanmar’s restive Kokang region, Laukkai has a reputation as a gambling den and a hub for online scam operations. China, a key junta ally that also has close relations with some ethnic Chinese militias along the frontier, has grown increasingly frustrated in recent months by the Myanmar’s junta lack of action on closing down the scam centres. by Reuters

You've finally found a topic that you know less about than others: accident investigation. You don't "infer negligence" until after the evidence has been discovered and evaluated. You prefer to skip that process and go directly to guilt.

Until the cockpit voice recordings are known, until all the witnesses are interviewed, until all the electronic and human actions are examined can an objective finding be made.

Excerpted from MSN Much like the old saying “row when the tide comes in,” the Thai government is gearing up to boost tourism in the New Year. To achieve this goal, they have lowered taxes for alcohol and entertainment establishments. The Economic Times reported that Thailand officially approved tax reductions for alcohol and entertainment businesses on the 2nd. Chai Wacharonke, a spokesperson for the Thai government, stated, “This decision aims to breathe new life into the tourism industry,” and added, “The tax cuts for alcohol and entertainment businesses will remain in effect until the end of the current year.” Thailand has implemented several tax adjustments to attract more tourists, including reducing wine taxes from 10% to 5% and completely eliminating the 10% tax on spirits. Additionally, the country intends to reduce the consumption tax applied to entertainment businesses by half compared to previous rates.