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May the force remain with you and the wind be always at your back. And it can't hurt to pray that the odds remain in your favor.

The journalist didn't report death rates; he reported total number of deaths. Thailand accounted 203 and the Philippines 126. Those are accurate numbers and not in dispute by either of us. You're therefore not justified in calling the journalist lazy for reporting the truth.

Then why don't you get off your high horse and prove it? the numbers are are all available in great detail at the link. Or are you as lazy as you say the reporters were?

It's also the truth...or do you have a problem with that?

The figures reported by ABC News Australia are the same as those reported by the government. The actual numbers reported by Australian authorities can be easily accessed by clicking on following link to that report: http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/our-services/consular-services/Pages/consular-state-of-play-2016-17.aspx If you have contrary data by all means please do the math and correct the lazy journalism.

You seem to overlook that I acknowledged that you made a great point in your original post: I didn't disagree with you on that. Think I stated pretty clearly what I thought when I said it's admirable to have the courage of your convictions. It's one thing to talk the talk, another altogether to walk the walk. I did imply that those (you in this case) who believe that the villages must be backwards to enjoy cock fighting should have no problem then in confronting them. I leave it to you to select your own favorite color because it would be presumptuous of me to do so.

Great point, bkkguy. I wish you Godspeed on your next trip to an Issan where you set the backward villagers straight, and again when you do the likewise in Africa and middle east where even more heinous practices exist. It's fine to have convictions; it's admirable when you exhibit the courage of those convictions. Relinquish nothing, as the second amendment advocates say.

From Coconuts Bangkok After Thai netizens got just a little too excited about a new Leo beer-pouring machine at a 7-Eleven store in Bangkok’s Chinatown this week, Thai officials had to intervene. A video of fresh draft beer being poured from the automatic machine went viral on the Facebook page “Thai Smile” earlier this week. See how the machine tilted the plastic cup for the perfect pour? And at just THB49 (about US$1.50) for a cup of the draft brew, it’s a tasty bargain. While most commenters obviously dig the awesome machine, the Office of Alcohol Committee traveled to the convenience store yesterday after receiving “complaints” from people that questioned whether or not it was legal, Manager reported. When they arrived, it was found that 7-Eleven had the beer machine covered with a big white cloth that hid beer logo, meaning they are not in breach on Thailand’s Alcohol Control Act, which prohibits “advertising or displaying names or trademarks of alcoholic beverage deemed to induce people to drink it.” So thanks to that big white cloth, we can still have the Leo machine at 7-Eleven. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/food-drink/now-its-legal-officials-allow-it-after-7-eleven-covers-viral-beer-machine-with-big-white-cloth-video/

From ABC News Australia Thailand is the most dangerous destination for Australian tourists, with 203 deaths recorded in the last year. Philippines was next with 126 deaths, followed by Indonesia, the United States and Vietnam. The main causes of death were illness, natural causes and accidents. The figures are part of an annual Consular State of Play report issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Thailand also topped the list of consular cases (893), hospitalisations (195) and missing persons reports (74) during the 2016/17 financial year. Officials urged Australians to take out travel insurance and warned of the limits to the consular services available. "We may limit our assistance if we consider the circumstances warrant, for example, where the person's actions were illegal, or has put themselves or others at risk through deliberate or repeated reckless or negligent acts, or the person has a pattern of behaviour that has required multiple instances of consular assistance previously. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-05/thailand-tops-the-list-of-deadly-destinations-for-australians/9020610

I think we're seeing just how well prepared the gun lobby was for this event before it even occurred. They knew, sooner or later, something on this scale was inevitable. Instead of launching a robust confrontational response, they opted for a more philosophical and reflective approach: the shooter was a deranged and evil man and such men will always exist because of the nature of evil; we should wait to see what the investigation turns up before discussing any legislative solution. This was the mantra rolled out over the past 48 hours. Don't sound angry. Regularly mention the mental health angle (because that's where NRA wants to steer the discussion) and sound like you want to be part of the solution. This response has been consistent from Trump to politicians and differs from the usual bombastic retort we're accustomed to seeing from the gun lobby. The NRA is content to leave the messaging to others while still orchestrating strategy. Sadly, it will probably succeed. What's often overlooked in second amendment debates is what's at the heart of the right to own a gun among so many. There have been two wars that left their imprint in the minds of Americans: the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. When the former broke out, it was a rag tag group of men, formed loosely into local militias, that provided the initial opposition using their own, personal firearms. In the Civil War, many men from both sides reported for duty with their own rifles and handguns. And although the north eventually provided arms, the Confederates mostly continued to rely on their own firearms for the duration. This resulted a well-defined doctrine in the minds of most Americans: you have not just a right but an obligation to keep a gun to defend yourself, your family, and your community. Some, of course have taken it a step further and foresee a need to protect themselves from the power of the state itself. This is why I believe any meaningful legislation remains unlikely even in the face of such tragedies.

It's an unappealing practice based on our cultural norms. But telling people, in their own country, who come from a very different culture they they are engaging in a cruel act is a bit presumptuous. It echoes of the kind of stuff you hear so often from the we-know-better NGO's representatives. We come to Thailand as their guests, as Traveller123 says. It doesn't mean we have to endorse all aspects of their way of life but neither does it mean that we should challenge their customs. Mai pen rai.

Judging by the morning news, the gun lobby and the GOP have settled on a way forward. It's centered on labeling the shooter as mentally deranged and buttress their argument with the old NRA canard "the only thing that stop a bad guy....". And when they peel back the onion, there at the base of their logic is the lobby's core position "guns don't kill people, people do." Personally, I don' buy it and believe he was completely in command of his senses as he plotted and executed a plan capable of producing the nation's biggest mass murder attack. This was not the work of a mad man. Sure, it's evil but evil acts are performed daily around the globe by perfectly sane, committed individuals with an agenda in mind. Stephen Paddock was one of them.

Japan's NHK news looks at Thailand's male-dominated business of cock fighting with an interesting twist. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20171003194436652/

... and in this case an old man. But don't give us Americans too much credit; we're quite backwards on many issues and you're spot on with this one. Class divides us as much in the same way it does India, the UK and Thailand to name a few. The difference, of course, is that the UK and Thailand make it a hell of a lot more difficult to acquire a gun and--outside of terrorist incidents--they're rarely used to murder. But Americans can be crazy blind when it comes to who gets to own a gun. It seems hard-wired into the psyche of many. Last Thursday Steve Scalise, the house majority whip who was gravely injured when shot by a 66-year-old sniper during baseball practice, returned to his job on the Hill. He came very close to death and was welcomed back by a standing ovation from both sides of the aisle. It will be more than just interesting to see how he and his colleagues react going forward on the gun issue.

Gun control is the most divisive issue on Capitol Hill, surpassing tax policy and immigration by wide margins. Keeter was not the first to experience a change of heart in the wake of an incident and won't, I think, be the last. Gabby Gifford, the former member of the House of Representatives from Arizona, had a pro-gun reputation before she was gunned down in 2011. Ever since her recovery, she has been an activist for gun control. Former speaker of the house Tip O'Neill's famous quip, "all politics is local," comes to mind. I personally applaud Keeter and Gifford for summoning the courage to oppose the NRA and risk alienating their fans and voters. They could have remained in "the silent majority" but choose the road less traveled. And that takes guts. This incident, of course, begs the question: will congress enact any restrictions at all in its wake. Despite the gravity of the killings and the sheer weight of numbers of those affected, there's little assurance it will. The NRA's grip on congress is overwhelming in its reach: its ability to finance the defeat of most politicians along with the ability to influence its 5 million plus members' votes tends to mute opposition. It's interesting to reflect on the history of the Brady Bill, named for Ronald Reagan's press secretary who was permanently disabled in John Hinckley's assassination attempt in 1981. It was Chuck Schumer (then a congressman) who introduced the legislation (for the second time) in '93 and it was signed into law by Bill Clinton that same year. Its key provision required the FBI time to do a background check on prospective gun buyers. The bill that was enacted, however, had many exemptions and none more infamous that what has become to be known as the "gun show" loophole that allowed sellers and purchasers an escape route. You can walk away from a gun show on any given weekend with a fully operational AK-47 if you so wish. But the NRA still wasn't satisfied. It financed state objections that eventually came before the Supreme Court in '98. The court ruled that the provision of the Brady Act that compelled state and local law enforcement officials to perform the background checks was unconstitutional on 10th amendment grounds, saying that this provision violated both the concept of federalism and that of the unitary executive. However, the overall Brady statute was upheld and state and local law enforcement officials remained free to conduct background checks if they so chose. Most did. In 1998, background checks for firearm purchases became mostly a federally run activity when the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) came online. Returning to the question of whether the Las Vegas catastrophe will make things different this time, I would very much like to believe it will. But, like vinapu, I fear that any gun control measures are doomed under this--or possibly any--administration. What I am confident of is this: gun sales and NRA membership will increase significantly for the next month as more Americans buy into the the NRA boilerplate: "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

Amen.

Although they may not have any answers that will help jet lag sufferers in the near term, the just announced recipients of the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine are being honored for their discoveries related to the mechanisms that affect jet lag and other conditions. Excerpts from Washington Post Three Americans — Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young — have won the 2017 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their discoveries about the mechanisms that control an organism's circadian responses to light and dark. In announcing the winner in Stockholm on Monday, the prize committee said the scientists elucidated how a life-form's “inner clock” can fluctuate to optimize our behavior and physiology. “Their discoveries explain how plants, animals and humans adapt their biological rhythm so that it is synchronized with the Earth's revolutions.” Working with fruit flies, the scientists isolated a gene that is responsible for a protein that accumulates in the night but is degraded in the day. Misalignments in this clock may play a role in medical conditions and disorders, as well as the temporary disorientation of jet lag that travelers experience when crisscrossing time zones. “The circadian system has its tentacles around everything,” Rosbash, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, explained in the HHMI Bulletin in 2014. “It’s ticking away in almost every tissue in the human body.” It's also in plants, including major food crops, the article noted, and appears to be tied to “disease susceptibility, growth rate, and fruit size.” Erin O’Shea, president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, said that people have observed for centuries that plants and animals change their behavior in sync with the light present in the natural environment. What Hall, Rosebush and Young figured out is how this happens. “Genes make up the mechanics by which organisms can keep track of time and this allows them — just like your wristwatch — to coordinate their behavior their sleep-wake cycle with the changes in the light-dark cycle,” she said. Working with fruit flies, the scientists isolated a gene that is responsible for a protein that accumulates in the night but is degraded in the day. Misalignments in this clock may play a role in medical conditions and disorders, as well as the temporary disorientation of jet lag that travelers experience when crisscrossing time zones. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/10/02/nobel-prize-in-medicine-or-physiology-awarded-to-tktk

NOTE -- An article posted last week in the business section of Khaosod English went largely unnoticed but I came across it today while searching for another topic. Central Bank cites systemic factors at largest institutions BANGKOK — A declaration from the central bank describing five of the nation’s largest financial institutions as “risky” should not cause alarm, according to an investment banker and the leader of the ruling junta, who weighed in Tuesday to tell everyone to calm down. “Don’t panic. People are ready to panic about anything all the time,” Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters Tuesday. Confusion erupted Sunday when the Royal Gazette, which disseminates government notices, published a central bank list describing top banks as “systemically risky financial institutions.” The announcement, just over a page, did not offer any explanation or context. Social media quickly erupted in wild speculation the banks – Siam Commercial Bank, Kasikorn Bank, Bank of Ayudhya, Krungthai Bank and Bangkok Bank – were on the verge of collapse. That led to Prayuth’s plea for calm and assurances the statement was a routine and mandatory disclosure in accordance with international standards. The statement did say the banks would be subject to additional regulation, which an analyst at one of the nation’s top investment banking firms said was the meaningful part that got lost in translation. Pipat Luengnaruemitchai of Phatra Securities praised the disclosure but criticized the government for poorly communicating it to the public. Pipat said it was part of protocols established by an international body known as the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, which issues non-binding regulations meant to strengthen oversight and prevent financial meltdowns like what happened in 2008. A key feature of the Basel committee, Pipat said, is identifying the “too big to fail” banks in each member country and promoting more stringent oversight to contain potential damage in times of crisis. “They can’t just regulate all the banks in the same way,” said Pipat, who works as an analyst. “If the big banks fall, the damages will spread to other banks. That is why major banks have to be stronger.” Pipat said the measures facing the five Thai banks include increasing their capitalization (having more money compared to how much is at risk), improving transparency measures (handing over documents at the central bank’s request) and participating more in briefings with regulators. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/business/2017/09/27/risky-banks-crisis-mistranslation-panic/

I'm looking at an 11- or 12-hour time difference (depending on time of year) so it doesn't get much worse. I experience less lag on my outbound trip and I suspect part of the reason is the anticipation factor. On the return, however, it takes me 3-5 days to recover. I've tried the stay hydrated, go easy on the alcohol route and I believe it helps. But as for all the other recommendations I read about, I lack the discipline to follow strict pre-flight and post-flight routines. I just listen to my body. If it says get some sleep, that's what I do. If it says get out there and do what you came for, I salute and go forth. This BBC article discusses how long-haui pilots deal with it or--in many cases it seems--don't. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160314-how-airline-pilots-beat-jet-lag

From Coconuts Ever been on a night out, drank far too much, then staggered home with a 7-eleven hot dog? Well we have the top 15 Bangkok alternatives that will surely tickle you’re taste buds. If you’re any kind of night owl, chances are that three meals per day are just not cutting it for you. When you stay out till midnight or later, you often need one more hot meal to make your daily gorging complete. And you have no excuse for going straight home since Bangkok is consistently rated as having some of the best food in the world. That’s where these restaurants come in handy. Serving up everything from pancakes to somtam to deep-fried insects, whether post-concert or clubbing, these Bangkok late-night restaurants have you covered on the grub front from late into the night and early into the morning. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/food-drink/best-late-night-eats-bangkok-eat-pizza-burgers-thai-afterhours/

I was in Silom the night eight years ago when fire broke out in the popular GSM sauna in Chinatown. The sirens of fire engines from around the city converging on the location seemed to go on for an hour. One man was killed and many rescued from the seventh floor. Photos from Fridae site Link to news article on Fridae site (it also mentions fire safety at DJ Station) http://www.fridae.asia/gay-news/2009/01/06/2186.fire-in-bangkok-gay-sauna-kills-patron Here's the SN post about it: https://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/showthread.php?8846-Another-Fire

The topic of personal safety in the event of fire at DJ Station has come up from time to time as it did in this post. http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/8570-brazil-nightclub-fire-thailands-unlearned-lessons/?do=findComment&comment=63907

Excerpts from Coconuts Bangkok (photo Pho Hai Mao facebook) They say all publicity is good publicity and that may be the case this week for dick-shaped waffle vendor Ketnita Prasertsomboon. Her waffles are exploding, going viral on social media as well as in the mouths of fans at Bankok’s Indy Market. Though lots of cute young Thais have been posting photos and videos of themselves licking, eating, and loving the waffles, not everyone is a fan of the sexy, cheeky treats, reported Khaosod English. Ketnita’s stand, called Pho Hai Ma (which translates as “From My Dad”), serves willy waffles stuffed with cheese or sausage, but you have to get to the market early enough to score. You see, Ketnita has been selling out of the affordable THB39 treats every night. People have been gushing so much about the waffles that the vendor was interviewed by Amarin TV over the weekend. However, she didn’t invent this food fad, penis waffles have been trendy in Taiwan for a while now. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/cream-filled-penis-waffles-rage-bangkok-people-raging-mad-photos/

Actually, the US is first according to the OP. Certainly size matters but its geography plays a big role. Its west coast is easily accessible to east Asia and the east coast to the EU. Likewise, its border with Canada just about continuous and Central and South America are just to the south. A few years ago I took a September trip to revisit the national parks of Yellowstone and Glacier. When I arrived at the airport in Billings, I was amazed at the sight of many Chinese (and a lesser number of Japanese) families picking up rentals. These were not the type of tourists you're likely to find in Patts. When I occasionally encountered them in shops or visitor centers within Yellowstone, many spoke English (particularly the Chinese) and their behavior was refined. I estimate that they represented 20% of the park's tourists. I mentioned it to the bartender in my hotel and he said the Chinese and the Japanese highly value the national park system experience and have been arriving in steadily increasing numbers in recent years. Regarding Thailand's tourism boom, here's the breakdown of August arrivals this year from report in The Nation: So where did tourists come from in August? • China, 982,212 +10.30% • Malaysia, 277,606 +9.52% • South Korea, 164,001 +16.52% • Japan, 162,703 +5.03% • Laos,158,377 +4.18% • India, 116,376 +14.77% • Hong Kong, 93,136 +8.88% • Vietnam, 90,502 +9.17% • Cambodia, 82,776 +20.84% • Singapore, 81,366 + 21.2%.

From National News Bureau of Thailand BANGKOK, 24th September 2017 (NNT) - Thailand has attained third place in terms of tourism revenue according to 2016-2017 statistics released by the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Since 2016, Thailand has earned 1.65 trillion baht or 49.9 billion dollars from tourism, representing a 16.9 percent jump. The country is also ranked ninth in terms of tourist arrivals, with 32.6 million visitors or an 8.9 percent surge. First and second best performers are USA and Spain which gained 205.9 billion dollars and 60.3 billion dollars from tourism respectively. The other top 10 earners are China, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong and Australia. http://thainews.prd.go.th/website_en/news/news_detail/WNECO6009240010007