Wino

Scott looks much better, in my opinion, with his clothes on.

Beer Chang stated, "Many Thai ladyboys have a disordered body/face image. They seem to think the more surgery the better and their chins wind up looking like Jay Leno's." Micheal Jackson may have had the same disordered body/face image, and maybe Joan River's too. I saw Joan the other day in an interview and she looked terrible.

Does this mean we won't hear anymore of these "sick buffalo" stories?

I am happy to see the TAT join facebook and twitter. Is TAT is aiming at a younger audience? Perhaps the youngsters can persuade mom and dad to take them to Thailand?

The last I talked to my friend, he did have another friend go to immigration and inquire about extending his 30-day visa. Since he hired a car to go to Cambodia, I think the answer was "no way."

I hate to see my friend travel with his pinched nerve. The car ride will not be fun, although as you say, it is the smart move.

Phuket's tuk-tuk problem might be solved. Here is an article about metered tuk-tuks. PHUKET: In a bid to end disputes between drivers and passengers over fares, the Phuket governor is considering introducing meters to Phuket tuk-tuks. Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop said natural gas-powered tuk-tuks could also be rolled out in order to cut down on fuel costs. Any metered fee structure would still have to reflect Phuket’s status as an international tourist destination, Gov Wichai said. “The prices aren’t going to start at 35 baht,†he said. “It could be 120 or 250 baht, but I don’t know yet because we have to set up prices that both sides are happy with.†Gov Wichai was keen to stress the plans were ‘just an idea’ at this stage. He also expressed some dismay that one local blogsite chose to report his idea after he expressly asked all the reporters present at a meeting yesterday not to do so. “It’s my sincere desire to make this happen, but that doesn’t mean it will. Nothing has started yet,†he told the Gazette today. Many tourism business operators and expat residents hold Gov Wichai in high regard for his introduction of the mandatory insurance scheme aimed at ending disputes between tourists and jet-ski operators, the first of its kind in the world. No previous governor had ever taken serious action to put the jet-ski rental industry in order. Problems continue, however, with a number of jet-skis operating without the insurance. There have also been some reports of continued disputes over repair costs between operators of insured jet-skis and the tourists who rent them. There is widespread agreement in Phuket that imposing order on the island’s tuk-tuk industry and developing reasonably-priced transport options for tourists will be a challenge of a much greater scale, given the relative size of the two industries. http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/detail.asp?id=8268

Roman's victim seems to be working hard in helping him avoid prosecution. If Geimer wants Roman free, I am not sure why California's prosecutors are so quick to spend the taxpayer's money on this case. LOS ANGELES (AFP) – The victim in Roman Polanski's 1978 child-sex case expressed support for the fugitive filmmaker's request to be sentenced in absentia, court filings revealed. An attorney for Samantha Geimer, who was 13 when Polanski allegedly plied her with drugs and alcohol before having unlawful sex with her in 1977, also urged prosecutors to withdraw a request for the director's extradition. Polanski, 76, was arrested in September in Switzerland, where he is under house arrest pending extradition to the United States. Yet Geimer's attorney Lawrence Silver said in court filings that prosecutors had failed to notify his client before seeking Polanski's extradition, which he said "violated" California's constitution. Geimer also asked Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza to dismiss the case "on the basis of judicial and prosecutorial corruption" or to sentence Polanski "in absentia." http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100122/en_afp/entertainmentusfrancefilmpolanski

Even though I dislike the policies of George W Bush, I think it is wrong to call him stupid. Perhaps money and family influence opened doors to the prestigious schools he attended, but if he was an idiot as some claim, he surely would not have graduated.

Those are the rules. When deciding to retire to Thailand, you have to factor in the cost of health care insurance unless you want to take the risk of having problems. Many retirees decide to move to Mexico because of the close proximity to the US.

Bob stated, "Most surgeons are very capable guys and the vast majority of surgeries are properly done." There are just a few bad apples that spoil the whole bunch. Plenty of good surgeons around but some bad. I wonder how many surgeons push a patient towards a surgery in which they could do without?

Posing nude in a national magazine did not hurt this US Sentor-elect. I wonder if it would have been different if Ms. Coakley did the same? Long before he was a politician, the Republican candidate vying for Ted Kennedy’s U.S. Senate seat posed nude for the centerfold of Cosmo. Scott Brown won our “America’s Sexiest Man†contest and appeared in the June 1982 issue. In those days he was a 22-year-old law student at Boston College who was cramming for finals just days before stripping down for our photographer. http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/news/scott-brown-nude-in-cosmo

I saw the Today show with Matt Lauer. The segment talked about a sixty year old member of Parliament and a nineteen year old lover. The twist is the MP is a woman named Mrs. Robinson. How appropriate.

I recently saw a television program on China. The main character, a Mr. Mertons visited a row of restaurants in which dog meat was the specialty. I did not find the dishes appetizing but the place was crowded with patrons.

Seems health care for the poor is generally a joke. At least the 30 baht scheme is better than nothing.

After the results of the Massachusett special election, Obama admits he has been out of touch with the people. I think the people do no want big governmental spending. More spending will certainly lead to higher taxes. Who knows Obama might not beat Bush's deficit records.

The last I heard my friend has decided to hire a car and make a border run. Seems another friend told him immigration would not give him a 14 or 15 day extension.

I have never worried about having prescription drugs on my person, no matter if I had a doctor's order or not. This gives me cause to rethink my behavior. PHUKET: A 17-year-old New Zealander arrested in Patong for possession of diazepam pills remains stranded in Phuket, where local police admit they are not seeking to arrest the seller of the drugs. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a police source told the Gazette his team asked the teenager where he bought the pills, but the youth declined to answer. “He had the right to say nothing when asked a question he didn’t want to answer,†the source said. “But he accepted the charges against him.†“Normally, if we know where a suspect bought Valium we check the shop,†he said. “If they don’t have a license to sell the drug or they’ve sold it without a prescription, we arrest them as well.†The young Kiwi, due to appear in Juvenile Court tomorrow, cannot be named under Thai law. He has confessed to the charges against him. In the early hours of December 7, he got on the back of a motorcycle taxi with nine diazepam pills, more commonly known as Valium, stashed in his pocket. When Kathu Police officers saw the pair riding over a section of sidewalk on the Patong beach road, they stopped and searched the pair and arrested the young Kiwi. More than five weeks after he was originally due to fly home, he remains in Phuket on bail. “We’re trying to hurry up the process for him because we understand that he has to go back to school,†the source said. Recently released statistics from the Phuket Provincial Police show this was the only arrest for diazepam possession in Phuket in 2009. Over the same period, police seized 253 pills and 8 grams of alprazolam (trade name Xanax), arresting 18 people. While such drugs are difficult to obtain without a prescription in most parts of Thailand, they remain readily available in tourist centers such as Patong. High-ranking sources in the Phuket Provincial Health Office said shops registered with their office to sell category four drugs are allowed to do so on a discretionary basis and in small amounts – typically 10 pills or fewer. Such shops must have a license and most have a Thai-language sign indicating that such prescription medications are available there over the counter. Other big sellers in such shops include erectile dysfunction drugs like sildenafil citrate (Viagra) and tadalafil (Cialis). Drug arrests in Thailand carry stiff penalties for adults, but the Juvenile Court system is based more on rehabilitation than punishment. First time offenders are seldom incarcerated for small seizures unless they are associated with violent crimes. http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/detail.asp?id=8262

I am not fond of buffets. Not only because I tend to overeat, but sometimes find it all too easy to catch the diarrhea bug from food sitting out too long.

I am sorry to see what looks like the end to health care reform. It is about time America cover most or all of its citizens. Even if it does not benefit me, I still think a rich nation like the US should have a health plan to cover all the people.

You would also be safe spelling it the British way, diarrhoea.

I am sure good food, cheap cost of living, and friendly natives are just three of many factors in making Thailand a retirement destination.

The blooper shows I have seen do not show any blood or guts. Some of the crashes look serious enough to cause a fatality, but who knows. I hate seeing the skater kids doing tricks on handrails and end up riding the rail like a horse. I am sure they end up singing in a higher voice.

I bet Obama can beat the past POTUS in regard to the deficit.

I haven't heard much news about Maj. Nidal Hasan, lately. Has he been water-boarded yet? Given up the names of his handlers?