Desiree

How are things in Thailand? Is this affecting you personally or is it business as usual?

I'm about to make a trip to Thailand. This makes me want to run out and buy a few phones to sell. I could almost pay for my trip.

This is one of the reasons I love Thailand, it's acceptance of all people. Transsexual Miss World contest aims to boost awareness Shimmering in a tight gold evening gown, a Japanese television host wept and called for greater tolerance as she was crowned the world's most beautiful transsexual at a pageant in Thailand. Haruna Ai,37, beat off stiff competition from 20 other glamorous contestants at the Miss International Queen 2009 who came to the Thai beach resort of Pattaya from as far as Brazil and the United States. "I am very,very, very happy," a tearful Ai told AFP minutes after the previous title holder carefully placed a faux-diamond tiara on her head. "I want contests like this to show everyone that they should love each other and live freely. The way of life in Japan is more traditional and transsexuals cannot live freely, but in Thailand they can do what they want," she said. More: http://news.malaysia...umentid=3681529

Salmon Salad With Blueberries Ingredients 3 ounce(s) fish, salmon fillet, wild-caught 2 cup(s) lettuce, mixed greens, packaged 1 cup(s) tomato(es), chopped 1/4 cup(s) blueberries, fresh or defrosted frozen 1/2 ounce(s) cheese, feta, crumbled, reduced-fat 1 tablespoon nuts, walnuts, chopped, raw 1/4 cup(s) beans, cannellini, no-salt-added, rinsed and drained 1/8 cup(s) onion(s), red, cut into 1/8 inch-thick slices separated into rings 2 tablespoon vinaigrette, raspberry walnut Preparation Heat pan over medium heat. Add salmon fillet, skin side down. Cook approximately 5-7 minutes, until fish is a light pink color.Add salmon to salad greens. Mix remaining ingredients. Eat immediately. About This Recipe Cook Time: 7 mins Total Time: 7 mins Quick Meal Contains Nuts Contains Dairy Nutrition Facts Number of Servings: 1 Amount Per Serving Calories: 422 Total Fat: 19 g Saturated Fat: 3 g Cholesterol: 59 mg Sodium: 435 mg Total Carbohydrate: 37 g Dietary Fiber: 9 g Protein: 30 g Credit to JillianMichaels.com. I cooked this the other day and it was delicious. It was fast and easy if you have the ingredients, but the ingredients aren't hard to find if you don't have them.

It adds up quickly for active members. Nice site, by the way.

I hope my body holds up this well.

The comments on this thread have been almost as good as the media covering this the last couple of days and the video of what Dave said.

I didn't know that and we hope to travel to France next summer.

For Americans, Plastic Buys Less Abroad By MICHELLE HIGGINS BETTERpack some cash on your next trip abroad. Americans are finding thattheir credit and bank cards aren’t as convenient as they once werewhile traveling overseas. The problem: American cards lack aspecial chip, now commonly used in many foreign countries, causing thecards to be rejected by some merchants and kiosks. That’s whatNancy Elkind, a lawyer from Denver, discovered in Paris when she wantedto use the popular Vélib’ bicycle rental system on a week long vacationwith her husband last spring. They tried to swipe various cards at therental kiosk, which doesn’t take cash, and all the cards were rejected. Then,thinking the problem might be with the kiosk and not their cards, theytried other Vélib’ locations around the city. But each time, theircards were not accepted. “We gave up, and kept walking aroundParis, commenting occasionally on how much fun it would be to do someexploring by bike,” Ms. Elkind said. The couple’s cards, whichrely on magnetic-stripe technology for transactions, lacked an embeddedmicroprocessor chip, which stores and processes data and is nowcommonly used in Europe. Such chip-based cards — commonly referred toas chip-and-PIN cards because users punch in a personal identificationnumber instead of signing for the purchase — offer an extra layer ofprotection against the theft of cardholder data and counterfeiting, andthey are designed to replace magnetic stripe technology and signaturepayments. The chip-and-PIN technology usually isn’t much of anissue when making purchases at a store, or paying for a meal in arestaurant, as most of those merchants still have credit card terminalsthat can read the magnetic stripes. Likewise, A.T.M.’s typicallyrecognize and accept many cards whether they have a chip or a magneticstripe. But American cardholders have had their cards rejected byautomated ticket kiosks at train stations, gas pumps, parking garagesand other places where there are no cashiers. The alternativesaren’t ideal. Carrying around a wad of cash is a throwback, not tomention a security concern, for many travelers trained over the yearsto use plastic for purchases abroad. And as more countries aroundthe world move to chip-and-PIN cards, it’s inevitable that Americanswill encounter more difficulties paying for things abroad. Twenty-twocountries, including much of Europe, Mexico, Brazil and Japan, haveadopted the technology, according to the Smart Card Alliance, anonprofit association that promotes chip cards. About 50 othercountries are in various stages of migrating to the technology in thenext two years, including China, India and most of Latin America,according to the association. In the last year, Canada beganrolling out chip-and-PIN cards and plans to stop accepting magneticstripe debit cards at A.T.M.’s after 2012 and at point-of-saleterminals after 2015. These governments like the cards becausethey reduce fraud. With an embedded microcontroller, large amounts ofdata can be stored on the card itself rather than in a centraldatabase, and counterfeiting such a card is difficult. But theUnited States banking industry has no immediate plans to adopt thetechnology. Part of the reason, experts say, is that fraud issueshaven’t been as prevalent here as in other countries. The expenseof converting the country to chip-and-PIN technology is also adeterrent. Javelin Strategy and Research, a consulting company for thefinancial services industry, has estimated the cost for the UnitedStates’ to migrate to the technology at $5.5 billion, mainly for newpayment terminals — an expense that neither retailers nor banks want toshoulder. Doug Johnson, vice president for risk management policyat the American Bankers Association, said that American banks wereconcerned about security but that there were no plans to move tochip-and-PIN cards. “There are a lot of hurdles,” he said, “both from acost standpoint as well as a network standpoint, we need to broach.” Itshould be noted that chip-and-PIN cards are different from the radiofrequency chip that some American credit cards now have, which allowscustomers to wave their card at a check-out scanner, instead ofphysically swiping it. Visa’s payWave cards and Expresspay cards from American Express are two examples. Butregardless of the technology used, merchants have a certain amount ofcontrol over what kinds of cards they accept. Vélib’, for example,accepts American Expresscards whether they have chip-and-PIN technology or not. But it doesn’taccept Visa or MasterCards unless they have the chip-and-PIN technology. CREDITcard issuers acknowledge the problems but offer few solutions at themoment. Randa N. Ghnaim, a spokeswoman for Visa, said the company wasworking with banks and merchants across Europe to ensure that theyaccept magnetic stripe cards in addition to chip-and-PINs. “Wehave heard of limited instances where merchants have refused to acceptVisa magnetic stripe cards, but by and large, the majority of Visacards are seamlessly accepted internationally,” she said. “It’s usuallya lack of understanding that could lead to any issues rather than anyissue related to the type of card a consumer may carry.” And atleast one company, Travelex, the global payment services company, saysit is working on a chip-and-PIN card for Americans that could be loadedwith up to 6,000 euros or £4,500 — about $9,000 or $7,400 at recentexchange rates. But that solution is still at least a year away. “It’s definitely something we’ve been hearing more and more of,” said Tracy Hammock, a senior vice president at Travelex. Fornow, though, there is little an American traveler can do besidesinsisting, if a cashier refuses your card, that the merchant swipe itanyway. Despite what the cashier thinks, the terminal may be able toread the magnetic strip and approve the purchase. Butrealistically, it’s not a huge problem, and there are ways to workaround it. You can still buy things like train tickets and subway cardsonline ahead of time, carry traveler’s checks or simply pack a lot ofcash. That’s what Hope Einstein, a retired financial analyst fromStamford, Conn., decided to do on a trip to Great Missenden, England,last month, after she encountered chip-and-PIN issues two years ago.Lucky she did. Ms. Einstein still wasn’t able to withdraw money fromA.T.M.’s. But this time, she wisely exchanged some dollars for poundsbefore leaving the United States. Recalling her first visit, she said, “It’s humbling to be walking around London with five bucks in your pocket.” Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/travel/04pracchip.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

A former student of mine came down with the swine flu. It hit her hard and fast. She was doing her pediatric residency, got very sick, developed something known as ARDS, and is now on a ventilator. I have to admit that this has shaken me a bit because I thought most of this was media hype, too. I guess when it hits someone you know, it makes you think twice.

Student punished for spaghetti beliefs Thursday, March 29, 2007 The Flying Spaghetti Monster A student has been suspended from school in America for coming to class dressed as a pirate. But the disciplinary action has provoked controversy – because the student says that the ban violates his rights, as the pirate costume is part of his religion. Bryan Killian says that he follows the Pastafarian religion, and that as a crucial part of his faith, he must wear 'full pirate regalia' as prescribed in the holy texts of Pastafarianism. The school, however, say that his pirate garb was disruptive. Pastafarians follow the Flying Spaghetti Monster (pictured), and believe that the world was created by the touch of his noodly appendage. Furthermore, they acknowledge pirates as being 'absolute divine beings', and stress that the worldwide decline in the number of pirates has directly led to global warming. A man in full pirate regalia Pastafarianism gained wide attention when its key prophet, Bobby Henderson, wrote to the Kansas School Board during the height of the controversy over 'Intelligent Design' being taught in science classes. His letter, also published on his website, demanded equal time be given to the teachings of the Flying Spaghetti Monster as was given to ID and evolutionary theory. Since then, the Flying Spaghetti Monster has gained countless followers worldwide, although there are those who remain spagnostic. The school, in North Buncombe, North Carolina,remains adamant that their decision to suspend Killian for a day has nothing to do with his religion, and quite a lot to do with his repeated refusal to heed warnings against wearing pirate outfits. Link: http://www.metro.co....72&in_page_id=2

No, I didn't know that. Thanks for the link. Actually, it's .cc instead of .com. It also gives a video preview if available. Very nice.

I can't believe they'd even consider making someone pay to listen to a sample they are using to decide if they want the whole cd. I'm not too much of a download girl. I like having the hard copy with the artwork, so I buy the whole cd.

I'm using Firefox, too. I guess that's why I didn't see the problem.

No, I didn't know they were considered a third sex. I can only imagine the face of some of the uptight Americans who see that sign. I say that as a girl who was raised in the conservative South, but am not uptight.

Toyota seeks perks for HQ Writer: CHATRUDEE THEPARAT Published: 18/09/2009 at 12:00 AM The Japanese automaker Toyota could move its regional head office to Thailand from Singapore if the Thai government eases some stringent requirements, especially related to financial transactions. Deputy Prime Minister Korbsak Sabhavasu said the proposal emerged yesterday during his talks with Kyoichi Tanada, the president of ToyotaMotor Thailand (TMT). Having its regional head office in Thailand would ensure more efficient management, Mr Korbsak quoted company executives as saying. Toyota in Thailand operates assembly plant, research and development centre and engineering affiliate. Mr Korbsak said existing regulations of the Bank of Thailand and Finance Ministry on financial transactions were one of the stumbling blocks for Toyota, as the company handled transactions worth billions of baht a year. The company expected a number of foreign firms would move their regional head offices to Thailand if the government agreed to relax the regulation. According to Board of Investment secretary-general Atchaka Brimble,the board has set up a committee to fine-tune existing regulations on regional operating headquarters (ROH) to increase Thailand's competitiveness against Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Currently, the ROH programme is one of the categories being actively promoted by the board in a bid to draw foreign investment, she said. In a related development, Mr Korbsak said Toyota called on the government to direct state banks such as Small Business Credit Guarantee Corporation to help guarantee a portion of down payments for Thai buyers in order to improve sales of pickup trucks, which have fallen by about 30% this year. This would also help the parts industry, as more than 90% of parts for pickups are made in Thailand, Toyota said. Link: http://www.bangkokpo...ks-perks-for-hq

Music groups want royalties from iTunes samples, more Music royalty groups ASCAP and BMI are pressing online music storeslike Apple's iTunes to pay performance fees not only for actual songdownloads but also videos and even the 30-second samples used topreview the music in advance. While these stores already pay thedistribution fees for the songs themselves, ASCAP, BMI and labels claimthat just downloading and playing the content also counts as a liveperformance and should bring an extra fee. The reasons vary depending on the format. For music, it's claimed thatdownloads or streams, including samples, count as a public performancesas with the radio or in a venue, where performance royalties arealready paid. Movie and TV royalties would be different as soundtrackartist are normally paid for when the videos are aired, which iscommonplace for theaters and TV networks but doesn't occur for onlineformats. However, critics such as the Digital Music Association, an online mediaindustry defender that counts Apple, RealNetworks and others asmembers, counter that a legal precedent has already been set thatconsiders downloads private and thus exempt from performance fees. Theyalso accuse ASCAP and related firms of trying to collect doubleroyalties, of violating copyright law in trying to collect fromsamples, and simply of trying to exploit successful online stores likeiTunes. "These guys are afraid that the business model is shifting away frompublic performances to a model of private performances," DiMA executivedirector Jonathan Potter told CNET. "They aren't getting paid for thepublic performance in a download because there is no public performancein a download." Internet radio stations, including both generic streams andrecommendation-based systems like Last.fm and Pandora, already payroyalties for each song streamed online. Those with the jukeboxsoftware playing the content are at least theoretically exempt as theyonly make the stations accessible. Link: http://www.electroni...erformance.fees

Boys Will Be Girls ... By MAUREEN COLEMAN They may look like a group of gorgeous girls -- but everything is not as it seems. Dressed in sequinned hotpants and scarlet red crop-tops, these lovely ladies could be the next Girls Aloud or Pussycat Dolls. But on closer inspection -- much closer inspection -- these women are actually men. And the Lady Boys of Bangkok are heading to Northern Ireland for the first time with their sensational Mile High Tour. Billed as a 'glamourous cocktail of cabaret, dance and comedy', theflamboyant show will be performed in the Spiegeltent at Custom HouseSquare twice nightly for a fortnight from November 7 to 21. Demand is expected to be high for tickets to the top-selling show. Forthe past seven years the Lady Boys of Bangkok have entertained largecrowds at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Up to 16 sexyshowgirls (who just happen to be men) will take to the stage for anight of of cabaret, combining Bangkok's exotic nightlife with thestunning appeal of Las Vegas. The Lady Boys will perform arange of chart hits and West End musical favourites, from Riverdance toDirty Dancing and Katy Perry to Kylie. A spokeswoman for the show said: "We are delighted that the Lady Boys of Bangkok are making their Belfast debut. "It's not a vulgar show or sexual in any way, it's just a great night's entertainment, aimed at anyone and everyone." Link: http://www.californi...es/yb/135408652 I'm a straight woman, but I think some of the ladyboys are beautiful.

By Ron Corben Bangkok 17 September 2009 Political violence has done considerable damage to tourism in Asia and the Pacific over the past few years. But industry experts say the damage is not necessarily permanent. Governments and industry leaders say much can be done to rebuild tattered tourism reputations. An Indian soldier takes cover as the Taj Mahal hotel burns during gun battle between Indian military and militants inside the hotel in Mumbai As the world watched, a small band of terrorists killed scores in Mumbai last November. Although India has often suffered from political violence, this attack - aimed largely at travelers and foreigners - was a new horror. The globally televised attack, coming during an international economic slump, contributed to an eight percent fall in tourist arrivals this year. In Thailand, tens of thousands of anti-government protesters laid siege to Bangkok's airports late last year, essentially trapping more than 350,000 travelers in the country for a week. Before that shock had worn off, a few months later, another group of protesters led violent riots in Bangkok. The two incidents added to the damage from the world economy cut tourist arrivals to Thailand by 20 percent in the first six months of 2009. Phornsiri Manoharn, the chairwoman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association,says many tourists still worry that Thailand's political tensions could spoil their visits. "When people saw any demonstration like that they associate with the closing of the airport," said Manoharn."Even [though] we don't close [the airport] but they look like the demonstration, that they might and that's why they're afraid." Tourism is important to the Asia-Pacific region. In Southeast Asia, it contributes over three percent to economic output. In some parts of the region, tourism accounts for 10 percent of employment; in the Pacific island nations of Fiji and Vanuatu, the figure is over 30 percent. But as India and Thailand have seen, violence and instability quickly scare away visitors. Recovery comes, but usually more slowly than after natural disasters. John Koldowski is PATA's communications director. "What we have seen in many cases is where there is some sort of intervention effect - it's been natural or no fault of anybody - the rebound has been very quick," he said. "Where there has been intent to cause harm as in the case of a say terrorist attack - and where there has been along history of such attacks occurring in that destination or nearby destination, it takes a little longer to come back." But with the right government and industry responses, visitors will return. For instance, in October 2002, bombs set off by Islamic militants on theisland of Bali killed more than 200 people, most of them foreigners.The island, one of the world's most famous tourist destinations, saw arrivals fall by 36 percent in 2003. Koldowski said the first bombings shocked the tourism industry. "Baliis a classic case there - it took some time [to recover] because it had never occurred there before - it was so dramatic and affected specific western tourists," he said. But the Indonesian government cracked down on terrorists and boosted security. And tourism industry professionals worked hard to woo back visitors. When another attack three years later left 20 people dead, PATA reported that tourist arrivals were little affected. And twin bombings at international hotels in Jakarta last July are expected to do little damage to tourism. In South Asia, Sri Lanka and Nepal hope the end of long-running conflicts will entice more visitors. Sri Lankan officials say the end of a civil war earlier this year brought a surge of interest from foreign investors and hotel operators. Dileep Mudadeniya, Sri Lankan Tourism Promotion Bureau managing director, says there are opportunities for tourism, particularly in areas long closed off by the war. "North and east, which have not actually taken any kind of development for the last 20 years, virgin beaches, land,monuments is available and the people also come and exploit something or look at something totally undiscovered," said Mudadeniya. "We are going on the line which is 'undiscovered, unspoiled, an island of authenticity', which we can offer." In Nepal, political agreements have ended a Maoist insurgency that lasted more than a decade. Sharatsingh Bhandari The minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sharatsingh Bhandari, says Nepal's transition from conflict to peace is in itself a tourism draw. "Now we are going to form a new Nepal. So giving the message for the New Nepal and inviting the people to see, not only the prospect of tourism itself but even the process of transition of the political system from 'bullet to ballot.' That was done successfully by the Nepalese themselves," he said. Industry analysts say tourism in Asia is likely to expand rapidly over the next few years. But, the key, theysay, is that governments find ways to prevent political violence, and act quickly to calm fears when it does happen. Link: http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-09-17-voa26.cfm

I'm not seeing that at all. Which browser are you using?

Smoker, I like you already.

Neil Diamond, the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, etc. as well as some classical.

I agree. Is this possible?