Bob

That reminds me: it rained pretty hard up here in Chiangmai last night.

I've heard some get that stamp but I've never seen it. My doesn't say anything - just says (after date, name of immigration officer, and immigration office location)in capital letters: Application of stay is permitted up to 27 May 2010 (then goes on to say applicant must leave the kingdom, etc.). No reference to any kind of visa that I can see.

Heck, those poor lonely guys and gals up there ought to have access to porn just like the rest of us! hehe (come to think of it, I wonder what it's like to have sex in zero gravity....)

Well, when you responded, you should have turned towards him and peed on his shoes!

I suppose you know you've had too many when your butt only sags when you frown....

I'd bet a nickel (or more) that the old lady and at least one of her relatives signed written releases which pointed out the obvious fact that any medical procedure on somebody that age is dangerous and could be fatal. That alone, of course, doesn't excuse bad judgment by a doctor or surgeon (but, frankly, I don't know if we know enough about the case to make a good judgment about that). I've known people (people who were long-time friends and not mere passing acquaintances) that have had elective surgery well into their eighties and, while most of them turned out well, I too wondered at the time if the danger outweighed the possible benefit. But, you know, as long as I'm semi-competent, I sure as hell hope that I can get a doctor to do what I want done when I'm 80 or 90 too (and damned the consequences!).

Thanks, lvdkeyes....that provided my guffaw of the day.

If you read any of the transcript of what really happened, I'm amazed you can think that way. He drugged and raped a 13-year kid when he was in his 40's and there is absolutely nothing you can possibly say or think to minimize that. Prosecutors do take into consideration what a victim thinks and wants but a prosecutor's job is not only to make the victim "happy" (I put that in quotes as too often that's a very weird use of the word "happy"). There is such a thing as charging somebody with a crime because the person needs to be punished and there is also a time where a case needs to be pursued to send a message to the public that certain behavior won't be tolerated. A couple of decades ago, prosecutors routinely dismissed domestic violence cases at the request of the victim (usually the wife or girlfriend). And what the prosecutors and legislators found occurred was a continued string of beatings by the same agressor. That rarely happens anymore and there's a hell of a lot less repetitious violence by the same guy against the same women. If anybody truly feels sorry in any small way for Roman Polanski, I feel sorry for you.

Or to build the water pipeline to Pattaya (which for a couple of years they indicated it was progressing and might be finished in "x" number of months - when it turns out they never started building it in the first place), or to maybe think about building semi-level sidewalks, or to think about hiring somebody to re-wire the electric lines, or etc., etc. (we could think of a long list, huh?).

Yep, he doesn't do much for me in any manner (physically or politically). But I guess, in a weird sort of way, it's nice that the Republicans didn't reject him just because he posed nude when he was younger. Now, had he actually had the temerity to say he smoked pot or maybe even cheated on his wife, that might have been another story....hehe. I do get so warm and fuzzy when one of the right-wingers gets caught with his/her pants/skirt down.

I suppose that's possible - but I'd guess unlikely to happen. There aren't that many countries in the world that block websites because of political issues or free speech issues. Unfortunately, Thailand is one of them (although what they do pales in comparison to what China does).

You got it. And, with inflation, it'd be cheaper to fix the buffalo...

Or, god forbid, they end up looking like Joan Rivers! (or Michael Jackson or.....). It's god's fault (well, maybe adding a few bad behaviours along the way) that I look the way I do so he'll just have to hear about it when/if I see him. Maybe he ain't so pretty either!?!

Nah.....tractors can get sick too...

It likely won't last long. As soon as TAT or the Thai government sees any statement on Twitter or Facebook that could be mildly construed to be against any royal person or institution, they'll turn "Chinese" on us....

Believe me, you don't want to know.

I play some golf at home in the summer and have always wanted to start playing here in Thailand. But paying $158.00 for green fees, cart fee, and club rental is a bit rich even for me. The average cost at home (northern Michigan) at some fairly nice courses for green fees and cart is usually under $50.00

Not sure what type of activity you're looking for (you could have helped us a bit by saying what type of things the two of you like to do). If it's "shopping", I don't have a clue. Like parks/gardens? Try a visit to Nong Nooch (spelling?). The chinese-like Viharna (spelling) temple with the tons of bronze statuary is rather interesting if you're into that type of thing (and you can make a quick side trip to Buddha Mountain on the way back). Or, if you're into an afternoon at the beach, take the ferry out to Koh Larn and then take the baht bus (or motorsai taxis) over the hill to the rather nice beaches on the west side of Koh Larn. For a night-time show, the show at Alangkarn (again, spelling?) show is fairly entertaining. P.S. They really have "X rated" stuff in Pattaya?!? Well, I never!

I respect the office of the Presidency but that's no reason to respect people who've occupied it when they haven't done anything to earn that respect. That kind of blind adoration is for less-than-democratic dictatorships and kingdoms (and it only effectively works in those locales because of a serious lack of freedom of speech). I personally respect Jimmy Carter. I have a modicum of respect for Bush, Sr. and, while I have a bit of respect for Clinton for a few things he did (especially economically) while in office and partly due to his charitable efforts after leaving office, I really don't respect him personally. As for GW Bush, sorry, the best I can muster up for him is a less than benign antipathy.

I'm sure it's happened but I've not known of a case personally. I suppose circumcision might be an example of an operation (albiet, small) that we don't need but it's not the surgeon pushing for it. Most surgeons follow protocalls that suggest you operate if "X" happens or if "X" is the condition. But I'm sure a few don't (and/or screwed up the diagnosis in the first place). When I was working as a law clerk in a big firm during law school, I reviewed about 50 files involving defense of medical malpractice lawsuits. And, to be honest, every single case I (Mr. Fairly Ignorant About Medical Issues) was convinced right away that even I knew better not to do what the dumbass surgeon or doctor did. Two examples only: you simply don't leave a pair of pliers in somebody's chest or you don't take out his kidney when he's there to get his appendix out. Oh, and you don't sexually fondle a patient on the operating table or during a physical examination in your office. None of the lawsuits I saw involved somebody suing a doctor or surgeon just because the result was bad or because the doctor or surgeon didn't do a perfect job. All involved things that any reasonably intelligent non-medical person would have known not to do.

Not too eager to bite into a juicy slab of lab? I've not seen dog being offered for sale anywhere in Thailand but I've heard from Isaan guys that it is eaten by a few on rare occasion. I remember asking if they eat their own dogs (thinking, of course, that's a bit gross). The answer went something like this: "No, no! We would never eat our own dogs as they are our pets and family. But if our neighbor has a bad dog and our neighbor goes away for a while, maybe his dog is eaten while he's gone." [somewhat in a similar vein, a newspaper reporter was driving out in farm country and he stumbled upon a farmhouse which had a very cute pen in the front yard holding a pig with a peg leg. Thinking it'd be a good story, he stopped and asked the farmer there if he would tell him about the story of the pig with the peg leg. Well, the farmer said, about 10 years ago, our house caught on fire during the middle of the night, this pig started squealing at the top of his lungs, and he woke us all up and saved our lives! Okay, the reporter said, but what about the peg leg? The farmer continued: Well, then about 5 years ago, my boy fell into the pond over there and was drowning and this here pig jumped out of his pen, dove in the pond, pulled my boy to safety, and saved his life! Geez, Mr. Farmer, the reporter continued, I've asked about the peg leg twice and all you do is tell me stories about the pig's heroic acts! Well, good god, man, the farmer said, you simply can't eat a pig like this all at once!]

Exactly my thoughts. And the effort might have saved him a fair amount of money and a very long and boring car ride.

I'm with you, wino. Once in a while, I can look past my own pocketbook - and it's tragic that it's the "working poor" have no insurance and only ever see a doctor in the emergency room of a hospital.

Hell...hehe...I'm certain how to spell it in Thai! (Can't do thai script here but English version would be "tawng sia").

I could care about Brown or Coakley personally but I'm afraid that the win by Brown means the total defeat of any attempt to revise the health-care system in the United States, an effort that's been underway since Teddy Roosevelt. A real shame in my view. Brown, like other Republicans, say they want to include all Americans under health plans by doing it a "better" way. That "better" way, to them, is to do absolutely nothing at all to change anything of substance.