Facts and News from/about Kingdom of Thailand

[pakarang]

From Thailand's New Year - SONGKHRAN - last month, Bangkok Post...

Wonderful to see these old photographs from BKK!

[pakarang]

Not so good news from T.... rules, restrictions, not allowed this and that... and read in Bangkok Post that the open air market Jatujak might get demolished within the next few years.

Shop rents have dramatically increased and some people has just realized that the land is worth nearly 500 million Baht.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/469664

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-...g-eating/48362

Bangkok tourist harassment by Thai police officers in certain areas...: http://www.vg.no/forbruker/reise/med...er/a/23393376/

(Tourists as in white people, are stopped on the street, ransacked, asked for ID and to pee in a bottle on the street for drug testing).

7 new laws affecting tourists in particular: http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/udland/2015/02/06/155321.htm

(Eating sandwish on the street is now illegal, reading some books in public is illegal, make the handsign from Hunger Games (?) is illegal, smoking water pipe is illegal, playing a certain computer game is illegal, post political criticism in social media is illegal and partying on selected beaches is also now illegal).

[pakarang]

Happy Thai New Year everyone:

http://www.captainsvoyage.com/its-a-...-new-year.html

[ombugge]

Here is a news story from Thailand that defies logic: http://www.myfatpocket.com/gossips/m...n=promoarticle

Some questions:
- What was he planning to do with all these babies?? To produce voters for an election in xx years time looks the least plausible explanation.
- How did he impregnate the surrogate mothers?? The normal procedure for surrogate birth is by implanting a fertilized egg from a wannabe mother and father, which is obviously not the case here. Artificial insemination??
- Who is this fellow?? He obviously had money, as he could hire surrogate mothers and maids to look after each baby. He even opened investment accounts for all of them.
- The children have legal Birth Certificates, but who's name appear as Mother and Father?? Normally the "Parents" who had donated egg and sperm would be the named.
- What is the legality of such "transactions" in Thailand?

Here may be an answer to some of the questions: http://www.chiangraitimes.com/japane...d-custody.html

And here some more answers and explanations: http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/articl...rrogate-babies

Curious case, if you ask me.

[ombugge]

More serious news from Thailand: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...t/2105948.html

This will delay return to civilian rules by at least a year, if that was actually planned by the junta.

[pakarang]

FILMAVISEN is a wonderful historical look into the archives of Norwegian Broadcasting. These short films was once upon a time created to be shown ahead of movies at the local cinema before everybody had a TV at home. There are a LOT of pearls within these short films in black and white.

This one - episode 38/1960 from September 1960 shows first a shot of HARALD JARL in Trondheim (first year she was sailing) as well as the opening of Trondheim Maritime Academy.

The second part of this episode shows something I had always wanted to see, and never found before.... the 1960 royal visit to Oslo, Norway, by HM King Bhumibol and HM Queen Sirikit of Thailand.

I hope you are able to see this from your side of the world...

https://tv.nrk.no/serie/filmavisen/F...874/22-09-1960

[ombugge]

In the clip about the Thai King and Queen's visit to Oslo in 1960 it is mentioned that they were sailing on the MV Jutlandia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Jutlandia
This ship and her sister ship MV Selandia,built 1938, sailed between Copenhagen and Bangkok with Pax and cargo.

[pakarang]

Thanks for the information on the ship, the JUTLANDIA.

Interesting story - tried finding some interior photos of the ship but there aren't too many. I really wonder what it would be like on board.

[ombugge]

Thanks for the information on the ship, the JUTLANDIA.

Interesting story - tried finding some interior photos of the ship but there aren't too many. I really wonder what it would be like on board.

If I remember right, on one of her last trips she became famouse in Singapore. The then Harbour Board had just announce that they had replaced a beacon on Eastern Anchorage that had been damaged several time with an unsinkable buoy produced in Japan.

A couple of weeks later the Jutlandia hit the buoy. It was cut in two and sank instantly.

[pakarang]

WAOW! That is some story, and an end to remember!

Interesting to say at least!

[ombugge]

Monkey hear, monkey run for cover:
https://www.vgtv.no/video/150561/skr...-av-fyrverkeri

[pakarang]

Monkey hear, monkey run for cover:
https://www.vgtv.no/video/150561/skr...-av-fyrverkeri

That would be a scary sight if I was seeing this myself - not knowing why they are all running away like that!

[pakarang]

As I have mentioned probably many times before, I have a Thai family in southern Thailand. They are a group of truly amazing people, and they make music that to me, is as amazing as butterflies filling my stomach. Their lyrics, sounds and texts are something that touches me deep in my heart. Not only that, but they are the nicest people I could have dreamed of calling my family. We are brothers.

Recently, they also made a movie that I have probably seen 10 times already. The movie can also be found on youtube, and it's got English subtexts in case (southern) Thai language is not your strongest side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkSjU-Oc9As

[pakarang]

In these days of so much "fake news" and "photoshopped truths", I have no idea if this is a film-trick or actual reality... I have never seen or heard about something so beautiful.

There are other videos on youtube too, so this is probably real.

The mantis in the film is just stunning.... imagine how rich our nature is when it's able to create such a masterpiece!

[Seagull]

It's real! Here's a link to some research that has been done on how the species has evolved. It seems the orchid-like appearance is not a disguise to avoid predators, but a means of attracting other insects to prey on!

http://naturalsciencenews.com/2016/1...antis-evolved/

The discussion of the different appearance of males and females (s e x ual dimorphism) is particularly interesting to me having worked on extinct fossils. A palaeontologist can't directly observe the behavour of extinct species like a biologist can. There have been some cases where two different species had been discovered and each given a name, but which from later evidence were found to have been males and females of the same species!

Nature is indeed amazing.

[pakarang]

Interesting video listing Thailand's history in just 5 minutes.... notepad ready!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfOMEP_7AJM

[pakarang]

Have you seen this Thai resort where the rooms have been made inside old cross-country buses?

Apparently, they call this resort a "luxury resort", though I belive they mean luxury as in the Thai version.

No matter what level this resort claims to be, if I ever get to Khao Chao Khao Krua, Khao Chakri, Sa Kaeo, I will HAVE TO spend a night here to find out myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWpT1W_TANs