Off the Ceramic Path in Chiang Mai, Thailand

My favorite little clay/ceramics shop in Chiang Mai.  

You'll always find something a little unusual along

 with the kitschy stuff.

Kitchey?

I probably own close to 20 of these little guys.   They
 adorn my house here in Thailand and in America

Dek Dek Buddah

Mythical two headed alligator sitting atop a Coral formation sculpture

Many of the artists designs are based on natural
forms. These examples are a theme and variation
 on a type of fern frond here in Thailand

I have several copies of this little guy.  All of them
 perceptably different and unique.  I"m not sure if he
has the burden of the world on his shoulders
 or the burden of his own woes on his shoulders.

Where's Waldo? Hey Where Is The GOP These Day's

Cartoon from www.IDBeditorials.com

It's not much coming out of the GOP but it's a fun little game to play.  However, it's disappointing we don't here or see much more from the GOP.  As Rush asks, "Who's  leading the GOP these days?  Anyone know his name?  We haven't heard the GOP weigh in on much of anything lately.  No comment on "Occupy America"  No comment on Fast and Furious, No Comment on No Jobs.   We'll at least they've got this little game at there website you can play with.  That's something hey?  Play the Game

Energy for America

There is a new organization and website that has been established to inform and educate American's on our current energy policy or lack of it, the availability of energy resources in America and a strategy for utilizing those resources in a safe, environmentally responsible manner and economically beneficial manner.  You can visit the web site here at Energy For America  I would encourage you to become informed on this important issue. Tapping into our natural resources is going to benefit our country not only by putting people back to work on a massive scale but it's also going to immediately reduce our foreign trade imbalance.  If we, as American's fail to take action become energy self sufficient the same thing that happened to Gary, Indiana, that I wrote about here is going to happen to the whole country.   (If the prospect of what happened to Gary Indiana and countless other Steel Mill cities across America doesn't wake you up to action nothing will.)


I've embedded a video below from the American Oil Shale Association which is related to the Energy for America approach.  This video presents a reasonable approach as simply one avenue we can utilize our own energy resources.

Again the Energy for America web site is comprehensive and I encourage to explore it. If your inclined and motivated sign up and become part of the solution.

The Best Hair Cut Anywhere In The World Can Be Found In Chaing Mai, Thailand.

If you drive down a small winding little Soi in the Nong Jom Sub District of Chiang Mai, just off the Super Highway you'll eventually come to my barber's shop, owned and operated by "Noi".  For an inflation adjusted 2 bits you'll get the best "Shave and a Hair Cut" any man has ever had.

Waiting room outside Noi's Hair Salon

For 50 Thai Baht or about $1.60 you get a hair cut, that includes a skin tight shave at the incredibly skilled and steady hands of Noi. Noi not only gives you a straight razor shave, she trims up your eyebrows, ear and nose hair and tops the whole experience off with an ice cold towel face wash which rapidly evaporates in the hot Thai climate.  She follows this up with a generous dose of talcum power to keep you dry, a "just right" refreshing spray of generic Thai men's cologne and then tops everything off with a forehead, temple and shoulder massage.  Plan on spending anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes in the chair.

Gentlemen, have a seat.

This is Called Trust.

This is Noi hard at work.  One thing to keep in mind.  You can't get a hair cut in Thailand on Wednesday.  It's very, very bad luck. Oh my Buddha.  But on any other day of the week at Noi's you can experience a total grooming experience for the proverbial 2 bits or $1.60  in today's dollar.  Actually when you adjust it for inflation it's probably a lot cheaper than 2 bits (25 cents).

Production and Sales of Nazi Logo Clothing continues weeks after scandal and appears extensive in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai Sacred Heart Nazi Sports Day Event. Photo from Pattaya Daily Mail.

Chiang Mai Market 10-11
 Photo Credit  FarmerRicky use by permission only

Chiang Mai Market 10-11
 Photo Credit  FarmerRicky use by permission only

Chiang Mai Market 10-11
 Photo Credit  FarmerRicky use by permission only

Since we are currently located here in Chiang Mai, Thailand where the now infamous Scared Heart School Nazi Day Parade Occurred.  See Here  or here at the  Bangkok Post.  I thought I'd do a little of my own investigative reporting.   What I discovered is that the dissemination and sales of Nazi clothing and paraphernalia is fairly extensive and common place in Chiang Mai.   I took these photos at the small market near the San Sai District of Chiang Mai, near Majoe University.

As you can see from the photos you can pick up a nice pair of "Super Skinny" Hitler Youth Blue Jeans for around 300 Thai Baht or around $10.00

Strangely enough the iconic image of Che is even more ubiquitous than Hitler here in Chiang Mai.  I find that fact almost as disturbing as the Hitler imagery given the fact that Che too was a mass murderer, albeit on a smaller scale, but a mass murderer none the less.  See here The Real Cuba.  Of course most Thai's walk around with Che shirts on blissfully unaware of the significance of the symbol.  Many Thai's cannot read anything other than Thai script and have no idea what the clothing they ware may say.  For example I saw an elderly Thai lady at the market several months ago with a Tee Shirt on that said,  "I only eat Pu__y" on the front and "F--k You" on the back.  I'm certain she would have been shocked to realize the statement she was making.  Maybe I should have said something?  But then how do you broach that topic?  "Excuse me...but.."  No.  It was better to have left it alone.

On the whole Sacred Heart Nazi rally issue I think what needs to be look at is who is behind selling and distributing these products.
They are very popular among young high school and College students. The fact that I can still go out to my local market and purchase Hitler blue jeans is testimony that the government isn't serious about putting an end to this Anti-Semitism   

Of all the articles I've read on the issue the The New Zealand Scoop article by Mr Ehrlich get's it mostly right.  

Photos, posters, Tee-Shirts of the Irish  Argentinean cum
Cuban Revolutionary (whom I find almost more repugnant than
Hitler) are even more ubiquitous than Hitler here in Chiang Mai. 

Amazing! The Great Sprite vs 7UP Soft Drink Mystery in Thailand Finally Solved

Or Why does Sprite taste different in Thailand and 7UP doesn't.  Or we could just leave 7UP out of this completely and let Sprite bear the burden it self.  I've been coming to Thailand for about 10 years.  One of my pet peeves here was that Sprite tasted "different" than it did in America.  I wasn't sure but it seemed like it was "sweeter"  and didn't have as "grown up" a taste.  I even when so far as to import my own Sprite when I flew over.   It puzzled me. So much in fact that I wrote to Coke of America about it and then when Coke of America said they really had nothing to do with Coke or Sprite in Thailand for that matter. So I wrote to Coke of Thailand.   They weren't much help either as they really didn't understand my letter in English too well and I'm sure they had more important things on their minds than the deranged ranting of an expat complaining about some minor taste variation of their product on his over sensitive palate.

On the Left we have 7UP by Pepsi of 
Thailand.  On the right we have Sprite
by Coke of Thailand.










Read on as I will soon reveal all.This is startling  news with I think major international implications. I dare say not even the Corporate headquarters of Coke in America is aware of the secret I am about to reveal!

This is the contents label on the side of the can of 7Up.
Now if you can't read Thai your going to have to take
my word on this but notice where it says 16%?  Yes?
 Ok well it also says 16% High Fructose Corn Syrup.
All is well.  This is as it should be.  

Now notice the contents label on the side of the Sprite

can.  See where it says 14%?  Well it also says...

14%  Sugar!  Ah Ha!  I've uncovered the secret.  

I challenge you to look at that can of Sprite your 

holding right now.  Yes you in Duluth, Minnesota

Look at it son.  That's right it says,  High Fructose

Corn Syrup.

So someone at ICoke.co.th has unilaterally, surreptitiously, and possibly in violation of the strict Product content codes of their licensing agreements with Coke of America altered the formula.


Why?  We might ask ourselves.  Yes indeed why?  Well I'll tell ya why buckaroo.  Because sugar from sugar cane is plentiful here in Amazing Thailand and it's probably a hell of a lot cheaper than processing corn for fructose.  


At first I intended to prosecute this blatant violation of my palate to the fullest extent of the law, international or domestic.  Wherever the chips may land or the fructose may spill or the cane will fall but...since my son has told me regular old sugar from cane is much better for me that high fructose corn syrup I may just let this matter drop and alter my lifestyle, as they say.  Keep your eyes open folks and don't let them try to sneak on by on ya.

Obama by the Numbers or "Are you better off today than you were 4 years ago?"

At the suggestion of our friends over at PowerLine  I'm re posting this great video that provides a concise assessment in numbers of the Obama administrations performance over the last 3 years.  When you watch the video note the header, which tells you what each metric is about, "Unemployment, Housing etc." then note the graph or chart data.  Or as President Ronald Reagan said in 1980, ask yourself "Are you better off today than you were four years ago?"

Breaking Down Stereotypes. Tea Party vs Socialist SEIU Union Protests

Pajamas-media has a terrific article here on this 

                           subject

Occupy  Everything  Andrew Breitbart's

 Journey Through #OccupyLA

What has the Main Stream Media told us about the Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Miami  Occupy Everything Protests?  Do you really want to be associated with these people?

What has the Main Stream Media told us about the Tea Party?  They are racists?  They are violent?  What group would you really want to be associated with?  Occupy Everything or the Tea Party?

Entomology Diary's

We have added a new link to one of our Favorite Web Sites today.  Entomology Diary  Is the Web Site of Matt Simon.  I call him Doctor Matt and have relied on his help and assistance over the last few years in identifing various insects I've discoverd while living in Northern Flordia and Chiang Mai, Thailand.  If you have an interest in Entomology I highly recommend that you visit Dr Matt's site.   Here are a few of the Insect's Matt Simon has researched for me.

This is a type of Grasshopper found in Thailand
species is probably
Atractomorpha

According to Dr Matt this is a superb photograph of an atlas moth (Attacus atlas, in the moth family Saturniidae). It is, I am told, the world's largest moth, with a wingspan of up to 8 inches. The species occurs in much of southeast Asia, from lowlands to highlands. The adults live only briefly - just long enough to breed. After hatching from their eggs, the caterpillars eat a variety of plants.

The species is Pterophylla camellifolia, the common "true" katydid,and it occurs widely throughout much of eastern North America. From the small size of its wings, this
 specimen is immature; the adults have much larger wings, camouflaged like green leaves, that cover the whole of the abdomen.The species is seldom seen because it lives in the
tree canopy,but individuals sometimes drop to the ground.An excellent fact sheet on this species is published by the University of Arkansas Here

 This is a millipede - a splendid specimen too. It looks as if it belongs to either the order Spirobolida or the order Julida, both of which have that characteristic rounded body. Like most millipedes, it probably eats decaying plant material in leaf-litter or soil. Also, like most millipedes, when threatened by an attacker it may ooze a smelly defensive secretion from glands along both sides of the body.

Centipedes have fewer legs and flatter bodies than millipedes, and move much faster when disturbed. Also, by contrast with the vegetarian millipedes, centipedes are all predators that subdue prey with venom injected from modified limbs just behind the head (so you have to watch out for the sharp end).

Millipede.  

Caterpillar.  Species under investigation.  Care to venture an opinion?

Caterpillar.  Species under investigation. Care to venture an opinion? 

Oh My Buddha!

Aerial Photo of Statue of  revered Thai Monk surround by encroaching flood waters.
Photo by Surapol Promsaka na Sakolnakorn

Thai Self Reliance and Inner Strength Sustain Them Through Worst Flood in Centries Millions displaced and affected

The Thai People keep on smiling all through this tragedy. They don't cry. They don't blame anyone (Too much) They save the property they can. They move to higher ground. They take care of themselves. They don't ask or expect anyone to help. If you want to help, "Up to you." they would tell you.  They are self reliant unlike many liberal and low income cry baby American's who are egged on by CNN, MSNBC, AP, ABC and who have been sucking at the trough of public welfare their whole lives expecting and now demanding a hand out. American's could learn allot from the Thai's.


Asia Pacific News Reports the Latest

Apple II +

My fist computer in 1983 was an Apple II +. It had 64 k of memory (upgrade-able to 128 K, I think.) When I purchased it, it only had a "40 column Video Card in it. You could only display 40 columns of text at a time. My big technology splurge in discretionary spending that year was to buy myself an 80 column card so I could see a "Full screen" of text on a page. What a break through that was. My next big purchase for that machine was a very high speed 300 baud modem.

Steve Jobs has left the planet

I didn't know Mr Jobs but from what I do know of his public life and his accomplishments he was a guy you you just had to admire.  If you've ever been around or associated with highly realized, highly productive human beings you'll know what I'm saying.  It's a pleasure just to watch them attack a problem and reason out a solution.  When I worked at TRW Defense and Space Systems Group in Redondo Beach California I occasionally worked with people like Jobs.  Walker Royce is one who comes to mind.Winston_W._Royce was Walker's father.   I can only imagine that Mr Jobs possessed a similar intellect.  I'm sure he will be greatly missed by family and associates.

Steven Jobs is somewhere out there

Eric Holder's Fast and Furious Gun Waker Program Finally Getting the Attention it so Richly Deserves

Pajamas Media Raises the Bar on Reporting of GunWaker Fast and Furious

US Supplied Assualt Weapons confiscated
from Mexican Drug Runners   Photo by
Jorge Dan Lopez  /  Reuters

Attorney General Eric Holder  UPI Photo

We've all heard the phrase, "Too big to fail".  This violation of US Law by the Obama Administration is now, finally Too big to go away.

President Ronald Reagan's would be assassin Hinkley could soon be released. Does the Obama administration oppose release?

Considering the magnitude of the crime we've seen very little coverage of the proposed release of President Reagan's would be assassin, John Hinkley.  Although Federal prosecutors have opposed his release we haven't had any comment, to date, from the White House on Hinkley's release from a mental hospital. Watch Larry King Interview with Reagan here. 

This is the six shot 22 caliber  revolver Hinkley used in the assassination
 attempt.  AP  Photo 

Hinkley was found not guilty by reason of insanity for shooting 4 people including, Washington D.C. police officer,Thomas Delahanty, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy, White House press secretary, James Brady and President Reagan.  But he was sane enough to meticulously plan his assassination attempt including using ammunition that would explode on impact and cause the most damage.  These Devastator rounds had to be removed by surgeons wearing bullet proof vests.

If Hinkley is released it won't be without precedent.  Harry Truman's would be assassin, Oscar Collazo's sentence was commuted by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. Nothing good came of it.  Collazo was totally non repentant.  He returned to Puerto Rico to a hero's welcome by Puerto Rican indepentance groups and was later given a hero's welcome by Fidel Castro in Cuba.  So much for gratitude.  We should have shot the son of a bitch.

South Carolina GOP Joins Florida in rush to give away half of their delegates. Why?

Today the South Carolina  GOP changed the date of their primary, reportedly only to "out distance" themselves from Florida.  Politico reports this news but they don't discuss the underlying implications of the change and why the SC GOP is willing to give up 1/2 their seats just to "out distance" themselves from Florida.  


I also see where Romney's wife Ann is now "stumping" hard for him in SC.   Is this just coincidence or is this calculated behind the scenes manipulation by Romney's operatives in cahoots with Rockefeller Republicans to ensure his nomination?

Borepatch: Should you be a Global Warming Skeptic?

Borepatch: Should you be a Global Warming Skeptic?

The beginning of a total world market meltdown or not?

We are only 26 days from October 29th?  Will history repeat itself?

Overseas Markets Slide Reports

TD Ameritrade's Briefing.com .

8:35 AM ET 10/3/11 | Briefing.com

S&P futures vs fair value: -6.90. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: -20.30. The combination of underwhelming data and news that Greece does not expect to hit a deficit target has weighed heavily on action in Europe.  Greece's Athex 20 has fallen to a loss of more than 3%...

The America I love and know

Roy's Single Action Colt

This is Roy Rogers at his best Singing, the iconic American classic " Don't Fence me In".    You can't really talk about Roy Rogers without talking about Dale Evans, Trigger, his horse and Bullet his German Shepard dog in the same breath.  I grew up with Roy and Dale and Trigger.  Roy along with Ronald Reagan on the "20 Mule Team Borax Show" instilled strong values and concepts of what a man was and what was  "Right and Wrong".

Obanma Creates a Defined Protected Class Part II

I was going to mention this in my first post on the subject but have left if for a follow up comment instead.  The news reports on Obama's Speech to Gay Rights groups and support of the repeal of Don't ask don't Tell all mention a soldier being "booed". These reports "shame" the "Tea Party" and conservatives.    In fact, this booing, as described, never happened.  But now it has passed into media fact.  Our friends at Powerline have a more complete and comprehensive explanation Here.    Democrats do not suffer from probity.