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The Bangkok A to Z Guide The complete ";" click a letter to A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X-Y-Z "The Rounds" Friday, April 2, 2004
Mekhong Kurt * * * * * * * * * * Rumor-mongering: A Bangkokian Obsession To be among the largest cities in the world, Bangkok in the context of the spreading of rumors reminds me more of a tiny village than it does a major metropolis. This was brought to mind this morning (Monday) when my friend Jim, owner of Madam Claude Bar just off Sukhumvit Soi 33, told me a customer informed him on some website there was an item about a raid the police made on the now-closed The Cave on the same soi -- and that the police went to Madam Claude and partially closed it. Jim adds he has not personally seen the item, only telling me what he himself was told. The person who told him is supposed to locate the URL and let him know. But this being Bangkok, I certainly have no problem believing such a story could circulate. I remember nearly 5 years ago, when I had to spend a few days in hospital with a couple of infections, upon my release I went to one of my favorite watering holes, one in which I like the entire staff and the owner, and was puzzled that no one would have anything to do with me and looked at me as if I had lice or something. And I knew everyone there was fond of me, so was at a loss. After several days, I flat-out asked, and was startled to be told staff members from a nearby bar had told them not to believe the report I was in hospital with 2 minor infections, but instead had gone to hospital to die of AIDS. To say I was angry would be an understatement; I went thermonuclear. And therein is the problem with rumors, anywhere. When they affect people's social interactions, they can get to be too much to tolerate. (I made sure the owner of the bar employing the offenders made it crystal-clear to all his employees not to be saying such stuff, not about anyone.) Have I myself made a mistake, both in my private life and right here on this web site? -- yes, I have. But I can truthfully say I strive not to say or write anything I don't have a reasonably strong foundation to believe. And when I discover I have said or written something incorrect, I take steps to correct it. Like most people, I don't suffer fools gladly, including those who spread rumors, whether with malice or out of plain witlessness. * * * * * * * * * * Reader Takes Me to Task Had an e-mail from a reader of my column who took me to task on 2 points from my column, one a light, almost tongue-in-cheek point, the other more serious. The former had to do with my mention of media reports that the former local licensee of Carlsberg Beer is suing the Danish parent company for US$500,000,000. The reader (a friend, by the way), asked me what kind of number "500,000,000," adding he couldn't believe the sum if he added a zero. This one is easy: in words, the sum is "five hundred million." In combined numerals and words, it's "500 million." So I'll stand by the report, in the sense that's what I read, so that's what I reported. The other point is, as I said, more serious. In my story last week about the presidential election in Taiwan, I made a passing reference to the in some ways comparable controversy over the vote count in Florida in the presidential election of 2000 in the U.S. (and made the reference in an incomplete sentence, something I've now corrected). When I wrote the sentence, I did not mean to take sides one way or the other over the outcome of that hotly debated vote count. Of course, I have my opinions, but in any case, they don't matter, either way. I assume my friend took umbrage over my use of the words "Florida flap" to refer to that controversy. Merriam-Webster Online offers as 1 definition of flap this: "a state of excitement or agitation." It lists the following words as synonyms: "commotion, agitation, confusion, dither, lather, pother, stew, tumult, turbulence, turmoil" in its thesaurus; the dictionary includes one more: "uproar." I think all observers agree there was indeed extensive political turmoil during the immediate wake of the Florida election, agree without regard of our individual opinions regarding the outcome or how it was reached. Apologies to anyone who felt I was slighting Florida voters, as I certainly meant to do no more than to draw a parallel between that occasion and the election 2 Saturdays ago in Taiwan. Likewise, apologies to anyone who felt I was implying a slight of President Bush. The story was in no way about the U.S. presidential election in 2000. * * * * * * * * * * *Another* Reader Catches Me in a Major Mistake An eagle-eyed reader caught a serious goof on the Welcome Page for BangkokAtoZ.com, in which I had written that Chinese is the native language of Thailand, obviously not the case. Though I wrote that page several years ago, I'm quite sure I meant to say one or another of the Chinese dialects is the native language of a significant number of people here, descendents of Chinese immigrants. Anyway, I've corrected and re-uploaded the page. I hope anyone who detects such a mistake will feel free to drop me a line and let me know. * * * * * * * * * * A Good Samaritan Saves Me Major Inconvenience A week or so ago, I went to a neighborhood Family Mart (a chain similar to 7-Eleven, for those not familiar with it) to use the ATM located outside its front. I conducted my business, then stepped into the store to buy something; while roaming the aisles looking for whatever it was I wanted, a young Thai lady approached me, my card in hand, her arm out, with her wearing a beaming smile; I had been wrapped up in thought whilst doing my ATM business, and of course had wandered off without taking my card. I hadn't seen her when I was at the machine, so if she wasn't around at that moment and just happened along, then I can only guess that at least one other Good Samaritan was involved -- either one of the vendors who were at the curbside or perhaps a passing pedestrian who noticed me. In any case, I don't keep a bank account locally, and my only ready access to money is to use my ATM card to access my U.S. bank account, so to have lost the ATM card would have been a major headache. Yes, I have a checkbook, and could have written a check for international collection, but that's both expensive and can take weeks, since banks here love to sit on one's money as long as possible, something that applies to an electronic funds transfer as well. In any case, ever mindful of how swift we foreigners are to criticize the Thais (and I do so myself), I like to acknowledge deserving kindnesses, which this certainly was. It was an occasion I truly regretted being unable to speak Thai; if the lady spoke English, she didn't let on. I just hope my body language and tone communicated my gratitude to her. * * * * * * * * * * Check Your Bills -- or Don't, at Your Own Peril To the best of my knowledge, in my decade here I've never been cheated in a bar or restaurant here in The Land of Smiles. But I have heard stories along the way, in some instances heard them from reliable sources. I heard a couple such stories over last weekend, and thought I'd mention it here. In one case, the person said he expected a bill of about 40% less than he was actually charged. In his instance, the amount was rather piddling, but the principle remains the same. In the other case, the person said his bill was at least double what it should have been -- and in his case, the amount was *not* negligible. Even in 5-star venues, it pays to be aware of what you've ordered; innocent mistakes do happen. And while most people in most venues are honest, there's always the secret thief. A fair number of bars put your tickets into a cup and place it in front of you. As a matter of habit, I always check my bills before paying, and I keep in mind what I've ordered. In rare instances, it's unfortunately true that if you don't do this, someone will "stuff your cup." There are several ways this can be done, but I won't go into them here. (Besides, why give any novice wannabe thief any ideas???) That said, I have little sympathy for someone who goes out, gets roaring drunk, is buying rounds for the house right, left, and center in a crowded venue, then wants to argue his bill should be, say, 1/20th of what the bar personnel say it should be. If you want to do this -- pay as you go. Some places, especially nicer venues, resist this, but if I have my doubts (especially if I've heard a reliable story about a place), I tell them point-blank, "Okay, if I can't do that, I'll go elsewhere" -- and proceed to do so. A related point is the signing of tabs. In a number of the venues I go, I'm long-known and well-established, and can sign my bill if I forgot to stop at the ATM or whatever. Of course, just as the owners of these places trust me, I trust them and their employees -- but even in them, I check my bill, and write the total on the back, where I also sign my name -- and add random Chinese characters in my [horrendous] Chinese handwriting. And when you go to pay such a bill, make sure the cashier stamps each ticket "PAID," or, as is common here, partly tears all the tickets physically, so there can be no dispute later. The venues I favor are less tourist-oriented than are several of the city's major entertainment areas, which may account for why I've never had any problem with cup-stuffing, etc. If so, then visitors to the more obvious tourist places need to be even more alert. Just use your head (something a lot of Western men here for the first time seem to find impossible to do; Old Thai Hands joke that such people leave their brains at the Customs warehouse when they enter the Kingdom! -- and in truth, in poetic terms it's far too often *not* a joke, as many a wiser -- and poorer -- man has learned the hard way). * * * * * * * * * * New Non-Immigrant Visa Procedures for the U.S.A. A friend of mine, a retired U.S. Army officer, sent me an e-mail with a copy of information he got from the U.S. government about a procedural change in the applying for a non-immigrant visa to enter the U.S. That information is below:
VISA - U.S. ELECTRONIC FORM DS-156: The
State Department has
Applicants must complete the EVAF online, print
the form and a barcode As the information suggests, this should indeed make it more convenient for applicants and consular personnel, with a couple of caveats: First, applicants who don't know how to use a computer will be at a disadvantage, but in a great number of such cases, they will know at least one other person who can assist them. Second, while Internet outlets have sprung up pretty much all across Thailand, making access at worst tolerably convenient for even tiny upcountry villages, that's not true in every country in the world. And there are political considerations; I imagine the dictators in Burma will love this; they already tightly control even fax machines -- the possession of which without a license is a criminal offense in that benighted country. Then there are countries such as China; if the Maoists ever get the chance, I'm quite confident they will close off access to at least the appropriate web site. And what about truly impoverished countries with little Internet access *and* a large area -- citizens in such places may have to travel great distances. But even with those caveats, this is a step in the right direction to make procedures more convenient all the way around. * * * * * * * * * * The Passing of a BBC Broadcasting Legend The justly famous Alistair Cooke, a BBC broadcaster for nearly 60 years, passed away this week at age 95. Cooke adopted America as his second home decades ago, and built his global reputation in part on his well-received and deeply admired "Letter from America" series, the first of which was broadcast in 1946, the last in early March, 2004, an astonishing run of 58 years. The series centered on Cooke's unabashed admiration of Things American, but make no mistake: he was the eternal Briton, with an almost regal presence and a beautiful, melodious speaking voice. Yet no matter what conflict of the day might have existed between America and Britain, he was an ever-welcome presence on American airways, both radio and television. I first became aware of Cooke as a teenager in the 1960's, and immediately fell in love with his shows. Of course, as an American myself I couldn't help but be gratified by this British icon's love of my homeland, and impressed by his kind but incisive takes on American life. He reminded me of another famed broadcaster, CBS's journalist-turned-chronicler Charles Kuralt, who rose to international fame with his broadcasts and book "On the Road." (Kuralt passed away, fittingly, on July 4, 1997 -- America's Independence Day. There's a tribute site to him at http://www.rememberingcharleskuralt.com fans may like to explore; no doubt someone will set up a similar site for Cooke.) * * * * * * * * * * Another European Icon Passes from the Scene The deeply loved former Dutch Queen, Princess Juliana, died March 20th, something I didn't know until reading a story about her funeral. Her Royal Highness inherited the throne from her mother, Queen Wilhelmina, who abdicated in 1948 to make way for then-Princess Juliana to ascend to the throne, which has been occupied by Queens since 1890, when Wilhelmina inherited the throne (though her mother served as Regent because Wilhelmina was only 10 at the time, serving in that role until Wilhelmina turned 18. Juliana followed her Mother's lead, abdicating in favor of her daughter, the current monarch, Queen Beatrix. Princess Juliana was 94 years old at the time of her death. I got this information from a well-done site dealing with royalty at http://www.royalty.nu/Europe/Netherlands.html, which has a number of links to news stories, information on other royal families, etc. Juliana was a very informal monarch, which greatly endeared her to the people and ensured the survival of the monarchy. I remember seeing news clips of her during her monarchy meeting both her subjects and ordinary foreign guests, and even on television she came across as a warm, kind, gentle woman, and one not full of herself at that. In some sense, Juliana can be compared to our own King here in Thailand, in that she commanded considerable respect from a populous she ruled in a nation organized as a constitutional monarchy. True, she didn't command the reverent admiration bordering on worship His Majesty the King rightly receives, but she was loved and respected by her subjects, and admired by people the world over. Even we who never had the honor of meeting former Queen Juliana are the poorer for her passing. * * * * * * * * * *
New Shopping Mall Set for A report in The Nation Wednesday said that a new 3-storey shopping mall is planned for construction between Soi Ekamai Soi 6 and Soi Ekamai Soi 8, with a target opening date of mid-year next year. Some nurseries (the garden type) will be dislocated, but the one nursery owner quoted in the story had a great attitude about having to move out of his premises of 40 years. While in some ways such a mall will be welcomed by many area residents, the certain increase in traffic congestion -- SOi Ekamai is not a particularly wide street -- will displease many. You can read The Nation report here. * * * * * * * * * * Lovers of the Night Sky Have Much to Celebrate There's so much space news coming out these days that it's hard to keep up with it all, even for an avid fan like me. The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the most distant images ever taken, peering back to nearly the beginning of the universe. Some have a bit of difficulty grasping the concept of looking "back through time," but that's precisely what astronomers do when they look at galaxies and stars remote from Earth. The answer is deceptively simple, if one suspends a terrestrial viewpoint of distance. Light has it's own speed limit, so over vast distances even it takes measurable time to travel. For instance, the Andromeda Galaxy -- visible to the naked eye -- is so remote it takes 200 million years for light coming from it to reach us. So, if you walk out under the night skies and look at it, you are seeing it as it appeared 200 million years ago, not as it is today. Heck, today it might not even exist (though there's no reason to suppose that's true). So, when astronomers look at objects whose light take 12 or 13 billion years to reach us, they are viewing those objects as they appeared in the universe's infancy; it'll be another 12 or 13 billion years before the light they are emitting right now reaches this corner of the cosmos. Anyway, go to http://hubblesite.org to see the latest (and many other) images from this telescope, which has provided thousands upon thousands of some of the best deep-space views we've ever seen. Here's the oldest look so far of the early universe:
Galaxies Captured in an Image Meanwhile, the Cassini spacecraft has captured the most dramatic pictures ever of Saturn, arguably the most beautiful object visible in the night sky, and certainly the loveliest of the planets orbits our own star, Sol. You can see some of its photographs here. And here's just one example of the superb photographic exploration of The Ringed Planet and its moons that Cassini is doing:
Saturn in a Photograph Taken through a
Blue Filter (The use There's much going on in the skies over our heads; I haven't even mentioned the twin Mars rovers, one of which is sitting at the edge of an ancient sea or lake, indicating The Red Planet may once have supported (or been able to support) at least micro orgasmic life -- the foundation of any life. Finally, in the closing week of March, observers at dusk could see 4 of the 5 planets known to the ancients in the western sky: Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn. At the same time, a brilliant Jupiter dominated (as it still does) the eastern sky. I have been fascinated with the night sky since early childhood. My parents bought me an inexpensive 4-inch refractor scope, and despite the inherent limitations in such a telescope, I was able to learn far more than one might imagine possible. I can't understand how any person of normal intellect and curiosity about the world and the cosmos in which it exists can possibly be unimpressed with the night sky, even without visual aids. In clear weather from sites with little or no light pollution, the Milky Way -- our home galaxy -- is a magnificent ghostly river stretching horizon to horizon, and roughly defines the part of the sky through which the planets move in their own orbits around the sun; one name for the Milky Way in Mandarin is "Heavenly River," an appropriate name. And the Moon, from when it's a tiny sliver through its full phase and back again before it disappears temporarily from view can be a truly breathtaking sight. Even if you live in an urban setting, take a moment after supper to stroll outside on a clear night a cast a glance around the sky. The major constellations are evident, even to the untutored eye. When Venus, Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn are visible, they can be jewels of varying color set against the velvet of space. When I was young, I spent many a night outside, often sleeping there, binoculars at hand. It was a refuge from my childish worries, that gazing at a universe I could barely comprehend (if at all). The sheer beauty of it all provided solace -- and still does. Just the other night when I saw a young Moon suspended in the western sky near a brilliant Venus at the end of a particularly trying day, I just stopped and looked for maybe 2 or 3 minutes. And I felt the better for it. Okay, time to get off this soapbox . . . * * * * * * * * * * E-mail Change Notification Sign-up Sign-up here for e-mail notification when I add or change something on the site. Just go to the sign-up page. * * * * * * * * * * Where Is *Your* Name??? So you've been a slacker and still haven't signed up for the free BangkokAtoZ.com Updates Mailing List??? ;-) Well, get with the program and sign up right now to be notified via e-mail whenever we add something to the site -- that way, you don't even have to visit the Updates Page to see if there's anything new -- we'll let you know by e-mail. If you want to sign up, just go to the sign-up page. I'm pleased to say that more and more of you are signing up, and I urge all of you not to hesitate! * * * * * * * * * * Where is *Your* "Traveller's Tale"??? Got a "Traveler's Tale"? -- send me a line! Just send me a *query* note at MekhongKurt@BangkokAtoZ.com. * * * * * * * * * * Linking to BangkokAtoZ.com If anyone reading this has a website and would like to place a link there for BangkokAtoZ.com, you can copy-and-paste the banner and text link below into your site; they are live links to this site's homepage:
I'll appreciate an e-mail telling me the URL of where you placed it. If you want me to put a link on BangkokAtoZ.com for your site, do tell me where you have placed our link, and I'll give you a link in a comparable position, of the same nature (i.e., banner-for-banner, text-for-text). * * * * * * * * * * Enough for one go . . . Until next time -- Mekhong Kurt
Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 by Kurt T. Francis , except as noted otherwise. Materials by Christopher G. Moore, Dean Barrett, Richard K. Diran, Sonia Pressman Fuentes, and Hardy Stockmann are copyrighted © by those respective authors. All rights reserved. Please see the Copyright Notice for further information. Click here for our Privacy Statement Please direct all inquiries to mekhongkurt@bangkokatoz.com Disclaimer Notice. (You'll need to read the 9th paragraph down.) |
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Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 by Kurt T. Francis, except as noted otherwise. Materials by Christopher G. Moore, Dean Barrett, Richard K. Diran, Sonia Pressman Fuentes, and Hardy Stockmann are copyrighted © by those respective authors. All rights reserved. Please see the Copyright Notice for further information. Click here for our Privacy Statement Please direct all inquiries to mekhongkurt at bangkokatoz.com |
