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"The Rounds"
"Generous George" Pipas Returns Three Terrorist Bombs Explode in Bali Typhoon Longwang Hits Taiwan and Southeast China Coast President Bush's Supreme Court Choices and Thailand Improved Member Benefits at Imperial Queen's Park Hotel Radio Stations Urge Consumers to Shop Locally * * * * * * * * * * Just a reminder you can sign-up for free to receive the BangkokAtoZ.com Updates (plain text) e-mail to always know when I add something new to the site or modify it in some important way. A great way to be sure YOU don't miss something of interest, best of all is that this service is absolutely FREE! * * * * * * * * * * "Generous George" Pipas Returns Saturday, October 1, 2005 George Pipas, a.k.a. "Generous George" and "The Rabbi," returned from his regular several-months-long holiday in Florida, where his wife lives full=time in Fort Walton Beach. He arrived about 12:30, despite his plane landing about 50 minutes late, getting lucky with the traffic on the motorway and on Sukhumvit Road. As is his custom, he went directly to his establishment, the Texas Lone Staar Saloon in Washington Square.
George emerges from his car
in the first 2 Predictably, the saloon was quite busy, as many of George's friends had come to welcome him home. He clearly was glad to be over the long flight, which involves 4 takeoffs and landings -- Pensacola-Houston, Houston-Los Angeles, Los Angeles-Taipei, and Taipei-Bangkok -- and takes over 30 hours, with layovers. And George is one of the many unfortunates who can't sleep on an airplane. Those of you who are friends with George but haven't had a chance to see or call him wonder about his health. He had the regular series of spinal injections he has had to have ever since falling and permanently injuring his lower back a few years ago, on the day of an earlier return from America. Those injections have given him considerable relief, though he'll have to get them again eventually. He also had a complete physical, and while a couple minor problems were detected, they are common in a person his age (and his lifestyle!), and, more importantly, can be easily controlled with medication. Other friends based in the U.S. will be making their own annual treks here over the next 2 months or so, some arriving for short stays of just a week or two, others for longer periods of 2-3 months, now that George is back. After his 41 years in Bangkok, most of them with him in the bar business, George is a legendary figure in Bangkok, and one acquainted with other legendary people such as "Mr. Patpong," Pat Landry, Jack Shirley, and Tony Po, to name just a few. (For those of you who don't know, the late "Mr. Patpong" established that most famous area of nightlife, Patpong. Landry, Shirley, and Po were active in Laos during the Vietnam War; the latter two have both passed away in recent years.) The place has excellent food at highly competitive prices. The drinks are reasonably priced. The staff, some of whom have been with him for many years, are friendly. But it is George himself who makes the bar, who is the life of the place. When he leaves to America, business invariably drops off, and not just because his trips there usually coincide with the low season -- even year-round permanent residents who come in regularly and frequently while he's here don't come nearly so often during his absences. Though George roars at his staff, customers, and even strangers in the best spirit of democracy -- that is, he spares none! -- he is noted for his generosity. On the business level, he has a Monday-Friday blue plate special for only 60 baht. In U.S. dollar terms, that's cheaper than when he held the line of 50 baht -- which he did until well after the economic crash in mid-1997. Before the crash, 50 baht was US$2.00; today, 60 baht is a little under U.S.$1.50. And it's good, solid food. On Saturdays, American Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve he always has free food for one and all. His business generosity spills over to the personal level as well. No one knows, not even George himself, how many people he has helped over the years when they where down and out. About all any of us can say is that they are legion, and some of us have benefited from his kindness. Sometimes his kindness has cost him dearly, in the pocketbook, but he just forges ahead. (He once showed me an ordinary-size cardboard box overflowing with dozens of wads of bills rubber-banded into rolls, and told me he has at least 2 or 3 more just like it -- all unpaid bills, some of the wads running into thousands and thousands of baht. When I said something about how terrible that is, he replied, stoically, something like, "That's life.") Welcome home, George. * * * * * * * * * * Three Terrorist Bombs Explode in Bali Sunday, October 2, 2005 Terrorists have struck again, this time in Bali -- again. Everyone recalls the bombing there that claimed over 200 lives, many of them Australian tourists. It's early days now -- less than 12 hours since the blasts -- so reports are uncertain, but as many as 3 dozen are said to have died and about 100 been injured. The Indonesian President immediately condemned the bombings. Update, Tuesday, October 4, 2005 Indonesian police have shown the severed heads of 3 suicide bombers in the 3 blast in Bali in the hopes someone will come forward and identify them. My views about this sort of terrorist action are well-known to longtime visitors to this site. I loathe the perpetrators and hope they rot in Hell -- after suffering a suitably slow, painful, wretched death. * * * * * * * * * * Typhoon Longwang Hits Taiwan and Southeast China Coast Tuesday, October 4, 2005 Typhoon Longwang struck Taiwan Sunday the moved on across the Taiwan Strait to hit the coast of mainland China, killing an least 1 dead, several dozen missing, and upwards of 740,000 without electricity in Taiwan alone. It is pouring rain onto a large swatch of eastern China, causing heavy flooding. About 376,000 people in Fujian Province there have been evacuated. As many as 60 military school students are feared dead there, and 3 other people have been confirmed dead, making the impact on the mainland greater than on Taiwan. The storm is causing heavy rains not only in China, but right up to the outer edge of the Yellow Sea, the entire Korean peninsula, and most of Japan. Though now weakening rapidly, the typhoon roared ashore in Taiwan packing winds in excess of 230kph/145, putting it at the top end of a Category 4 storm. On the other side of the world, Tropical Storm Otis -- which for awhile was Category 1 Hurricane Otis -- is dissipating in the eastern Pacific west of Mexico's Baja Peninsula, and Tropical Storm Stan has moved across Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Bay of Campeche, and may strengthen to hurricane strength before striking the east coast of Mexico around Vera Cruz. People in both places are fleeing the respective storms. And there's a tropical depression in the Caribbean that if it strengthens will be named Tammy, the 20th named storm of the season. Let's just hope everyone worldwide gets through the rest of the season with no more major storms. Update, Wednesday, October 5, 2005 Hurricane Stan, although "only" a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 128kph/80mph, has left at least 65 dead, 49 of them in Mexico, the rest in Central America, and at least 4 missing, feared dead. The system moved with startling swiftness after having struck the Yucatan Peninsula then moving back out to sea in the Gulf of Mexico before striking the Mexican Gulf Coast, the eye coming ashore a short distance south of the port city of Vera Cruz. Mexico's 3 major ports for oil exports on that nation's Gulf Coast closed, but no affects on oil prices were expected. My sympathies go out to the people of Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Costa Rica, and to the families of the Ecuadorean refugees whose boat was swept ashore and who died. Meanwhile, former U.S. President yesterday visited New Orleans Mayor Nagin and refugees from that city in Louisiana's state capital, Baton Rouge. President Clinton is working together with the man he bested in 1992, former U.S. President George Bush, as a surprisingly effective fund-raising duo, a role they admirably filled in the wake of last December's tsunami, which devastated a large swath of southern Thailand as well as other Indian Ocean nations. Sadly, the City of New Orleans is having to lay off about 3,000 municipal employees, reportedly about half the city's work force, as a result of the economic devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina. While I am not expressing an opinion one way or the other about the war in Iraq, it irks me no end that we Americans can find tens of billions of dollars for that war, but apparently can't find the money to keep a relatively measly 3,000 workers on the payroll. And it's not just the workers I worry about, but also the various people to whom they gave business. Restaurants. Movies. Petrol stations. Department stores. And on and on and on. . . . * * * * * * * * * * President Bush's Supreme Court Choices and Thailand Wednesday, October 5, 2005 At first blush, it may seem the U.S. President's choices to fill a rare 2 vacancies has no affect on the Kingdom. Wrong answer. In the first place, both the newly-appointed Chief Justice and the still-to-be-confirmed nominee are both constructionist, apparently rather strictly constructionist. In the second place, the new Chief Justice has limited experience as a judge, and the nominee has absolutely no judicial experience. Hell, President Bush may as well have nominated me. That means they take a very narrow view of the Constitution in particular, and of the law generally. Historically, constructionist justices have tended to support what boils down to an isolationist, unilateral approach to the world in matters of diplomacy on the part of the U.S. And there is indisputable popular domestic support for such an approach. But that sort of approach is widely seen abroad for what it is: arrogant. Being the biggest kid on the block implies no moral rights to issue global diktats, which are greatly resented, justly so. We Americans like to think it does -- but that's self-delusion. Remember the spy plane China forced down a few years ago? The Chinese weren't outraged so much by the spying, acknowledging that's something nations routinely do. They weren't even so outraged over the death of the Chinese fighter pilot who fighter collided with our spy plane. My adult Chinese students, a likeable, thoughtful, intelligent lot, were representative of wider Chinese domestic opinion in resenting what was perceived as America's belief in its God-given right to spy and in other nations' God-denied right to do the same. I don't believe most Americans ever had the slightest conception, the slightest clue, what the Chinese were thinking. But back to Thailand. What's going to happen to, say, free trade agreements if the Supreme Court issues a ruling allowing whatever administration is in power to act in arrogant "unilaterlness"? Sure, Thailand is small potatoes in many ways for America; for instance, last I knew Thailand was only America's 14th-largest trading partner. Consider the air base we built during the Vietnam War at U-Tapao, south of Bangkok. What if an administration argues we have an absolute right to use that base, even over objections from the Kingdom -- argue that since we paid for it we have an inalienable right to its eternal use? Current Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra secretly allowed us to use the base for the Iraq War, and, for all I know, is still allowing it -- but what choice does he realistically have, even given the Thai voting public's great suspicions of American motives in that conflict? All that said, it has been up to the Supreme Court to rein in the worst abuses of the American legal system; consider, for instance, that it wasn't until the 1960's that true legal equality came for Black citizens (though social equality remains elusive, due to shortcomings on both sides of the racial divide). And it was the Supreme Court which issued rulings that allowed that to happen. I just hope this new Supreme Court lives up to its heritage. * * * * * * * * * * Improved Member Benefits at Imperial Queen's Park Hotel Wednesday, October 5, 2005 I've been meaning to mention this for those who live here (or who visit regularly enough to make having a hotel membership worthwhile) but it kept slipping my mind. Anyone who has been reading this column for awhile will recall how I've raved about the amazingly inexpensive membership available at the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. What was already an excellent program offering great value for money became even better September 1st. The main difference has to do with food discount coupons. Under the previous program, a member received 3 coupons for a 50% discount for parties up to 8. Under the new program, a member receives 4 coupons for parties up to 12. And that 50% discount also applies to the service charge and VAT (Value Added Tax), which together account for 17% of one's bill. Once you use all your coupons, you get a 30% discount in the restaurants just by showing your member card. Besides discounts at the bakery, a 40% discount anytime off the rack rate for a room, etc., a membership card gives one 30% off the price of food in any of the hotel's restaurants all the time, including at the Park View Cafe at the rear of the hotel on the ground floor, where breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets are offered Monday through Saturday. The highlight of the week at the Park View Cafe, however, is the Sunday brunch (11:30 A.M.-2:30 P.M.). The non-member price is 650 baht++, the member's half that. For that, one has an unbelievable choice of foods from numerous cuisines. Though I stopped counting at a bit over 40 dishes the one time I thought to try to count, I'm confident there must be at least 60-70 dishes on offer every Sunday, including a large array of desserts for those of you who have a sweet tooth. Champagne lovers will delight at the Sunday brunch: the charge includes all the champagne you can drink during the 3 hours the brunch lasts. (Of course, that's a mixed blessing if you REALLY like champagne!) I go virtually every Sunday with a group of friends for what has rapidly become a Sunday tradition for us. In fact, I go even when I don't plan to eat just for the conviviality of being with several dear friends. Because we are regulars, we are able to have the same table reserved each week, and we often have the waitress who has become our favorite (though all the staff are excellent). Those of you who have wee ones will like another benefit at the Sunday brunch: a children's area with foods such as hot dogs and ice cream, as well as attendants to watch over your babes. The cost for that and the food? -- Nothing. That's right: the kiddies eat for free and are taken care of at no charge to Mom and Pop. The cost of membership went up -- from 3,900 baht to a mere 3,999 baht. I really don't know how the hotel can afford it, but I surely do appreciate it. The Sunday brunch is a bargain at full price -- check it out if you're a food lover. * * * * * * * * * * Friday, October 7, 2005, September and October are months of especially high tides and a couple of the prime months of the annual monsoon, so it is no surprise today that Khrung Thep is especially wet. Fortunately, there have been no reports of any serious flooding, though late last night say torrential downpours, along with unusually heavy thunder. * * * * * * * * * * Friday, October 7, 2005 Today marks the first anniversary of the beheading of Kenneth Bigley, the last of 4 Squaronians to be brutally murdered in Saudi Arabia and Iraq in 2004. Here's the roll call:
Paul Johnson (American) --
beheaded in Saudi Arabia June 18, 2004. Johnson, Armstrong, and Bigley were all 3 married to Thai ladies, Johnson's a former waitress at Bourbon Street Restaurant (Washington Square), Armstrong to a former cook at the Silver Dollar Bar (Washington Square), and Bigley to a lady from the Surin area in Isaan. Mrs. Hensley is American. It's now possible to think, speak, and write about this men without breaking down in tears -- I knew Armstrong particularly well, and was acquainted with Bigley, though I don't recall ever having met Johnson or Hensley (despite friends' claims I must have met both somewhere back along the way). At the time of Henley's brutal murder, Reuters refused to link to stories that used the word "terrorists" to describe his slayers. That was, and remains, total nonsense, and offensive nonsense at that. Those bastards were terrorists, and if they're still alive, they're still terrorists. Let's look at some definitions: From Dictionary.com -- "Terrorist: One that engages in acts or an act of terrorism." The site goes on to define "Terrorism" in this way: "1 : the unlawful use or threat of violence esp. against the state or the public as a politically motivated means of attack or coercion 2 : violent and intimidating gang activity." Bull's-eye! From YourDictionary.com -- "Terrorist: somebody using violence for political purposes: somebody who uses violence, especially bombing, kidnapping, and assassination, to intimidate others, often for political purposes." Bull's-eye! From The Free Dictionary -- "Terrorist: One that engages in acts or an act of terrorism." It goes on to this definition: "Terrorism: The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons." Bull's-eye! From The American Heritage Dictionary -- "Terrorist: One that engages in acts or an act of terrorism." Bull's-eye! I suppose those are enough definitions to make my point. I don't know which dictionary the folks at Reuters use, but it's sure not any dictionary I've ever heard of. By every definition I've ever heard, those murderous bastards who beheaded these 4 men qualify as "terrorists" -- not to mention defilers of the Koran. My heartache has eased, though it will never go away. My anger hasn't lessened one iota. And I doubt it ever will, not while I draw breath and am aware. Paul, Jack, Jack, and Ken, those of us who knew one or more of you salute your memories -- and we vow never to forget. * * * * * * * * * * Radio Stations Urge Consumers to Shop Locally Friday, October 7, 2005 The Bangkok Post has an interesting story today headlined "Radio station urges buyers to stay local" reporting that 3 community radio stations in the north of the Kingdom run spots every hour that encourage listeners to shop at local retail outlets rather than at foreign-owned superstores such as Tesco-Lotus. Support for the "home team," as it were, is certainly commendable, and the stations have gained great support from local retailers. However, there is one line of the story and one quote in the story that are rather disturbing. The line in the story is "All three stations have a policy not to accept advertising from foreign brand hypermarkets." The quote is from DJ Siroj Boonchuayluer: ''As a business, we advocate competition. But as part of the media, we can educate people, or at least encourage them to be critical. The future of local retailers is also the future of their community," a reference to the report that the stations all refuse to sell advertising time to foreign retailers. The story also says that the stations are dependent to a degree on advertising from local retailers, which is fair enough. But I wonder this: if a locally-owned superstore to open, what would be the position of the radio stations' executives to it, particularly regarding paid advertising? A sales policy of banning any given potential advertiser on the basis of nationality of the owners or location of headquarters (i.e., inside the country or outside it) -- assuming the story to be accurate -- at the very least hints at discrimination. I would hate to be in the shoes of a radio station executive in countries such as the U.S. and Canada (or television, newspaper/magazine, or other executive responsible for advertising sales, for that matter) who refused to sell advertising time or space to a company willing and able to pay simply because that company was owned by a foreigner or had its main headquarters in another country. Of course, this is Thailand, and so long as the radio stations' executives are acting within the law, then they can do as they wish. Most of my Thai friends sometimes shop at superstores for a pair of reasons: convenience and cost. They also shop at neighborhood shops when it suits their needs and wishes to do so. I don't think of them as pro-foreign or disloyal to their homeland. Were a Thai-owned company to be refused access to advertising in another country, I would fully expect the Thai government to raise the issue with the other country's government, all the way to the highest levels, if need be. For the DJ quoted -- again, if the quote is accurate -- to say "As a business, we advocate competition" is odd, given that the advertising sales policy is distinctly anti-competitive. My concerns aside, of course any government has a duty to try to help its citizens, including owners of small stores. I personally don't have many qualms about zoning restrictions, for example, aimed at least in part at assisting local merchants, since they don't have the deep pockets multi-national corporations do. I just talked to a friend since writing the above, and he made a rather cogent argument supporting the community radio stations, though I remain somewhat unconvinced. His view is that community radio stations should have the right to be supportive of their respective communities, even at the expense of foreign brands. The reason I remain unconvinced is this: I suspect that if a Thai national had a franchise on a foreign brand outlet, those stations' advertising people might sell advertising time to that person -- but not if that person were foreign. I like to think I'm wrong, but I'm not convinced I am. * * * * * * * * * * Enough for one go . . . Until next time -- Mekhong Kurt
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