Smoking will be banned in all air-conditioned entertainment venues throughout the country next month, according to the Ministry of Public Health.
The new ban, expected to be imposed on Feb 17, will stop smokers from smoking in nightclubs, pubs and open-air markets including the Chatuchak weekend market, said Dr Hatai Chitanond of the ministry's Health Promotion Institute.
"We believe there will be some resistance from operators of nightclubs and pubs because they may fear the ban will reduce their customers," he said. "I'm willing to talk to them more about the ban if they rally."
Outdoor restaurants will be required to set up nonsmoking areas.
Those breaking the restrictions will face a fine of 2,000 baht. [via Bangkok Post]
Ed. Yes, oh yes, brilliant news. I'm a non smoker and grew up in an age when everybody did it. Any role model you care to name smoked, movie stars, sports stars, teachers, parents, siblings, school prefects behind the bike sheds, they were all at it. I was in a silent majority that just accepted it, secondary inhalation and all. Many of those role models have gone and not a few to weed related illnesses.
As you might already have gathered, there'll be no tears shed at Pattaya Rag for this common sense ruling so send your protest letters elsewhere. Also, given the militant attitude of non-smokers these days, I don't think bars will be able to ignore this ruling for too long. Camel Quislings will be everywhere. Happy days. I'm that happy I'll probably hit the town tonight to celebrate. Pop a couple of E's, a couple of V's, sink 10 pints and bareback the girl of my choice till sunup. There's not an anti-social bone in my body.
Not So Sierra Tangos
- Mulphy posted the following today on the Pattaya-Live.com forum and it makes interesting reading.
Quote:
Well folks, the high season as we know it, didn't happen. Sure we had a rise in numbers particularly between Xmas and new year, but as soon as new year was gone, so were the people. Usually Pattaya is busy from mid December, it didn't happen either and usually it goes on until the end of January, but as I said it was over within a week.
Sure, there are more people in town at the moment than on average for any other time of the year but well down on average for this time of the year.
The people I see are mostly couples, which is becoming more and more of a trend here in Pattaya, though I fail to see why and gangs of pissed up younger guys, patrolling the streets, tops off, bottle of beer in hand. The younger guys for me are the most unwelcome sight in Pattaya, well they are if they are going to go around in groups of 12 or whatever, without shirts and misbehaving like they do in Aya Napa, Ibiza or Corfu.
Mega Russians around, particularly near Walking Street and in any shopping centre you might venture into. I'd estimate Russians to be at least one third of all the tourists here right now .
Many well known faces and Pattaya regulars are not to be seen, in fact I'd venture to say the number of European tourists is at an all time low.
If I didn't have 4 or 5 mates in town right now I wouldn't be seeing any difference in my till from the lowest part of the season, its that bad. We are not the worst effected bar around, I see many bars struggling for any customers and I ask myself will these places survive for very long.
L.K. Metro where I am is now into its 3rd full year in business and it had been growing up and building up nicely. Everyone was predicting this year would be the year it would finally get more recognition and become a lot busier, but in all honesty, I'm no too sure anymore if the last week or so in supposedly high season are anything to go by.
I can see many small businesses going to the wall this year, in fact many are already up for sale.
Unquote.
Ed. My personal take is many regulars came in just before the airlines hiked their fares and won't be back until the fares fall back again. I mentioned the surge in my posts at the time. That said many bars and go go's are running on skeleton staff and one barkeep said he won't have his full complement of girls back from bar fines until Jan 13. What could be happening here is the girls are being bar fined and taken off to the islands which brings zero financial benefit to bars and restaurants around Pattaya.
I say this with only mongering experience to back it up but the bars that appear to be prospering are the ones that cater for resident expats. Any tourist trade is a bonus but having a core group of resident regulars seems to make bars profitable regardless of season. Easy to state the bleeding obvious but how you tap in this market is beyond my ken.
The Russians with mega bucks to launder have clearly targeted the Walking Street and we could well see more establishments falling in to their hands in 2008. This is one group that is quite capable of going head to head with all other mafias in the night time industry.
Sierra Tangos
- I'm late to the party on this one. I read an article in the Bangkok Post today about the slang words/phrases Australians want adding to the dictionary. One popular choice was arse antlers, a phrase used to describe the tattoos women have tattooed on their lower backs. It's a common place site here in Thailand and which ever bar room lawyer came up with it, it's spot on.
- File Sharing Roundup - the only ones you'll ever need [via MakeUseOf]
Drop.io - Anonymous and Private File Sharing
Drop.io is a terrific private file sharing and collaboration service. It is a great way to share video, photos, audio, docs etc. What would make your hearts burst with joy is the no-registration aspect. No email, no personal details or names - nothing! You are free to create as many drops (as they call it) as you want. Then, just shoot a link over to your pal and that’s it!
Adobe Share - Document Storage and Sharing
Online document storage and sharing service from Adobe. It’s pretty and simple. After you register, they provide you 1GB worth of online storage space for your documents. The service allows you to share documents either with a list of named contacts or with everyone on the web. All you need to have is an Adobe ID, which you can get here.
AllPeers - Sharing Files Straight from the Browser
AllPeers is cross-platform (Win, Mac, Linux) Firefox extension that lets you easily share files and webpages with friends right from the browser sidebar. It’s a feature-rich file sharing software that is fully-integrated with your Firefox browser. If you share files on a regular basis with lots of different people then definitely check AllPeers out. Check out
Pownce - Quick Mid-sized File Sharing
Awesome tool to send messages, share mid-sized files (up to 10 MB) and links, plan upcoming events and more. Only the people you choose get to see what you send. It can be accessed from the web or via desktop client. The free account has some file-size limitations - up to 10 MB in size, Premium gives you 100 MB file-size, ad-riddance, and a wider variety of themes.
DivShare - Unlimited File Sharing for Heavy Users
Another widely popular online file storage and sharing service. No storage limits. No download limits. Your files stay online forever. Integrate DivShare into Wordpress, Facebook and even your iPhone! Blogs can quickly and easily add their name, URL and logo to their hosted file pages via the dashboard.
- Mini Microwave - You know you’ve done it - you’ve been sitting at your desk and your coffee is cold. Or you think “wow…I would love to heat up my mama for lunch but I know there’s a line for the microwave in the kitchen”. You wish you had your own
microwave. What if you had your own a personal, portable microwave? Forget all those trips to the kitchen or treks to the cafeteria — now you can reheat coffee and mama right at your desk or nuke some soup for your brown-bag lunch.
The innovative Iwavecube personal microwave has all the electronic controls and safety features you expect, but it takes up less than a cubic foot of space. Plug it in anyplace that’s handy — work or home office; home gym; family room; nursery; wet bar; dorm room; work bench; pool house.everywhere! The quiet, super-energy-efficient iwavecube measures just 10″ x 10.5″ x 12″ and weighs only 12 lbs. Features a built-in carry handle and view-through door. Plugs into standard outlet.
I’m not sure I want to spend $129.95 on a coffee warmer. But if having a tiny, tiny microwave is something you’ve always dreamed of, then you can pick one up over at the Sky Mall. [via Coolest Gadgets]
- This is not good news for the HD DVD camp if it turns out to be true. According to The Digital Bits, Paramount and Universal will be following the footsteps of Warner Brothers and making the big switch to Blu-ray. That means that HD DVD is seriously wounded in this battle and they’re about to lose big-time to Blu-ray. Whose behind HD DVD you’re wondering? Well, it’s mainly Toshiba and Microsoft and I’m sure they’re not too happy at the moment. [via Cybernet]
- Test If Your System's Got What It Takes To Run A Game - web site Can You Run It determines whether or not your PC can run any of a number of popular video games by checking your computer's specs against the minimum and recommended r
equirements of said games. Just browse to the homepage, pick the game you want to check, and click the Can You Run It button. The site will require you to install a Java applet to run the test (presumably so it can determine your hardware configuration) and then quickly returns the results. If you fail a test, Can You Run It offers hardware recommendations for upgrading your system so it can handle those games. [via Lifehacker]
Ed. I tested my system for Call Of Duty 4 and it failed with an under spec graphics card. It confirmed what I already knew cause I'd already bought the game and couldn't get it to work. Neat utility if you don't mind it running Java apps on your system.
- Iga in a school girl's uniform - w' w' w' w' works for meeee
- An Irish daughter had not been home for over 5 years.
Upon her return, her father cussed her, "Where have ye been all this time? Why did ye not write to us, not even a line? Why didn't ye call? Can ye not understand what ye put yer old mum through?"
The girl, crying, replied, "Sniff, sniff .... dad .... I became a prostitute ...."
"Ye what??!! Out of here, ye shameless harlot! Sinner! You're a disgrace to this family."
"OK, dad .... as ye wish. I just came back to give mum this luxurious fur coat, title deed to a ten-bedroom mansion, plus a savings certificate for $5 million.
For me little brother, this gold Rolex.
And for ye, daddy, the sparkling new Mercedes limited edition convertible that's parked outside, plus a membership in the country club..." ... (takes a breath) ... "and an invitation for ye all to spend New Year's Eve on board me new yacht in the Riviera, and ...."
"Now what was it ye said ye had become?" says dad.
Girl, crying again, "Sniff, sniff .... a prostitute, dad! .... sniff, sniff."
"Oh! Be Jesus! Ye scared me half to death, girl! I thought ye said a Protestant. Come here and give yer old man a hug!"
Note: You need to click on the Paris photo to get a proper look!! Goes to prove, you can't buy class.
No comments:
Post a Comment