Bigal's Web Site

 What on earth is going on when an England manager (who as we all know he's not even English) feels he must resign his post because he defended the very English principle of innocent until proven guilty.
It is time to rename Speakers corner as Gagging close. 

Hilary Swank and Jean-Claude Van Damme have been in Grozny at the birthday bash of the president.

That is just not cricket seems to be the view of certain human rights groups as they maintain the president is thought, by some to have committed human right abuses.
What about the human rights of those who are innocent until proven guilty? Do the human rights groups now believe it is correct to attack the innocent?

Is it just me? Here we are in a financial crisis that I see no one with a clue how to recover from. It arose, in part, by brushing the dirt under the carpet. Debt was hidden until, you just couldn't get any more under the rug and the truth became more and more obvious. BUT
In what looks like "The Emperors new cloths II" here we are, being told the writing off Greece's debt whilst understanding they cant pay it anyway is not a default. NOT a DEFAULT? what the hell is it?
Unless we start with the " if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck it most likely is a duck" we are in the shit.

A lot of this site is travel so I thought it would be good to blog my trip to England. Today is Wednesday, it is the morning and it is pissing it down here in ChiangMai. The rainy season is not going to give up without a fight. Just my case to pack now and a few things to order from Amazon, the very weak pound sterling is making it worthwhile to buy stuff in the UK. So off to pack.

Libya, Gaddafi vanishes, will he haunt the west as did Bin Laden? What now as deadlines pass and post was possibilities of a power vacuum emerge?

Widely spread all over the Thai new yesterday was that Thailand had moved into the upper middle income range according to the World Bank. This indicates that the GNI (gross national income) per person is in the $4000-$12000 range (rounded slightly).
As I went on my cycle ride yesterday this news made me think and look at how this was effecting things here in Thailand. There are a number of things that are slowly disappearing, for example virtually every car park at a mall or supermarket used to be manned. Now most of the supermarkets have dispensed with this and it is apparent they have outsourced trolly collection too!
Most petrol stations (gas stations) were attendant operated but now, whilst the majority still fill your tank for you and clean the windsheild, there is a growing number of self service stations appearing.
Perhaps the most noticeable change is the move to automation and mechanisation. Tasks once predominately performed manually are being converted to mechanised operation. Tractors so farmers can cultivate large areas instead of the manual cultivation of a small area, harvesters to well, harvest the crops instead of gangs of locals. Here are a couple of pictures taken on my rides round. 

So what does the future hold for Thailand and it's people? The unbelievable fertility of the land gives the ability to grow crops in abundance. But the labour intensive farming methods are being replaced at quite a rate so where do the workers go? Into the tourist industry? well maybe but Thailand's tourism is well down on a few years ago probably as a result of the combination of global financial problems, the Thai protests and a high baht making Thailand more expensive as a destination. Ignore any official figures you see and just look at the number of businesses that are closed down or for sale and you will get the picture. Industry perhaps but again the high Thai baht and new minimum wage rules may deter investment in a land where there are obstacles to overseas investment and ownership. Interesting times indeed.

It was cool, in Thai terms at 5.45am yesterday as we set off on a near 500km round trip to the cremation of a relative in law, not that I new him but Pin did. Over the hills to ChiangRai. We intended to call at one of our favourite stops the Doi Chaang coffe place on the 118 before Chiangrai for coffee and breakfast but as we approached we could see it was yet to open, the opening time of 7.30 is based on Thai time. We eventually stopped at some 30km from our final destination.

There is something quite unique about Thai cremations with friends and family gathering for days before the final day of the cremation, there is a mix of social meeting with enjoyment and sorrow.

Having had a late breakfast we were not ready to eat so we nipped up to another in-law relative. She broke her hip a bit ago so we brought a wheelchair. Then down to the crematorium where I got a shock as I was expected to place one of the ceremonial cloths for collection by the monks.

So that was Monday, brush your head with water as you leave and then the drive home. Interesting, some challenges and a little tiring but all in all a unique day.

Lets see if I understand this... The USA has no money and has borrowed gigabucks to carry on living as if it still earned a living. Now it needs to borrow even more to pay back some of the earlier loans. In doing so it expects to justify AAA credit status... 

So the Islamic faction that rules the areas that the UN says there is famine in Somalia maintain the UN not only have got it wrong as there is NO FAMINE but also that the UN has a political agenda in saying so. Food aid is not to be allowed. If there is a famine and people die the Islamists are murderers plain and simple whilst if there is no famine the UN needs to be disbanded.

Lets face is the European flapping about with so called rescue packages are doomed to fail and simply there to hide that fact that they got it wrong! It is time to stop messing about, prolonging the agony and costing everyone money. Greece cannot afford the Euro, let it go...