John Birmingham’s latest, Without Warning has showed up on Amazon. Looks great, although it isn’t out in the US until February. If I make it to Asia again this fall, I may get it early … as I was able to do with Final Impact, since they get the Aussie editions at some of the Kinokuniyas there (can’t, at this point, remember if it was the Singapore one or the then-new Siam Paragon one in Bangkok.)
It does lead to the interesting question of whether to pre-order (then cancel, if I get it in Asia) or whether to wait to see if the fall vacation (A) happens, and (B) if it’s Asia or Buenos Aires… lots of steak plus the 32.5k mile Citi award (*) make for a tempting option, even with hotel and other prices once I’m on the ground so much higher.
(* vs 40k usually, and 70k for Asia… seeing as I’ve made PLT for the year, this is a good chance to burn miles rather than earn them.)
This has been on my facebook page for a while, but I saw I could embed it here, so here you go…
…or not. But points for creativity either way:
Fed up with jet noise, couple raise the roof
ARMED with white roof sealant and three choice words, a Ridley Township couple has bypassed bureaucracy and taken their grievances straight to the top - of their roof - in letters 7 feet tall:
“F_ck U F.A.A.”
Via Flyertalk
(I am reminded of the “Romani Eunt Domus” scene from Life of Brian)
Went right before the Olympics. Most of my photos there were purely on film; one roll didn’t get developed in timely manner, and when I finally got it developed (2006!) it was cheap to get scanned copies as well. So here you go!
You will likely need to expand the window to see the full size. Taken May 1, 2005 on vacation in London.
Vacation photo album
Just a couple of Tulum shots so far, more to come if I get around to it.
City Settles Flour-Filled Condom Lawsuit
(AP) PHILADELPHIA A woman who was arrested and jailed for three weeks on drug charges for what turned out to be flour-filled condoms has settled a lawsuit against the city for $180,000.
Scorpion bites man repeatedly on plane to Vermont
A scorpion bit David Sullivan on the back of his right leg, just below the knee, then crawled up and down his left leg, he thinks, before getting him again in the shin.
From various posts on Flyertalk. And one extra, from elsewhere:
Australia-bound tourist ends up in Montana
German man mistakenly books plane ticket to small oil town of Sidney
BERLIN - A 21-year-old German tourist who wanted to visit his girlfriend in the Australian metropolis Sydney landed more than 8,000 miles away near Sidney, Montana, after mistyping his destination on a flight booking Web site.
No idea what to make of this, but in case it’s of interest to any of my readers:
Thailand Abandons Limits on Foreign Stock Investments (Update6)
By Suttinee Yuvejwattana and Margo Towie
Dec. 19 (Bloomberg) — Thailand scrapped currency controls on international stock investors one day after their imposition by the central bank prompted the biggest stock market plunge in 16 years.
The government lifted a requirement that banks lock up 30 percent of new foreign-currency deposits for a year for funds earmarked for stocks, Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula said in Bangkok. The rule, intended to slow a 16 percent gain in the Thai currency this year that threatened exports and economic growth, sparked investor selling that wiped out $23 billion of market value in Thai stocks.
Belated coverage here on CH, but…
Thailand to lift post-coup ban
POSTED: 9:38 p.m. EST, November 9, 2006
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly agreed to ease a restriction imposed after September’s coup d’etat, voting unanimously to lift a ban on public gatherings of more than five people, the head of the body said.
Assembly President Meechai Ruchupan on Thursday announced the decision of the military-appointed assembly, which becomes effective when it is published in the Royal Gazette, a pro-forma action expected to take place soon.
The ban was issued when the military seized power in the Sep. 19 coup against elected Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It later handed over administrative control to a civilian prime minister who is supposed to head an interim government for a year until a general election can be held.
Plenty of news out of Thailand, none of what is making it to the states agreeing with each other about what is exactly happening. There is a state of emergency, and rumors of a possible coup attempt.
The web sites for Bangkok’s two English-language papers, the Bangkok Post and the Nation have been nearly uselessly slow this morning.
Interesting times!
My congratulations and best wishes to King Bhumibol Adulyadej and to the Thai people on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his ascension to the throne.
(I’d meant to post this earlier; as I write, it’s already the 10th in Thailand, but it’s still the 9th here.)
See also the congratulatory resolution passed by the US House of Representatives.
And that’s the end of Marie and my trip abroad… I am headed home in a few hours, although it’s going to be a long trip (especially in steerage on a non-OneWorld airline.. we’ll see if the seats are OK or not). In any event, sorry for the lack of updates/pictures… I’ll let you all know when the pictures are up on sandbox or my gallery, and maybe fill in a travel story or two here.
Til then, be well.
