CNN has posted a piece about Thaksin whom they just interviewed. Here an excerpt:

"They did not demand anything for me or on my behalf. I am not UDD leader," he said. " Any negotiation to end the demonstration or conflict must be made between the government and UDD leaders. I have no authority to negotiate on behalf of the UDD."

"I never approve nor agree to any use of violence," he said. "I believe in peace. I love my country as much as any member of this government. I believe in peaceful and non-violent means to end conflict and reject any use of force. If there is any act of terrorism, it is the duty of this government to find the wrongdoer and prosecute them in the court of law."

Rest of the article can be found here

courtesy of 2bangkok.com:

The following was posted by this facebook user. It has been widely circulated on Twitter and facebook. Please scroll down to the comments for arguments for and against this letter and also for a link to a detailed analysis by Bangkok Pundit.

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In a billion baht industry, health clubs in Thailand are constantly facing off to attract new members. Most affluent gym-goers in Bangkok can be divided into members of either UK-based Fitness First and California Wow from the US. Before we ask fitness freaks their thoughts on which gym outdoes the other, let's start with a little history lesson...

Fitness First

Fitness First was founded in 1992, with the first branch opening in Bournemouth, England in February the following year. Fourteen years later, 500 Fitness First gyms can be found in 17 countries in Europe, Australia and the Asia-Pacific with more than 1.2 million members. Bangkok boasts 14 Fitness First outlets, while FF managing director Simon Flint said the company also plans to expand to Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Pattaya and possibly Phuket.

California Wow

California Fitness (CFC) came to Thailand in 2001 to directly challenge Fitness First. Eric Levine, california Wow CEO, has invested heavily into setting up nine branches in Bangkok and Chiang Mai with each outlet costing up to 200 million baht. California Wow has become known for its assertive marketing campaigns with loud sales offices on the ground floor of every branch, of which the buildings are also plastered with enlarged posters of oiled bodies. The other main shareholder in CFC is Major Cineplex, Thailand's largest cinema company, which owns 49% of the gym chain.

Both Fitness First and California Wow offer "special deals," which sales assistants usually press you to buy that very day as the "promotion" will end the following day. However, while Fitness First members get an all-inclusive package, California Wow members have to pay extra for yoga and pilates classes and a padlock for locker doors. Though, some argue that yoga classes offered at California Wow are more authentic, with the gym flying in yoga teachers from India.

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Not our typical news for the Bangkokrecorder, but considering how important facebook has become to the most of us it is nevertheless interesting to see what is coming next... At the f8 conference that just started in the US, Facebook started with a keynote that layed out its plans for world/Internet domination... well at least it sounds like it. The article is taken from the Boy Genius Report:

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View the Bangkokrecorder Map in large

	Nightlife		Restaurants
	Pirate Areas (pay for play)		Gentlemens Clubs (Lounges, Coyote)
	Hotels		Apartments / Serviced Apartments
	Buildings		Shopping
	BTS (Skytrain) Stations		MRTA (Subway) Stations
	BB Gun or Paintball		Go Kart
	Airport		Landmarks
	Parks

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Have you read many books by Thai writers yet? Probably not as most of them are not even available in translated form. But did you know that one of the most talented Thai writers of today writes all his books in English? I didn't know too until my last trip to Europe.

Rattawut Lapcharoensap, which is his name, was born in Chicago but raised in Bangkok. Living here in Thailand I had never heard of him but last visit to Europe I came over an interview with in the local newspaper. He already is recognized as a huge talent and belongs to Granta's Best Young American Novelists. He also won the Asian American Literary Award and was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award.

His book "Sightseeing" was supposed to be a great read and somebody called it "The Beach written by a Thai". I'm not sure about the latter description but I bought the book and was impressed. It is one of those books that is very hard to put down. It consists of 7 short stories that all deal with Thailand. Especially when you lived here you will understand the humor in these stories. The book starts with the story called "Farangs" and as to give you an idea of Rattawut's writing style here are the first lines of the book:

This is how we count the days. June: the Germans come to the islands - football cleats, big T-shirts, thick tongues - speaking like spitting. July: the Italians, the French, the British, the Americans. The Italians like pad thai, it's affinity with spaghetti. They like fabrics, sun glasses, leather sandals. The French like plump girls, rambutans, disco music, baring their breasts. The British are here to work on their pasty complexions, their penchant for hashish. Americans are the fattest, the stingiest of the bunch. They may pretend to like pad thai or grilled prawns or the occasional curry, but twice a week they need their culinary comforts, their hamburgers and their pizzas. They're also the worst drunks. Never get too close to a drunk American. August brings the Japanese. Stay close to them. Never underestimate the power of the yen.

This first story is told from the eyes of a young boy growing up on an island in the South of Thailand. It's extremely well told, funny, and so true. There is also short stories about a military draft, cock fighting, Cambodian immigrants and more. To me, this was the best book by a Thai writer that I have read so far and I recommend it to everybody. I will try to get a hand on other stories/books from Rattawut Lapcharoensap. His debut story was "Farangs", published in "Granta 84". Hopefully it is somewhere available online. As for Sightseeing, it can be ordered on Amazon or any other proper book store here in Thailand.

Newly pointed me to an interesting graph that shows the Thai constitution since 1932 and its development since then. On it you can see how often the Thai constitution was altered. Quite amazing.

Pranburi was a pretty unknown spot for kiters not too long ago but that has changed now. This year saw a lot more people going down there for kite surfing although Pak Nam Pran beach (or "Packers" if you want to call it like the local kiters do) has kept its original charme. The beach is still wide and long and the "kiters per square meter of beach relationship" is still extremely low, perfect for kiting. Nothing to compare with Hua Hin where, for my taste at least, it is just too crowded.

Airstylers chill hut at the beach:

To get around you can (should) rent a motorbike which sets you back 200 Baht per day. If you feel like more action at night you can quite easily go to Hua Hin which is just a 20 minutes drive away from Pak Nam Pran beach in Pranburi.

If you are thinking about learning to kite then the best place to start is a 3-day beginners course that goes for very reasonable 11,000 Baht. This gets you 3 long days with a professional instructor that will tell you all the ins and outs of kite surfing. On the third day, most people already start practicing water starting with a board.

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The following was a funny post article from a couple years back. Michael Bolton is still going strong these days :) so here is the repost: Bangkok's abandoned lots and buildings act as the perfect canvas for the creative-minded. In a race against promotional posters for Michael Bolton's eagerly anticipated World Tour, BangkokRecorder hit the streets in search of endangered street art to preserve and share with you.

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