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Chicago Jazz Quartet
plays to standing room only house
Dear Editor:
Wow! What a difference publicity from Chiangmai Mail makes. The
Chicago Jazz Quartet played to a standing room only house in the studios of
Channel 11 on Saturday afternoon. Last year’s fine musicians played to a
partially filled room. How disappointing it must have been for them, and how
great the Jazz Quartet must have felt this year when they looked out and saw
all of the eager faces.
My thanks also to the U.S. State Department for
sponsoring this program, which sends jazz musicians on concert tours around
the world to highlight this indigenous American art form. Tours include
workshops and masters classes in addition to concerts, and I understand that
the workshop that preceded Saturday’s performance was so good that
participants didn’t want it to end. What started out as a two hour event
grew and grew and grew. Many thanks for your support of this program. I look
forward to next year’s event.
Frank Weicks
News from home
The Editor,
I am so thrilled to be able to read a newspaper from my hometown! I am a
fourth grade teacher living in San Antonio, Texas and discovered your
website newspaper and have been reading it ever since. I get so homesick and
this newspaper keeps me connected. I enjoy reading the “Who’s Who”
section hoping to read up on anyone I know. So far, I did see one individual
whose son I went to elementary school with at Chiang Mai International
School.
Someday, in the near future, you could interview my
father, Dorsey Traw, who has been a missionary in Chiang Mai for over 40
years. He is with the Chiang Mai Church of Christ on Hua Keao Road.
Most of all, I want to thank you for publishing your
newspaper so that this Thai girl, who is a long way from home, will be able
to keep up with happenings around her home town. I hope your newspaper
continues to prosper.
Gloyjai Maxwell
Re: what’s the drug war about?
To the Editors of the Chiangmai Mail:
Thanks for publishing Eric Knudsen’s outstanding
letter: “What’s The Drug War About” (Sat, Aug. 14th).
I’d like to add that the United States government is in
no position to give any other nation advice on how to run an anti-drugs
campaign. No other nation has wasted more resources in fighting drugs and no
other nation has imprisoned more of its citizens for drug law violations
than the U. S., yet no other nation has been less successful in solving its
drug problem than the United States.
The American led war on drugs has been doomed from the
very beginning. Regardless of the money put into the anti-drugs program, one
cannot nullify the basic economic law of supply and demand. As long as
people want to purchase recreational drugs and they are willing to pay a
substantial price to purchase them, somebody will produce the drugs and
somebody else will get the drugs to the willing buyers. This is guaranteed.
The war on drugs has transformed the United States into
the most incarcerated nation in history. With less than five percent of the
world’s population, the U. S. has more than one fourth of the world’s
prisoners. In other words, one out of every four prisoners in the world is
locked in an American jail or prison, thanks primarily to America’s
counter-productive war on certain (politically selected) drugs.
My advice to Thailand and the rest of the world:
Carefully observe U. S. drug policy and then do the opposite.
Don’t follow us—we’re lost.
Best regards,
Kirk Muse
Mesa, AZ
U. S. A.
Looking for Chiangmai Mail
Editor;
We really enjoy reading your newspaper on the internet.
We will be in Chiang Mai in October and would like to purchase current
copies while we are there. Please tell us where to find them.
Best regards,
Ken and Gail Carter
(Many thanks for your kind words. You will find the
current issues of the Chiangmai Mail at (almost) every newsstand in
town, especially around Tapae Gate, plus at Central Airport Plaza, Kad Suan
Kaew, Big C, and Lotus. We hope you enjoy your stay. Michael Vogt, Managing
Director Chiangmai Mail Publishing.)
Not a banner day for Chevy driver
The Editor,
Just a couple of “Street Smart’s” I have
experienced over the last couple of weeks besides the road works on every
intersection and the relating chaos caused by impatient drivers.
During the preparation for the Queen’s Birthday, they
made a real effort to transform every walkway over the roads by adding Lanna
Style roofs; very nice. But on more than one occasion I witnessed the
workers welding on the walkway beside the main Chiang mai prison resulting
in a shower of sparks falling onto the cars stuck in the traffic below. No
one seemed to notice it as I never saw any action. Good for the paintwork!
This week I was driving up Huay Kaew Road towards the zoo
when there was a huge bang so I pulled over and what had happened was
someone with little thought for anyone’s safety had put banners 2 meters
long x 600mm wide tied to the poles on the middle median strip. The problem
was they only tied the top and used a piece of wood with a point on each end
to weight the bottom. So when the wind blew they flew into the near lane.
The result: my new Chevrolet pickup now has 2 nice little dents in the
driver’s door. God knows how many other people suffered the same fate to
their car let alone those who may have got hit on motor bikes!
I took one banner for a souvenir and if anyone knows who
is responsible or how to get in touch with them I would be grateful as I
intend to take action. I suggest anyone else do the same as these people
must have a public liability insurance?
The banner reads, in English; “Welcome All delegates,
SSWM 2004”. In Thai: “Welcome to the International Seminar on Hillside
Land and Water Management (rough translation) 5th - 9th September at the
Chiangmai Hills Hotel.”
So if someone knows the contact details let me know or I
will have to attend the meeting myself!
Regards Ian Rauner,
email: ianbungy@loxinfo .co.th
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