For all those who on deciding to go to a desert island ask me questions like: What if a snake gets into my bed?…What if a shark bites my leg?…or the best of all….What should I do if I come face to face with a tiger?  And my answer is always:

What you do have to be careful of are the coconuts!

“You’re joking” is what you may be thinking.  NO, I say as tigers don’t live on desert islands – A great relief for all, I’m sure – nor are sharks to be seen in these beautiful waters – least of all those which attack humans – nor do snakes go anyway near people – it’s us who have to go looking for them -.  But, yes, there are coconuts and they make their presence known throughout the day with a resounding thud as they hit the floor. These are the Falling Coconut Deaths – Coconut Falling on Head!!

A green coconut, full grown and with its shell, still on the palm tree, can weigh up to two kilos (4^1/2 lbs.)  because it’s full of water.  If you take into account that palm trees can grow as high as 30 metres (98 feet) which is about the height of an 8 storey building, the speed with which a coconut falls reaches around 85 km/hr (53 mph).

This means that the force of the coconut as it hits the ground is equivalent in weight to a ton.  Or, looking at it a different way, if it did fall, this fruit so highly valued by castaways, would have the same effect as a Austin Mini falling from about a foot and a half above your head. 

There are no reliable records on this subject but it is estimated that every year about 150 people die as a direct cause of this. This number isn’t as high as it could be if it is taken into account that there are millions of people living amongst palm trees but, take note, it’s still ten times higher than the number of people who die each year from shark attacks!

The majority of the people whose deaths were caused by falling coconuts were having a nap under the coconut palm, a ‘siesta’ from which they never awoke.  Of all the different types of accidents from coconut palms, the worst one is if you are caught lying down which is to say that  it’s much better to be standing up when the coconut does a K.O.  If it catches you on the head when you’re lying down it’s mortally dangerous because the head is in direct contact with the floor so the ‘braking distance’ on impact is zero.  The best advice to follow is that if you’re going to get in the way of a falling coconut, make sure you’re standing up!

It may seem a bit of an obsession, but when I’m walking around a desert island I can’t help but look out of the corner of my eye at the tallest palm trees so I can avoid being in ‘target range’.  This means that as I walk along the beach I may look a bit ridiculous or even ‘tipsy’ as I work my way along with zigzag movements.   The main palm tree in the following photo would be, without doubt, the perfect place to zigzag, I would even consider going into the sea to avoid an ‘accident’…

But I wouldn’t ask you to follow my example because the threat isn’t really so real. What is certain, though, is that on uncountable occasions I have seen coconuts fall too close for comfort, and you can hear their peculiar ‘thud’ on the video of the monkey.  Be careful, as there are islands like the one in the following photo where walking along the beach can be ‘risky’ and it could even be advisable to ‘swim’  round the island. The reason, obviously, is that as the statistics say, the chances of being hit by a coconut are ten times greater than being  ‘bit’ by a shark!!

Now you tell me: Have you lived to tell the tale of being hit on the head by a coconut?  Do you zigzag when walking on a desert island, or have you a better way of protecting yourself?  Leave your comments below and we’ll talk about it!

And of course, if you think any of your friends should know the risk they are facing under palmtrees, click on the buttons just to share it with them. 

http://paradise.docastaway.com/falling-coconut-deaths/

Four women and two men were arrested Thursday for allegedly exchanging fake US dollar bank notes with a money changer in Nong Khai.

Police arrested the six suspects at a hotel in Nong Khai Thursday night and took them to Muang Nong Khai police station for questioning.

The six suspects were identified as Ruethai Arkhomkla, 34, from Bangkok, Chananchida Kuawicharn, 48, from Pathum Thani, Kulpassorn Rojanapongsa, 52, from Nakhon Sawan, Kingthong Saithong, 46, from Ayutthaya, Pichet Kanhasen, 38, from Surat Thani and Surachai Kitbamroong, 70, from Samut Prakan.

The arrest was made after Pitchayanan Saenchan, 23, a staff member of the Chang Thai Exchange (Nong Khai) filed a complaint with the police station at 6pm Wednesday, alleging the six had exchanged 477 fake US$100 notes at her shop inside the Nong Khai Shopping Complex at 11.48 am for Bt1.449 million.

Pitchayanan said the shop realised that the banknotes were fake when she tried to exchange them at a branch of the Kasikorn Bank in Muang district.

Police arrested Ruethai in front of an escalator in the hotel and she led police to the five other suspects who were staying in four rooms.

Police found another 20 fake $100 notes with them.

The suspects claimed that they did not know the US banknotes were fake. They said they pooled their money to buy the banknotes from a Laotian woman and later exchanged at the shop to make a profit.

Worawut Nualsaritkul, the owner of the exchange shop, said the fake banknotes looked real and it was difficult to detect that they were forged and urged money exchange shops to be more careful.

Worawut withdrew the fraud complaint against the six after they returned the money in full but charged them with using fake currency. They were released on bail on their own recognisance after posting Bt200,000 each.

https://www.nationthailand.com

CHIANG MAI – A group of coyote dancers is finding new fans after they set up a noodle shop in Chiang Mai Province. The noodle shop, a branch of Mama Hut Pak Bom located on Ton Yang Road in Nong Phueang offers “spicy” noodles from 35 baht.

Although it’s not clear from a Thairath report whether they were referring to condiments used in the noodles or the service method.

The owner of the restaurant, Miss Yi Ching Sae, 23 who’s described as a “leading entertainment coyote in Chiang Mai” said that the shop had queues nearly every day.

She noted that it was particularly popular with young men who would often ask for selfies as well.

A video with the report (see below) shows the women working in the shop providing “customer entertainment” which Thairath described as being “bouncy.”

Last month the owner of a recently opened prawn fishing tank defended his decision to have coyote dancers strutting their stuff.

Pictures were posted on YouTube after the opening night of Prawn Fishing Tank SS Borwin in Sri Racha’

Panuwat Khlaisuban said that fishing for prawns can be a stressful business especially if the customers fail to trap any.  The women were on hand to relieve that understandable stress. And add a bit of spice.

But he said there was nothing untoward or obscene going on – the licenses were in order and there was CCTV to make sure no one did anything fishy with the coyotes. Comment online was both positive and negative, reported Daily News. But Panuwat said his customers liked the idea saying they hoped it would become a regular feature at weekends.

Source: Chiang Mai One, Thairath

Caption: Arrest of man from the land of gentlemen (Britain) Visa ran out 7 years ago. Sneakily running a bar in Hua Hin

Acting Thai immigration chief Lt-Gen Sompong Chingduang spoke to the Thai media yesterday commenting on the case of the two Americans who had been arrested in Pattaya after spray painting a pick-up and walls in Sampeng, Bangkok.

Lt-Gen Sompong said that they had both been fined 5,000 baht and would likely be deported within two days. They would then be blacklisted from returning to Thailand.

The 28 and 24 year olds have paid 10,000 baht damages to four Thai victims for their actions..

Another person who the couple met in Bangkok is being sought and investigations are still underway to see if the group caused damage elsewhere in Bangkok.

Source: INN News

Phanawatnan Kaimart, the President of the Innovation and Inventor Association of Thailand is the inventor of the Elide Fire. Elide Fire is a fire extinguishing ball using revolutionary technology that allows the ball to blow up when in contact with fire. The Elide Fire ball can extinguish a fire that is up to 10 square meters.

Phanawatnan and his team joined the 33rd World Genius Convention in Tokyo, Japan on 29 to 30 May 2019. The Elide Fire received the Gold Genius Award and the Tokyo Award Cup. This is an international award ceremony with Elide Fire being the first ever product of Thailand to receive an award from this institution.

Phanawatnan stated when arriving in Thailand after the impressive trip that the Thai people are very proud as this is an innovation developed by Thailand. The Elide Fire ball can extinguish flames immediately. International inventors have acknowledged the product and the Gold Genius Award is a result of such trust. This is a great start for the near future where more Thai inventions will be known on the international level.

Furthermore, for young inventors in Thailand to take your ideas into developing new technology and inventions to help solve problems found in today’s society. The Elide Fire ball has been constantly developed through a period of 18 years. The product itself has been tested by specialist abroad and has been accepted internationally as an innovative fire extinguisher.

Other awards Elide Fire has received includes Best Innovation Golden Medal from the Eureka Innovation Awards in Europe, Bronze Medal of Genius Award from Japan, WIPO Gold Medal Award, KIPA Gold Medal Award from South Korea, and more.

The Elide Fire can put out a fire within 3 to 10 seconds after direct contact with the flame. The ball itself is only 152 mm in diameter and weighs only 1.5 kg. The ball is so compact that it can be kept anywhere and used by anyone.

Source: Elide Fire, INN News