• By Page3
  • | Sep 03, 2013
Household debt is 78% of the country’s GDP and experts worry that if it hits 80%, consumer spending will stop altogether. After two quarters of recession and with all the price hikes these days—highway tolls, electricity and gas—these same experts say that this dark day is already upon us. 
 
We’re disappointed. Why do economists think so little of us? Sure, we have 10 credit cards (or so), plus the two cars on credit, plus the mortgage on that swanky condo. But do they really think we plan on stopping there? Credit has been good to us so far, and there’s really no reason for us to stop. In fact, if our credit cards crap out on us, we’ve still got pawn shops and loan sharks. We Thais are a resourceful bunch when it comes to amassing vast debts. 
 
Anyway, we’re nowhere near our debt ceiling. Thais are currently spending about 34 percent of their monthly income paying back loans. 34 percent! That leaves plenty of room for improvement. BK’s financial experts, most of whom were not presently in the country for immediate comment, usually advise that credit card repayments should never exceed 110% of your monthly salary, at which point you should consider exile, politics or both.
 
Of course, the government can still help. As we write this, according to nationaldebtsclock.org, it is B4,046,755,462,099 o’clock. Can you read that number? Neither can we! But we doubt the couple of trillion Yingluck plans to spend on infrastructure, or the B350 billion in waterway management, will even register. In fact, even the Dems are saying the government should spend that money faster to avoid a recession, making debt the only non-partisan issue in the house.
 
We’d love to stay here and discuss the finer points of our economic stimulus plan, but it’s already B4,046,801,332,209 o’clock and we hear the Grand Pattaya Sale is on. Sounds like a good opportunity to jump in that new car and hit the malls. Maybe put a deposit on a condo down there, you know, just to pick up the free iPad. If you too would like to contribute to saving the economy, we hope this issue of BK will give you plenty of ideas to go out and spend like a true patriot. Remember, together we can!
 

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Out To Lunch

Impossible Projects Worldwide was this week appointed as agency of choice for the global repositioning of Lunch.

Account director IM Famished says, “For years customers have been abandoning Lunch in favor of sexier, stupider upstart rivals. Brands like Brunch have acquired a huge market share by appealing to the lazy weekend crowd with overpriced eggs benny and Champagne on toast. Meanwhile Snacks and even Gym-Time have eaten into Lunch’s once dominant daily position. Our challenge is to get people eating at noon again.”

Topics: 
city living
Author: 
Page3
Issue Date: 
2013 Aug 29 - 23:00

Age Old Dilemma

It’s OK, Singapore. You’re pushing 50 now. No one expects you to find things as easy as you once did. Nothing seems as good as it did back when you were young. Prices seem so much higher. Kids so much more troublesome. It’s no surprise you’re looking a little frazzled.

Topics: 
city living
Author: 
Page3
Issue Date: 
2013 Aug 22 - 23:00

Trailer Trash

It’s summer time, which can only mean one thing. It’s silly sequel season! Now’s the time when Hollywood crank out the latest instalments of their biggest franchises. If it’s not Thor 2, it’s the latest Wolverine. It’s Red 2 and Fast and Furious 6. It’s Iron Man 3, Despicable Me 2, Kick-Ass 2, and the new Riddick. (Yes, apparently they’re still making those.) So what have the studios here been working on? Mark your calendars, book those seats and start saving for the popcorn now...Singapore 48 The world’s longest running lightweight action farce is back!

Topics: 
city living
Author: 
Page3
Issue Date: 
2013 Aug 8 - 23:00

Singing the same tune

Another year, another half-assed nursery rhyme masquerading as an NDP theme song (sample lyric: “I’m just a tiny thing, here I am, I can bravely sing”). Indeed, ‘One Singapore’ is about as exciting as the reusable goodie bags that will be handed out to spectators at the parade: is it a backpack? is it a sling? does anyone care?

Topics: 
city living
Author: 
Page3
Issue Date: 
2013 Jul 25 - 23:00

Despicable We

Now that the haze has finally cleared (and with it the grubby cloud of smugness and finger pointing that had drifted across to Indonesia from our own shores), we got to thinking how much easier it would be if we just blamed other nations for all our problems.

The intolerable arrogance that informs our dealings with all of our near-neighbors? That’s not our fault—we just picked it up from our erstwhile colonial overlords in England. That and the nasty habit of Singaporean men ignoring their spouses for the duration of the Premier League season. Don’t blame us—blame the Brits!

Topics: 
city living
Author: 
Page3
Issue Date: 
2013 Jul 11 - 23:00

Mo' Money, Mo' Problems

So PM Lee won’t say he’s worth the money he gets paid, but he won’t say he isn’t either. He will say it’s worth paying someone a lot of money to do his job, because if you don’t you won’t get the best person you possibly could. But, come now friends, he’s not saying he’s the best. And he’s definitely not saying how much he gets paid, and absolutely not confirming—to the BBC or anyone else—that he’s the highest paid head of government in the world, because then, if if it were true, you’d know he thinks he’s the best.

Topics: 
city living
Author: 
Page3
Issue Date: 
2013 Jun 27 - 23:00

Winter is Coming

Like many local news portals, blogs and websites our thoughts have of late been dominated by a truly shocking and unexpected development. A turn of events so dark and twisted it brought many of us together in shared outrage. Some of us chose to go offline for a day in solidarity. Others gathered publicly to express their anger. Together, we vowed never to let our guard down again.

Topics: 
city living
Author: 
Page3
Issue Date: 
2013 Jun 13 - 23:00

Sly and Retiring

It’s the end of an era. After three decades in the game, two titans of their game are stepping down. In one corner we have Sir Alex Ferguson, Manager of Manchester United and a legend in his own lifetime. In the other, we have… Singa the Courtesy Lion, Manager of Manners and erstwhile mane man.

Both parties have talked about being exhausted after years of struggling to make people see things their way; and said they need a break. Between us? We’re just waiting for them to admit that they’ve simply decided to switch roles.

Topics: 
city living
Author: 
Page3
Issue Date: 
2013 May 23 - 23:00