Football & Politics (sort of)

I've been horribly out of touch with Western sports only catching random Premier League games every now and then. I've also been horribly out of shape and was only recently reminded of this fact when I decided to saunter on down to the local football, soccer, pitch (Dirt and rocks below the village school - at least there were goals), and jump in on the pick up game. The dust and overall conditions didn't make my game much good, and I must have looked like an old fart. I've played three times now. The first day was the most difficult, although I put in a pretty left-footed goal at one point. The other guys who play are local boys, some mahouts, all simple laymen. The last time I played I ate shit slipping on the one wet patch getting proper muddy. The last few times there have been too many people so we've been forced to rotate, golden goal style. Our team was rather talented and not all that bad at passing; one of our guys bid the other team goodbye with an easy goal from a cross I sent. I almost forgot how much fun soccer was. And what exercise felt like. It was frightening and enlightening at the same time. It's also cute how they don't really discriminate whether someone's a different age or nationality. I ask one a dem boys if he like playin wid foreigners, n he say ya. One of the best goalkeepers I saw was a young kid no more than 12 years old - no one could score on this little puke. Of course, I wasn't in either. It's still unusual to me when everyone accepts a newcomer right off the bat. I go to the local restaurant, and all the staff wants to be my best friend. Last night some random dude noticed me chatting up the waitress and decided I needn't walk home so drove me back the few hundred meters not taking no for an answer. He must have been drunk. My political science mindset consequently thinks as such: campaign like me. Easy. No wonder Thailand's never been conquered/colonized, their nature is too noble, diplomacy is therefore the same. At the same time, however, I think Thais can be extremely passionate folks, and this is why we see so much political activation. Al Jazeera English covers the topic very well here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Gmt7dvOWs There has been recent unrest in Bangkok because the Supreme Court of Thailand ruled former Thaksin still guilty of corruption and so on, and consequently seized forty some billion baht (over $1 billion) worth of his assets. What the government plans to do with these moneys I have no clue. Consequently, the red shirts and Thaksin supporters are pissed off, and a mass protest is certainly foreseeable. I've been following this political bipolarization that  continues to plague Thailand but so far without personal conclusions. I'm still orange I guess.