I lotus

A small porcelain bowl bought for $35 at a yard sale in Connecticut turned out to be a rare, 15th-century Chinese artifact estimated to be worth between $300,000 and $500,000. Last year, after purchasing the bowl, the buyer was intrigued enough by its appearance to ask experts at the Sotheby's auction house to evaluate it, according to The Associated Press . Only then did he find out that his yard-sale buy was an "exceptional and rare" bowl, with only six others of its kind known to exist, most of them in museums around the globe. It will now be auctioned at Sotheby's Important Chinese Art auction in New York on March 17. The bowl, which is about 6.25 inches (16 centimeters) in diameter, is shaped like a lotus bud and painted with cobalt-blue floral patterns, according to the Sotheby's listing . On the inside of the bowl, there's a medallion design, surrounded by patterns of flowers and leaves; the exterior is painted with lotus, peony, chrysanthemum and pomegranate … [Read more...] about This $35 bowl sold at a Connecticut yard sale is worth $500,000

PHUKET: Three motorbike handbag snatchings have sparked a police hunt for the perpetrators – and a warning to women to be wary until the snatchers are caught. The first case took place on Wednesday in front of Moo Ban Perm Sin on Thepkrasattri Rd. Suwai Wanbutra, 25, was riding her motorbike back home from Phuket Town, when two men rode up alongside and snatched the handbag from her front basket, taking with them about 300 baht in cash and some important documents. K. Suwai said that the two men were about 23 years old. One was wearing a blue shirt and the other a striped shirt. She could not see the license plate because one of the men covered it with his leg. The following day, on Chao Fa East Rd in front of the T. Songsaeng Hotel, Jintana Nuduang, 35, was riding toward her home in Phuket Villa 3, her handbag also in the front basket, when two men, who she estimates were about 18 or 19 years old, rode a Suzuki RC alongside and snatched her handbag. She told police the man on the back … [Read more...] about Bag-snatch raiders score three times

PATONG: Patong Mayor Surasak Maneesri said today he would give 100,000 baht to anyone who can name either the gunman who shot at his Mercedes last month or the mastermind behind the shooting. Police have yet to make any arrests in connection with the June 23 assassination attempt, which took place at the traffic light near the Tesco-Lotus Supercenter. Three shots were fired through the driver’s side window, but Mayor Surasak escaped unharmed. “The reason I have decided to offer a reward is that I want people who may have witnessed the crime to come forward and tell police what they saw that night,” said the mayor. Surasak told the Gazette that he was frustrated by the lack of progress in the case, even though he had made requests to the governor and police to solve it. Referring to press reports in which he was accused of staging the shooting himself to garner sympathy votes for upcoming municipal elections, the mayor said, “I really hate the guy who said I staged the incident. “I want … [Read more...] about Surasak offers B100,000 bounty on gunman

PHUKET: Three public hearings have resulted in firm decisions as to what shape three major road projects on the bypass road will take, if 1.55 billion baht in funding is made available for them. The final meeting, held late last month at The Metropole hotel, was chaired by Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat. Also presenting information and fielding questions were Kasem Sriwaranan, Director of the Survey and Design Office at the Department of Highways, and representatives of consulting firm Thai Engineering Consultants (TEC). The meeting was attended by about 100 people, including local government officers and local residents. The final session ended with a resolution that a four-lane, 570-meter underpass should run under Wichit Songkram Rd at the Darasamuth School Intersection to improve north-south traffic flow along the bypass road. the project cost was estimated at 600 million baht. At the Samkong (Tesco Lotus) intersection about two kilometers to the north, a four-lane, … [Read more...] about Bt1.5 billion needed for Phuket underpass projects

PHUKET: Two tourist vans collided last night near the main Tesco Lotus in Samkong, injuring six. One tourist and both drivers remain in the hospital today. A Maikhao Sakoo Co Ltd van driven by Sulaiman Udom had picked up tourists at the airport and was headed west on Phra Phuket Kaew Road to Patong when a Tez Tour Thailand van heading east lost control, crossed the median and slammed into it. The crash occured about 700 meters from the Tesco Lotus intersection. The Tez Tour van was carrying just the driver, Sittichai Chuaychan, and a tour guide, Papasara Thanod. Police were called to the scene at about 11:30pm; by then, uninjured passengers had been picked up and taken to their hotels. “The vans slammed into each other very hard,” said Capt Panya Meeon of the Thung Thong Police. Mr Sulaiman was trapped by the crushed door of his van. It took Kusoldharm Rescue workers 10 minutes to pry it open to get him out, said Capt Panya. Both drivers, the tour guide and the three … [Read more...] about Two Phuket tourist vans collide, injuring six