Things got kinda ugly the last few days regarding the whole plagiarism thingy.

If you're the squeamish type, I'd advise you to stop reading now.

On the other hand, if you thrive on sarcasm and conflict... READ ON~!!

**********

So a few days ago I got a reply from Khun Voranai explaining why he was so adamant I'd NEVER see a formal acknowledgement/apology in his "Guru" magazine regarding Khun Nikki's article in "Ying Thai" column which plagiarized from my blog entry.

Turned out these two are personal friends (A-HA~~!!!!!!!!) :

Dear Street,

The URL was printed correctly, but there was a drop page, so there's a hyphen -- a problem in the layout, which the designer didn't catch. I would be happy to reprint the URL again.

But as to your request for an apology in the magazine, I can't help you there, and let me explain why.

The articles that Nikki writes are Meet-n-Lunch articles, not Guru articles - as you can see from the box in the bottom and the e-mail link. We have a business partnership, whereby we allow meet-n-lunch to publish their articles in our magazine. The same partnership we have with Bangkok Young Professionals. You may also find Nikki's articles in her blog. This is to suggest that they are meet-n-lunch articles, not Guru's.

Guru is a magazine copy-righted by law, our articles, by law, are protected from being posted on any website or any other platform, unless it is our own. The reason Nikki's articles also appear on her website is that, in our agreement, her articles do not belong to or represent Guru. We simply gave her a platform for her meet-n-lunch venture. You may consider her articles in Guru as advertisements for her business. This is my arrangement with Nikki. Otherwise I would have sued her for posting these articles on her website, even though they are written by her.

In this incident, she took your words and exploited them in my magazine, without my knowledge. You're the primary victim, we're the secondary victim. This is a breach of our business agreement, and when such an incident occurs, we would just end our partnership -- and that would be the end of the matter -- or we may even take legal actions against her. Again, we're the copy-righted publication protected by law. Not her blog.

This is why I refuse to let her apologize in the magazine. According to our arrangement, she has niether the legal nor moral right to exploit the magazine to amend for her mistake, especially since we are a victim - according to our partnership arrangement and copy-right law.

Nikki can apologize wherever and to whomever she likes, but not in my magazine. The only official action I would take in this matter is to end our partnership with her.

However, on a personal note, having know Nikki as a person, I do sincerely think she just made a stupid mistake, and she didn't gain nor did you lose any money in doing it. Plus, she has made the apology in her blog. That's what I meant by 'live and let live', since you've already met her, talked to her and probably think she's otherwise a fine person. And she's really all broken up about this mistake already.

So per my previous e-mail, I made the decision as friend first and editor second, and was simply asking you -- who I assume know Nikki personally -- to accept the apology Nikki has already made. If she had promised you an apology in the magazine, then she spoke out of term, as she has no authority to do so. She has apologized to me very sincerely, and knowing her, I decided to give her a chance as a friend. And I offered you a write-up of your blog on behalf of Nikki, as a friend.

I hope this explanation clarifies the magazine's stance. As a friend, I gave Nikki a chance. As the editor, if you want to pursue the matter further, then the only choice I would make is to end our partnership with Nikki and Meet-n-lunch.

Cheers,

**********

Siiiigh~~ why was he still insisting that my blog URL was printed correctly, when it was obvious that it WAS NOT?? What's more, if he allowed Khun Nikki to write in his magazine, then she should also be allowed to apologize in it~!!

I was losing hope... Time to change tactics~!!

I decided to contact the Bangkok Post directly:

Dear Bangkok Post,

Pardon me for emailing you all en masse, but I honestly don't know exactly whom I should talk to regarding my problem.

I have a blog dedicated to Sukhumvit Road, called "Street Smart Sukhumvit", with the URL http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com

A little over two weeks ago, I accidentally found out that one of the contributing guest writers of "Guru", Nikki Assavathorn, who writes for the column "Ying Thai", had plagiarized one of my blog entries. Specifically, she took my words, changed them a little bit (but not well enough so it was still obvious she stole them from me) and tried to pass them off as her own.

I first found out incriminating evidence in one of Khun Nikki's blog entries, which has now been changed.

Read it here: http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/journal/item/66

Pictures here:

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/photos/album/35/PLAGIARISM_-_closeup

Khun Nikki had admitted that she plagiarized from me, apologized and changed her blog entry. Nevertheless, I got suspicious because I knew Khun Nikki also writes for the "Guru". She'd plagiarized four MONTHS ago, so it took me a long time to find an old copy of the "Guru" magazine with the plagiarized articles. Nevertheless, I was able to find it ("Guru" vol. 3, no. 29, 20-26 July 2007):

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/photos/album/36

To make the story short, I was promised some sort of formal "acknowledgement" in this Friday's "Guru" (23 November 2007). Imagine my disappointment and horror when I found out that not only was there no acknowledgement whatsoever, my blog's URL was actually spelled incorrectly.

Read it here:

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/journal/item/73/Scratching_My_Head_in_Wonder_and_Amazement

As you can see, in the latest "Guru", Khun Nikki never mentioned copying anything from me. She simply calls my blog an "inspiration" for her writing (perhaps she meant it LITERALLY? Hahaha). Is this an acknowledgement? No it's not, especially since my blog's address wasn't printed correctly.

I sent a complaint email to Khun Voranai, only to be told that since Khun Nikki is an unpaid "guest writer", the magazine is not responsible for whatever she writes. Khun Voranai explained that he and Khun Nikki (whom he calls a "personal friend") have a "partnership" where "Guru" gives her a platform to publicize her dating service MeetNLunch. In other words, Khun Voranai has flatly refused to print any formal acknowledgement/apology in the "Guru" (you can read our corresponding emails in this email I am sending to you). He is even insisting that my blog's URL was printed correctly in the latest "Guru", which was obviously NOT the case. He is trying to argue over a little hyphen, but ignored the fact that my blog's address contains no "www" nor any hyphens. Anybody who uses the internet KNOWS that a URL must be spelled exactly in order to be taken to the correct page.

I also find it hard to believe that a magazine editor refuses to take responsibility for plagiarism, which is a crime. I know that "Guru" is no TIME magazine and it's supposed to be for light reading, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, anybody who is in the publishing business is still bound by journalistic ethics.

Khun Voranai is trying to convince me that Khun Nikki's "Ying Thai" column acts as an advertisement for her business venture, and thus is exempt from any journalistic ethics. I've never heard of such a laughable excuse for covering up plagiarism. I don't see any disclaimer saying something like: "THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT and, by the way, if something here has been copied from somewhere else, without being acknowledged by the author - that Nikki - it is not the responsibility of Guru".

Like it or not, plagiarism DID take place, my intellectual property was stolen from me, and both the "Guru" and Khun Nikki are now responsible to come clean to the "Guru" readers. Why should the "Guru" readers even bother to read anything written by Khun Nikki? For all you know, she has also plagiarized from OTHER sources beside me for her other "Guru" articles. As of now, the readers of "Guru" are still under the impression that Khun Nikki's articles are all genuine and that the "Guru" supports both her business and whatever she writes. I have pointed out to Khun Voranai that the credibility of the "Guru" is at stake, because now it's obvious the magazine is allowing unscrupulous people who have neither journalistic experience nor ethics to write in the magazine, "guest writer" or not. Nevertheless, Khun Voranai is insisting that I will never see any acknowledgement in the "Guru".

This is the reason I am emailing this to all of you. I am afraid that I have come to my wit's end. The "Guru" editor seems to be more concerned with protecting his "friend" and the "partnership" they have than his magazine.

Let me tell you right up front that I am not seeking any monetary compensation. I am only asking for "Guru" to ADMIT that one of its articles wasn't genuine because it was plagiarized from my blog. Other publications have no problem with just admitting mistakes, apologizing and then moving on with life. But it seems to be a real problem with the "Guru".

Thank you for your time and understanding. I will be waiting for a response.

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com

**********

I was relieved when I received a prompt reply from the editor of the Bangkok Post:

Dear sir,

thank you for writing to me. I'll investigate the case and will have an answer to you very soon.

Pattnapong Chantranontwong

Editor - Bangkok Post

The Post Publishing Plc.

Tel: 662-240-3700 Ext. 1201

**********

In the meantime, I wasn't about to let Khun Voranai off the hook.

I sent another email:

Dear Khun Voranai,

Let's not argue over a little hyphen, shall we? Anyone who uses the internet knows that a URL must be typed in EXACTLY in order to be taken to the right page. What's more, you ignored the fact that the "Guru" printed my blog's address not only with that hyphen, but was also accompanied by "www". For the third time, my blog's address is:

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com

(no hyphen, no "www").

Please, just make sure it's spelled correctly in the next "Guru".

I can assure you that I will not stop here; I will pursue the matter further. I don't see any disclaimer anywhere in the "Guru" telling readers that the "Ying Thai" column is an advertisement. I don't see anything on the line of "THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT - and if something here has been copied from somewhere else without being acknowledged by the author - Nikki Assavathorn - it is not the responsibility of Guru".

As of right now, the "Guru" readers are still under the impression that all of Khun Nikki's articles are genuine and that "Guru" supports both her business and whatever she writes.

If you really feel that we are both the victims here, then let Khun Nikki make a formal apology in the "Guru" to both of us (for plagiarizing from me and for breaching her agreement with you), as well as her readers. The fact remains that she DID plagiarize, and this cannot be treated lightly.

Even if you insist that what Khun Nikki writes is "advertisement", this doesn't erase the fact that she plagiarized from someone else, that one of her articles wasn't genuine. Would you allow a company that sells FAKE Viagra to be advertized in your magazine? Of course not. You wouldn't allow it because it would reflect badly on the magazine. How would you know that Khun Nikki didn't plagiarize from many others for her other "Ying Thai" articles? Are you more concerned about protecting your "partnership" with a personal "friend" than making sure that your magazine adhere to professional journalistic standards?

To tell you the truth, I am afraid to hear your answer to that question.

Thank you for your attention.

>>>sSs<<<

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com

**********

The next reply I got had a remarkably different, nastier tone (bold words are Khun Voranai's, not mine):

Dearest Streetsmart,

Wasn't arguing, just explained why there was a hyphen. That's usually how conflicts are resolved, Streetsmart, through explanation.

And yes, using 'www' will get you to your blog. Go ahead, Streetsmart, try it.

As for the rest of what you wrote, I think you missed the whole point of my previous e-mail, Streetsmart.

So really, you don't need to be afraid of my answer, it's not complicated. It's simple, really it is...

She plagiarized. My policy is to terminate her. But I'm generous and forgiving (I know, silly qualities, aren't they?) and think she's otherwise a good person, so I gave her a chance.

BUT since there are two injured parties, I would not give her a chance if you don't agree to it. Which turns out that you don't agree to it, therefore I terminate the agreement with her. No more Ying Thai.

My willingness to terminate Ying Thai was pretty clear in my last email, Streetsmart. So what is the problem you are having now?

And of course her column wasn't an advertisement, Streetsmart. If it was then we need to get paid a lot of back money. That's fullpage adverts for tens of issues, Guru would be rolling in the money. But alas, I just used the term 'advertisement' to illustrate a point. Hence I wrote "think of it like..." But of course, we had failure to communicate.

So, this Friday's issue is the last of Ying Thai articles.

Also, there won't be any republishing of you blog address. I offered you a gesture on her behalf (because, you know, being generous and forgiving is so underrated these days...), you chose to refuse that gesture, which was your right to do. I acted accordingly to your choice and terminated our agreement with Nikki.

I don't feel the need to embarass her or put her business in jeopardy by having her apologize in the magazine. She apologized to me, that was good enough. She's terminated. I'm ready to move on.

She already apologized to you publically and privately. You can take it as you like it. Your choice. But I'm sure you would find forgiveness and generoisity in your heart. We are all humans. We all have those qualities, as well as the abilities to make mistakes. Especially since you know her personally, unless there are other personal issue between you and her that I don't know about, and really isn't any of my concerns.

Just to make it clear again, Streetsmart, so we won't have the same problem per last email, Ying Thai is terminated. She's no more. That's her punishment for the wrong that she has done.

Regards,

**********

Erm... I NEVER demanded that Khun Nikki's "Ying Thai" column be scrapped... All I was asking for was a formal acknowledgement/apology because the writer of "Ying Thai" plagiarized from me.

Anyway, it's not my responsibility if Khun Voranai decided that the "Ying Thai" column is no more~!! This has actually achieved NOTHING, because the "Guru" readers are still under the impression that THAT article, "Is Beauty Only Skin Deep?", written by Khun Nikki was 100% genuine~!!

WHEN did I refuse the republishing of my blog address~?! In my previous email, I SPECIFICALLY asked Khun Voranai to make sure that my blog's CORRECT address be printed~!! DUH~!!

First Khun Voranai said Khun Nikki's "Ying Thai" column was an advertisement for MeetNLunch... And now he denied it... So why did he say "You may consider her articles in Guru as advertisements for her business", then~?! It's impossible trying to argue about anything with a person who keeps changing what he (previously) had said...

I also resent that Khun Voranai tried to lecture and shift the blame to me by accusing me of being stupid, unforgiving and "having problems". He was trying to divert the plagiarism mistake to ME.

Sneaky, but totally missing the point.

Besides, what moral high ground did he have for lecturing me about "forgiveness" and "generosity" when he himself wasn't able to grasp the (also) moral concepts of "responsibility", "admission of mistakes" and "journalistic ethics"~?!

BAH~~ Nevertheless, I could recognize that I was fighting against a brick wall fiercely protected by a malevolent, fire-breathing dragon.

My next email to the Bangkok Post editor:

Dear Bangkok Post,

I am sorry to inform you that Khun Voranai has taken offence against my request and sent me quite a nasty email accusing me of being stupid, unforgiving and "having problems" (you can read Khun Voranai's email below my email). He is saying that I have forced him to terminate Khun Nikki's "Ying Thai" article.

This has resolved nothing. The real issue here is about righting a wrong - that Khun Nikki plagiarized from me, not whether or not khun Nikki's column should be terminated. As of right now, Khun Nikki's readers are still under the impression that the article was genuinely hers and Khun Nikki can still claim this article as 100% HERS and show it as part of her "writing portfolio" to future employers, or anybody, for that matter. And that is why there has be a formal correction in the printed medium, because it was published in print and went into circulation to a number of readers.

All Khun Nikki had to do (without losing face), and that Guru could have supported/allowed her to do (since the Guru editor did not seem to treat plagiarism as something serious - "hey forgive and forget, live and let live, she's my friend"), should have been to issue a simple statement in her page saying something like, "In the article ....... that appeared in Guru, issue ......., the writer failed to mention/acknowledge the blogsite ...... as the source of a number of extracts/passages cited in the article. This statement, therefore, corrects that omission." Or something to that effect. Very mild and face-saving. A real editor shouldn't have to feel embarrassed about issuing a correction. I know because Bangkok Post has done it several times. No blood was spilled.

Instead I've received a tongue-lashing (which was meant to skirt the REAL issue), accusing me of being unable to understand and vengeful. He has also "punished" me by informing me that there would be no reprinting of my blog's URL (which he had promised before). I believe Khun Voranai has handled this whole thing terribly and unprofessionally. I have lost all hope of receiving any kind of formal acknowledgement from him.

I am now asking the Bangkok Post to take this matter into its hands and correct this wrong.

Thank you for your kindness and utmost understanding. I hope you can look into this case.

Best Regards,

>>>sSs<<<

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com

**********

To which I got the reply:

Dear StreetSmart,

Thank you for writing to me and let me know what are going on between you and Voranai. As the editor of the Bangkok Post, I would like to say sorry to you for the whole thing, and please allow me to handle the case. I will talk to Voranai and let you know what are my actions.

Thank you again, and hope you feel better.

Pattnapong Chantranontwong

Editor - Bangkok Post

The Post Publishing Plc.

Tel: 662-240-3700 Ext. 1201

**********

Then today I got this email from the Bangkok Post:

Dear StreetSmart,

I've talked to Voranai, and he agreed to publish the acknowledgement of your article in Guru magazine next issue (to be launched on Friday 7, December).

Hope you are satisfied.

regards,

Pattnapong Chantranontwong

Editor - Bangkok Post

The Post Publishing Plc.

Tel: 662-240-3700 Ext. 1201

**********

To which I replied:

Dear Khun Pattnapong,

I don't know HOW you managed to convince Khun Voranai, but let me tell you that I REALLY appreciate your efforts in handling this case. Thank you very much from the bottom of my (Sukhumvit lovin') heart~!!

I shall wait for the Dec. 7 edition of "Guru".

Once again, thank you very much~!!!

Best Regards,

>>>sSs<<<

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com

**********

COULD THIS BE TRUE~~?? Am I REEEEEALLY gonna get the proper acknowledgement in the "Guru", instead of the usual wishy-washy empty words that don't even MENTION that I was plagiarized~~??

"Don't celebrate... JUST YET~!!!" I was warned. And perhaps I really shouldn't... not just yet. The cynical part of me is having a hard time believing that the end of the tunnel is near.

So let's all wait and see (AGAIN~!!) siiiigh~~~~

'Til next Friday~!!

Keepin' my fingers crossed

P.S. Oh, I almost forgot. For those who don't have the faintest idea what the heck I'm babbling about here:

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/journal/item/66/Ive_Been_Plagiarized

Pics:

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/photos/album/35/PLAGIARISM_-_closeup

Continue here:

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/photos/album/36

Blog post right before this newest one:

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/journal/item/73/Scratching_My_Head_in_Wonder_and_Amazement

streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com

sukhumvit bangkok thailand

Woke up obscenely early today, excited as a kid on Christmas Day~!! (Actually, I was woken up by an SMS sent to my cellphone... turned out somebody else had checked today's "Guru" already while I was still deeeeeep in Slumberland~!!!)

Stumbled outta bed and forced my still-asleep brain to answer the oh-so-important question: "Where can I get a copy??" I need to see it WITH MY OWN EYES~!!

Ignoring the guards' stares (who actually looked quite shocked I was out and about so early in the morning HA HA HA), I spilled into a gas station's convenience store... nope, didn't see any newspapers there...

"Mai mii nangsuuphim, roo~??" (You don't have newspapers?) I asked the woman behind the cash register and she shook her head. Crap, I thought...

By this time I was staggering around Sukhumvit (why are there SO many people out on the street at this ungodly hour, I thought) when I spotted a 7-11 store. But nope, there were many tabloid magazines dedicated to dara (celebs) lifestyle and gossip, but still no newspapers...

Luckily, I spied an old man selling newspapers just a few steps away from 7-11... YES~!!!

"Looking for an advertisement, nhu?" the old man asked me quizzically, perplexed why I was flipping through the "Guru" with such energy and vigor.

"Erm... plau..." (Nothing...) I mumbled and quickly fished out some cash from my pocket and paid him.

Where's the acknowledgement, I thought... At first I thought my eyes weren't working properly coz I saw NOTHING that resembled anything like a formal acknowledgement/apology...

THEN I SAW IT (on page 8, the Ying Thai column).

This was written: "Having been writing for Guru for a while now, I find myself scouring various sources for ideas and inspiration. These sources range from fashion magazines such as Cosmo and Elle, TV shows and of course the Internet. Blogs such as www.streetsmart-sukhumvit.multiply.com always provide a wealth of information and story ideas." (closeup PIC below)

THAT WAS IT.

Not only was there no mention of Nikki plagiarizing my blog entry, she actually spelled my web address INCORRECTLY~!!! Omigod, THE HORROR~!!

(For the record, it's http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com NOT www.streetsmart-sukhumvit.multiply.com ~!!!)

Hmmmmmm... I couldn't help but wonder... was this done INTENTIONALLY~?! Why none of the mighty editors of the "Guru" even bothered to CHECK whether the URL was the correct one or not~?!

Tsk, tsk, tsk... somebody ain't doin' their job, huh buddy~~?? Turns out that the "Guru" (which wikipedia explains loosely means "teacher") ain't so "wise" after all~!!

To say that I'm disappointed is an understatement.

There was no mention of my blog entry being copied (not even the specific blog entry title).

There was no ADMISSION that one of the "Guru" articles published four months ago wasn't 100% genuine.

Plus, my blog address was also printed incorrectly.

I have no other choice but to contact the editor directly. I didn't contact her editor earlier because I wanted to give Nikki a chance to ADMIT it to her editor by herself first, coz I thought if it came from somebody else outside (ME), it would make her look worse - she's already naa taek (Thai slang meaning "broken face" = lose face) so I thought OK, better give her a chance to admit by herself to her editor... After all, it's better to admit by yourself rather than being pointed out by someone else, riiiiight? I was trying to be krengjai to her...

But I guess she's a lost cause.

So it's up to her editor now. I fired a long email to Khun Voranai, the "Guru" editor:

Dear Khun Voranai,

I am sure you have heard about me and my blog http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com, courtesy of Nikki Assavathorn, your unpaid contributor who plagiarized parts of her article "Is Beauty Only Skin Deep?" (published four months ago in both her blog http://nikkiblog.com/2007/07/23/is-beauty-skin-deep/#more-12 as well as "Guru" magazine vol. 3, no. 29, 20-26 July 2007) from my blog entry titled "The Issue of Skin Color" ( http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/journal/item/6/The_Issue_of_Skin_Color).

Khun Nikki has made changes in her blog entry, so I've considered that matter closed now. However, I'd asked her to make a formal acknowledgement regarding her article in the "Guru". I didn't contact you earlier because I wanted to give Khun Nikki a chance to admit this BY HERSELF, because I felt that if it were coming from an outside source (ME), it would look worse for her.

However, after seeing what she wrote today, I feel that I MUST write to you to explain the situation. I have in my hands today's copy of the "Guru" magazine, and I have to say that I am very disappointed with what I see. Not only didn't she ADMIT that she stole my words and tried to pass them off as her own, she (or was it the editors of "Guru"?) couldn't even spell my blog's URL properly. For the record, it is NOT www.streetsmart-sukhumvit.multiply.com It's http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com I hope this is an honest editorial mistake and it will be corrected soon.

Now to the other more pressing issue. I am not saying that I have the monopoly of discussing skin color issues (or any other issues, for that matter). This issue of Asians being obsessed with being fair-skinned while Westerners want to be darker has been discussed by countless other writers.

What I find to be galling is that Khun Nikki took my words, changed them a little bit (but not well enough so it was still obvious she plagiarized from me ) and tried to pass them off as her own words. This is plagiarism . She is free to talk about ANY issue, but the WORDS that she uses must be her original words, not taken from other sources. If she wishes to use other people's words, she must acknowledge her sources, otherwise it's plagiarism, which is a crime.

Perhaps you're familiar with what happened to the writer named Kaavya Viswanathan, who was caught plagiarizing from other writers?

Read it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaavya_Viswanathan
Both she and Khun Nikki did the same thing - took other people's words, changed them a little bit and tried to pass them off as their own words. Is this plagiarism? You bet it is. As a result, Kaavya Viswanathan's book deal was scrapped.

I have posted pictures of the "Guru" magazine's article, as well as the exact words that Khun Nikki took from my blog here:

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/photos/album/36/I_FINALLY_Got_It

In today's "Guru" magazine, there was only a brief mention of how Khun Nikki views my blog (with the URL spelled incorrectly) as a "source of inspiration". This is NOT an admission, nor a formal acknowledgement that one of her published "Guru" articles wasn't genuine. In her earlier email to me (when I pointed out that one of her blog entries was plagiarized from mine), Khun Nikki was very apologetic. She ADMITTED that she copied my words. However, I see a markedly different tone with today's article in "Guru". Not only did she spell my blog's URL incorrectly (and none of the editors in "Guru" even bothered to CHECK whether this was the correct URL), her flippant tone indicated that my blog only "inspires" her. There was no mention of her copying my words at all.

I am sorry to bother you with this long email, but I feel that I have been misled by Khun Nikki. I was under the impression that she would ADMIT that some of the words of her published "Guru" articles weren't genuinely hers (and to at least spell my blog's URL correctly).

I am respectfully requesting that you exercise your editorial power and make sure that what needs to be done is done.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely Yours,

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com

Siiigh~~ I HAD hoped that this issue would be closed today, so I can continue writing about Sukhumvit stuff, but y'know what? To hell with this... Whether or not I get my measly formal acknowledgement-slash-apology-slash-correct spelling of my blog's address... I am just gonna continue with writing about REAL Sukhumvit stuff...

Can't help it if others (who call themselves so-called "journalists" BAH) don't take plagiarism seriously~!!

* at least now I have a whole magazine to use as tissue paper...

** NOTE: Don't know what the hell am I babbling about? Rewind here:

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/journal/item/66

And continue reading here:

http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/photos/album/36

Repeat the GURU MANTRA: "Imitation is the best form of flattery"

streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com

sukhumvit

bangkok

thailand

I had the unpleasant surprise when I found a blog with the name of "Nikki Blog" actually has one blog entry that has almost THE SAME words as one of my blog entries.

On 8 June 2007, I published a blog entry titled "The Issue of Skin Color" (read it HERE), about how the locals are obsessed with being fair-skinned while the Westerners strive to be tanned.

In "Nikki Blog", the blog entry is titled "Is Beauty Skin Deep?", published on 23 July 2007 (read it HERE).

Imagine MY HORROR when I found that this imitation blog entry is almost an exact copy of mine. You be the judge; the similarities are SO suspiciously alike, they're laughable:

From mine:

"Go into any beauty supplies store and you will notice that there are countless of "whitening lotions". "

From Nikki Blog:

"Go into any local supermarket and you will notice countless rows of whitening lotions."

*******************************************************************

From mine:

"There has been much hostile debate about this issue, with serious words like "racism", "colonial mentality", and of course - "shameless dark hussies sucking money out of hopeless, desperate old farang men" being thrown to and fro."

From Nikki Blog:

"Is it racism? Is it colonical mentality? Or is it "shameless prostitute that sucks money out of hopeless desperate farang"?"

*******************************************************************

From mine:

"Well, the logic goes like this. In a tropical country where the sun shines all year round, laborers and farmers work outdoors and therefore get deeply tanned. Therefore, tanned skin is seen as being low-class and countrysided. Any tanned local ladies walking alongside a western man gets "those" looks (a.k.a the "I-bet-they-didn't-meet-in-an-office" look). It's unfair to judge someone based on his or her skin color, but this is reality."

From Nikki Blog:

"In Thailand, tanned skin has connoted labor, work in the fileds and therefore lower-class. Any gorgeous chocolate brown skin ladies walking alongside a western guy often get the "looks" of "I bet they didn't meet in office." I find it unfair to judge a girl based on her skin color, but this is a reality in Thailand."

*******************************************************************

I’ve sent an email to the owner of Nikki Blog (who, by the way, is s'posed to be a contributor to the Bangkok Post's Guru magazine~!!):

By the way, I went to check out your Nikki Blog; and was very surprised to see one of your articles (titled "Is Beauty Skin Deep?", published 23rd July 2007 at http://nikkiblog.com/2007/07/23/is-beauty-skin-deep/#more-12) about skin color VERY SIMILAR to a blog article I'd written before in my blog published 8 June 2007 titled "The Issue of Skin Color" (read it here: http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/journal/item/6/The_Issue_of_Skin_Color.)

In your blog entry, it's written:

Go into any local supermarket chain and you will notice countless rows of whitening lotions.

My blog entry:

Go into any beauty supplies store and you will notice that there are countless of "whitening lotions".

In your blog:

Is it racism? Is it colonial mentality? Or is it "shameless prostitute that sucks money out of hopeless desperate farang"?

In my blog entry:

There has been much hostile debate about this issue, with serious words like "racism", "colonial mentality", and of course - "shameless dark hussies sucking money out of hopeless, desperate old farang men" being thrown to and fro.

In your blog entry:

Any gorgeous chocolate brown skin ladies walking alongside a western guy often get the "looks" of "I bet they didn't meet in office." I find it unfair to judge a girl based on her skin color, but this is a reality in Thailand.

In my blog entry:

Any tanned local ladies walking alongside a western man gets "those" looks (a.k.a the "I-bet-they-didn't-meet-in-an-office" look). It's unfair to judge someone based on his or her skin color, but this is reality.

THESE are suspiciously VERY similar, aren't they? Now, I don't know who really writes your blog entries in Nikki Blog, but I highly suspect that whoever wrote this particular blog entry has plagiarized my words. Please take down this blog entry, or at least change the almost identical words. As I mentioned to you when we met, I used to be a journalist and I take plagiarism very seriously.

Thank you for your attention and understanding.

Plagiarism is NOT cool~!!

streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com

sukhumvit

bangkok

thailand

Yee-haaa~~ I dunno whether this good fortune is due to my good karma (but I'm sure it CAN'T be coming from my 'plan' before to slaughter some sacrificial chickens to bring up my votes)... BUT I am truly HONORED that a seasoned travel writer has deemed my beloved bloggie worthy of a mention~!!

Chris Mitchell of Travelhappy has written an article about this silly little blog of mine on his site... And he actually used such words like "superb", "impressive", "worth checking out" and... wait for it... my absolute favorite:

"It captures the organised chaos of Sukhumvit perfectly. "

Check it out here http://travelhappy.info/bangkok/street-smart-sukhumvit

(Maybe this time I should pop into Church?)

But just in case my "luck" runs out, I can still depend on you guys for some "earthly votes", right?

streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com

sukhumvit bangkok thailand

My dearest lil' bloggie is featured on www.fuelmyblog.com as one of "Today's Top Blogs" in the TRAVEL section~!!!!!

Gosh~~~~ ( *blushing, sputtering and basically speechless* )

** After about 5 minutes of staring unblinking at the computer screen **

Okie dokie, guys... You wouldn't mind VOTING for me, would 'ya?

Please go to www.fuelmyblog.com, scroll down to the "TRAVEL" section, and direct your mouse to my pic (the blue Sukhumvit street sign). A small window will appear, saying "click on small image for blog info". If you click on my blog's pic, the voting window will appear.

(if my blog pic isn't there, click on "more" - look for the blue Sukhumvit street sign pic!).

You basically have two choices:

You can FUEL THIS BLOG

or

You can SNUFF THIS BLOG

Oh oh oh~ please pour gasoline (plus beer, Tequila, whisky, ether  or anything flammable you got on your hands) on it~!!!

I promise I will beseech ALL the deities in the cosmos to give you good fortune, lotssss of (wanted) admirers and brownie points for the afterlife. PLUS my everlasting gratitude.

Or: you can opt for me to send you a free pic of the revered JATUKAM amulet (guaranteed protection against bad luck and enemies~!!)

streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com

sukhumvit

bangkok

thailand

Click on any of the tags and it'll give you a list of all the posts related to that word.

streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com

sukhumvit

bangkok

thailand