Denver’s Green Dream Plants a Tree For Every Clothing Item They Sell

"Planting trees and slanging tees" is the motto of the eco-inspired company Green Dream Clothing Co. (GDCC) that plants a tree for every article of clothing sold. With items and clothing ranging from $5 to $60, this local charitable company ensures the environment benefits from the products they sell.

GDCC began when owner Adam Swartz was assigned a class project his sophomore year at Indiana University. As an Arts Management major, he was assigned a lot of real life projects, starting his business being one of them.

"I have always cared a lot about the environment and wanted to give back in a way," Swartz said. "TOMS was new and kicking off when I started this brand and I jumped on the wagon of one for one…at first I wasn't sure how I wanted to give back then I decided on the tree program."

GDCC owner Adam Swartz.

GDCC partners with a couple non-profits including Plant-It 2020 that assists in planting the trees for them. They offer a choice of 11 states throughout the US and 31 countries to plant the trees in. So far Dream Green has planted over 5,000 trees.

"We fund them to go out and plant the trees. They have nurseries all over the world from Colorado to Zimbabwe," he said. "I have also planted some trees myself with some friends."

After graduating from IU in 2014, Swartz moved to Colorado and his business took off. He sells all of his products including hats, tank tops and tees, mugs, socks, lighters, stickers and more both online and in Boulder at the Buffalo Exchange. He is also currently looking for a few other brick and mortar locations in the Denver area to continue selling his products locally.

"Our style is very minimal, clean and modern," he said. "Two or three years ago when I was starting, there was still a little bit of the graphic tees, but I've narrowed it down to just the upside down logo."

The upside down umbrella logo that he drew junior year in the back row of his Buddhism class is the trademark symbol identifying his brand.

"A normal umbrella blocks stuff out and an upside down umbrella allows things to come in, like experiences and change, letting things happen and rolling with it," he said. The mentality is to allow all of life's experiences, good and bad, help shape who you are, what you dream of and where you dream of going.

Swartz is also open to new designs, as he recently teamed with a well-known local boutique that is assisting with the production of a new winter sweatshirt. The partnering boutique prefers to remain anonymous at this time.

"We are continuing to increase the quality and narrowing down the manufacturers," he said. "I've been through a ton of trial and error over the past few years and expanded the product line."

The GDCC crew just returned from Iceland where they were shooting new products, which they plan to add to their online inventory soon. In the upcoming year, Swartz plans to aim his products more towards women and outerwear and continue to find sponsors including athletes, photographers, and more retailers so that one day he can succeed in his goal to own his own store.

As advice for aspiring business owners Swartz recommends to just go for it and follow your dreams.

"Just do it," he said. "As cliché as that sounds, I started this with no knowledge with my computer in my dorm room and as long as you care about something enough, just get off your ass and do it."

Source: Denver's Green Dream Plants a Tree For Every Clothing Item They Sell

'Moana' cruises with $81.1M Thanksgiving weekend

By Associated Press 5:35pm, November 27, 2016 Voice cast actress Auli'i Cravalho poses for photographers upon arrival at a UK Gala screening of the film 'Moana' in London. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP) Disney's South Pacific animated tale "Moana" fell short of a "Frozen"-sized debut, but it nevertheless dominated the Thanksgiving box office with an estimated $81.1 million over the five-day weekend.

The well-reviewed "Moana," set in ancient Polynesia, earned $55.5 million from Friday to Sunday. It didn't match the 2013 Thanksgiving release of "Frozen," which opened with $93.6 million. But "Moana" scored the second-highest Turkey Day debut ever.

Falling to second was J.K. Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," which earned $65.8 million over the five-day weekend.

Those releases far outpaced more star-driven films.

The Brad Pitt-Marion Cotillard World War II romance "Allied" opened with a mediocre $18 million over five days. Warren Beatty's first film in 15 years, "Rules Don't Apply," bombed with $2.2 million over the five-day weekend.

Copyright © Nov 27, 2016, WDEL/Delmarva Broadcasting Company. All Rights Reserved.This material may not be pub lished, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: 'Moana' cruises with $81.1M Thanksgiving weekend

Rape-accused lensman died 'a coward'

British photographer David Hamilton has died in Paris on Friday night at the age of 83 after committing suicide, according to police sources.

Mr Hamilton, who had lived much of his life in France and whose works had appeared in high-end fashion magazines, was found unresponsive in his home by a neighbour who alerted emergency services, the sources said.

It comes as a French presenter who accused the photographer of raping her and several other victims when they were teenagers said his apparent suicide had denied them justice.

"By his cowardice, (Hamilton) condemns us again to silence and the inability to see him convicted. The horror of this news will never wipe out that of our sleepless nights," said Flavie Flament.

The horror of this news will never wipe out that of our sleepless nights," said Flavie Flament. Photo / Getty Images

Famed for his soft-focus portraits of unclothed girls, Mr Hamilton last week denied allegations by a French radio host and three other women that he raped them while they were in their early teens.

"Today I am the subject of no legal proceedings. This oversteps the presumption of innocence. I am innocent and must be considered so," he told Agence France Presse last week.

"The instigator of this media lynching is seeking her quarter of an hour of fame through slander. I will be filing several legal complaints in the coming days," he said.

Flavie Flament, a presenter on RTL radio, alleged the photographer sexually assaulted her when she was 13 during a photo shoot at a nudist camp in Cap d'Agde, southern France, in the mid-1980s after persuading her parents to let him work alone with their daughter.

She recounted the alleged rape in a book, The Consolation, out last month. While she did not name Mr Hamilton in the work, she put his photograph of her as a young girl on its cover.

Last Friday, she confirmed she was referring to him after being contacted by other women with near-identical allegations.

"When I chose with my publisher to put this photo on the cover, I knew that it would prompt other testimonies. And I can tell you that I wasn't the only one to have gone through this abuse, this rape by this photographer. I knew I couldn't be the only one," Ms Flament, 42, told France 2.

The case re-ignited a debate over the statutes of limitation for rape in France.

Currently, a woman cannot file for rape more than 20 years after reaching the age of 18. Ms Flamant said that the memories of the rape only returned to her when she was reaching 38 - too late to file for charges.

On Tuesday, Laurence Rossignol, French women's rights minister, announced that she had nominated Ms Flament to conduct a "mission" to look into whether the statutes of limitation should change.

In interviews with Nouvel Observateur, the weekly magazine, two alleged victims recounted how a "smiling" Mr Hamilton - then in his fifties - had approached them while they were 13 and 14 and on holiday with their parents in Cap d'Agde, where the photographer had bought a flat.

They said he could be seen every day accompanied "without fail by a very young slim blonde girl walking up and down the beach in search of models".

His posters were sold the world over and his postcards were on sale in all the seaside resort's shops.

He had by then sold dozens of photographic books with combined sales well into the millions, five feature films, countless magazine publications and museum and gallery exhibitions.

"To be noticed by him was to be the chosen one," they told the magazine.

"When he offered to do a trial shoot, my father was so proud, his eyes were twinkling," said one.

She said the first took place in a small seaside flat on a terrace in the presence of her father and Mr Hamilton's former wife Gertrude. However, for the second shoot they were alone.

"Can you keep a secret?" he allegedly whispered in her ear. "I was very uneasy and very intimated," she told Nouvel Observateur, recounting how he went on to rape her. All said they were too petrified and shocked to react. One alleged he said afterwards: "You're lucky I chose you because you're not that beautiful. The others adore what I do to them."

Ms Flament and the other women said they felt too "guilty" and "ashamed" to tell their parents.

"I thought my parents would be so disappointed if I stopped the photo shoots," said the first girl, who continued to be "under his spell".

Another girl told her parents she wanted to stop after two sessions.

The first girl told Nouvel Observateur that she had tried to forget the whole incident but that "it has had huge consequences on my sex life".

"I had suicidal tendencies," she said. In 1997, she filed a legal complaint against Mr Hamilton, who was quizzed on her allegations. He denied any wrongdoing and the inquiry was dropped.

She considered civil proceedings but was told she would have to forward 30,000 francs deposit. "I thought he was too protected that the fight was lost in advance, that it would ruin my life," she told the magazine.

A third woman subsequently contacted Nouvel Observateur claiming that Mr Hamilton raped her in 1967 when she was 14 years old. The women said they were were constantly reminded of the alleged abuse when seeing his photographs of nude, underage girls in books and magazines - including pictures of them.

"It's unbearable to see that he is still using us," the second girl told the magazine. "Ah those famous Hamiltonian looks of melancholy. Now you know why they were melancholy," she is quoted as saying.

Ms Flament and the first two girls worked out that they had crossed paths in Cap d'Agde.

"The more numerous we are the stronger we'll be," Ms Flament told Nouvel Observateur.

Mr Hamilton's work depicting early-teenage girls, often nude, he has been the subject of some controversy including child pornography allegations and bans in some countries.

"Hamilton's photographs have long been at the forefront of the 'is it art or pornography?' debate," wrote one British newspaper.

In 2005, a man was convicted for being in possession of 19,000 images of children, including photos by Hamilton. The images were found to be in the lowest indecency rating.

In response, Glenn Holland, Mr Hamilton's spokesman, stated: "We are deeply saddened and disappointed by this, as David is one of the most successful art photographers the world has ever known. His books have sold millions".

Following the conviction, a member of the Surrey Police in Britain stated that possessing Hamilton books was now illegal in the UK. Surrey Police later made a formal apology for this statement and admitted that no legally binding decision had been made on the work of David Hamilton.

In 2010, a man was convicted of level 1 child pornography for owning four books bought in a London bookshop, including Mr Hamilton's The Age of Innocence.

His conviction was overturned on appeal in 2011, with the judge calling his conviction "very unfair" and criticising the Crown Prosecution Service, saying if it "wishes to test whether the pictures in the books are indecent, the right way to deal with the matter is by way of prosecuting the publisher or retailer - not the individual purchaser".

Where to get help:

• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7)

• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)

• Youthline: 0800 376 633

• Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7)

• Whatsup: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm)

• Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 (available 24/7)

• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155

• Samaritans 0800 726 666

• If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

Source: Rape-accused lensman died 'a coward'

The Airbus A350-1000 Takes to the Skies

Yesterday in Toulouse the Airbus A350-1000 took flight for the first time, embarking on a yearlong flight test campaign before Qatar Airways puts the first delivery into commercial service in late 2017. The A350-1000 is the stretched sibling of the A350-900, which entered service in 2015. As of October 2016, Airbus had 195 orders from 11 customers for the A350-1000.

First Flight

The A350-1000's first flight lasted four hours and 20 minutes, covering 2,056 kilometers. Much of the flight, like many first flights, was conducted with the landing gear extended. The flight stayed close to Toulouse, flying east and west just south of Toulouse then made a low pass over the airport before landing.

In the image below, we've included the flight track and speed and altitude graph.

📼 See full playback of the flight.

Flight track and speed & altitude graph of the Airbus A350-1000's first flight

Photos and Video

Airbus captured photos and video of the first flight from inside the aircraft and from a chase plane. The JetPhotos catalog also continues to grow, with new photos of the A350-1000 being added by photographers who were lucky enough to capture the first flight.

A350-1000 MSN 059 departing on its first flight

Future Flight Tests

A350-1000 MSN 065, the second A350-1000 test aircraft

Airbus will use three three airframes during A350-1000 flight tests. The first two, MSN 059 and MSN 065 have been unveiled, while the third, MSN 071, is still in production. In addition to the three test airframes, Airbus is using A380 MSN 001 to test the Rolls Royce Trent XWB 97, the engine that powers the A350-1000.

Follow the A350-1000 flight test campaign with the registrations below, or use aircraft type code 'A35K' to follow all A350-1000 aircraft.

Manufacturer's Serial Number Registration Flight Test Purpose MSN 059 F-WMIL Heavy test InstrumentationOpening of flight envelopeHandling Qualities TestsSystems Tests MSN 065 F-WLXV Light InstrumentationCabin & Systems TestsEIS performances MSN 071 F-WWXL Heavy test InstrumentationPerformance Tests
Landing gear and Engine Tests

Featured image by Yvan Panas

Tags: A350, A350-100, Airbus, first flight, Flight tests
Source: The Airbus A350-1000 Takes to the Skies

Shia Labeouf thrown out of Warpaint gig in Texas

Shia Labeouf was escorted out of a Warpaint gig in Austin, Texas, according to several fans in attendance.

The 30-year-old actor was in the city for a screening of his film Man Down last Thursday, after which he took questions from fans.

Aware the star was in town, Warpaint tweeted out an invitation to Labeouf, asking him to come to their concert at Austin's Emo's nightclub.

Fans watching the Los Angeles indie rockers alleged that Labeouf attended the gig and was removed from the venue by security staff after scuffling with several revellers.

"Shia LaBeouf was at the Warpaint show I attended last night," a user with the handle M1sterX wrote on social media website Reddit. "He was probably 10 feet away from my right and was nearly unrecognizable, save for the ponytail tucked underneath his baseball cap and his scruffy beard.

"Anyway, at the beginning of the last song (pre-encore), he began to shove his way to the front and was involved in an altercation with other patrons of the venue, as it was already full where he was shoving himself into. Guys were shoving him around as he was fighting back. Security escorted him out and the band addressed the issue (since we were up front), but kept it classy and didn't mention his name."

Others in attendance replied to M1sterX's post confirming that Labeouf, who married actress Mia Goth in Las Vegas last month, had been involved in an altercation at the gig, with one admitting to shoving the actor after taking exception to his behaviour towards a female friend.

The user, named Pashacre, wrote, "He kept magnetizing to the front, and somewhere in the mix he was pushing his leg in between my friend Livi's. She shoved him down, and that's when I tried to push him out of the crowd. Then someone stopped me because it was Shia."

The gig goer revealed the band stopped performing due to the scuffle and alleged Labeouf was then escorted out of the venue.

Representatives for Labeouf and Warpaint did not respond to requests for comment.

Source: Shia Labeouf thrown out of Warpaint gig in Texas

Gift Guide for Photographers

It's almost that time of year when photographers everywhere start making wish-lists to hand over to Santa – or at least dropping hints to friends and family about what they might like to find under the tree on Christmas morning.  Whether you are looking for some upgraded gear, a cool new camera bag, or a new piece of gear to help your photography get to the next level, we have you covered.

Tripod:  The Manfrotto 190 Go! tripod has received nothing but raves since it was released.  The 190 Go! has an incredible new twist-lock system that makes adjustments very quickly.  Another great feature?  The center column is adjustable so once you are set-up you have the added flexibility of not needed to adjust the legs at all and instead simply move the center the column up and down.  What's more, the center column can rotate to a 90 degree angle making it possible to use this tripod for overhead shots which is can be useful to take unique landscape shots, product shots, and birds eye view portraits.  Simply put, this tripod is incredibly versatile and easy to use, which means you can be more creative in getting the shots you want.  The 190 Go! is available in aluminum or ultra-light, ultra-strong carbon fiber which can go anywhere.

Tripod Ballhead:  Every good tripod needs a great tripod ballhead.  The Manfrotto XPro BHQ6 is popular among many photographers for good reason.  It can hold a hefty 22 pounds, meaning you can use even the your longest zoom without worrying.  No zooms now?  This is still a great choice because this sturdy ballhead will grow with you and not need to be replaced if you upgrade your equipment.   What else makes this ballhead great?  Two bubble levels to ensure your shots are level, a quick mechanism to use for 360 degree panning, and ultra-sturdy construction so you don't need to worry about using your pricey camera and lenses on a sub-par tripod set-up.

Camera Bag:  Even the best camera won't do you much good if you don't take it with you.  A sleek bag like the Manfrotto Windsor Camera and Laptop Backpack will help you carry your expensive gear discretely and stylishly.  It's big enough to hold a DSLR with a lens as huge as the 70-200mm with plenty of room for two extra lenses, accessories, and personal items in the bag's ample compartments.  There is even a place to attach a tripod on the front.  The Manfrotto Windsor Backpack is extremely versatile as it is possible to remove the padded camera insert to either place in a different bag when needed or to convert the laptop-ready bag to an everyday backpack when you don't need to haul your gear.  It's also possible to be very discreet and fast when using this backpack since it allows for side access to your camera, meaning you can simple reach in through the side to grab your gear rather than having to sift through all of your bag's contents to find what you ar e looking for.  This bag manages to hold a ton without being bulky.

Portable Daylight:  Heading into winter, a portable daylight balanced light should find a place on every photographer's wish list.  The Lykos LED light's temperature closely matches daylight to give you an extra boost of near-natural light when you need it or to simulate natural light even when shooting at night.  The Lykos Daylight comes with gels for times you want to match other lighting conditions and there is also a bicolor version available.  The Lykos is extremely easy to use with its simple dimmer switch and LED readout on the back that shows you the light's intensity.  It's also small enough to hand-hold by its handle, won't roll if you would prefer to rest it on a flat surface, or can easily be used on a tripod.  It's great to pair with the very affordable Pixi Mini Tripod for maximum flexibility.

Photography Education:  There is normally a class or two on the wish list of every photographer, whether it's learning from a photographer whose work they admire or a course that will go in-depth into teaching a new skill or technique.  A couple of places that offer consistently high-quality photography education in nearly every area from the technical to the creative and more are CreativeLive and Click Photo School.  There is no better way to learn than from the best in the field whether you watch a course on-demand  from CreativeLive or learn in a real-time class through Click Photo School you will gain new skills to help get you where you want to be.  No time for a class now?  Just ask for a gift card.

A Rad New Camera Strap:  Chances are you have a camera strap that is just okay. There has been a lot of buzz about the Money Maker camera strap from Holdfast Gear for good reason.  Unlike traditional straps, it is worn as a harness which relieves a lot of the neck and shoulder pain that can come along with wearing your gear for a long time.  Plus, it works equally as well for one or two camera bodies.  The Money Maker also allows your camera(s) to hang at your side and out of the way when not in use reducing the chance that it will accidentally hit something and get damaged and it just looks cool.

Photography Books:  Most photographers love reading about photography and could sit for hours flipping through books with gorgeous images and tips about improving skills.  The Picture Perfect series from Roberto Valenzuela always receives rave reviews.  The series include Picture Perfect Lighting, Picture Perfect Posing, and Picture Perfect Practice.  These books even have companion classes on CreativeLive.  Or, flip through a book with yummy images of food in Food Photography:  A Beginner's guide to Creating Appetizing Images by Corinna Gissemann or Street Photography:  The Art of Capturing the Candid Moment by Gordon Lewis.

New Lens: Chances are there is a lens or two on every photographer's wish-list.  Many photographers consider a creative lens like a Lensbaby.  The Sweet 35 and Edge 80 are longtime favorites for both portrait and landscape photographers who want to stretch their creativity.  The Art series of lenses from Sigma are other longtime favorites, particularly the Sigma Art 35mm that has a cult-like following.

Wireless Camera Controller:  Camera remotes have come a long way.  It used to be remotes simply triggered the shutter, but new versions like CamFi go beyond the remote and allow you to not just take a photo but change all of your camera settings and even your focus remotely.  Pair a wireless camera controller with a sturdy tripod like the Manfrotto 190 Go! to take self-portraits, time lapse photos, record images all night long, and more.

Gift Card:  Not sure what the best gift would be?  There's a solution.  Go for a gift card to a favorite photography store that sells high-quality brands like Manfrotto!

Jamie Davis Smith

Jamie Davis Smith is a photographer (www.jamiedavissmith.com) and writer in Washington, DC.  She is a mother of four who usually has her camera in-hand.  Connect on Facebook and Instagram.

Source: Gift Guide for Photographers

Thailand's Rice Farmers Are in the Election Crossfire

Each slash of Chawieng Kaewkam's sickle through his rice stalks is a reminder of how tough life has become for millions of Thai farmers who have watched grain prices tumble near the lowest point in a decade.

Chawieng can no longer afford to rent a machine to harvest his three acres of paddy in northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province, and must cut everything by hand with the help of his wife and daughter. The current market price of 8,039 baht ($227) a ton for fragrant rice is about 60 percent below the guaranteed rate offered by former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose government was ousted in a 2014 coup.

Chawieng Kaewkam

Photographer: Dario Pignatelli/Bloomberg

"At this price, we can't survive," the 56-year-old said, adding that even side jobs he used to take in the local construction industry have dried up. "I feel hopeless and depressed," he said. "If things remain bad, I might have to sell land to pay for debts."

Farmers like Chawieng are emblematic of wider economic woes in northeast Thailand that have the nation's military rulers anxious as they weigh holding an election next year. That now has the junta embracing similar price support for farmers that they vilified when they seized power.

Over the past decade, Thailand's generals repeatedly struggled to convince voters in the poorer and more populous northeast region to abandon support for allies of Yingluck and her brother Thaksin Shinawatra, who have won the past five elections dating back to 2001.

Rice prices are a big reason for that. While agricultural accounts for about 8 percent of Thailand's economy, rice farming employs 16 million people -- roughly a quarter of the population. When prices fall it affects the wider economy, depressing purchases of everything from property to motorcycles to consumer goods.

"Finding a quick and easy solution for rice farmers has become a proxy electoral campaign issue even though a date has not been set for a poll," said Ambika Ahuja, an analyst with Eurasia Group. "We have the government, political parties, and activist groups reaching out to farmers and providing ad hoc solutions. But these solutions are broadly similar to the extent that they are one form of subsidy or another."

$1 Billion Bill

Yingluck's government offered to buy paddy from farmers at levels that were sometimes 50 percent more than market prices, leading to outlays of about $25 billion over more than two years. That led to a 20 percent jump in rice production and a record stockpile of 17.8 million metric tons stored in government-run warehouses.

Junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha's administration called the policy unsustainable, and struggled to sell off the stored rice. It also brought malfeasance charges against Yingluck, and last month slapped her with a $1 billion bill -- even though it hasn't provided an estimate for total losses from the program.

A few weeks later, Prayuth did an about-face and announced his own plan to spend 78 billion baht ($2.2 billion) shoring up prices and subsidizing production costs. Under the policy, the government would offer farmers 90 percent of the market price plus storage fees if they hold the rice for five months. Afterward they could either sell at market rates and pay back the loan, or surrender the harvest to the government.

In another populist move, the military government on Tuesday announced a one-time cash handout of as much as 3,000 baht to help 5.4 million low-income earners.

In Ubon Ratchatani, a province bordering Cambodia and Laos that has reliably backed the Shinawatra family in elections, farmers say the military's rice program is better than nothing but ultimately too little, too late. They say the new system is too complicated, takes too long to join and requires them to take on the risk of storing their rice.

'We Want Yingluck'

"During Yingluck's government, prices were good and farmer's lives were much better," said Kangwan Bunprachom, 40, after he sold three tons of rice at a mill rather than save it for the government program. "What I earn from selling rice now isn't enough to pay debts. When I talk with farmer friends we grieve about the price slump and we want Yingluck to lead the government."

The rice-price slump has spawned a public-relations battle between the generals and ousted politicians who are banned from campaigning as part of wider restrictions on speech and assembly. Yingluck has bought rice from northeastern farmers and sold it at Bangkok shopping malls, while the military has sent soldiers to the countryside to help some farmers harvest rice -- with photographers and promotional banners in tow.

Since seizing power, junta leader Prayuth has repeatedly warned that farmers cannot rely on government price subsidies, and has encouraged moves to switch to other crops and improve overall quality. It is a plan Prayuth acknowledged could take 10 to 20 years to implement.

Distorting Prices

"Farmers need to change their methods," Prayuth told reporters on Nov. 18. "They can't just waiting for new government to sell rice at a satisfactory level and avoid thinking about the burden that will fall on others."

In Ubon Ratchathani, that argument has some support. Boohieng Rungrachkanont said only one of his three rice mills will turn a profit this year. He blames the falling prices on the huge stockpile amassed under Yingluck's program, and says the current government's plan to avoid setting a minimum price "helps farmers without distorting market prices."

Outside of agricultural sector, the price drop is also having an impact. Sales have dropped 6 percent this year at Paiboon Jongsuwat's 165 7-Eleven stores across four northeastern provinces. Paiboon attributes the drop to the fall in crop prices, and he doesn't see this government coming up with a solution.

Also feeling the impact has been Kittisak Kiatsuranon, CEO of Kitcharoenthaiubon, a distributor of motorcycles with 27 branches in two northeastern provinces. His company's income has been cut in half over the past five years, largely due to plummeting sales of small-sized motorcycles popular with farmers. Some 20 percent of 10,000 customers who financed their purchases are now behind on payments.

"Farmers don't have money to buy," he said. "Some don't even make payments and we have to take the motorcycles back. It has become more difficult asking them to pay."

For Kangwan, he says he must accept such hardship as the life of a rice farmer.

"Even though I record a loss most of the time, I still have to do it because I don't have another job," Kangwan said. "If I don't do it, I don't have anything to eat."

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Source: Thailand's Rice Farmers Are in the Election Crossfire