# Is this news story likely true or just some kind of joke? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 11, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851 "2016-02-11T20:12:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/21 "2016-02-12T14:54:51Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > I don’t think it is. Is this website even real? I think therefore I am. You don’t think it is, therefore it isn’t. > [@Guinastasia](#): > > Hey **Charlie** , do you know what the [capital](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkok) of Thailand is? My friend’s favorite “joke” for a while (when he was 12 or 13 naturally) was to ask a guy “What is the capital of Thailand?” and then yell “Bangkok!” and hit them in the junk. Good times. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/22 "2016-02-12T17:24:51Z")
Baba Booey Baba Booey Baba Booey Howard Stern’s Penis Baba Booey (ETA: Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.) ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/23 "2016-02-12T18:21:18Z")
Anyone who’s played Trivial Pursuit (remember that?) should know about Lake Titicaca. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/24 "2016-02-12T18:28:00Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Anyone who’s played Trivial Pursuit (remember that?) should know about Lake Titicaca. It was the Moops! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/25 "2016-02-12T18:39:08Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Anyone who’s played Trivial Pursuit (remember that?) should know about Lake Titicaca. And which two songs contain koo-koo-ka-choo. ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/26 "2016-02-12T19:36:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Phuket Island was one of the places heavily damaged after the 2004 earthquake and tsunami, and it’s pronounced poo-ket. Back in the 1960’s the engineering company I worked for in St. Louis designed the bridge from Phuket Island to the mainland. I can guarantee you that it was NOT pronounced poo-ket at work. No matter what the correct pronunciation was. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/27 "2016-02-12T19:55:49Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > There are some other destinations in Thailand (Koh Phi Phi) It’s funnier when you know that the unaspirated K sounds a lot like a G to English speaking ears. 😃 > [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > The largest (maybe the only) town on San Salvador, Bahamas is named “Cockburn”. You’d think the Gov’t Nurse would treat a lot of folks there for gonorrhea. It’s pronounced “Ko-burn”. Wonder if there’s a town anywhere pronounced “koring”… ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/28 "2016-02-12T20:36:16Z")
I mean this in the nicest possible way. Please bookmark Google, Charlie. Asking questions is a good thing, but making the effort to do your own research before asking is even better. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/29 "2016-02-12T23:59:38Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > Intercourse, PA… You won’t BELIEVE what this mom did in Intercourse, PA last night! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/30 "2016-02-13T00:22:53Z")
I don’t know why the OP would think this might be a joke story. And yes, Yingyong is not an uncommon name in Thailand, although the O is a long O, not pronounced “-aw.” If the OP knew how funny many Western names sound in Thai – for example, “Jim” pronounced with a certain tone is vulgar slang for “vagina” – he might not be so condescending. In addition to having been in the local media, there’s a local website called [Farang Deaths](http://www.farang-deaths.com/) that details foreign deaths in Thailand including this [Mike Talbot’s](http://www.farang-deaths.com/case/michael-jerry-talbot/). And Phuket is pronounced “poo-get.” There are no F or K sounds at all. I suggest the OP get out into the world a little more. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/31 "2016-02-13T01:36:36Z")
[And then there’s this nice little village in Austria.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucking,_Austria) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/32 "2016-02-15T21:59:55Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > And which two songs contain koo-koo-ka-choo. I can only name one. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851/33 "2016-02-15T22:29:55Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I can only name one. ☹ I Am The Walrus, and Mrs. Robinson. I know, it may not be accurate for Walrus, but that’s what the card said! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-likely-true-or-just-some-kind-of-joke/745851.md?page=1)