fotog

You get what you pay for.

Little dental facilities aren't monitored for hygiene or screen the staff.

I'd pay the extra and go to the hospitals.

The link posted above is the best I've found.

When it comes to dentistry this is not true. There are many variables and paying high prices alone does not equate to good quality dentistry.

How do I know this? Just thirty-five years in practice and owning my own office before retiring. Generally speaking I find the dentistry very good in Thailand, but as in all things one needs to know what to look for.

If one needs an extraction, especially a molar that has three-roots, try to find a competent dental surgeon who specializes in surgery. If you need dentures, do the same thing, try to find someone who is really good at it.

Avoid 'clinics' with fancy advertising that hire inexperienced dentists who work on a commission basis.

It is rare to find a dentist who can do everything well. Some know their limitations and refer patients to other dentists for procedures they are not comfortable or experienced in doing. While others just say; "Oh I have this dental degree from xyz university, so therefore I am now qualified".

Having years of experience also does not equate to good dental service either. In the U.S. One can call the Board of Dental Examiners and inquire as to how many complaints and reprimands the dentist has on file.

Finally, when someone says; "my dentist is a great dentist!" How do they know? They cannot see what the dentist is doing in their mouth. Great personalities do not equate to great dentistry. Some dentists are 98% bull hockey and 2% quality and they thrive, while other dentists are 2% personality and 98% quality and they starve.

No need to investigate:

*The electric to the pole was not grounded.

*There was no Ground Fault Circuit Breaker (GFCI) installed in the panel that is wired to the lamp pole.

The contractor:

*Saved a few bucks when it was installed or

*Never even heard of a GFCI Breaker.

The building inspector:

*Never inspected the electric or

*Looked the other way for some tea money

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

This is the reason I bought tools and power tools shortly after I bought my condo. Long story but no one I ever hired knew jack and most were incompetent or tried to pull the wool over my eyes. 'Professionals' borrow my tools, use my ladders after I tell them not to stand on my antique furniture, painters don't use drop clothes and then want to sand or scrape dripped paint off expensive furniture, when they could have covered it in the first place. If they do use a drop cloth it is because I have provided it.

My friend built a home but he is an engineer and was very specific about the electric he wanted. Even with a blueprint and a signed detailed contract he had to watch their every move and stop the builder at each step and say; " this is not correct, this is not what we agreed on so let's stop right here at this stage and do it over before you continue" unfortunately he went through this same dance from start-to-finish, but in the end he got what he wanted. The grief he experienced took a toll.

I do my own work but even if I didn't I would purchase all plumbing, paint, fixtures, etc myself and just deal on a labor-only basis with the installers, otherwise they will buy cheap faucets, sinks, door handles, add water to the paint, etc and you don't know what you are getting. Then you still need to watch their every move because if they are not incompetent they will take shortcuts that won't be apparent until after you have moved in.

I know this does not answer the OP but hopefully it will help in the future.

DPReview have published their A7 review.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-alpha-a7

Based on the review, I am happy I opted for the E-M1 instead. I'll be waiting for the review on the a7r to see if it is better.

David

Yes agree that the a7 and the Rx1 review is a deal breaker for me. I am married to Canon with my investment in their body's / glass / strobes. I bought the Fugi X100S recently and it is a good tool for what it is. Canon strobes work well with it but no TTL. Put a transmitter in the hotshoe and the off camera strobes work great. Tired of feeling all beat up after carrying a heavy DSLR and 'L' lenses around, so for now the Fugi X100S is my go to walk around.

The BIBs take action over Red Shirts ... I witnessed 12 BIBs siting 20 Meters away from 1 redshirt throwing Bricks at a tourist bus ( Tourists inside) .. They sat there 12 to 1 with their arms folded and where Laughing ..... Please no more jokes about the BiBs arresting one of thier own ....

Don't believe it, people can say anything they want without producing any evidence to support it. Idiots all!

No wait! Was it a Chinese tourist bus? Makes sense then.

Where in Bangkok do they sell the A7r? Have not seen them. Sony website shows them but when it comes to showing what is on offer they are showing the A7 only for 49900 THB .

I knew Chaikiri Srifuengfung personally. I am sorry and shocked to hear this tragic news, may he R.I.P.

I went through this twice with Bangkok Bank. The first time I reported the incident the bank official asked me; "You have Thai girlfriend?"

As a matter of habit I only used the same ATM all the time and never deviated however these bogus withdrawals were made from ATM's I never used.

Then I went to get a police report and the police were very cooperative and told me that often times it is a bank employee that is the culprit and it usually happens to individuals who carry a high balance and do not update or check their account frequently. They said the withdrawals are usually made in 10,000 and 20,000 THB amounts each time.

I then asked to see the footage from the CCTV cameras where the money was withdrawn from and was told those locations do not have CCTV installed.

I gave the police reports to the bank and never heard back from them. When I went to inquire I was told they could find no wrong-doing on their part.

I did plenty of research and finally found a story of a resident Ajarn who had the same thing happen to him. He refused to be stonewalled by the bank and insisted on looking at the footage from the two locations in question. The ajarn had to pickup the police officers in his own car and drive them to the ATM locations.

At the first location the timer on the CCTV was off by 3.5 hours so they really had to dig through the footage only to find the CCTV was not pointed at the ATM and all they could see was the very top of someones head and not their face. At the second location the bank said they only have one tape and could not stop the recording until after the bank had closed.

The ajarn pursued the bank and finally they offered him 50% which he refused. Then they offered him 75% which he also refused to accept. Finally the bank did settle with him for the full amount.

In my case I got nothing back. I have not used my ATM card for more than seven years now and do not keep a high balance in that account.

Try Fortune Town for a much more pleasant shopping experience.

Another thing is that many sales people are not employees of the store but they are reps for the different brands that the store carries and that is why they are insistent to switch you to their product. Or they get a commission if you buy a certain brand over another one. This is the case in dept stores, Home Pro and IT stores, even the liquor dept at the super market.

I have a background in dentistry and from what I have seen so far, the dentistry practiced here is fine. Just remember these people are all individuals and their skill sets are not all the same either. And just as in the U.S. there will be some who are not as good as others. I would look for someone who has his/her own private practice and stay away from large dental groups where they tend to hire new or struggling dentists who work on commission.

Gratulations everyone; welcome to the 20th Century!

21st i think youl find sir,,,,,,,

Oops internet hiccuped (again) and caused a duplicate post.

Sorry I don't know. But I offer this fantastic recipe.

Thanks will try it!

Gratulations everyone; welcome to the 20th Century!

Dibbler Quote: If you pay teachers peanuts like they do in government schools, sometimes you will get the wrong kind of people teaching your kids (individuals with low IQ that would fail higher level teacher training courses, control freaks, insecurity, and other personality disorders). At least in Bangkok there are reasonable alternatives to government schools that aren't that expensive, like the Satitdemonstration schools - Thai schools with bilingual/ international programmes.

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Quote: "At least in Bangkok there are reasonable alternatives to government schools that aren't that expensive, like the Satit demonstration schools - Thai schools with bilingual/ international programmes."

http://prasarnmitinternationalprogram.com/admissions/fees/

There is a Satit demonstration school attached to the campus at the university five minutes from my condo; I have reliable sources that told me they have a question on the application that asks; "What can you contribute to the school?"

One parent in my building answered that she could contribute 200,000 thb- DENIED!

Another lady in my buiLding said she could contribute 300,000 thb - DENIED!

A third lady has four children and she said she would contribute a new van - ACCEPTED!

If one works at the attached university; then their children can attend free of charge.

I don't know how much 'Tea Money' is enough to be admitted; but it is certainly more that the posted rate on their website.

Our experience is that my son passed the standard aptitude test on his own merits and my wife and I answered that very question in the application form by offering our time to assist from time to time with school outings and excursions - ACCEPTED. I too have heard that different Satit schools have different entrance procedures and little darlings that don't pass the intake tests may in special cases be able to get in with some financial contribution from the parents. But it's usually based on the interview with the parents, and the aptitude of the child. Places are limited so that class sizes are under 25, and teachers are a cut above the average or significantly better (and must be paid more), which is why the Satit schools are considered good environments for learning. If the school you mentioned is turning back "contributions" that large they must really not want those kids and their parents associated with the school! At the end of the day it's the parent that is responsible for the after hours education, homework, guidance with studies, and good progress. But it certainly helps having a teacher that's a good role model that the kids respect and enjoy learning with, and you're unlikely to have that in a regular government school.

Thanks for that Dibbler; I do have some useful skills that the school and children might be interested in with offering assistance. Don't know how it would be viewed from my visa status as I understand I am not allowed to even volunteer on a retirement visa.

Dibbler Quote: If you pay teachers peanuts like they do in government schools, sometimes you will get the wrong kind of people teaching your kids (individuals with low IQ that would fail higher level teacher training courses, control freaks, insecurity, and other personality disorders). At least in Bangkok there are reasonable alternatives to government schools that aren't that expensive, like the Satitdemonstration schools - Thai schools with bilingual/ international programmes.

~~~~~

Quote: "At least in Bangkok there are reasonable alternatives to government schools that aren't that expensive, like the Satit demonstration schools - Thai schools with bilingual/ international programmes."

The first thing to do it to take the word military out of the equation as this country has little to be proud of in it's military or military traditions.

.

A better word would be disiplined and perhaps structured which in itself is a good thing for children to learn.

We live in societies which have to have rules in order to survive, however, you can expect zero input from Thai parents who abdicate their parental responsibilities and further burden the education system. Here in Thailand everthing that goes wrong is someone else's fault.

IMO schools should have dress codes, and behaviour protocols which should be sensibly enforced with pertinent punishment for recalcitrance. Parents should be held responsible for the behaviour of their siblings, however, this is a country where no one is prepared or even equipted to take accountability or personal responsibility for anything.

There is a tremendous amount of work needed within the Thai educational system however that is meerley the effect and not the cause. Much work has to be done within the social systems to evolve a nation where people take personal responsibilities and develop a moral and social conscience opposite their actions.

Ah Halion, there's the rub. Thailand really thinks they are a military power to be reckoned with.. never mind the fact that they haven't been in a military fight with anyone since Burma in the 1700's. You see all the teachers wearing some kind of military style uniform. Most politicians including the PM wearing some kind of military style uniform, with all the ribbons, even though they have never been in the military. Doesn't that strike you as kind of odd?

So true as when I first moved here eleven years ago, I thought security guards were some sort of commandoes! I served in the military for twelve years but these guys look ridiculous; and don't even get me started about their non-stop whistle blowing!

This is a timely topic for me as I started this discussion on May 21, 2013:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/641124-at-what-age-should-a-child-start-going-to-school/

I went to Thai funeral cremation today and a nanny who lives in our building and was on our trip told my wife that her employer just pulled their daughter out of a Hi-So high $$ preschool because she comes home swearing now and spitting at her parents. She is about 2 1/2 and started when she was 2 years old.

The "Finns are disturbed" comment was over the top, regarding education they are right up at the top for decades now, as much as Singapore but much less heavy on the nationalistic discipline.

In any case my standard is dead-average government school in an NES country, and I'm sure most here would agree that's not very high.

I continue to maintain from direct experience as a teacher that only the top international schools hit that mark. I've yet to experience a Thai-managed place that does, although Satit Kaset's IP comes pretty close, but kids are pre-registered there from birth, doubt an expat could get in no matter how big a bribe they offered.

Sure some students come through able to get into good Western uni's but I'd say that's despite the system, and also due to the fact they're at the top of a very mixed bag of applicants, standards are lowered to have a wide range of countries represented.

If you have the opportunity to home school, then that to me is the only acceptable alternative to spending over half-million per child per year tuition if you want to remain in Thailand.

Don't know if there are any Steiner schools here, but many claim to be based on Montessori, which would at least be better than the standard Thai-system garbage.

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There are. Both my children attended one - started at 3.5 years. We were/are VERY pleased with the school.

Thai neighbors and family pushed and pressured us to start the kids at 2 and thought it odd that we wouldn't. Also thought it odd that we'd put them in a kindergarten that didn't teach them any academic stuff. They said our kids would fall behind their peers. The boy is in grade 4 now and has been a straight A student every year and among the top students of his large school.

Sure it's only one case (my daughter is still too young to be an example) but I personally recommend NOT going along with the Thai way - starting way early and doing book learning at 3 - wait and then start them in Steiner/Waldorf or something similar.

* In a bit of a hurry and didn't read the whole thread. Apologies for any redundancy.

-

Would appreciate contact info for any/all Steiner schools in Thailand for reference - since a positive review shouldn't be a problem to post publicly, otherwise please do PM me.

Yes I would also appreciate any contact information for any/all Steiner/Waldorf schools in Thailand. Thank you.

New development:

I went back to the office manager with my Visa Card today and her machine (Thai Farmers Bank) could not read the card. She said the machine could not read the chip in the card.

Then I went to Villa Market (Kasikorn Bank machine) and used the same card with no problem.

I just got off the phone with my U.S. bank that issued the card and they told me there are no restrictions on the card and the problem is not on there end.

So is it the merchant or the bank that is the problem?

Thank you all for your input; much appreciated!