lostoday

At 15 literacy is already determined.

What does this mean? It seems to suggest that a 16, 17, 18 and above cannot become literate which is obviously nonsense.

It means, if you are going to learn how to read and write you have done so by 15 years of age or conversely if you have not learned by 15 years of age you probably will not.

So if at 70 you wish to read, write and speak ANY other language you will be unable to as at 15 years old your literacy is already determined?

Really?

Statistically that would be correct. If you are an illiterate person at age 70 the chances of you learning to read and write in any language at that age is statistically very small. Most writing skill studies I have read concentrate on children between 13 and 15 years of age.

If you are trying to say it is probable or easy for an illiterate person to learn to write at 70 as opposed to a child from 7 to 15 I think you would find no teachers agreeing with you.

Yes, really.

I would imagine if 30% if Thai children are functionally illiterate at 15 that a greater percent of Thai adults would be functionally illiterate at any other older age.

To aid your understanding of "functional illiteracy" around 16 per cent, or 5.2 million adults in England, can be described as "functionally illiterate". They would not pass an English GCSE and have literacy levels at or below those expected of an 11-year-old.

http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/adult_literacy/illiterate_adults_in_england

Given the above numbers it is not difficult to understand that many Thais would benefit from adult language courses.

Trump has zero chance of being president. I'm sure he knows that and would be horrified if he actually got the job.

What he is doing is telling American to grow some balls and not to tolerate being mismanaged by puppets any longer.

Unfortunately (for him) very few people have any capacity for politics and are happy to vote for the puppet that entertains them the most.

You can be sure the Donald will choose a great VP, as insurance in case he wins.

Vice Presidents don't do anything in America except wait in the wings for the President to be assassinated. Based on my personal experience Trump has a good chance of being elected because I don't like him. I also did not like Obama, Bush and every other President since Lincoln and didn't really care for him that much either.

You are actually correct, and it is none of my business if people are murdered every day in the USA.

Just out of interest why do you comment on topics about Thailand? After all it is not your country and not your business either.

Go out in the USA, buy yourself a gun and then go out and kill animals for "sport".

Don't forget to have a nice day killing defenceless animals.

I ate parts of a defenseless pig for breakfast. A defenseless cow for lunch. I'm going to have a chicken for dinner. My dog just killed a defenseless dove (the dog thinks doves are small chickens and the dog likes to eat chickens).

There are more game animals in the USA now than when the native Indians ran the country because they are now raised and controlled for sport (they don't starve in the winter like they used to).

Did you know plants talk. I'd never eat a poor plant that was screaming, "don't pick the asparagus."

Well the pig, cow and chicken were bred solely for their meat and the fact that you ate without buying a gun and killing it yourself proves that you don't NEED a gun to survive.

AFAIR Native American Indians hunted for food for themselves and their families using I believe bows and arrows and probably spears too. The reason that the animals during that perion died off was the same for hundreds of years. It would have been the older and weaker animals that died off.

Did you know that when the "civilised" white people went hunting for buffalo they only took a few tasty parts to eat and left the rest to rot where they fell. They were also responsible for almost wiping out the whole species and what a surprise, they also used guns.

How does anybody know if plants talk?

Game is bred to be hunted in America and there are more deer today than when the Indians were in charge because of effective game conservation.

Without hunting many animals would starve in the winter.

Hunters and anglers account for 76 billion dollars to the American economy.

That's what happens when you conserve the natural resources (game) of your country.

There are 34 million hunters and anglers in America.

A number of studies have shown that plants feel pain, and vegetables are picked and often eaten while still alive. Animal rights activists are often in the news, but has anyone ever protested for vegetable rights?

http://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,,-83446,00.html

For buffalo stories google, " The British toffs who tried to turn the Wild West into a corner of England . .

Definitely in English - and in very big letters, too. At present, the desk is just inside the door, on the right and easily visible from outside (if no window glare...).

I assume 99% of the housemasters would be Thai. I wonder why the sign is in English?

There is a desk at Imm. Prom. with a sign indicating it's for Housemasters to file the form for notice of a foreigner living at their residence. Of course, that desk isn't very busy and normally the officer staffing it helps out at the 90 day report desk located next to it.

Is the sign in English and Thai or just Thai? Is it part of Thai immigration or the agent?

The Chinese stock market has no relationship to Chinese industry and/or economic conditions hence it is just like a casino. Even the numbnuts on CNN have reported this, this week. No one with any brains in the West invests in the Chinese stock market.

Here's one such person "without a brain": http://jimtalksmarkets.blogspot.com/2015/08/china-bought-more-stocks-when-they.html

He said in that link, "10 years from now no one will be trading in US dollars." Ya right. I like Jim but when he moved to China he must have left his brain in NYC.

Welcome to Thai Visa - where the mere idea of treating your wife like a human being is met with derision.

Stop insulting people. Stop insulting Thai Visa. Use the quote function for debate instead of your random trolling. That's what the quote function is for. Behave like an adult.

The Chinese stock market has no relationship to Chinese industry and/or economic conditions hence it is just like a casino. Even the numbnuts on CNN have reported this, this week. No one with any brains in the West invests in the Chinese stock market.

So Anthony Bolton had no brains.........along with dozens of other past and present fund managers......

Unfortunately it is lame generalisations like that that detract from anything else you say that may be of relevance......

You're a funny guy.

Quote Anthony Bolton, "Star manager Anthony Bolton has admitted he was wrong about the Chinese stock market, as he hung up his fund management hat after 35 years.

The most disappointing thing for me – and I am happy to admit it – is that I was wrong about the market in China,” the manager said during a press briefing on his last day in the office on March 31. .......I thought it would go up for four years but it has gone down for more than four years.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6aaf2efe-bf28-11e3-a4af-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3kDUZw3ln

To you that means he hasn't got any brains....? I think you are deliberately missing the point

An investment manager being wrong every year for 4 years? What do you call that?

A knew a lady in Pattaya who could not add nor subtract in addition to not being able to read or write. A friend of mine befriended her and taught her to add and subtract and she went to school to learn how to read and write. I don't know what her early life was like or where she was from in Thailand.

More Americans have been killed by handguns since 1968 than all of the US wars combined.

I know that's ridiculous, but true. It's an atrocity.

American's favor gun control but with these wingnutoshere politicians, that close to impossible. America has lost the war on guns.

http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2015/aug/27/nicholas-kristof/more-americans-killed-guns-1968-all-wars-says-colu/

So? Gun control would not remove guns from the hands of the crooks and nuts who were responsible for those statistics.

You think sane, honest, law abiding people kill one another? Not many. Gun control will increase the deaths by allowing only the nuts and crooks to have guns.

If you can think of a way to disarm the crooks and nuts first tell someone.

I have a relative who is a rancher. He carries a gun to kill rattlesnakes and varmints and protect his equipment and livestock.

The city of London is covers 10 square miles. The King ranch in Texas covers 1289 square miles.

Somethings are different in America.

Dow five years ago 10,000. Today 16,581. How do you figure a loss?

WHAT ? how do I figure a loss ?

because I bought shares over the last 18 months at higher prices than they are today ! if I spent £100k on shares 1 year ago and they are worth £90k today then I have a loss of £10k minus any dividends I have received.

This is quite simple maths. What you bought for minus what they are worth now = your profit or Loss ( must take into account dividends received )

What the <deleted>> has 5 years ago got to do with my shares ? I didn't own any shares 5 years ago

Lostoday

You have not answered my Question

You are trying to time the market. Never works. Long term 5,10, 20 years is the only sound investment strategy. 18 months? Ask me in 5 years.

The Chinese stock market has no relationship to Chinese industry and/or economic conditions hence it is just like a casino. Even the numbnuts on CNN have reported this, this week. No one with any brains in the West invests in the Chinese stock market.

So Anthony Bolton had no brains.........along with dozens of other past and present fund managers......

Unfortunately it is lame generalisations like that that detract from anything else you say that may be of relevance......

You're a funny guy.

Quote Anthony Bolton, "Star manager Anthony Bolton has admitted he was wrong about the Chinese stock market, as he hung up his fund management hat after 35 years.

The most disappointing thing for me – and I am happy to admit it – is that I was wrong about the market in China,” the manager said during a press briefing on his last day in the office on March 31. .......I thought it would go up for four years but it has gone down for more than four years.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6aaf2efe-bf28-11e3-a4af-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3kDUZw3ln

I am not a fan also, and I agree with part of his protectionist message, protecting it's people is the primary purpose of any government,

I don't like the man, having worked at a management level in the construction company that did all the concrete at the Tramp towers on the west side highway NYC I know some of the man and God help as if he becomes president.

in an unrelated,point His facial expressions during his speeches remind me of Benito Mussolini

As fat as consistency is concerned , it is nor always a virtue

as I mature and learn more I have changed my position on many issues, I am sure you have also,

it is part of our growth as human beings

so why would we not want that from our politicians?

I knew Jeb and Hillary from working. Jeb not a bad guy but not that bright. Hillary is a crook.

What was Trump like to work for?

You don't always have to be right. Unless it is something major best to just go with the flow and keep the peace. It's really a no win situation so why try.

So many things to remember. For a place that is not India there are a lot of sacred cows round here. Gotta watch what you do with your feet. Have to remember never to talk about certain members of society. Can't comment on at least 75% of the Thai news stories. Can't talk about her boss or the neighbor next door.

She is a good woman but married late in life and very used to having things her own way. She actually reminds me of my grandfather when he was sober.

She folds the empty plastic sacks from the grocery store into triangles like a flag fold. She also folds my underwear into neat little rectangles and there is not a spec of dirt anywhere in our home.

A little OCD but the good far outweighs the bad.

The Sydney morning Herald is a pretty reputable newspaper and described the Shanghai Composite last week as the worlds biggest casino. (Link below) if you think the US market (or any other) is based more on genuine economic fundamentals please tell us why?

What is the difference between the Chinese government intervening to support the market and the Federal reserve intervening with QE 1,2 and 3?

Do you believe actions of the Federal reserve will affect the direction of US stock markets? Do you know precisely what the Federal reserve is likely to do in the short and medium term and if you don’t is that not gambling on what actions the Fed will take(as opposed to economic fundamentals)?

The Chinese stock market is the world's biggest casino

http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/the-chinese-stock-market-is-the-worlds-biggest-casino-20150708-gi7q1f.html

The Chinese stock market has no relationship to Chinese industry and/or economic conditions hence it is just like a casino. Even the numbnuts on CNN have reported this, this week. No one with any brains in the West invests in the Chinese stock market.

in the US, they kill the amount of people that die on the roads here each year

Who cares. Here could be anywhere. Don't assume everyone knows you are from Poland.

Not saying it the case with this particular medication but it is certainly true that many potentially beneficial medications and never given proper trials in the US for a host of reasons having nothing to do with their validity.

Profit potential trumps benefit potential. Proper clinical trials are hugely expensive. Many medications waiting in the wings have complicated patent, supply and sourcing issues that make them to risky for big pharma to invest in. They only want to sell what they clearly own and can license.

I would think that the most beneficial things the UN could do would be to take over pharmaceutical clinical trials...but, of course, big pharma would never allow that to happen.

Interestingly the Pharmaceutical Industry manufacture many medications which are both cheap and only marginally profitable.

The conspiracy theories about "Big Phama" are 10 a penny , boring and idiotic.

Why don't you start your own thread. Unless you have experience with Serratiopeptidase you are off topic on mine.

Did you notice the guys kept their helmets on?

At 15 literacy is already determined.

What does this mean? It seems to suggest that a 16, 17, 18 and above cannot become literate which is obviously nonsense.

It means, if you are going to learn how to read and write you have done so by 15 years of age or conversely if you have not learned by 15 years of age you probably will not.

I suspect it would be easier to review gun laws than get all the disturbed people off the streets

The current system is clearly not working satisfactorily. The debate is over on that I think.

It has been my experience and a lot of others that many police are also disturbed. But you ain't seen nothing until you take the guns away from the cops. That is going to be really disturbed.

I think you need to send some British cops to East St. Louis and Detroit and teach the cops and all us American how it's done.

An earlier poster said the UK was the same as America. Oh, you might want to look up the demographics of E. St. Louis and Detroit before believing that statement but nevertheless I'm sure the American police could learn much about the value of unarmed police work.

not corruption in general, corruption within the democratic voting process. convincing low-income poeple to vote for a party by promising more welfare

I always thought that is how one got elected. Convince someone that you will give them things for free. Welfare, tax free investment incentives, solar tax exemptions, gay marriage ........

Rich people will vote for the person who makes them richer and poor people will vote for the person who will make them less poor. So?

The only difference I see is the rich can pay someone to do things that make them richer if an election fails.

you don't see where the process leads... higher taxes lead to elimination of the middle class and produces more super-rich, and much more people dependent on welfare, so it's kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

also, once money is being given out for free, welfare is very difficult to reverse.

it's a vicious cycle

Democracy has nothing to do with bureaucracy. I would imagine countries with no democracy have more bureaucracy and higher taxes. Democracy is the only way to stop politicians from stealing that I know of.

Ok, serious response.

It genuinely grieves me that a former colony ( no wind up intended) and a fellow anglophone country seems to the first world to be going off the rails.

I don't believe that the American citizenry wants to protect itself from invasion. I think your armed forces are well equipped for that. If you like guns have them but shoulder responsibility

As for "lend lease" I will research that but I beleive we paid for everything you sent over. I may be wrong

Please just look rationally at the statistics and take actions to get back to the pinnacle of respect that you used to occupy in decades past

Some contributors and others take the opinion that I am anti-American. Not so. I used to love the place but have become disillusioned .

All the bad guys have guns. If you own a store or home close to bad neighborhoods you are at risk.

The government/police are not trustworthy. I have no trust in the police to prevent crime. I have friends who live close to the Mexican border and they are armed to the teeth.

You do know that there is a war going on between the Fed and a local sheriff.

Detroit cops have told citizens you are on your own.

You want to disarm the USA? OK tell the cops they can't carry guns and see what happens.

With that I rest my case. If the cops disarm like the UK then you have a point.

Absolutely nothing to apologise for. If you can't tell the difference between "ONE-THIRD of 15-year-old Thais are 'functionally illiterate', the World Bank said yesterday" and the much higher literacy figures I quoted (based upon all ages), then you're failing to appreciate that people older than 15 are able to continue learn their language.

Oddly enough, this topic is all about someone older than 15 wanting to become literate.

I think that since education has improved since I got here in the 1960's we can assume that 15 year olds are more functionally literate than the older generation. Unless you want to take the position that education in the 60's 70's and 80's was better than today.

At 15 literacy is already determined.

^^^ Where has it been stated or written that the foreigner/renter is responsible for the TM 30 being filed?...

I read it on Thai Visa. I'm sure someone can tell you where it was written. A poster wrote that immigration collected a fine for not having filed a TM 30 form.

No problem with the USA military being armed to the teeth, but the general population? Did you not understand that bit?

As for the issue for the issue of getting arms from you. Thanks! I believe we paid you every cent even though it took several decades!

You are going off topic but all the supplies you used were free in other words you only paid for the bullets you didn't shoot and wanted to keep after the war.

Why do you care if the American public is armed? Do you think they are going to invade you?

The American public is armed because they fear the black helicopters and army maneuvers to take over Texas towns and have little confidence in the words of politicians to keep them safe from the government of the USA.

You think a coup could happen in the USA? Why not? Do you think another country could occupy the USA? Why not?