prighas

I'm off from work today and so are many of my friends.

Fr. Bennigan, the priest in a small Irish village, loves the cock and ten hens he keeps in the hen house behind the church.

One Saturday evening Fr. Bennigan goes out to the hen house to admire his treasures and discovers the cock is missing!

He knows that cock fights are being secretly held in the village, so he questions his parishioners in church the next morning.

During Mass, he asks the congregation, "Has anybody got a cock?"

All the men stand up.

"No, no," he says, "that wasn't what I meant. Has anybody seen a cock?"

All the women stand up.

"No, no, that isn't what I meant. Has anybody seen a cock that doesn't belong to them?"

Half the women stand up.

"No, no, that wasn't what I meant either What I want to know is, has anybody seen MY cock?"

The assistant priest, three altar boys, two nuns, and a goat stand up.

while i completely disagree with you, if , as you seem to believe ,that "millions" love the "man", then it is no wonder why the mid-east will be considered a shithole by any other group, ethnic and or religious beliefs withstanding.

And by eliminating him, the mid-east will become a safe haven, right?? He is the one who's turned it into a shithole, right??

My friend, go take an Introduction class to history and culture of the arabs...then and only then you'll be qualified to reply to my post..until now, you don't yet qualify..

I see by some of the comments that many on this site know little about the Middle East in general.

I am no expert, but I can tell you that "civilisation" did not make any steps further backward today than any other day...it's just that you have heard about this execution but not about the hundreds of others performed in the region throughout any given year.

Try being in Riyadh city centre on any Friday when they perform the PUBLIC executions and other punishments such as cutting off the hand of a thief etc. If you happen to be anywhere near "chop-chop square" as we used to call it, you would likley be rounded up by the local constabulary and taken to be a western eye-witness; pushed to the front of the crowd so you get to see it all in horrific and ghoulish detail.

Nothing changed today...just another criminal facing his sentence. Life goes on.

Our western perspectives have no relevance in the Arab lands, and it is a mistake to think they should have.

Why don't we all pray to Allah? Simple, we have different views and beliefs.

Are our views right? How the hel_l would anyone really know?

WE think that our beliefs and methods are correct, but so do the Arab cultures...

Trying to impose the views and beliefs of one culture on another is exactly what started this...and you can see it that way no matter what side of the fence you sit.

We tried to make the others believe in our ways, our methods, and our laws, but they refused! How dare they? They need to be taught a lesson!

Now...tell me from the above, which side I am quoting...whose reasoning is this? Impossible to tell because they are the SAME thought processes, the same questions and answers, no matter what side you are on in such a conflict.

Saddam has died for some of his crimes - maybe our concept of punishment by keeping him alive would have been better - but only in our view...we wouldn't need to feel some sort of misplaced guilt at his death...

Many otherwise "civilised" nations impose the death penalty; the Arab lands are no less civilised than those in the west who impose this penalty.

Civilisation as such has neither taken a step backward, nor in fact a step forward, it has simply continued as it does, it's sluggish progress.

Thanks for the good post - I strongly back your ideas.

Dad is Greek - Mom is Lebanese - Was born in the Lebanese CIVIL WAR which took place between 1974 and 1990. For my age, I think I have seen quite much - living in bombshelters- fleeing snipers on public roads - having one's relatives mutilated right next door, and this sort of thing.

I have no doubt Saddam's punishment is well-deserved. But I can tell you one thing: there are millions of people from the Middle East who still love this man. There are many reasons for this and if you don't understand what I just said, this means you have not lived in the Middle East and do not understand the culture. If this punishment brings satisfaction to the thousands of people who were affected by his tyrannical reign, then justice would be served if a similar punishment is brought on to those who claim innocence and care for the people of the Middle East and do nothing to support these claims. They are in the same wagon, only praised by self-induced proclamation of security and peaceful living.

Where was the US and the world during all the attacks that blasted Lebanon during the last 30 years or so? Suddenly they become so much interested in the well-being of the Iraqi people....sounds pretty much ludicrous..don't you think??

I've been going there for years and never had the least problem.

Perhaps you should think about what did your brother did to invite this behavior?

I agree. I usually go to Patpong market 2 or 3 times a week since I live nearby. I never had any such encounter or anything similar.

To the OP, I think your brother might have gotten involved with the wrong people. There are many such losers hanging around that area and I think they should just be left alone or avoided.

I know a friend who pays 5K for a maid who lives in the same building. He is also in charge of her living expenses. Again, u need to be sure of who you are hiring. Many Thais hire maids who are from their same village of origin. Hence they know his/her family and friends.

Is it possible that 1 bath of gold in Thailand is not the same quality of gold??

19 karat???

just thinking??

Usually, 96.5 % is printed on bullions purchased in China town. The following is a table that shows karats and corresponding purity:

KARAT AND PERCENTAGE

1 karat equals 4.167

6 karat equals 25.000

8 karat equals 33.333

12 karat equals 50.000

14 karat equals 58.333

18 karat equals 75.000

22 karat equals 91.671

24 karat equals 100.000

Therefore, 96.5 percent could be anywhere between 22 and 24 Karats. This could be the reason for the value difference. Normally Thai retails shops claim 96.5% to be 24 karats.

If your talking pure investment grade bars then I strongly doubt it..

Ok. I may still be a novice at this but I did some simple computation and here's what I have so far. The current price of 1 ounce (troy/apoth) of Gold is approximately 635 USD (www.thebulliondesk.com) (Dec 29, 2006). 1 ounce (troy/apoth) is equivalent to 31.103 gr.

Currently in the Thai market, 1 baht (15.2 gr) bullions are sold at 10,850 baht, which is equivalent to 298.5 USD using local current exchange rates (1 USD = 36.36B). This means that I can buy 31.103 gr (1 ounce) at 610.6 USD. This is about 24 USDs cheaper than other market prices.

I may be missing something here and therefore please advise if I have erred anywhere in my post.

Thanks for the responses. I'm beginning to learn more about this.

I was also wondering about why there seems to be some value discrepancies between a KG of gold that is sold in international vaults and those sold in the Thai market. The Thai market seems to be cheaper.

Any ideas?

Krungsri (Bank of Ayudhya) bank can also be very helpful.

Is it legal for a bar to play music from mp3 files?

It depends on which country you are talking.

Let's put it this way, how do the current legal systems handle such things as the use of pirated software, pirated music and prirated movies in Thailand and other Asian countries and do you see anything legally being done about any of the above other than the once a year lip service crack down that we sometimes see?

I think that should help you to answer your question.

OP did not refer to the mp3 files being pirated. I wonder why you are assuming so.

And yes, it should be legal as long as they come from a legitimate source - which is usually hard to verify.

I wonder if anyone knows about government savings bonds in Thailand. Are there any? Where can they be purchased? What denominations do they come in? I'm interested in buying them for my kids.

It's easy.... I think.

I have an account in Kasikorn Bank, and the last time I inquired about something and the assistant inevitably saw my passbook and account balance, she suggested to me that I should buy government bonds instead of keeping it all in a savings account.

She then even pointed to some sort of small poster within the bank advertising such bond. If I remember right, it was like 4.5% interest or something.

However, I politely declined the offer and prefer not to invest in any Thai government bond, for my own reasons. If you think it's a safe and good investment, then you can try Kasikorn.

cheers,

junkofdavid2

I understand you do not want to share with us the reasons behind not investing the Thai market. Could you only suggest some tips as to why we should refrain from these investments? I currently buy kasikorn long term equity funds for the mere purpose of tax deductions.

Is that too risky? Should I refrain from investing in index funds? I thought index funds are meant to be considered as 'smart' investments when compared to hyperactive investing?

I was wondering if anyone has experienced gold online trading. I have been looking into this for some time and would like any advice before I move forward. Any insights? Any particular market? I have been looking at BullionVault and I wonder whether anyone has traded using their service.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

My wife insists it is the current movie showing: Night at the Museum - Ben Stiller. It is quite hilarious.

I need to add this. I have been doing a study on turnover intention of IT technical people in Thailand. These include programmers, system administrators, database designers/administrators, network specialists, webmasters/mistresses, etc.

I had around 1200 respondents distributed in Thai to more than 60 companies around Thailand. One of the major issues in the responses is the unclear definition of an IT responsibility. In other words, there is no clear distinction between a programmer, senior programmer, system analyst, senior system analyst, and other titles that are fabricated without any designated and clear defintion of roles.

The point is: if you have been working for 10 years as a programmer (senior programmer), in Thailand it could be that somebody only did this in 2 years - hence the reduction in salary.

If you seek a salary greater than 50K, I would suggest you consider a managerial position. Salaries there range between 50 and 300 K per month for MNC.

I have been working on a Phd for the last 4 years in the Faculty of Science and Technology at Hua Mak Campus. My advisor is a Professor who has been working at Wollongong University in Australia for years. I can tell you that I have learned much from him during these years. He is very qualified in his area of expertise. I was also impressed at the excellent quality of many of the teachers there.

I don't think remarks about ABAC can be generalized from experiences in certain specific departments. You can perhaps refer to a couple of teachers in certain departments but that should not necessarily apply to the whole University.

That part about places outside Bangkok may have come out wrong, I didn't intend to make it sound as if Bangkok is the only civilized part of the country. I was merely under the impression that most schools teaching adults are to be found there.

But if universities would indeed consider hiring me as an English teacher, then it's another story altogether as it certainly increases my possibilities of finding employment.

And by the way, we who reside in the Swedish archipelago are much more civilized than the city-folks...

Thanks for the input. Hope you're closer to truth than I was.

Before I moved to Bangkok, I have been the chair of department of Computer Information Systems and a Computer Science Professor in Saraburi province. If you are well qualified, English should not be the only subject you can teach. I have colleagues who are specialized in different areas including: Nursing, Education and Psychology, Botany, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, Religious Studies, Business including: Accounting, Management, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship. Also, you'll get paid well.

As a startup and without any teaching experience, but with a Masters Degree, you could start anywhere between 20-30k per month.

Wow, im astounded, simply at the thought of those with masters degrees agreeing to work for 20-30K per month.

That would give you a return on your educational investment of about 20 years in most cases! Is Thailand really worth that much to you?

Im not a teacher, but i would love the insight of those who would work for such a pittance, after having worked so hard for their qualifications.

You should see those who have earned a PhD. I recently completed my PhD in Information Technology. Full-time teaching in a private university (with a PhD degree) and no experience could perhaps take you to 30-40 K range. I might have invested more than 40K USD in getting my degrees. In Thailand, however, I was not able to get a good offer. Currently, I decided to move back to industry.

Again, as someone mentioned earlier, while teaching you get a lot of other benefits. For example, they offered a house, benefits for school education (if you have kids), 90% insurance (in and outpatient), travel tickets back home (2 per year), etc. depending your offer. But if you intend to save cash, you may consider working part-time.

My plan is to take a TEFL course as soon as I'm finished with my Masters, and perhaps also some sort of specialised TEFL diploma if I can work while taking it.

What's your thoughts on PeaceBlondie's input, that some uni's would actually consider hiring me as an

English teacher for first-year students?

D-mn I wish I'd taken lingustics or similar instead of p.s., which doesn't even stand strong in the regular

jobmarket. What was I thinking? Well anyway, guess I could always be on the lookout for subjects close to but not exactly p.s., especially at those "rajabat" uni's. But I'm not hoping for much in that area, so I probably do best in looking for English work at som high-school and then mingling with a lot of teachers and hopefully get a foot in at some uni some day.

That's probably the most realistic thing for me to to if aiming to teach mainly adults, init?

I think your plan sounds ok to me. Also I back PeaceBlondie's remarks. I used to have an African student who always managed to get a part-time job teaching English in different schools. At one stage, he was earning 35,000 baht per month.

Thanks for the info prighas, that makes it seem doable after all.

But would I not be expected to have studied one of those subjects as an

integral part of my degree in order to teach the subject?

If you major in Business Administration, you could be qualified to teach in any one of the following areas (depending on your concentration): Accounting, Finance, Management and Marketing, Information Systems, Hotel Management, Ethics, and any other matter related to business such as: business law, business ethics, business research methods, business mathematics, etc.

You could also teach Business English.

Well there's where my problem sets in; I major in political science, which, at least at introductory levels, is very country-specific and thus probably not something I can hope to be teaching in Thailand.

Also, choosing it as a major was probably a mistake as I'm more into language, so I'm not sure I'd teach p.s. even if I could. I'd be a lousy teacher.

That's what I mean by stating that my options are limited; it's down to English after all, so I'd better hope I have enough qual's to get to teach it at some first or second year uni level.

One possible alternative could be: you can transfer your political science degree into a university which will give you credit for it. You could either choose to start with a Masters degree or a bachelors , depending on what your interests are. If you choose Masters, then Education or ESL (English as a Secondary Language) could be your first choice. The university will require you to take some prerequisite courses before the commencement of the program. After that, you will be qualified to teach at a tertiary educational institution.

Again, this is in case you are considering teaching as a profession.

Being a bit stupid, I'm not sure exactly what it is you're saying here.

If I understand you correctly, you are suggesting that I sort of "change directions" with regards to my masters in p.s. by adding ESL studies.

Either that, or I made a mistake in using the term "major", making it come out as if I don't yet have a masters.

In any case, if the message is more studying, I guess it could be done but I'd have to work meanwhile

as I won't get any more student loans.

Or, I could have misenterpreted your message completely.

My comments were based on you majoring in political science. I missed the fact you will have a Masters degree soon.

You could work part-time as an English instructor while at the same time take a Professional Teaching Certificate. This should help you teach in highshools. Now if you don't want to work with children or teens, you could further your studies by enrolling for a Masters in ESL.

The condo located on Narathiwas, " Lumpini place Narathiwas" near Sathorn and silom area. area 31 sqm, fully build-in Furnished. Rental Fee: 14000 Baht/month Minimum Contract: 1 year

Unit price of electricity? Water? Is WIFI available for free? Cable ? All included?

It's easy to say that buddhists are not doing what the buddha said to do, that Christians are not doing what Christ said to do, that Moslems aren't doing what Mohammed said to do. Far better to ask what did Buddha, Christ and Mohammed suggest might be beneficial to do in one's life and to give it a try.

Very wise..Thanks!!

I start driving around 6:45 am and get to my office in about 1 hour. The distance between my home and office is only 5 kms. I can't walk since I may need to leave the office more than once to visit customer sites.

I usually think about what I plan to do during the day. Other times, I think of family, friends, and relatives back home.

You could leave your car at work and walk home, then walk in the next day...

That's true..I have already considered that..Only problem is all the sweat you end up wearing on your shirt while in office. Where I work, most people wear a yellow necktie..

But again, thanks for the suggestion..

I start driving around 6:45 am and get to my office in about 1 hour. The distance between my home and office is only 5 kms. I can't walk since I may need to leave the office more than once to visit customer sites.

I usually think about what I plan to do during the day. Other times, I think of family, friends, and relatives back home.

Thanks for the info prighas, that makes it seem doable after all.

But would I not be expected to have studied one of those subjects as an

integral part of my degree in order to teach the subject?

If you major in Business Administration, you could be qualified to teach in any one of the following areas (depending on your concentration): Accounting, Finance, Management and Marketing, Information Systems, Hotel Management, Ethics, and any other matter related to business such as: business law, business ethics, business research methods, business mathematics, etc.

You could also teach Business English.

Well there's where my problem sets in; I major in political science, which, at least at introductory levels, is very country-specific and thus probably not something I can hope to be teaching in Thailand.

Also, choosing it as a major was probably a mistake as I'm more into language, so I'm not sure I'd teach p.s. even if I could. I'd be a lousy teacher.

That's what I mean by stating that my options are limited; it's down to English after all, so I'd better hope I have enough qual's to get to teach it at some first or second year uni level.

One possible alternative could be: you can transfer your political science degree into a university which will give you credit for it. You could either choose to start with a Masters degree or a bachelors , depending on what your interests are. If you choose Masters, then Education or ESL (English as a Secondary Language) could be your first choice. The university will require you to take some prerequisite courses before the commencement of the program. After that, you will be qualified to teach at a tertiary educational institution.

Again, this is in case you are considering teaching as a profession.

Not sure you can buy this at Pantip!!!

LOve it..Where can I get one ???

I'm still looking..I'll let u know when I find one