jasreeve17

I worked with Microsoft in regard to broadcasting s/w - they weren't very good compared to other companies we worked with (OpenTV, Liberate, etc...), so I agree that Microsoft are far from perfect, technically.

Having said that, I bought a new computer 18 months ago. It came with full telephone support and McAfee protection. I go all over the internet, download and use various applications without bothering to think too hard, and I've had no problems at all.

Nine months ago, I got the missus a similar setup. She tries hard all day every day to infect her computer, and has managed to find a couple of problems. These were fixed within minutes by the phone support.

Microsoft has a huge number of users, and for many their product works just fine.

I once worked for a company that only used Linux; what a pain in the arse. I was busy trying to do business, I didn't wanna waste time with lower level commands...

All the other companies I worked for used Microsoft, and I found Microsoft products much better for lobbing around the world managing business development in a laptop intensive role. I carried a lot of applications on the laptop and drove it hard, regularly on the internet, connecting into my company servers daily... Never had any problems.

Apple. I'm sure it's pretty good if that's what you need - graphics? So they say (nobody used them when I worked in feature film post-production, one of the most intensive graphics industries...). The reality is that everyone I know who has an apple partitions their drive and spends 90% of the time using Microsoft products... They look nice though....

I liked both the photos.

No need to stick to rules once you understand the basics (which you clearly do) and are looking for your own shot... They both convey a lot of atmosphere which is good considering the subject matter can appear boring (due to over exposure ).

Actually, coming over the river tonight I saw the most spectacular sun I've ever seen in bangkok. It was bright red with a thin layer of cloud floating across the center - truly spectacular, so I was particularly in the mood for your lovely shots this evening...

What a great thread already...

OP, yes it is a security requirement which is fair enough, and yes chairs should be provided to help the less flexible folk. A couple of chairs a few feet past the scanners would be perfect; let's hope they appear for your next visit.

You're not really buying a car are you? You're just bored and fancy a chat...

Both are good cars IMO (A or C). For city driving get the Jazz. For longer distance driving go for the Accord. If you do a bit of both, get a Civic.

The Camry is nice too though, I also like the little Mazda hatchback (is it a 323?). If I liked my missus I reckon I'd get her one of those, rather than a Jazz or City (it's around the same size as the City, but sexier).

In rebutting the "traitor" remarks, Prem said he did not try to label or blame Chavalit.

He recounted that as soon as he learnt about Chavalit's pending decision to join Pheu Thai, he dispatched an aide to relay his message.

"The aide wrote down my remarks in order to convey my exact words - he should form a decision with prudence, otherwise he may be seen as a traitor," he said.

His key word was "prudence", he said, insisting that none of his remarks could be construed as a scold. He said that as a friend he had the right to caution Chavalit about what he perceived as a hasty move.

Prem said his doors remained open to welcome Chavalit if time permitted and if the meeting would not touch on politics, since [/i]he had no involvement in politics.

Yep, he has no involvement in politics.

No place in Thai politics for this. But, no place in Thai politics for coups either...

Right here is the biggest single problem in Thai politics. I agree that history will not be kind to this gent.

A coup would be a start. It was criminal under Thai law at the time it happened, that was of course changed in their constitution...

We could go on about this all day: I state the pure facts, you spin. It's pointless, let's move on... Back to this thread.

Can anyone name names of Thai unis that have the leading international education programs in Thailand? I'd appreciate a starting point for some quick research.

Also, after ten consecutive years of teaching in LOS - uni, adults or mathayom - I've found the more obnoxious students will challenge the foreign teacher in the classroom but the "respectable" students who should do not, and that no Thai students ever challenge a Thai (or Asian) teacher in the classroom. (Adult learners are engaging but only because they're with a farang and are grown ups.)

Thai students in the schools and universities are either on their bottoms in their seats or on their knees on the floor while the Thai teacher checks their paper/notebook.

The hub of the archaic mentality perhaps?

There are 1,001 preconditions to Thailand as a hub of any education, much less international education.

No doubt others will disagree, but I consider these two to be the best (not all courses offered are international - some are and some aren't): Chula and Thammasart. Both offer BAs / MAs in education; TESOl, etc. Chula has several International courses in education - the students are good; international standard (I taught one who had a BA in business from a good US uni, he was smart, but no better than any Thai student on the course; they'd graduated from Chula BTW).

Mahidol is perhaps the most recognized university for international programs, though with strengths in different areas to the above. I've friends who teach on some English international programs, and my feeling is they're not quite as strong as the Chula or Thammasart 'local' courses (though there are many excellent Mahidol students who are fully capable of international academic success). As has been pointed out on another thread Mahidol is excellent in several areas: medicine, engineering and music, perhaps.

ABAC, NIDA and Bkk uni are private ones that I don't know much about. They are supposed to have some good international programs.

In your second paragraph the word obnoxious looks an uncomfortable choice. I was under the impression that our style of developing critical thinking encouraged debate and challenges, even if it's inconsistent with traditional Thai culture. Again, I'll add: the top universities (less than 10?) have excellent students who'd easily manage at UK or US universities...

I fully agree with your premise that Thailand is not and cannot be Asia's hub of education. The general level of education outside the top universities is just too low. For example, a teacher who joined Silpakorn this year was shocked at the high level of our English majors; he reckoned that in his several years teaching here at other 'upcountry' universities he had never come across a student as good as our worst English major. I'll add; Silpakorn is not considered in the top 5, or even 10, of English programs (probably should be...). Our students are solid - most are capable of studying on international programs; our best are exceptional by any world standard.

It'd be far better for the Thai Ministry of Education to spend their time helping the 90% of uni students in Thailand who receive a shockingly poor education - Plus will answer that this can be done in parallel. Perhaps, in an ideal world, but past experiences in Thailand suggest otherwise.

Back home, in my 20's and 30's, the girls told me I was handsome. But here, in my 50's, the "guys" tell me too! TIT

Nice. Keep up the good work.

Well to summarize it:

The Democrats don't want to change the constitution

PTP (aka Thaksin) don't want to change it (at the moment, it was different yesterday and it will be different tomorrow)

The Red Shirts (aka Thaksin) don't want to change it.

The PAD don't want to change it

Each of them, PTP, the Red Shirts and PAD claim that they have the majority of Thai people behind them.

At the moment there is noone who want to change it.

A referendum about the current constitution was done in 2006 (or 2007??) so 3 years ago the majority wanted this constitution.

I agree with your major point: if nobody is prepared to commit themselves to changing the constitution then let it go and move on - agreed. (I personally think it should be thrown away, but that's a different point entirely...)

Your last point is clearly wrong and you know it: on the back of a coup, with martial law in place, goverment money spent to market the document, illegal to protest against it... And the army saying they will only give back power if the document (they wrote to protect themselves from their criminal activity and more [iSOC powers, etc]) was voted in. Then, with all these factors in place, it was carried by a tiny %... That's the truth.

B&S, there is no reason for your last two posts in this thread - other than a thinly veiled agenda of nationalism and 'bad-Thai people'...

If you have something to say on a completely different subject then start a new thread.

What B&S wants to tell is that all the troubles are coming from one criminal who wants to get power. Paying for violent demonstrations, phoning in an telling lies and most probably he sees an opportunity just now.

What he thinks about the monarchy is pretty obvious.

Yeah, I understand that H90, but using the monarchy to make a political point is cheeky to say the least (I won't go any further)...

It's also a waste of time on a Thai based forum as it's very one-sided; i.e. agree with what I say or get immediately banned and run the risk of a long prison sentence too.

B&S, there is no reason for your last two posts in this thread - other than a thinly veiled agenda of nationalism and 'bad-Thai people'...

If you have something to say on a completely different subject then start a new thread.

1) He needs to ignore what other parties think and do what's best for the Thai people.

Hmm. I thought politicians were to represent the people, even those who support opposition candidates. I also thought Thailand was severely divided and in deep need of compromise and reconciliation. Perhaps I missed something?

2) Your assesment is wrong. Both the PAD and reds are now aparently against Abhisit's stance. My feeling is (just IMO) that he backed down from the PAD, not the reds. This was in complete contrast to what he said he would do the week before...

Really. I was under the impression that much support for Charter Reform came from the PTP. As I recall the Democrat party was lukewarm to the idea, but decided to work toward compromise. The PAD was never for Charter Reform. Newin's group were pro. It looked like a majority pro Charter Amendment. So, as a good PM should do, he went forward with it, knowing it would alienate some of the Democrat supporters who also support PAD.

Who was on the phone to make him change his mind?

Don't be disingenuous.

Sorry, but I don't understand any of your points (especially when you use such big words).

You merrily contradict yourself, just to be anti-red... Let's ignore them if we can and focus on this thread and the PM.

1) Yes, his primary goal is to work for the Thai people which he has stated, up until this latest release, will be best served by asking them directly for their input. Now, he has given way to political pressure.

2) The various parlimentary groups are going back and forth in irrational ways - so the PM said he will take charge and take the debate forward through the people (that was strong leadership which I applauded). When the PAD threaten to take to the streets he immediately backed down - weak leadership...

My opinion would be that the Nation is ridiculously one-sided.. <snip>

As i say, always has been biased in some form. The powers that be on that given day have always exerted a degree of pressure on the media.

I see no change in the media, just a change in the powers that be.

Maybe the reason why you are noticing it more now is because the line they are taking opposes your own point of view. I think this is a natural thing to do. It bothers us less when the media runs stories that support our own standpoint - indeed when this does happen we are inclined to feel that in fact there is no bias.

Anyway Mr J, if you wish to start a campaign for balanced news, i'm 100% behind you, but maybe we should wait until the media has swung back in your favour, otherwise people might question our sincerity on this issue. Don't worry, a week is a long time in politics. Give it time.

I know what you're saying, but I give myself a tad (and only a tad) more credit because I prefer to hear a varity of viewpoints. I don't mind FoxNews, as long as you have the option of CNBC, CNN, etc...

Really, I'm talking about ThaiVisa. Now, we only have one biased source, instead of a selection of biased sources. Thus, there's less chance of balance.

I like vanilla, but if it's the only choice then I want chocolate.

Back on topic: Abhisit needs to decide what is right for the Thai people, not what is easiest for him politically...

He did. He listened to the opposition. He took action. He was willing to inflame the PAD situation to do so. He was looking for compromise and reconciliation. Then the phone rang. Five minutes later 'the people' no longer wanted charter amendments.

Two points:

1) He needs to ignore what other parties think and do what's best for the Thai people.

2) Your assesment is wrong. Both the PAD and reds are now aparently against Abhisit's stance. My feeling is (just IMO) that he backed down from the PAD, not the reds. This was in complete contrast to what he said he would do the week before...

Come on, keep spinning...

Edit to ask: Who was on the phone to make him change his mind?

Old threads can breath new life.

I was walking around Siam Sq about a year ago and just fancied a steak. I ordered the most expensive staek on the menu (Australian fillet, around 950 baht if I remember correctly), wasn't blown away and haven't been back... The steak was fine, I just expected better, it wasn't very tender or tasty IMO.

My local foodland does a 'minute steak' for about 130 baht - tastes pretty good for the price.

Thankfully this is NOT an all FoxNews 24/7 situation here.

FoxNews clearly is much more akin to D-TV.

As to status taking a hit.... well nothing surprises me.

I chose FoxNews just because it's very well known, so people can relate to the general concept.

I could ask you to explain why D-TV is akin to FoxNews, but your answer, I reckon, would be beyond belief, thus I won't bother - not even for the sake of amusement...

Back on topic: Abhisit needs to decide what is right for the Thai people, not what is easiest for him politically...

So R, you want to start an argument instead of commenting on the thread... Ummm, no thanks. I'm very bored of posters who hang around looking for arguments...

Why so defensive Mr J?

I wasn't trying to start an argument, simply asking a question - practice that i believe is common when engaged in a discussion.

That being that since reporting never has been balanced, why in particular does it trouble you now?

Any particular reason?

Fair enough, I'm trying to avoid arguments, not sure my status can handle any more hits...

But discussion, that's all good (I feel a bit American using these terms ). My opinion would be that the Nation is ridiculously one-sided which wouldn't be such a problem if the forum had a variety of news sources, but nowadays we are only allowed this single source for the majority of our news.

Look at the headlines posted here daily... The starting point for every conversation is heavily biased.

Now, as I say, poor reporting aside, if we had a variety of sources they'd tend to balance each other out over time; but alas, we only have vanilla.

To go back to the American idea (subtly infiltrated above ): The great US of A has very polarized media, but a wide variety encompassing most 'flavours', so overall there's some balance. Now, on ThaiVisa it's 'Foxnews' only, all day, every day...

Nice car Sgunn65; oodles of character.

Enjoy.

Just to mention, Mahidol's College of Music is "Top 2" in Southeast Asia, already. Not bad for a medical school lol

Excellent, indeed.

So R, you want to start an argument instead of commenting on the thread... Ummm, no thanks. I'm very bored of posters who hang around looking for arguments...

I agree with tomahawk's comments above - the economy is hitting very hard, here in Thailand and around the world.

Back to the OP: it's good. These are exactly the types of initiatives required around the country. We're in a bad way, and we need to start taking baby steps forward... For example, I'd like to see red and yellows join together and protest against environmental horrors... even if they are 'only moderate groups', it's a start.

The 'real'IRA still haven't come to the table in Belfast, but the situation continues to move forward, far from over, many problems to be resolved, but the downway cycle into deeper pits of violence has been arrested; no more nail bombs being thrown into school playgrounds...

So, I say: good on these folk who got together, realized their silimlarities, put aside their divisions and took a baby step forward.

What happened to balanced reporting

When would that have been then?

True.

I was more talking about the concept in general, rather than a previously high level of balanced reporting.

The paaper we can't talk about has a variety of pieces with differing views - not all well written, but diversity is present. The nation just seems to be a bit Foxnews style... Which is fine if you like their flavour of vanilla...

Sheeple is a good nick too I think, for the reds especially.

So all the big wigs in parliament had a grand pow wow just last week or so to agree to the amendments and the process but now there's a grand disarray. Liars and con men all but what else is new?

Agreed the onus is on the clowns out of power. Further, that Abhisit is asserting himself well by kicking the brats out of the sandbox. It's the brats' responsibility if they want to barracade the doors to the house on the outside so they close themselves out.

I agree and disagree.

The 'bigwigs' in parliament are useless. All of them on all sides.

But, By doing a 100% reversal Abhisit is hardly asserting himself... I repeat, the week before this press release Abhisit said he will press forward with the charter process regardless of what the other parties do. Then the PAD threatened to take to the streets, and the next day, he did an about turn... Weakness. This is exactly the type of 'leadership' that the Thai people dislike (I said the Thai paople, not me...).

These nation pieces are worse and worse propaganda day by day... What happened to balanced reporting, or even reporting facts instead of opinion pieces pretending to be facts...

Another thread about the PM, changes to an anti-Thaksin thread. Wow, how boring.

The problem with non-stop pieces cut and pasted by the heavily biased 'newspaper' is that the forum views become lopsided too. Hence, why there has been less and less reasoned debate every since this 'paper' has become heavily involved with ThaiVisa. It's a shame.

Yep, it's nice to see Mahidol doing well on the lists. I've been told that they have very good research, and large quatities of research which really helps to boost them up the lists.

Because we mostly work within Arts faculties; English departments, I tend to naturally focus on these areas. I've also done a lot of business work in Thailand where the very top people are almost always ex-Thammasart (just look at Samak ).

I reckon we should consider international comparables. Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore would. China aims high. If we have international programs then me must too. Mahidol was one of the first international programs and is thus well known, I'm sure you set your sights high, rightly so. Our top unis (and I'll include Chula, Thammasart, Mahidol, Kasesart, Cm, KK, Silpakorn ...) should be aiming at standards that would be comparable to the decent UK and US universities. Maybe that means the likes of the University of Dundee (say, top 50). Chula and Thammasart can aim at top 15 UK / US unis (or higher) with their top faculties, IMO.