Xangsamhua

I think they look at things like the amount of funded research, published work, frequency of citation in publications, number of international staff and students, student and staff satisfaction, etc.

The criteria favour larger metropolitan universities. There doesn't seem to be much scope for smaller, regional, specialist or "teaching" universities. A student could get a very good higher education in one of the latter kind, especially at the undergraduate level or in specific areas. The THES rankings seem to compare big universities (though I'm sure there are exceptions, e.g. University of Canterbury in New Zealand, with only about 11,000 students). The Jiao Tong rankings seem to be strongly biased towards US universities.

Brilliant stuff, TH. "... a night as hot as the armpit of a corpulent Pattaya expat" - what an image!

I hope you've got lots more ideas and I hope your talent doesn't go unrewarded. I'd love to read more - on TV or in another form.

I have an adult student that I teach. During our last lesson he made a rather disparaging remark about Thai-Falang marriages. It actually had to do with a well-known athlete who married a falang lady. Since it is a private tutorial, one-on-one, (which I usually don't like to do), it was hard to ignore the remark.

Generally, this sort of thing doesn't bother me too much, but for some reason this remark has been bothering me quite a lot. I didn't say anything at the time, but my anger has increased. It might not bother me so much, but his grandparents are Chinese and live in China and he's married to a Thai lady!

I am torn as to whether to approach the subject, or drop it. Feedback and thoughts on the subject would be appreciated.

It was a private tutorial. If the view expressed was really ignorant, couldn't you explore it with him? It seems it was something that came out of left field and left you a bit stunned - one of those cases where someone says something so outlandish you're lost for words. I suppose he's entitled to a point of view, even if it's a really stupid one, but I'm sure you would have dealt with it if that were the case. It must have been both stupid and vicious. Perhaps the bloke's not worth teaching on a private basis. Hard to say without knowing what the remark was.

I had a Thai teacher colleague in an after-school English class for teachers once who made the most extraordinary and, on the face of it, offensive comment about Pope John Paul II (we were doing something about religious terms and I was being very careful not to misrepresent or offend). However she did it with a big smile on her face and she was a teacher I liked. We got on well. So I didn't pursue it. Just put it in the category of bizarre things that happen in LOS.

Can anyone tell me about the bus connecting Ubon Ratchathanee rail with Mukdaharn? Does it connect with train arrivals from Bangkok and how long does it take?

Got a map? What is Suriwong connected to? Sukumvit?

4 S's in a row - Sathorn, Silom, Surawong, Sriphaya. Surawong (or Suriwong) runs between Charoen Krung and Rama IV. The library's between Decho and Mahesak.

Thank you Kan Win for the reminder and the photos and thank you to all the posters who have reflected on those who have served and died in wars with honour and generosity of spirit.

The pictures of Kanjanaburi and Hellfire Pass remind me of a very moving book about the Burma railway. It's called The Railway Man and is written by Eric Lomax, a Scottish engineer who was a prisoner on the railway. I'm pretty sure I've seen it recently in Asia Books in paperback.

A good question. I haven't read all the responses, but there must be many variations and a simple 4 choice poll isn't going to catch them. Mrs XSH and I met in Vientiane 38 years ago and began communicating in Lao. This was our primary language for many years, including 25 years in Australia and having raised 3 English-speaking children. In the last few years we've used as much English as Lao, probably, and often use both languages at once, i.e she speaks in Lao and I speak in English. I don't think we know what language we're speaking some of the time. Because we live in Bangkok we use some Thai vocabulary, but do not actually speak to each other in Thai, though we could if we wanted. (She went to teachers college in Bangkok in the early 70s).

I expect there's a lot of language mixing and code-switching with mixed-language couples.

Can anyone tell me the origin and meaning of the word "Isaan"? The Isaan region is northeast (tawan ork chiang neua) and the people's ethnicity and language is primarily Lao (with some Khmer, Suay, Vietnamese etc. thrown in). So why do we refer to the region and its people as "Isaan"? And where does the word come from? Is it Thai? A quick check in my very inadequate Thai-English dictionary simply gives the meaning as "northeast". Is it a (Sanskritic?) word like "arkhanay", meaning southeast?

Apologies for the transcription. I don't have access to Thai script.

Interesting that you should ask that question! Rikker, a frequent contributor to this forum, has just posted an answer to your question in his blog, "Thai101" to be found at http://rikker.blogspot.com/ . His most recent article is "Different directions" in which he discusses where the Thai formal words for the various major points of the compass come from. One of those "directions" is "อีสาน". I think you will enjoy his post and the other excellent discussions of topics related to Thai language to be found on his blog.

Thank you David. Rikker's blogspot answers my question and fills in the blanks re the other directions as well. So that's why we have a Burapha University in Chonburi and a Phayap University in Chiang Mai.

Can anyone tell me the origin and meaning of the word "Isaan"? The Isaan region is northeast (tawan ork chiang neua) and the people's ethnicity and language is primarily Lao (with some Khmer, Suay, Vietnamese etc. thrown in). So why do we refer to the region and its people as "Isaan"? And where does the word come from? Is it Thai? A quick check in my very inadequate Thai-English dictionary simply gives the meaning as "northeast". Is it a (Sanskritic?) word like "arkhanay", meaning southeast?

Apologies for the transcription. I don't have access to Thai script.

I am leaving England for Thailand next month and it will be my first Christmas away from home - and alone!

Any ideas of what to do will be gratefully received!

Aww Krupnik, i'm going back to England for this christmas or you could have come and had dinner with me.

Aww, thanks for thinking of me!

Any recommendations or anything anyone?

Mrs XSH and I usually go to the Montien Riverside Hotel for the buffet lunch. Always up to standard and a pleasant environment.

Hello all.

My adopted Thai daughter is planning on doing he Masters degree in Business Administration in Australia next year. Being a Brit. myself, I do not really have much information about Australian universities. She has asked me for advice about which university she should choose, and I mentioned Perth because of it's geagraphical location and similarities to Asian climate etc. I know there are quite alot of Thais living and studying in Perth. But, what about Sidney, or Melbourne. Are there any good universities in these cities ?

Any advice from our Oz members would be much appreciated !

Thanks.

I note that your question is "Are there any good universities in [sydney and Melbourne]?" It is not "What are the top universities as measured on the Jiao Tong or TImes Higher Education or Institute of Applied Economics, or whatever ranking system is used..?

All metropolitan and regional and national multi-campus universities in Australia are accredited by State and Commonwealth governments according to the Australian Qualifications Framework, an advisory body to the Commonwealth Minister for Education. The most prestigious metropolitan universities have formed themselves into a "Group of Eight". However, other universities are often as highly regarded for particular strengths. For example, one might do well to study Tropical Medicine at the regional James Cook University in Townsville, or Marine biology at Central Queensland University or Systematic Theology at the Australian Catholic University. Wollongong and USQ are internationally acknowledged for their distance education and e-learning programs. For an MBA, probably a metropolitan university makes most sense, however, though not necessarily one of the group of eight, who may have attained their high rankings on criteria that don't bear all that closely on the quality of their MBAs.

Your daughter should check out what's available and get advice from IDP or the Australian Education Centre in Bangkok. Broadsweep ranking scales and traditional prejudices should not be the deciding factors.

One advantage, too, of a metropolitan location is that she can connect with the Thai community when she wants to and to the extent she wants to.

Can anyone recommend any festive music events? Carol singing etc...

Churches would have carols, but not sure if they have anything separate from church services. Holy Redeemer Church in Soi Ruam Rudee usually has a performance of Handel's Messiah a week or two before Christmas.

I may be wrong but if gold is 12600 , then that is the value of the gold and the extra is the profit for the shop ?

If the gold is bought in the form of jewelry - necklaces, bracelets, etc - there's an additional cost for the workmanship. If you just buy bars the cost should be as set.

I use alot of New Zealand internet sites and have not had any problems.I am in BKK using true.

I have been having similar problems connecting to the internet in the evening hours. It isn't NZ specific, but it may be TOT specific since those with True don't seem to be experiencing the same problem.

Thank you. It must be a TOT thing. My problems were on my computer at work. On my home PC, with True, I'm not having any problems.

Are there internet connection problems between Thailand and New Zealand at the moment? I can't get into any New Zealand sites.

Good question. I had called the hotline and was told they were open. Our 90 days were over and we had to make our appearance there. Yes, they were open, but it was not possible to do the 90 days registration. That, and many other things, are only possible when immigration is fully staffed, and this is Monday - Friday.

I was so frustrated that I did not even ask WHAT was possible to do on Saturdays (I think if you lost your passport or such).

Immigration at Suan Phlu is open on Saturday mornings just for re-entry visas.

In my opinion, yes, retired couples when both are not Thai can find many tropical places to retire. One is as good as the other in that situation. If I had a farang wife I wouldn't want to retire here, actually. The biggest reason to stay would only be if I had a Thai wife.

If your wife is Lao, Khmer or Burmese there are good reasons to live here, too.

Certainly not a luxury hotel. I've stayed there several times, the last of which about four years ago and even then the hotel was looking very old and shabby.

SL.

It was a nice place in the late 60s. Pretty down at heel when I last stayed there in 96. Would be well past its use-by date now.

What is being said here is if your falang wife is under 50 then she has to go it alone with her visa arrangements so if she previously lived here with her retired over 50 husband then the likely route for her is to get a non im 1 year visa meaning that every year she has to go outside and get one.

I'm just catching up with all this and am not sure if I've missed something. Does the independent assessment only apply to non-Thai spouses uner 50?

Spouses, mothers , fathers, kids.

As long as they're under 50?

Any age

Thank you.

What is being said here is if your falang wife is under 50 then she has to go it alone with her visa arrangements so if she previously lived here with her retired over 50 husband then the likely route for her is to get a non im 1 year visa meaning that every year she has to go outside and get one.

I'm just catching up with all this and am not sure if I've missed something. Does the independent assessment only apply to non-Thai spouses uner 50?

Spouses, mothers , fathers, kids.

As long as they're under 50?

What is being said here is if your falang wife is under 50 then she has to go it alone with her visa arrangements so if she previously lived here with her retired over 50 husband then the likely route for her is to get a non im 1 year visa meaning that every year she has to go outside and get one.

I'm just catching up with all this and am not sure if I've missed something. Does the independent assessment only apply to non-Thai spouses under 50?

They accept my application finally. Now wait one week or so to pickup the license! yippee! (then its on to the department of labor.... I'm sure that will be equally easy and fun!)

Well done. What an ordeal! Good luck with the job and hopefully no more hassles.

Thanks for keeping us posted.

Worst food I've ever had, by far, was on China Eastern (2006). Un(in?)describable. Maybe cos it was on the 2 am run to Shanghai (but just as bad coming back on a 3-hour delayed night return flight).

My wife wouldn't even kiss me when the guy at the Amphur pronounced us man and wife and suggested we kiss.

Never a chance she would hold my hand.

Thank god.

We never used to until the last few years. Now we're ancient we figure we're allowed to. No one says anything, and we run into students and parents all the time.

There was certainly no kissing at the wedding and we never held hands or kissed before we were married. Now that's going back a while! The days when "dating" meant going out with your girlfriend and a whole bunch of people.

Quite correct - and i agree completely. But what is the solution to the problem?

My solution is 'accountability and empowerment'

Make the teachers accountable and empower them to bring their own ideas, methodologies and strategies into school.

Failing teaches should be given remedial classes in which to improve (accountability) and if they dont then they should be shown the door.

Of course, we are approx. 2 generations from this happening - by which time we will have fallen even further behind competing countries.

First up, I'd have to say that at our school, a private bilingual school in Bangkok, some of the Thai English teachers have excellent ability in the language. Others are not bad at all, and others are struggling but can conduct a conversation.

However, I know that when you get out into the provinces it's very hard to find capable English teachers and capable English trainers and the time for the teachers to do further training. Many of the suggested plans and programs simply can't be implemented in, say, Jangwat Nan.

If Thailand wants to join the global conversation, only government can come up with the strategy and funding to make a significant advance. It doesn't really seem to be a priority. Or there simply isn't the money available to do it. In the meantime public and private funds are put into hiring foreign guest teachers, many of whom do not stay for very long and there's no real transfer of skills for local teachers to take on the work afterwards.

The priority has to be, not only to train Thais to teach English, but to train them to teach content through English. That will give students a more meaningful context in which to learn how to use the language. Hard, though, especially if teachers switch codes too often, as appears to happen in Hong Kong and China.

As some posters have rightly pointed out, too, Thais who have good English language skills can probably attract better income and working conditions outside teaching. If teaching conditions could be improved for English teachers, there are still a lot of people who want to teach and would like the respect shown to arjarns.