cocopops

In a global sense, when - exactly - were things ever better than they are today?

What about those who live in Thailand because they like the international expat community and have no Thai parents and kids go to International school? My kids carry 4 passports and 2 additional residencies, but none of them are Thai. They're citizens of the world who just happen to be in Thailand presently because its nice place to live for the moment. They speak English primarily, but they have been having daily Mandarin Chinese lessons since before they could walk or talk, and neither parent is Chinese. Its just about having them learn languages that will be useful in the world. Thailand might just be the place where they live for several years as a child, or maybe all of their childhood, but I doubt they would go to university here or choose to make a career or at least an early part of their lives here. That's why Thai language wouldn't be very useful for them for the long term. There is only so much room to learn languages. In my opinion, one must choose carefully and wisely and I think they're much better off with English, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic, etc. Go for the most commonly used languages, ie: universal languages, not one that limits them to just one place.

There's always the chance that language will be a solved problem 20 years from now. Crude real-time automatic translators already exist - it may be that in time it will be possible for any old cell phone to provide better real-time translations between major languages than any human scholar.

Seeing as exports are experiencing NEGATIVE growth, almost any industry will contribute to economic GROWTH. But with the export industry amounting to 70% of the GDP and tourism 10% of the GDP, 100% of the nation's enterprises would have to be engaged in tourism to make up the loss of high value revenues from exports.

But you can expect Devakula to say anything that will cast favorably on Prayut's regime - he's one of the Insiders.

Well, something wrong with your figures I think.

If import as about as big as export, Thailands GDP is 150% ?

Why would imports count towards Domestic Product?

Interestingly, not all exports are part of GDP either, as some things that are exported are not produced locally. Trading hubs like Hong Kong and Singapore have export/gdp ratios well over 100%.

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.EXP.GNFS.ZS?order=wbapi_data_value_2014+wbapi_data_value+wbapi_data_value-last&sort=desc

Good people,

Right now, I'm here on an extension of a non-ed visa. But I'm changing visas next week and have been warned that I have to "cancel my non-ed visa" - or perhaps it's the extension of stay. I have a letter from my school requesting the cancellation in my possession.

Does anybody know anything about this? Specifically, how do you do it in Chiang Mai (e.g. by mail, show up at immi at 6 in the morning for a queue number, what?) and what might happen if I just don't bother?

Thanks,

Cocopops.

What customs agent would search a 91-year-old man? Unless a drug dog sniffed it out first, it sounds like he was set up.

If it was really a naive mistake, as he claims, he may have copped to it under the casual questioning you occasionally get.

"Has anyone given you anything to carry into Australia?"

"Why do you ask Son? Just these 27 cakes of soap that these bhenchods I met online asked me to bring back for some rellys."

While he might have the bearing, Rangsan was betrayed by his lack of a soldier’s stature.

Does this mean they finally figured it out because he wasn't tall enough? That almost makes it worse...

Thank you Ubonjoe I entered the country from Penang 11th February this year for my 2nd year course.

Was the visa you've been extending issued in February 2014 or February 2015?

Here in Chiang Mai they're saying they won't extend a single ED visa for more than one year in total (i.e. you get the first 3 months + 3 * 3 month extensions, then you gotta go get a new visa), so if your visa was originally issued in 2014 that's probably the issue. You will need to get a new non-imm ED from somewhere. And, so long as you're still going to school, will probably be able to use it to stay a year.

Why are you signing up with an agency in the first place? It means no conditions - usually no paid holidays not even on public holidays. The schools and agents are often in cahoots - the school pays the agent 40,000 per month and the agent pays you 30,000; the agent and school do a deal and everyone is happy, except you. You should only ever work for an agency if you absolutely have no alternative. Forget about being sued - you can't get blood out of a stone. I am sure one of the joys you will experience with your agent is that the terms and conditions you signed up for are ignored by him/her whenever it is convenient for them to do so - they will most certainly not feel obliged to honour of the terms you agreed. Welcome to teaching in Thailand!

You may not know this but that is how the world works.

The agent gets paid for its service, the school chooses to be served by the agent and the teacher decides whether they accept the salary, terms and conditions. Nobody is being forced to accept the arrangement.

If you went to 7/11 and complained that galaxy ice creams would only cost 30 baht if the distributor is cut out of the supply chain, you'd be laughed at.

Well, sure. It's called commerce. Nothing unethical about it.

But if you discovered that Galaxy had a retail outlet around the corner that was letting those delicious treats go at wholesale price you might very well advise your fellow sweet-tooths to cut out the middleman. And there would be nothing wrong with that either.

Not sure anyone should go to jail for defamation, but if anyone should, it would be Prompong.

Under these sort of circumstances it would seem particularly critical that truth be considered a complete defense. Unfortunately, it is not.

I guess you're right. After all, giving someone a ticket for a vehicle offense usually is more than enough to stop them from ever repeating the offense again...

Oh... wait....

I hope you don't think that's a good point! Because, it's really really bad.

Seems like you think having a dam which stops 99.9999% of the water and no dam at all are the same thing.

I guess in countries where they enforce traffic laws, they must not see any difference in traffic behavior, then in countries where there is no enforcement...

Are you really suggesting that giving someone a parking ticket is going to stop them from parking illegally in the future?

One of the few things we know for sure about human beings is that they respond to incentives - positive and negative. Especially once those incentives have been demonstrated to them.

Hi,

What documents do I need to take to the aiport to get a re-entry permit on my way out the door?

Photo, photocopies of passport pages?

Have a good day,

Cocopops.

PS: This must have been asked a thousand times, but I'm too dim-witted to find the answer by searching. Sigh... Sorry about that.

These posts got me going with some google terms and I think I'm on top of the issues now. Particularly helpful was "isofix". I actually didn't realize the anchor points were standard these days, I thought you might have to add them yourself the way I remember my stepfather doing for some sibling many decades ago.

I've also learned you don't really need anchor points at all, it is possible to secure an infant carseat using just the seatbelt. Although that kind of feels wrong to me. So ima go with an isofix one.

I really apreciate everyone's help!

Thanks again,

Cocopops.

Do you mean the 3BB "Cloud IPTV" service?

If so, if you already have a 3BB wifi service you can try it out on your computer or tablet/phone. There's an app in the playstore - not sure about Apple phones. Or go here:

http://cloudiptv.3bb.co.th/tablet9

I think you'll need the account number from the 3BB bill to use the app. Not sure I ever tried watching on the website directly.

Edit: Looks like to get HD quality you do have to log in there too.

Peeps,

My intense and irresistable manliness has apparently caused a new life to be created (please - hold your applause). Assuming they're more punctual than the old man, should be here in a few months time.

Where should I buy a carseat so we can get around? Ideally some place that will either install it for me or provide good instructions as to how to do so. It's for a Ford Festiva (tiny lil' plasticy thing that looks like it was bought in a department store).

I'm not tremendously worried about getting the best possible deal - just want to get something safe and somehow prevent the idiot I occasionally turn in to from ballsing up the installation.

Thanks,

Cocopops.

At the risk of turning this into another thread about the term "farang" yes there are Thai people who consider it a perjorative. Or at least a coarse word. Kind of like referring to the Uighur refugees as breeding animals (i.e. "litters" of children)

Are you talking about people in a specific demographic that I might never have come accross? I know a few Thai professionals - i.e. middle-class in the American sense - but nobody you would call the middle-class in the English public school sense.

Because I just find it hard to believe that my partner of almost 10 years, all of my neighbours, the local couple who I consider to be our best friends in the world, my landlord and my lawyer all occasionally refer to me in the third person using a derogatory term. I really can't believe it is a strong as the "litters" slur, which produced a shaking of the head in everyone I know.

The only Thai I have ever heard express the opinion that "falang" is derogatory is my Thai teacher - and the context of that was that she had decided not to use it any more because another student had mentioned that some people (but not him personally) didn't like it.

So what kind of native speaker, in your experience, thinks it's offensive? Younger Thais with overseas educations? Older people who are more careful choosing words? In rough terms, who is it?

I'm a white English-speaking male in my thirties! I've been dying to be part of a victimised group all my life so I need to know when I can get outraged!

It's not really OK to call humans animals in a derogatory sense.

Yes, technically humans are of course animals but I mean when you prop up your own ethnicity as human and an "other" as animals.

In my view even the ISIS fighters chopping off the heads of Christians on the beaches and throwing gay people off buildings are not animals.

They're just very bad HUMANS.

They're operating based on bad information.

If one seriously believed that the creator of the universe wished these things and handed out post-mortem rewards or punishments to those who did or didn't do them, one would be a fool not to start chopping of heads, no?

He has a way with words...........

Yup, the developed world is not ready for the stark naked truth. Those who disagree should explain why.

Because "man is the measure of all things". Really, after 2500 years of western philosophy, the burden of proof may safely be said to lie with those who disagree with that idea. People are not vermin, they matter - because what else possibly could?

This is entirely separate from recognizing that certain dogmatisms, including but not limited to, communism, white supremacy and many forms of Islam, are harmful things.

Dear Pope,

Please state unambiguously and with full infallible papal authority, that if any Catholic is in the future faced with deciding between protecting children from sexual or other abuse and protecting the churches reputation, they should choose to protect the children. Emphasize that this is true even if it appears this will damage the churches ability to save souls in the future.

Thanks,

Cocopops.

Does anybody know the phrase he translates as "You are cute."? Is it Thai or Northern?

Anyway, this dude is not in a good place right now... And I don't mean geographically.

If you've ever read Crowd Intelligence by James Surowiecki, there seems to be a behavioural change where if more people do something, more people join in, so it needs the first one to help, then you might see a second one, and then likely the crowd will form (except for farangs of course, who want to help but are concerned about being implicated).

I realize the part in brackets is at least partly tongue in cheek, but for those following along - "attributional bias"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attribution_bias

Sometimes if group B is more familiar to you it can seem that group A takes action X because they lack common decency, whereas group B takes identical action X for entirely legitimate reasons.

Even when, as in the case of the post above, group A's actions are being interpreted using evidence gathered from studies conducted on members of group B!

Seeing the toppling itself is nicer still.

Are you actually saying that you think people having accidents is nice?

It's only seven words, but since you're struggling:

I said that *seeing* the toppling is nice.

You think *seeing* people toppling of their motorbike is nice???? Like I said, you are a nice person.

Surely he means the toppling of the rain, not the fact that an accident occurred...

A bit insensitive I suppose, although not by TV standards, but nobody was hurt and it has been really hot here!

?

I can agree but good intentions are not enough when dealing with people's personal details. Beside, if common sense was to prevail all the time, Thailand it would be a very different country.

Not only Thailand...

They never think this stuff through do they.

What then if you book accommodation via Airbnb?

Please describe the non-intrusive measures you would take to track foreign travellers who may have contracted communicable diseases and who are unlikely to respond to public service announcements. Be as specific as possible.

For extra points, include any grammatically correct English language sentence that includes the words "what", "then" and "if" in sequence.

Didn't think so.

Conclusion - you didn't really think it through.

So, it's all about "communicable diseases" is it, of which, Thailand has more inside its boarders being taken out, rather than outside its boarders being bought in.

I guess you "didn't really think your post through" - or is that "threw?"

Right, the short-term boarders within Thai borders. The ones that might have been on the flight with the Omani MERS dude for example.

I would say yes, it is about that sort of thing. Tracking folks on flights that may have been exposed to disease. Figuring out where people are or what happened to them when overseas relatives report them missing. Various other safety precautions that benefit the peeps passing throo on holiday.

Why else would they bother? Why have immigration decided to do the extra work? Not busy enough already?

They never think this stuff through do they.

What then if you book accommodation via Airbnb?

Please describe the non-intrusive measures you would take to track foreign travellers who may have contracted communicable diseases and who are unlikely to respond to public service announcements. Be as specific as possible.

For extra points, include any grammatically correct English language sentence that includes the words "what", "then" and "if" in sequence.

Didn't think so.

Conclusion - you didn't really think it through.

It is the law. Entirely a British issue. Living there for 27 years he should have known.

I do sympatier with him though, but criminal is criminal. All actions have consequences.

That's all true. The question here is, is it just that a man who has lived the vast majority of his life legally in the country since face consequences significantly more severe than a citizen would? Consider also his child - is it just that he be deprived of his father under circumstances where a second generation citizen would not?