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I've just received a letter from Nationwide International, an Isle of Man bank, saying that they're to close and that all existing accounts are to be transferred to Nationwide Building Society. And so yet another offshore bank popular with UK expats closes.

The letter tries to be very reassuring, basically saying that nothing is going to change for customers. But if that's the case, why close the bank in the first place?

Anyone got any insights on the reasoning behind what's happening?

Essential Thai by James Higbie is my personal favourite. Add Higbies Thai Reference Grammar and you'll be set for a good while.

Just curious, but does "Essential Thai" use the same ghastly form of transcription as the grammar book? Personally I'd suggest not buying Thai Reference Grammar (excellent book that it is) until you can read Thai comfortably just to avoid getting to grips with the transcription.

An easier grammar book is "Thai An Essential Grammar" by David Smyth.

And on the subject of transcription, I have a strong preference for the Haas system (as used in the AUA books and at Union-syllabus schools with slight modifications). It's much more consistent and logical than any other system (including Becker's).

A large python turned up in my moobaan in Bangkok yesterday. The video's not great, but can anyone identify the type? I'm guessing it's a Burmese python, but it could be a Reticulated one.

Thanks.

The first time I heard of "creamed corn" it was listening to Frank Zappa. The relevant line was "An' spewed upon with cream corn!". At the time I hadn't a clue what creamed corn was (being British), and certainly didn't know that the line referred to a minor sex scandal of the time. Still, it's probably good to know that if you don't like creamed corn to eat there are other exciting things you can do with it.

Textbook in web form: http://thailanguagewiki.com/

Rigorous, well-structured course. Should be more widely known.

Is there any reason the donor couldn't be O-negative (universal donor)? This would increase the pool of possible donors. AB- is very rare.

Desiccated coconut is máˑ​phráaw òp hɛ̂ɛŋ. I've seen it occasionally in Villa (though not for a couple of months now). Small pack. Imported from China.

Graduate school - develop language and and skills.

See what happens when the farmers owe them money!

Actually, nothing. One of Big Brother's previous policies was to lend scadloads of money to farmers and then do nothing when they failed to keep up the repayments.

As for the working Thai prostitutes of today, I believe that the majority have willingly chosen to be in this line of work, they are not forced into it against their will and most are not disadvantaged or abused, but rather willing and able and on the game at their own free will, with the choice to leave the industry at anytime.

This may be true for those serving foreign clients in Bangkok's "entertainment" districts. It's far from true for prostitutes serving Thai clients in the provinces.

Where do you suggest these animals are housed, on the condo roof?

Well, if it's good enough for tigers, why now?

http://www.thephuketnews.com/caged-tigers-found-on-thai-apartment-block-roof-33098.php

Original article very much written from a Mahayana standpoint and as such an inaccurate reflection of the Lord Buddha's teachings.

One of the reasons Thailand is on the US Tier 2 watchlist is due to trafficking in females/children for the sex industry.

But not for long, thanks to the government's wonderful efforts in cleaning up the business.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Thailand-may-be-removed-from-US-human-trafficking--30220019.html

The existence of high frequency trading can be seen as a positive thing: it provides liquidity in the market, meaning you can take on or get out of a position at any time at a good price. The danger, however, is from the algorithms used. If there's a fault in an algorithm it can cause the market to crash, or the company to lose a fortune. It's happened before and will happen again.

What concerns me is that in the past an army coup has been the "traditional" way of resolving political conflict. Thaksin has reshuffled the senior army officials to make sure he has strong support at the top. He's even gone as far as to appoint his sister as Defence Minister. A coup thus is more difficult, and civil war a higher possibility.

On the positive side, at least the pigs won't have to undergo the savagery that is halal slaughter - unlike virtually all the beef cows here.

Meaningless survey. It doesn't reflect on the English proficiency within the country - only the proficiency of people who choose to take the test. People who know they're useless at English won't even bother. One possible interpretation of the results would be "people in Thailand think they're much better at English than they really are; people from Malaysia know they're not very good, so only the most able bothered to take the test".

This scheme isn't about protecting tourists, it's about lining the pockets of certain individuals.

Back in the old days one had to pay in cash at the airport a departure tax - 500 Baht, if I remember rightly. Billions of that money "disappeared". The same thing will happen again. It's just resurrecting an old form of corruption in a different guise.

And does anyone really think that all the money collected at remote border crossings will actually make it into the government's coffers?

There's a topic already going on this:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/678576-uk-cgt-for-non-resident-property-sales/

Apparently it's only worth $16. Hardly worth the effort.

http://domainestimator.com/www.directfromthailand.com

The reason it has a low value on your site is because the ebsite has never been developed.

It has just been parked.

There is very good potential for this site if developed, but the value of anything is always what somebody is willing to pay for it.

Potential and wisdom sometime make people a lot of money. Everyone thinhks diferent and that is why there are successes and failures.

Thanks for the info.

It's cheap and easy to set up a new domain. And there are plenty of other domain names that might be equally attractive of a similar type: thailanddirect.com, thailand2you.com, thailand2u.com, thailandexpress.com are just a few I came up with in a few seconds. Now replace "thailand" with "thai" or "siam" - that gives a few more domain names. Then instead of ".com" it could be ".co.th" or "in.th".

Yes, your domain name could be used, but the development costs are not trivial. And an equally successful site could be developed on any of the domain names I've suggested. (I haven't checked whether they actually exist or not.) Sorry, but that is why your domain name is virtually worthless. The prices you see advertised for domains for sale are simply fantasy figures; domains don't change hands at those prices. There are relatively few really valuable domains - sex.com springs to mind. These domains typically include a term that people search for on the Internet. Domains which are company trademarks are also valuable, but are difficult to hang onto since the trademark owner will attempt to seize the domain. Sorry to put a damper on your hopes of riches.

Apparently it's only worth $16. Hardly worth the effort.

http://domainestimator.com/www.directfromthailand.com

Chinese kale is pronounced kháˑnáa.

Bitter melon is máˑrá.

Fact sheet (New Zealand version) available at http://products.sanofi.com.au/vaccines/VAXIGRIP_NZ_PI_2013-03.pdf

On the plus side the vaccine doesn't contain any adjuvant. However, the fact sheet also does not recommend routine use in healthy children. The clinical trials it mentions have only been conducted on adults (18-60) in Europe.

I'm sure that would not require a prescription, none of the hypoglycemic agents do.

That's what I would have thought. Januvia (a very similar drug) hasn't been a problem. However, Trajenta has not only been much more difficult to find, I've also been told by a couple of pharmacies that it's prescription only. (Of course, that could be because they just wanted to get rid of me.)