Gaccha

Is there any work-around for the "play again" option on the BBC websites for the radio stations?

Does realplayer somehow override iplayer if you have it as your default?

Let me make you a challenge: try to listen right now to an old episode of Moral Maze on Radio 4...

Thanks in advance

(p.s. I note that Radio 6, 5 Live and the local stations are "International"-- this means you can listen if there is no copyright material. Wait for Wimbledon to see them get blocked)

I find this thread amusing because I have been on several occasions provided with a phone number by a Fuji girl and by Svenson girls by simply sitting at my seat. And I have received far more numbers from these two establishments than any other.

My modus operandi is this:

1. walk into shop

2. order food

3. receive out of the blue a telephone number on a napkin with a quickly scrawled message

4. smile

I worked out that since on average I am accosted at every 8 restaurants by one of the waitresses, there must be roughly 1,600 girls in Bangkok wishing to provide me with their telephone numbers. It will take me at least 5 years to see to them all, by which time some of them, I suspect, will have got married or died. Still, it's a nice thought.

I go to Fuji every week and this has never happened to me. (Maybe because the wife's always with me.)

PS What does the "quickly scrawled message" say?

PPS I think the cutest Fuji girls are the ones in the peach-coloured uniform (and I suspect they're married women).

Most fall apart as they are on napkins. But they often do have points in common: a smiley face and a sweet lack of capitalised lettering. The last one was long and survives in my bedside cabinet:

"i would like to be your friend. would you mind if I ask you e-mail address or your telephone no?

my name's [ ] you can contact this my no. [ ] Have a nice day Ps. I really want to be your friend [heart with light rays emitting from it]"

The English is better than most TV forum posters.

Click on http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/fivelive/ ...I'm listening to it now from Bangkok just using my normal True connection (no proxy server).

I use RealPlayer on my N95 to listen on the road.

Ah, now it makes sense-- you are lsitening to "BBC 5 Live International". If you try the other channels they are all blocked.

I think Kennkate is referring to BBC Radio player. You can listen to the BBC radio channels from anywhere. I listen to BBC radio 5 on my mobile phone when driving around Bangkok.

Wow! Since two months ago the BBC forced all the radio stations except BBC World to use iPlayer and thereby blocked access to internet users. But you may have found a flaw. It must depend on the protocol of your phone. Does it use "iPlayer"? Have you accessed the BBC stations such as BBC radio 5 by the internet?

I have foudn I can download podcasts but cannot listen live and cannot use the "listen again" function. Have you discovered a "work-around"?

SInce the entire of Western civilisation depends on this, I await your answer with some trepidation.

BBCIPLAYER All UK stations OR Itunes Radio as 100s

The BBC iplayer blocks all access from outside the UK. You won't be watching any.

I find this thread amusing because I have been on several occasions provided with a phone number by a Fuji girl and by Svenson girls by simply sitting at my seat. And I have received far more numbers from these two establishments than any other.

My modus operandi is this:

1. walk into shop

2. order food

3. receive out of the blue a telephone number on a napkin with a quickly scrawled message

4. smile

I worked out that since on average I am accosted at every 8 restaurants by one of the waitresses, there must be roughly 1,600 girls in Bangkok wishing to provide me with their telephone numbers. It will take me at least 5 years to see to them all, by which time some of them, I suspect, will have got married or died. Still, it's a nice thought.

You're missing the point:

I quoted only the important part, quoting the important word in bold letters: us

Meaning you only get the password if you bought the book at their bookstore (www. buythaibooks.com).

They're not the publisher of the Benjawan Becker books, just an online bookstore that have developed a little extra software exclusive for their customers.

So if you bought the book at any other bookstore (like Bookazine), then you are out of luck............

Hope this helps.......

They are the same. They are a sales arm of the publisher. The publisher links to them as its sales arm.

I responded to the most recent warden message (below), as follows below. I note that the embassy is located on Wireless Road in Bangkok, perhaps more aptly renamed "Wireloose Road."

Re: Embassy Bangkok - Warden Message - 12/29/2008

I have lived in Thailand for a few years. These years have not been easy years for Thailand, but I think that this warden message is totally overstated and unnecessary. It strikes me more as a "CYA" message serving the U.S. Department of State rather than being truly thoughtful and sensible to realities in Thailand. Frankly, to avoid personal harm, I would advise residents and travelers to stay off the road --- especially at night --- during the holiday season where the chance of personal harm is enormously more likely. And --- tragically --- to stay out of "20-somethings" rock concert halls.

/s/

On Dec 30, 2008, at 5:44 AM, US Department of State Warden Message wrote:

Warden Message: Holiday Celebrations

American citizens traveling to or residing in Thailand during this holiday season are reminded that bombings have occurred in the country, including Bangkok specifically, during the New Year's celebratory events in past years. Given Thailand's experience with violence during this time of year and the currently dynamic political environment, American should remain vigilant of their surroundings at all times and exercise caution in areas of large public gatherings. American citizens are encouraged to avoid large public crowds whenever possible.

For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, Travel Warnings, and health-information resources can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and Canada or, for callers in other areas, by calling a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

American citizens traveling or residing in Thailand are encouraged to register with the Department of State or the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok. The Embassy is located at 95 Wireless Road in Bangkok. The American Citizen Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy can be reached by calling 66-2-205-4049 and by e-mail at [email protected]. The after hours emergency telephone number is 66-2-205-4000.

it is not overstated or unnecessary. the advice was sanctioned at a high level. it is for tv members to take the advice or not - their choice

but please respect a government's right to issue a warning.

intolerance of other people's views seems to be a requisite for some members in tv

The advice should be heeded, especially if you are coming here as a tourist...i.e. check the small print on your travel insurance, you may find you are not covered!

This post is ambiguous so I want to spell it out: the very warning by the US embassy will invalidate many travel insurance polices (almost all 'off-the-shelf' types). So I think the embassy is being deeply irresponsble. Had there been bombings US citizens would have found themselves paying for the hopsital bills.

It seems the only option nowadays is to buy war insurance, no matter where you go. You will need to contact a specialist insurance broker: just google them. This is a ridiculous state of affairs.

I came across an amusing question on hxxp://www.thai-language.com/ref/phrases It's the 4th one from the bottom and it's how to ask someone if they're a man or a woman....lol.

I must admit I was tempted to ask that question many times when strolling up and down Bangla at night and being accosted by what appeared at first glance to be a good looking lady. You just never know sometimes.

If you had asked they would have said they are ladies. And that is because they are ladies. You being convinced otherwise is simply because you are brainwashed by a discourse dominant in the West of clear sex separation which does not match the brute reality. You need to educate yourself with Foucalt's "History of Sexuality" and then read Hacking ["Making up people" in "Reconstructing Individualism" 1986].

You are being transphobic. Just imagine altering the question slightly:

"I must admit I was tempted to ask if they are gay many times when strolling in the shopping mall and being talked to by what appeared at first glance to be a nice bloke. You just never know sometimes."

Ho,ho,ho isn't homophobia funny. I'm killing myself.

The implied point made in this reply is simply not true (that you can only get the password if you buy direct from the website). Their website clearly states you can get the password from the bookshop where you bought the book. Please read the exact quote from my original post.

Uhm, you mean this one:

If you bought the book and sound course from us you can download the quiz with sound clips for free.

Yes. If you quote in full it says:

"If you bought the book and sound course from us you can download the quiz with sound clips for free. Please contact the book store if you don't have your password yet."

This is not rocket science. Why are you finding it so difficult to read a hundred word explanation?

This is very simple: they induced me to buy their product and now there seems to be no procedure in place to provide me with this essential part of the agreement.

Password is needed to open this zip file as it contains copyright sound files. You can get a free password for the sound version when you buy the book together with the CD course at www.BuyThaiBooks.com. If you bought the CD elsewhere you cannot ask them for the password as you do not have proof of purchase.

The implied point made in this reply is simply not true (that you can only get the password if you buy direct from the website). Their website clearly states you can get the password from the bookshop where you bought the book. Please read the exact quote from my original post.

My bet is the website owners have long forgotten they even offer this password, have certainly forgot to tell the bookshops that supply their books, and the bookshops have no standard operating procedure in place to provide passwords when you buy the book. Hence my point about Prof Allison in my original post.

Any thoughts?

As a big fan of Voca, the computer programme to help you learn all your Vocab (http://www.oriente.nl/voca/), I was very pleased to discover that Benjawan Poomsan Becker's website offers a free vocab list with sounds (you can get it completely free with no sounds at the website here: http://www.thaiforbeginners.com/index.php?...y&Itemid=27) if you buy the book.

So I bought the book at Bookazine. But there was no password to be found. And when I went back to the store they said they knew nothing about any password. I went back to the website and found it says this:

and this:

"The program Vocatude can be used to test your memory of the vocabulary words in the book. You can use it to enter your own words or use our own pre-prepared word lists which can be downloaded using the link to the left. If you bought the book and sound course from us you can download the quiz with sound clips for free. Please contact the book store if you don't have your password yet."

(http://www.thaiforbeginners.com/index.php?...2&Itemid=26)

I fear that my attempts to get a password offer an insight into the mechanisms of policy decisionmaking a la Professor Allison (Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis), but little chance of me resolving the issue.

It seems to me straightforward:

1. I want the password for the wordlist

2. the password is contingent on me getting the book

3. i got the book

4. the bookshop don't know anything about a password

5. there is no way to contact the book website to ask in the kindest way for the password (the contact message here, if it is the same people, does not seem to work: http://www.buythaibooks.com/index.php?opti...1&Itemid=82)

Solution:

1. explode with rage

2. drink myself to a stupor

or

3. write a thesis adapting Prof Allison's analysis of US decision-making constrained by bureaucracy and standard operating procedures for the Cuban missile crisis from a Thai study guides perspective

any suggestions on how I should conceptualise my thesis? Or any other thoughts?

I wish the BBC would unblock the radio iPlayer for those of us living in Thailand.

Life is not the same without Moral Maze...

It is my observation that most forms of Thai Nationalism alienate large segments of the population and are much less about culture as they are a means to control the masses.

It is scary to how close to being on the money dave9988 is. Here are some more quotes from the interesting Professor Pavin Chachavalpongpun, expert on Thai nationalism and Thai identity:

"Thai identity is elusive because of a lack of cultural coherence or uniqueness, so it is easier for its promoters to imagine what is not Thai"

"Thainess...is able to seize power because it can generate mass support for what is often forwarded as the defence of national survival."

"The adherence to Khawnpenthai [Thainess]... is a part of the exercise of Thai nationalism through which power holders portray themselves as legitimate players formulating legitimate policy"

"[The power holders] high degree of power helps create the official version of Thainess that masks political unattractiveness as well as elites' private accummulation"

"Thais comply with this variable nationhood and perceive it as though it is part of their chit winyan, or spirit... This explains why they never look beyond the boundaries of Thai nationhood, and why it always remains predominant, ultimate and supremacist."

"according to this... self-image, Thais are not guilty of anything and blame is always placed upon foreigners"

My favourite quote from him:

"The farang... have continously represented a real enough threat to the power interests of the Thai leaders"

and one to take home with you:

"The very idea of nationalism being a rational and self-conscious attempt to achieve autonomy and liberty is demonstrably false. Indeed, nationalism as an ideology is irrational, narrow, hateful and destructive"-- Partha Chatterjee

"In Thailand today, the farang are still regarded as a race (unspecified nationalities) possessed of an ideology inferior to the abundantly rich local culture. The farang who come to reside in Thailand are described as begging for the boundless benevolence of the King , or rom phtohi somphan, to live a pleasant and enchanted life. For a Farang to be accepted in Thai society, he or she must totally abandon their innate attitudes or become excessively enamoured with anything Thai (culture, art or way of life). Todd Lavell... is an American writer who provides an example of how a farang can be so Thai-like. His articles ... often underscore what is deemed to be the true value of Thainess, which is opposite to and more superior than that of farangness."

--Pavin Chachavalpongpun

Thai Professor, visiting Professor of SOAS, London University

Expert on Thai nationalism and Thai identity

Is there anything more that needs to be added...?

Pepper Spray is readily available in Thailand.

is it? where? i tried to buy some recently and found that the street sellers no longer seem to have it.

girlx--It used to be available at police suppy stores in BKK and Pattaya so would assume it still is there. I have also seen it in MBK in one of the stalls on the cell phone floor. It is a good procedure to test it by making a short spray from time to time to make sure it is not clogged and still working but I would test it immediately after purchase to make sure it is legitimate pepper spray if you buy it from a street vendor.

Bad idea. Once used a spray should be thrown away and a new can bought. The actual spraying clogs up the nozzle.

Like I said before, go to the police official shop opposite the immigration office; this is the only way to guarantee a top quality product.

I live on the outskirts of Bangkok. I like to exercise daily by walking and jogging, however there are no suitable areas near my home for these types of activities. I have 3 options in regards to where I run, 2 busy roads & one quiter smaller road. Naturally after 55 near death experiences per mile on the larger roads I have decided to stick to the smaller road for safety.

On the smaller road I have to pass a shop where two large dogs are becoming more and more agressive each time I pass by. These dogs are not soi dogs, are well fed (about 40kg) and BIG! Last week one of these dogs lunged at me so I kicked it & stopped it. I have attempted to speak with the dogs owner, however she is indifferent to the situation & actually amused by it. Today the dog attacked me, tearing my shirt near my shoulder & biting my arm. My GF went to see the owner of the dog & upon speaking her to her in the street she abused and threatened us with a broom ....being a coward at heart when it comes to thai ladies and brooms I accelerated away from her on my motorcycle (thank godness i have big 150cc power ).

Went to see the local Police Sergeant who told us:-

a.) That if the dog injured me & was in fact owned by someone (ie; not soi dog) then the owner would have to pay for my treatment to make me well again.

b.) I was allowed in future to carry something to protect myself from the attacking animal (ie: a stick) but was only to use this defensively, special note: No chasing the dog down and flogging it.

c.) We did the wrong thing by going to this woman's location and trying to speak to her about her dogs it & if in fact an Assault with the broom or any other type of assault had occurred then WE were at fault and the Police would have to attend to settle that situation.

d.) Police could not attend to request something be done with these animals to PREVENT someone from being injured.

Has anyone experience anything similar to this? Any advice or ideas?

nb: I would also like to point out that I was actually very pleased with the actions of the Police Sergeant who was very professional and pleasant,....it would appear that laws in relation to this type of thing are almost non-existant.

In all my years in Thailand having come across I don't know how many millions of dogs I have never had a problem. I guess I am justing putting this out there to the broader TV community to see if there is anything that I havent been told regarding dog attacks in thailand?

get one of those tasers on sukhumvit.

Not if you want it to be useful. Those tasers are kept underpowered and sold for the amusement of tourists. In any event, best to buy pepper spray from the official police shop opposite the immigration bureau in Bangkok. Or else, buy some from the street sellers but test it on yourself to make sure it's not fake.... or maybe not.

Had to laugh when reading the crazy and ridiculous 3 pages of answers to this topic. Anyone with alot of experience with dogs knows that "Pepper Spray" is the answer to the OP's problem. It will even stop a pit bull in its tracks yet is totally benign and will result in only temporary discomfort and no injury to the dog. It has even been used in self defense against bears (but I wouldn't want to be the one doing it! ) I am a dog owner and at one time was professionally involved in dog training and also am a jogger. Pepper Spray also has the advantage that it can be used on any type of attacker including human. I have experence in having to use Pepper Spray on dogs and also have been sprayed with it myself (only as a demonstration) and can assure you that is is one of the most humane methods I know to stop an attact from a dog or a person. Pepper Spray is readily available in Thailand.

Since I walk a lot when the dogs are awake (i.e. after the sun goes down) I have had a lot of encounters with dogs in Bangkok.

Times to be alert:

1. after dark

2. in an area with packs of dogs

3. few people pass the area

4. dog just woken up

5. dogs in the audible distance are barking

My two worst encounters followed the same pattern: I walked past a sleeping dog, that was woken up by a dog in the distance barking about nothing in particular (not directed at me). The first encounter the dog immediately bit me from behind while I was looking another seriously scary looking dog in front, the second time I lunged at the dog and it jumped away. So when they are disorientated from being aroused from their sleep, their adrenaline must be rushing and that is often the moment.

I had pepper spray with me but there was no time to get it out. What I've found is if you just raise your hand this really scares them (they must be used to being hit by stones). Always look for the dog behind you-- that is the one that will attack. Packs of dogs can really get themselves excited and the only way out is to slowly walk backwards away from them.

I find the social engineering by foreign language teachers fascinating and wholly ridiculous.

One teacher said to me "never never never say Khap". I walk out the room and the next conversations all have the word planted in it and directed at me.

The problem is it depends why you are learning the language. Most learning simply want to "get by" and that can be achieved by a neutral if slightly silly way of speaking.

In Japanese, there is a mountain of politeness to learn. It is so complex that I had to correct a Japanese waitress who was using the wrong polite form of Japanese with me. That must hurt. A foreigner correcting you saying something as simple as:"Here is your meal".

But I digress.

I also want to see that paper on "Farang Thai". And this brings me onto one final question: In Japan the phrase "Watashi wa amerika kara kimishita" is the classic Farangish Japanese. What phrase could be used by Thais to mock Farangs' bloated Thai?

I am wondering if anyone managed to get a list together of around 2,000 words for the free software package Voca (used to be called ProVoca and Vocatude)... [download it here: http://www.oriente.nl/voca/index.php?lang=eng]

Someone very kindly placed a 300 word list on this forum about 6 months ago and they said they would do more but I've not seen anything.

Anyone? If we find one among our member sperhaps they might upload it to the Voca homepage, the Thai language contribution is feeble. There is an Albanian and Yoruba list but not any Thai.

(if you don't know about Voca then your life is at a profound disadvantage )

If you don't want the sound files then you can download a good list from everyone's favourite teacher here: http://www.thaiforbeginners.com/index.php?...2&Itemid=26

But surely you have to have the sound...

Countries with highe female representation are

Sweden , The Netherlands, France and interestingly, since the genocide, Rwanda. Liberia is rising and both these Afrian countiries are making huge strides toward human rights since their genocidal male leaders have been overthrown

This can not be left.

One of the main instigators of the genocide iin Rwanda was a female cabinet minister-- the Minister for Families (Pauline Nyiramasuhuko). But not only that, she was also a member of the tribe that she ordered massacred! It has been analysed by Prof Zimbardo who conducted the famous Stanford Prison Experiment and who places situational forces above dispositions. She wiped out her own people to prove to the other cabinet members her loyalty and because she did not have the moral courage to say no. So maybe she was a person of bad character.... nope. She was a former lecturer on women's empowerment...

She gave the order: "Before you kill the women you need to rape them".

So would women do a better job? Would peace rein if they were in charge? Let's ask Nyiramasuhuko's female lawyer:

"when you do murder trials, you realize we are all susceptible, and you wouldn't dream you even dream you would ever commit this act. But you come to understand that everyone is [susceptible]".

All of you probably think you would never murder, would never commit genocide, never rape (male or female members of the forum)... you are wrong. You all would, except an astonishingly tiny percentage. Who are these people? They are non-group non-emotional (no mates and have no desire to join groups/gangs at school, but not loners[who are 'failed joiners'). So, for example, a married man is more likely to commit genocide than a 50-year-old bachelor. But I suspect this would mean women are more likely than man to commit horrific acts if power lay in their hands.

Happy days.

I do not know of tis particualr woman, why she was a murderer. Perhaps if more women had been in govt then , they might have been able to stop her.

I do know that within the last decade as the government of Rwanda has become more gender equal ( 50 % of women reps in govt being the point, not individuals ) It has become a more stable , peaceful nation.

Yes some women act badly , just like some men. Get it - EQUAL NOT BETTER .

AGAIN , please , my point is : 50 % female representative in Govt. leads to better nations.

No, I don't "get it". You're argument is self-contradictory and self-discrediting.

1. Women are equal with men but no better

2. Nations are better with better representation of women

Because...?

Perhaps you just mean it seems better for nations to better represent their people. But no, you said more than that; you strongly implied it would lead to peace and better times. So... presumably you feel a mix of men and women would bring peace... why? Two problems at least:

1. women don't like women as their bosses

2. men get on better with other men in positions of power

But actually you suggest women are better than men:

"Perhaps if more women had been in govt then , they might have been able to stop her."

Presumably meaning men were less capable of stopping her. But women are no better you say. Eh?

The 1. and 2. above are brute truths. You may wish it were otherwise, but do not confuse your melodramatic wishes for reality. Asserting your dreams as reality will not make them come true.

Please stop this man-hating. And please stop writing syllogisms, it's tiring.

Countries with highe female representation are

Sweden , The Netherlands, France and interestingly, since the genocide, Rwanda. Liberia is rising and both these Afrian countiries are making huge strides toward human rights since their genocidal male leaders have been overthrown

This can not be left.

One of the main instigators of the genocide iin Rwanda was a female cabinet minister-- the Minister for Families (Pauline Nyiramasuhuko). But not only that, she was also a member of the tribe that she ordered massacred! It has been analysed by Prof Zimbardo who conducted the famous Stanford Prison Experiment and who places situational forces above dispositions. She wiped out her own people to prove to the other cabinet members her loyalty and because she did not have the moral courage to say no. So maybe she was a person of bad character.... nope. She was a former lecturer on women's empowerment...

She gave the order: "Before you kill the women you need to rape them".

So would women do a better job? Would peace rein if they were in charge? Let's ask Nyiramasuhuko's female lawyer:

"when you do murder trials, you realize we are all susceptible, and you wouldn't dream you even dream you would ever commit this act. But you come to understand that everyone is [susceptible]".

All of you probably think you would never murder, would never commit genocide, never rape (male or female members of the forum)... you are wrong. You all would, except an astonishingly tiny percentage. Who are these people? They are non-group non-emotional (no mates and have no desire to join groups/gangs at school, but not loners[who are 'failed joiners'). So, for example, a married man is more likely to commit genocide than a 50-year-old bachelor. But I suspect this would mean women are more likely than man to commit horrific acts if power lay in their hands.

Happy days.

A cracking dictionary that would be very easy to turn into a Thai-Eng Eng-Thai dictionary is this one in Japa-Thai Thai-Jap: Kodansha's Furigana series. Since the exact same dictionary is already in Jap-Eng and Eng-Jap it would just need the English transposed to where the Japanese is. (see http://www.chulabook.com/cgi-bin/main/2007...=9789747471090)

The English version is here: http://www.amazon.com/Kodanshas-Furigana-E...y/dp/4770020554 . Have a read of the reviews at the site.

You can have a look yourself by going to Kinokuniya Central Siam and browsing both versions. Note the perfect sample sentences, the careful transliteration, the explanations of anticipated cultural confusions, the identification of formality and slang. The Japanese have it very easy.

The dictionary is only around the 14,000 word mark but if you need more than that you are unlikely to need the sample sentences that make this such an effective language acquisition tool.

This is all interesting.

My primary concern is getting a sample sentence when I look the word up. If there is no sentence, how do I know where to place it, how it works with the words around it, and what idioms it appears in...

I just bought an astonishing book called A Dictionary of Japanese Idioms. It is a cruel reminder of the limitations of the Thai-Eng Eng- Thai dictionary market. But more specifically, it tells you all the idioms and explains if they are archaic, obsolete, dialect, elegant, colloquial, vulgar, or else slang. I have always wondered how to say "kill yourself laughing" in Japanese, but no more: they literally say "I take in my stomach".

I used to live in an apartment block which had a swimming pool but the owner stopped paying his bills t the bank and they reposessed the whole lot, the next house I lived in I had land and I bought a massive inflatable pool for the garden but my most recent house doesn't have any land to park the pool so I'm left looking or somewhere children friendly but not raging with little shites, somewhere I can take my son so he can fart around in the pool while I sit to one side enjoying the sun...

Any ideas??

There was a post on exactly this issue in the Bangkok forum. Have a look around. The good news for you is that a pool was found that was clean, very cheap, child-friendly...