gerryBScot

Presumably a lot of content, like Netflix , that is available with something like Amazon Fire TV, is not available in Thailand? What is available with this particular stick or can you get round it with a VPN?

The French were the first western influence, hence the term farang, which is a Thai version of France /Francais. It is a similar idea with Angleterre.

I'm not sure. It would be normal for Thais to insert an /a/ sound between the 'f' and 'r' in as they do with 's','t' and other consonants so you often hear ' sa-potlight' etc and 'ta-wenty' etc. Same here: a transliteration of 'francais' to 'fa-rang-set' with the 's' ending, silent in French, being turned into a /t/ sound as per Thai rules.

I basically think it is application of Thai phonic rules to foreign words as transliterated.

It's not such a stupid question. The word for English in Thai is อังกฤษ which transliterates as 'Engris' : that last letter ษ is an 's' (which makes it pretty close to 'English'); which when not at the end of a word is pronounced as the /s/ sound as in 'toss'; in Thai the final sound in a word cannot be /s/ so most words which end with /s/ are sounded as /t/. That's why they say 'Angkrit'. So the greeting word สวัส literally translates as 'sawas', yup that last ส letter is another /s/ but as you know it is pronounced ' sawat', (I think Thai has five characters for the /s/ sound!) Confusing. The same process of word ending sounds explains why the locals say Arsenon and Liverpoon for the football teams.

Time to buy a new TV with a budget of between 30 - 40,000 THB. We like the LG brand and our existing TV is a flat panel of theirs. I'm a non-techie sort of person but clearly it is time to get a SMART TV. I wonder if anyone has any advice to offer as to my mind the ones on display in Powerbuy all look much of a muchness. I notice many now have internet software - seems a useful thing to have - does it work well? Any other features I should be looking for?

Would also welcome any recommendations on where to buy. We're west of Bangkok in Ratchaburi province so that takes in quite an arc - Bangkok, N Pathom, Phetch and Hua Hin. Any good deals out there?

Many thanks

Yes the Thai educations system will change but not in response to government strategy or educational reforml. In fact it is changing already as is every education system in the world. In education we're dealing with a highly volatile and unpredictable commodity : every class room teacher knows that school learning is rarely what is intended in the lesson plan or curriculum. Our means of communication are also being transformed by ICT systems. We are only at the beginning of this revolution but the ability to enrol in quality, free online courses is one example of the increasing accessibility of 'education'. The ability to share information quickly across the world ratchets up peoples' expectations and challenges their value systems. It will simply be impossible for any government anywhere to divert the demands that will arise from these advances and expectations. Due to volatility I would't want to speculate where it might all lead to, but I am sure there will be huge changes including a fair few surprises.

I am unlikely to watch the programme unless someone can post a link to it. As a foreign teacher in Thailand here is my tuppence worth on the issue:-

• there is a deeply rooted fear of the English language in the wider culture; it comes with a health warning;
• xenophobia is an important element in the wider psyche; this reinforces the negativity from above;
• in real terms, few learners of English have opportunities to use it in 'authentic situations' hence little scope for natural development;
• the education system is primitive and in respect of learning a foreign language it is not based on theory or research.

I am always amazed when I hear Thais speaking good English because against all the odds some actually do overcome these obstacles.

An alternative is to pretend to throw something, as most dogs will instinctively go in pursuit of what they think you have thrown.

Wowee....one night of oblivion and the OP needs counselling and AA.

I'll be out tonight for a few beers and a lovely meal and tucked up in bed by midnight for sure.

Its not all about crazy excess or abstinence....the guy just overdid it once by the sounds of things.

Smokie have a great night out and enjoy yourself. The last thing I want to do is stop the fun and I don't want to give anyone a problem. For some of us however it has to be abstinence and AA and that's ok too because there is a lot of fun and laughter in this approach too, certainly a lot more than would be involved if we were back on it. Please trust me on that as I don't intend to prove my point. But our friend's experience doesn't strike me as much fun, the photographic evidence shows it wasn't really a jolly jape, and that's why I responded in the way that I have. I hope it was a one-off.

Thanks for these posts. Confirms that I am missing nothing as a sober drunk who had the sense to acknowledge defeat. When I look back I am grateful for a number of things: no one has ever had to tell me about anything I ever did or said since I quit and I know where I am in the morning and know how I got there and who I am with! I really don't miss the sheer unpredictability of what might have happened when I got pissed - that became very scary and in fact eventually led to me staying home and getting pissed, it was easier and safer. SO again thanks for bringing me back to that strange abnormal world in which I spent an awful lot of time and money.

Have you considered the possibility you have a serious drink problem?

Mostly a load of anti-Catholic gibberish and now I wish I hadn't read the thread! I accept folk don't like the Church and Catholics. I come from a part of the world where sectarianism in the form of anti-catholicism was and is rampant. I stand up to bigots and racists. Anglo-saxon culture is underpinned by a profound level of anti-catholic and anti-Irish sentiment. It really gets people going for reasons I don't understand. The Church did not invent evil, the Church does not monopolise paedophilia, sure it has a problem, but so does the British establishment and the Mother of Parliaments, leave us alone <deleted>. This Pope is a great guy, a breath of fresh air and commands revulsion in some quarters, here and elsewhere, because he is media savvy and has a good grasp of the real issues in the world. Give credit it where it is due. Fortunately Francis willl not be taking much notice of what is written here including this apologia.

An international school in theory should leave your son with the widest range of options especially if he wants to study overseas. However there are international schools and then there are international schools. Basically you need to send your son to one where he will be able to study an international curriculum like IB or ICGSE - if he passes the exams and assessments in such programmes he will have the entrance qualifications to support applications to the top universities in the world.

Thai academic credentials only have validity in Thailand and really don't travel very well.( An understatement if ever there was one).

Send your son to the best international school you can afford - but be warned there are many schools allowed to call themselves International which are nothing more than "Thai" schools. A poster above made reference to Sarasas schools above - these most certainly are not international schools.

Thanks for the comments. I'm not looking to change meds as these work perfectly. I'm just wondering if anyone else is taking the same meds and how much they are paying. I am up country so my options are not as great as if I was in BKK or a bigger city. But I'll have a word with a pharmacy here in my local town and see what they can come up with. Thanks again.

HI all would appreciate some information. I currently take a daily dose of Normetic (Amlodopine 5mg/Olmesartan 40 mg) and Concor (Bisoprolol Fumarate 5mg). I get a bimonthly prescription of 56 meds through the cardiologist at my local hospital. I'm sure I am paying well over the odds (4,000 +) and wonder if anyone could give me an idea of what these might cost from a pharmacy via prescription. Many thanks.

A factor which is often overlooked in this is the likely negative impact starting school will have on your daughter's health. At school she will be exposed to a whole range of germs and bacteria coming into the school with other kids and as a result will come home with coughs and colds and inevitably you'll have to take her to the doctor who will prescribe antibiotics. We had our girl in Pre-kindergarten and took her out after one term because she had a succession of respiratory infections and we felt we had a duty to protect her health. She was 2.5 years old at the time of taking her out and we had an alternative arrangement which enabled her to stay home. She didn't get sick again after that. I wouldn't say the school in question was 'dirty' or 'unhygenic' simply the consequence of sick kids coming to school and being able to mix with 'healthy' ones. Unfortunately sick kids are sent to school and allowed into school regardless of their actual health. I think a couple of years makes a huge difference at this age in terms of a child's ability to fight infection because inevitably going to school will render a child vulnerable to bugs and germs.

As a teacher myself I really don't think there is any academic merit or benefit from starting kids in formal education at an early age.Thai kindergartens often tend to be very 'formal' characterised by children in uniforms sitting at desks for formal lessons; the belief seems to be that there is some sort of gain in terms of getting kids into school early. I don't know what the gain is. In fact I think it is more likely to create an adverse reaction and may also be part of the explanation why education in this country is so poor. If you are familiar with the threads on this sub-forum you will know where I am coming from.

Take your time and perhaps go visit some places and see how they are run. Go see the school at the end of the school day when children are coming out of class. What do they look like? Calm and happy would suggest to me they have had a good balance of activities. Or are they hyper, which indicates to me they will have in all likelihood been chained to a desk all day, doing formal desk based activities and want to run wild.

Thailand backpacker murders: DNA evidence 'lost' - police

Crucial DNA evidence in the case of the murder of two British backpackers cannot be retested because it no longer exists, Thai police have told the BBC.

The evidence is central to the prosecution case against two Burmese migrants on trial for killing David Miller, 24, from Jersey, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk.

The defence had wanted it re-examined.

source BBC

Just where is the court coverage on TV ?

So the RTP cannot safeguard DNA samples for independent testing, a fairly standard process that most defendants would want and which would be part of the normal forensic process: the prosecution cannot simply stand up and say, Look, Judges, we've got the reports. The Defence must be allowed to have this evidence independently tested. I would expect someone in the RTP would have a real interest in ensuring DNA evidence was preserved for independent verification as it would point incontrovertibly to guilt. And now in its absence I can only infer someone in the RTP wanted to destroy all evidence of DNA because they knew it would be unhelpful to the prosecution, in all likelihood proving the defendants' innocence. However the RTP wants to introduce the reports, their own reports that is, as evidence of guilt. And the reports cannot any longer be verified independently due to lack/loss of DNA.

This ain't right.

This is the most high profile murder case in Thailand in a generation. It sounds as though the case against the defendants should be thrown out without further delay. Truly beggars belief ....... I feel for the defendants and the victims' families.

Immersion Teaching - just doesn't work in relation to learning English at school in Thailand. Now if you are learning French in France or Canada or some other francophone country it makes perfect sense because you are 'surrounded' by that language. So when you hit the streets after class, it is being used in all situations. It makes perfect sense.

People use Immersion Teaching in Thailand to justify what is in fact reprehensible negligence. For example kids are midstreamed, joining a Grade 5 class in a bilingual school as new students. They are put in a class where the majority of the students have been exposed to NES teachers for at least five years; the newcomer is quite literally thrown in and is left to sink or swim. They are abandoned and the nearest thing to support that they will receive is to be sat next to the 'best' student in the class in the hope that some of the latter's magic will rub off. The 'best' student usually resents this 'responsibility' and in keeping with the shabby nature of the whole approach,'best' student doesn't receive any help or support in how to be a 'peer' teacher. In fact their role is very commplex

This is Immersion Teaching as I know it Thai style and it really sets back these unfortunate midstreamed learners.

How is Canada a francophone nation?

If you took immersion French at school in Vancouver you'd never hear it outside of class unless your parents were French, then you wouldn't need immersion.

My point is about the utter uselessness of Immersion anything in Thailand beyond swimming. You probably wouldn't go to Vancouver or Toronto if you wanted to learn French in Canada but if you went to Quebec and Ontario you would have a reasonable chance of an 'immersive' experience. The real point is that most Thai students don't use English outside of the classroom - there is little reinforcing outside school or anything requiring kids to apply what they have learned in school in English in their wider lives.

Immersion Teaching - just doesn't work in relation to learning English at school in Thailand. Now if you are learning French in France or Canada or some other francophone country it makes perfect sense because you are 'surrounded' by that language. So when you hit the streets after class, it is being used in all situations. It makes perfect sense.

People use Immersion Teaching in Thailand to justify what is in fact reprehensible negligence. For example kids are midstreamed, joining a Grade 5 class in a bilingual school as new students. They are put in a class where the majority of the students have been exposed to NES teachers for at least five years; the newcomer is quite literally thrown in and is left to sink or swim. They are abandoned and the nearest thing to support that they will receive is to be sat next to the 'best' student in the class in the hope that some of the latter's magic will rub off. The 'best' student usually resents this 'responsibility' and in keeping with the shabby nature of the whole approach,'best' student doesn't receive any help or support in how to be a 'peer' teacher. In fact their role is very commplex

This is Immersion Teaching as I know it Thai style and it really sets back these unfortunate midstreamed learners.

Warranty may also be a consideration. If you buy a camera in Thailand from a legit company you'll have some sort of guarantee for repairs etc if it goes wrong. A UK warranty will be useless in Thailand unless you go back to the UK regularly. Given that you are looking at a spend of less than 10K that may not be such a big issue for you. It might also be worth taking a look around MBK in BKK - there seems to be a never ending number of new cameras coming onto the market and this means that 'late' models get reduced and can be picked up at good prices. A late model may suit as your good lady probably doesn't need the latest model with all the bells and whistles. There is one camera store in Bangrak I would recommend and I will happily send you contact details if you wish.

If you keep telling a child that s/he is stupid or bad or useless and ridicule that child for their perceived stupidity, well any teacher and parent will tell you that the label usually sticks and indeed becomes self-fulfilling. It's the same with the system - sure it is easy to mock it and ridicule it, express astonishment at its abundant absurdity and the startling inability of many Thai school children to perform the most basic functions in English, but what can actually be done about it?

I can assure you the problem is not the students. As far as I can see the students are just like young people in any other part of the world, which is interested and enthusiastic and curious. The kids in my classes show they can learn and that they think and apply learning to many different situations. But what can you really expect to happen to them if you put them in a class with 50-60 others where the teacher is a remote figure, both literally and metaphorically, using a microphone in order to be heard above the constant chatter.

The solutions all lie in the management and administration of the schools, both individually and system wide. That's a right can of worms which I'll sidestep right now. But the English language deficiencies of Thai school kids all lie in the values in the system and the fact that all will kowtow to the decree saying English will be taught in all school but nobody will even consider a strategic approach to teaching languages in schools based on what might be appropriate to specific age groups and their needs. You end up with nonsense such as people learning vocabulary out of context, 5 new words every day, put on a blackboard,often misspelt or incorrectly written , alongside a Thai translation: that's it, ticked off, done, because the curriculum prescribes the vocabulary range students should have at a particular prathom level. Rote learning at its finest and absolutely guaranteed to ensure it cannot result in understanding!

There are really no surprises in any of this for me.

Yup the Thai National Curriculum says at p.252:

The foreign language constituting basic learning content that is prescribed for the entire basic education core curriculum is English, while for other foreign languages, e.g., French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Pali and languages of neighbouring countries, it is left to the discretion of educational institutions to prepare courses and provide learning management as appropriate.

The whole shebang can be downloaded here: http://act.ac.th/document/1741.pdf.

It's a beautiful world!

Ladies and Gentlemen please....I don't think this thread makes AA very attractive and the only way we can promote is by being attractive. We don't go into bars rescuing drunks. This is not an attractive debate.

It needs to be stressed we don't debate in meetings, we share our experience, strength and hope on an individual basis and we do so uninterrupted and don't take questions or cross share. This is avowedly not a debating society because debates get us drunk again - that famous debating conclusion, hey I'm not really an alcoholic.

So in the context of this thread we make our thinking public and people can judge us and decide we are not a very attractive bunch. But sure I am with you all - as a drunk I was a belligerent, argumentative stroppy mofo and I don't have to work very hard to revert to that position these days without a drink in me.

Have a good day and keep it in the day.

"It was out of the depths of loneliness, depression and despair that I sought the help of AA. As I recovered and began to face the emptiness and ruin of my life, I began to open myself to the possibility of the healing that recovery offers through the AA program. By coming to meetings, staying sober and taking the Steps I had the opportunity to listen with increasing attentiveness to the depths of my soul. Daily I waited, in hope and gratitude for that sure belief and steadfast love I had longed for in my life. In this process I met God, as I understand Him."

Daily Reflections via AA Philippines June 17th, 2015

Thanks for the quick response. The Thai-language version seems to be

Available from https://www.se-ed.com/product/%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%B9%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B7%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%B6%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%98%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%8D%E0%B8%AA%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%87-%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%82%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%A5-%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%81%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B7%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%A2.aspx?no=9789747539486

700-odd baht seems fair enough and the write-up is pretty glowing. I'll pop down to my local DK later to see if they have a copy available, otherwise it can go on order. Thanks again.

That's the one!

Hey Corkman glad you're still going to meetings. I'm also a recovering Catholic but I would honestly advise some caution about the church here in Thailand. The Bot Yai Holy Redeemer church on Ruam Rudee is one of the great Catholic catholic experiences - there are people there from every part of the world, Thais, Chinese, Indians, Filipinos, Europeans, Africans, Americans and it really has a truly international feel - or rather had. It is run by Redemptorist priests and the priests used to embody that internationalism- there were a couple of African priests there too who have sadly moved on and I loved their approach to their faith and their interpretation of it. I could have listened to these guys all day. But now it seems as if it is mainly Thai priests and priests from neighbouring countries and I am sorry to say they just don't hit my buttons in quite the same way. Interestingly AA used to hold its meetings in the church hall there, until the last couple of years in fact and historically its origins in BKK and other parts of S E Asia lie the Philippines are emigre missionary priests who brought this with them too. I don't know what happened but AA is no longer there and I rather fancy it might be because of this seemingly more conservative approach among the clergy. So be careful as you might be disappointed with what you find.

When I got sober at the beginning in London and found myself considering the higher power issue, I'd heard people in the rooms say things like: if you have a legal problem go see a lawyer, a medical problem go see a doctor, and I applied the same approach to the higher power issue. Over a period of a couple of months I traipsed around various churches and sat in and listened to what they were saying and tried to relate it to where I was at in my own recovery. Funnily enough the most helpful stuff was coming from priests in the church nearest my home. I arranged to go and see one of them for a 'chat' and it was one of the most productive chats I had. I levelled with this guy and he welcomed me back with open arms and was actually a great source of personal support over the next couple of years - and it was very useful to have support like this from a non-AA source.

You might not be so fortunate out here but whatever good luck and glad you are exploring your options.