pastitche

I always wonder why anyone would find any attraction, or much benefit in taking on Thai Nationality,

Personally I would never give it a minutes thought,I was born English,and will remain a loyal,Englishman until I die.

Sadly it must be said,you are only wanted in Thailand while you have money,I should hope that those that do take on Thai Nationality,realise that.

And if they ever need serious help in their lives,and it all goes wrong,then dont expect Thailand to bail you out,as your own Country would do.

Good Luck.

From a former language teacher's perspective, there is some scientific evidence that some (white, European-heritage) foreigners will have more trouble learning Thai potentially than the average Chinese and/or Indian, because of a gene that is linked towards proficiency in tonal languages. This gene is MUCH more common in countries where tonal languages are commonly spoken. It gives me more compassion for the people that I know who have genuinely tried to learn and been repeatedly frustrated (including some linguistic geniuses who are much better at multiple European languages than I am).

Yes, but what team do you support in the Thai league?

TV News poster -I know I shouldn't be obsessed with Mr T but my favourite programme was the A-Team and he's letting the team down

Great - I'm off to Immigration tomorrow for my 90-day. Very useful being able to type it - even I can't read my writing

The the level of prejudice of Thai Visa posters is what amazes me. If someone were to suggest one of the great things about Thailand is the availability of both dark skinned Issan women and light skinned Chinese looking Thai ladies of the night the prejudiced Falang will insist there are no light skinned Chinese ladies of the night.

And amazing how farang ladies in faragland spend ooooooodles of cash to look like an Isaan girl.

Where I do criticize her is that she continues to lead people to believe she earned a Master's Degree from an American university and that just isn't possible given her lack of English language ability. So that's got to be a lie, which any other world leader would have had to resign over.

Perhaps one day, the actual thesis will be posted online... like her brother's was and which clearly reflects a level of English he has never demonstrated in real life and indicative of someone else writing it

Thaksin's "alleged" doctoral thesis:

https://docs.google....E5ZWRkODJj/edit

.

Are you suggesting that this is not his own work based on your assessment of his written English skills as opposed to your opinion of his oral skill? What else have you seen written in English by him?

Many of the posters on here are very critical of the standard of the universities that the Shinawatras attended but very few, apart from Jayboy, have disclosed which lofty seats of learning they graced with their presence; perhaps you could be next to tell us and encourage your confreres to do the same. Mine was the University of Edinburgh - and yours?

Where the members here went to school is completely irrelevant to the topic.

I do get tired of the constant comparison between Yingluck and Abhisit; he had the great fortune (because of his family's fortune) to attend the best Public School in England and the top university there. Since he spent his youth and early adulthood there, it is no surprise that English is in effect his first language.

It would be interesting, I believe, for those posters who consistently ridicule the qualifications of Yingluck and question how she obtained them to demonstrate that the degrees, masters, doctorates that they have are so superior by revealing where they obtained.

Where I do criticize her is that she continues to lead people to believe she earned a Master's Degree from an American university and that just isn't possible given her lack of English language ability. So that's got to be a lie, which any other world leader would have had to resign over.

So what was her degree at KSU if it wasn't a Master's Degree? Are you suggesting it was a different degree or that perhaps she didn't graduate at all? If you say she is being dishonest about this matter, you had better have some pretty good evidence.

She got a BA in Political Science at Chiang Mai Uni in 1988 and the MA in Public Administration from KSU in 1991.

love it. Arts degree in a science and a masters in public admin.

What the hell do you study in public administration? please dont tell me it teaches how to administer in public service. Please god no. a degree in david beckham studies would be more value.

She butchers the english language with appauling skill.

Brilliant!!

It's a major fail if the first reaction on "reconciliation" report is stirring such responses from one of the parties to this "reconciliation".

How are they hoping to reconcile with Democrats et al now?

Where I do criticize her is that she continues to lead people to believe she earned a Master's Degree from an American university and that just isn't possible given her lack of English language ability. So that's got to be a lie, which any other world leader would have had to resign over.

Perhaps one day, the actual thesis will be posted online... like her brother's was and which clearly reflects a level of English he has never demonstrated in real life and indicative of someone else writing it

Thaksin's "alleged" doctoral thesis:

https://docs.google....E5ZWRkODJj/edit

.

Many of the posters on here are very critical of the standard of the universities that the Shinawatras attended but very few, apart from Jayboy, have disclosed which lofty seats of learning they graced with their presence; perhaps you could be next to tell us and encourage your confreres to do the same. Mine was the University of Edinburgh - and yours?

In a healthy parliamentary system, wouldn't it be about time for a successful NO CONFIDENCE vote against the embarrassing PM?

Old Sailor: All that stuff went the same way as Empire when the UK ditched its colonies and focused on Europe instead. About the same time as the European Butter fiasco, and a major blow to the sheep/wool industry, etc., as I recall. It didn't go down well, since Australians fought 2 World Wars for the so-called Mother Country. So, if your grandparents were born in Britain, but your parents not, you had no residential rights in the UK, but still got to call HRH your Queen and the Governor General her/his Representative. The GG had the power to dismiss a government at that time. Off-topic, but quite surprised you did not know already.

Yes i knew, but am still "pissed off" I was actually born in the UK and served in Brit armed forces in Korea and Malaysia. Saw the "light" and immigrated to the lucky country in the late 50's.

Born in the UK pre-1983 means you are almost certainly a British Citizen with rights to a UK passport, while also being an Australian citizen.

And yes, we Aussies stopped being able to use the British Citizen line around 1971. Fortunately, Australia made it harder for Brits to turn up to Australia around the same time.

Facts: I travel about 300km/year ...

Holy cow, that's almost 6K miles a week! You must have a shedload of FF miles I read about one guy who's a Mega VIP on United who practically lives on their planes.

That would take a strong person to "live" on a United plane if you think about their service and seats. ha ha And gosh their fly attendants. yuk yuk

I collect my miles on UA as well. Let's face it, no airline and FF program is perfect. You pick the one (alliance) that serves your region and hope for the best...

Well, you have a terminal that is now handling it's total planned capacity, and the immigration desks have been reduced by 33% because of building works. It is to be expected, and you could not blame anyone.

The second terminal would have been completed this year - except all work was stopped after the coup. The airport plan was somehow identified with Thaksin, and therefore *bad*. After going though several renamings, AOT has managed to get the original plan re-approved again, but unfortunately it will be another 5 years before it's finished.

Cheers

Nobody is to blame. What rubbish. Ever heard of planning?

Your Thaksin angle, what's that got to do with this thread?

I thought Thailand was a 3rd world country? That would suggest the infrastructure investment doesn't quite match that of 1st world countries, such as the UK.

That would then suggest, to me anyway, that wages are relative, as are costs, according to relative disposable GNP and GDP per capita etc.

Yet this government wants to introduce a minimum wage of 300Baht / hour? Lor?

Let's look at the minimum wage in the UK currently:

• £6.08 - the main rate for workers aged 21 and over
  
• £4.98 - the 18-20 rate
  
• £3.68 - the 16-17 rate for workers above school leaving age but under 18
  
• £2.60 - the apprentice rate, for apprentices under 19 or 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship
  

So Thailand is going on par with that, and higher on average?

As they say in school, when they have no idea.... "Hum?"

-mel.

Edit: for non-Brits 300 Baht currently equals 6 pounds and 3 pence.

No the 300Baht is per day not per hour and frequently for a 10-hour day. Back to school. Hum?

So silly and what a waste of police tiem with so much real crime still to solve. Prohibition NEVER works hasn't history shown us that. If your religion says you should not drink and it is important to you then simply do not drink but why involve others who do nto follow you faith in such rulings. Hardly freedom or logical or sensible/ Oh well I suppose TIT.

Or perhaps you could try observance out of respect. After all, it's not your country. No doubt you would be pissed off with foreigners in your own country carrying on as though your own sacred days meant nothing. Just a suggestion.

However I accept your point about respect for Thai festivals

Actualy my wife and i speak to each other properly ,not in pidgeon english

I speak in proper English to her. She speaks what she speaks to me, usually minus English articles (a, an, the), mixed tenses, and misplaced adverbs and adjective. But I understand what she is saying, and I like the way she talks. Me? I don't do pidgeon, and I don't recommend that any English speaker do. It's makes one sound....I'm thinking of a word......Stupid! LOL

Actualy my wife and i speak to each other properly ,not in pidgeon english

Actualy my wife and i speak to each other properly ,not in pidgeon english

Missed the birth of 1st son as I was offshore working when he arrived so I was keen to be there for the second son's birth.

Bangkok hospital in Korat were happy to accommodate me in the delivery room when the wife had her Caesarian, but I have to admit I found the whole experience quite unenjoyable.

Wife was in pain at the start and scared and upset then out of it on gas and morphine and the procedure was a good deal more visceral and rigorous than I expected - lots of pumping of abdomen, then pulling and squeezing etc. Looked awful, even given the limited view I had from where I was cowering.

Afterwards she wasn't really aware I'd been there and I wished I hadn't been.

Wife now tells me that unless she's promised FULL anaesthesia there will be NO next time and as long as I'm by her side when she wakes up she's happy, so I'll be outside with a handful of cigars and a hip flask waiting to be summoned.

My son was born far more conveniently, a much shorter labour on a weekend but even then I was hustled out of the delivery room before the event.

In neither case was I present and to be honest I would not have wished to be, childbirth is not something I want to witness. I will upset some people but I do not know of a society/culture where males are expected to be present other than late 20th century Western countries.

Don't cry for me Rachasima by St. Madonawatra

It won't be easy, you'll think I'm stranger

When I try to explain how I feel

That I still need your love after all that I've done.

You won't believe me

All you will see is a PM you once knew

Although I'm dressed up to the nines

All '60's and 70's to you.

I had to let it happen, I had to rearrange

Couldn't stay, so belly up to the trough

Looking out of penthouse, staying out of limelight.

So I chose freedom

Taking a runner, escaping anew

But some thing depressed me ; my fall

I never expected it, true.

Don't cry for me Rachasima

The truth I never told you

All through my blunders

My mad resistance

I kept my profits

Don't take your taxes.

And as for fortune, and as for face

They have been stolen

Though it's known to the world they were all I desired

They were just illusions

I've not the solutions, I'd promised to thee

The answer I've hidden is crime

I love you and hope you love me

Don't cry for me Ratchasima

The truth would only bore you

I took grand percentage

Stiffled most resistance

I want my money

So drop your sentence

Have I said too much?

There's no truths more I can think of to say to you.

But all you have to do is look at me to know

That every word is true

Don't cry for me Rachasima

The truth I never told you

All through my blunders

My mad resistance

I kept my profits

Don't take your taxes.

He should go begging for help in the richer commonwealth countries such as India, which did not squander its wealth in Thatcher/Reagan style econmics.

The UK was paying off it's debts when Thatcher was in power. It was Blair/Brown that squandered all the money. Even while they were telling us that boom and bust was over and that times had never been so good, they were still borrowing exorbitant amounts. Get your facts straight.

Not to mention selling off 50% of the gold reserves at a fraction of it's current value...

cant wait to dance on thatchers grave , she ended the manufacturing industry in the uk and the cummunities died with it , now we rely on bent bankers to try and save the countries economy as there is no industry to help fight our way out of the mess SHE put the country in 30 yrs ago , she" sold it out", water, electricity , railways ,gas , ..........now look what we pay for having a so called "free market", cheaper gas or electric ?? cheaper rail fares ??, water ?? ,..........and the rail network is still payed for by tax payers to give share holders there dividends ,...... & now the youth of britain have to work for free, as there is no industry ,.........genious !!.......NOT !

The Monkees were never considered much more than a spoof on the Beatles, but their first LP was pretty good anyway. They were an American band, but Davey Jones was English and "the cute one" - like a Paul McCartney without the musical genius.

American/English Band, they would never have made it without the English. Just another manufactured plastic band like Milli Vanilli. I am speaking of the band the Monkey's and not Davey Jones the person.

I disagree on this.

Milli Vanilli was a sham band, they couldn't even sing their songs.

They lip sinced to a 'less pretty persons' real studio vocals

while pretending they had done it in the studio.

The were exposed and shammed out of the business.

The Monkees never pretended to be more than they were. Pop confection.

Even if some had expectations they were more.

The Monkees at least sang all their material,

and learned to eventually perform the stuff live on instruments.

Mike Nesmith was a real player, and did several albums of his own music with First National Band.

Monkees would never have made it without the English guy??? Huh?

Davy Jones was a good singer just off the stage with 'Oliver. Cute as a ladybug

So he was a hot product at the time.

But to say another American singer wouldn't have worked is absurd.

There were dozens of pop bands in American at the time, with American front men.

Doors, Roy Orbison, Bobby Rydell, Elvis, Byrds, Credence, Lovin Spoonful, Jan and Dean, The Band, Dave Clark Five, Sonny and Cher, Rick Nelson.

Without even gett-ting into the RnB legends list.