Johpa

Oh please, you can't be a proper Sino-Thai lady aspiring to climb the social ladder without wearing grotesquely oversized sunglasses.

After many decades of hanging out around Thailand I discovered, long ago actually, that nail clippers are one of those little items best to bring in-country on your own.

6 hours ago, isanbirder said:

Many hilltribe people still have no surnames.  This especially applies to Karen.

Over the past several decades most of the Karen indigenous to Lanna Land have been bestowed family names, not to mention Thai citizenship as part of that same process.  Initially many of these names were simple two syllable patronyms Pa-(name of father).  But these were clearly not Thai family names and the Karen who worked among the Thais in town, to lessen discrimination, would often change the entire family's name to more traditional three syllable Thai sounding names.  Sometimes the Thai officials would bestow some pretty silly sounding last names to rural Karen who may not have spoken Thai at the time, but who would also change those names at a later date as their educated kids got older.  Actually it was the educated kids who would arrange for the entire family, at least everyone listed on the house registration, to have the name changed.

15 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

That appears to be another case of taking the officer's words at the desk as law. When that happens ask for a supervisor. 

If one is a Farang it is easy to ask for a supervisor, you exist outside the social structure.  If one is Thai and has the assurance that you are socially superior to the immigration agent then one may ask for a supervisor.  But most Thais, especially from a more rural "upcountry" background, are not going to engage in any action that might cause a bureaucrat to lose face by asking to go up the chain of command as it is much safer to go with the flow and then maybe seek out a phu yai to negotiate at a later point in time.

1 hour ago, Jaggg88 said:

 

My wife entered on her expired Thai passport last year and the airline also accepted the expired Thai passport as proof she didn't need a visa for her 6 week stay. She renewed her passport while she was there. You just need to prove citizenship which a current or an expired passport will do.

Just a few months ago my wife attempted to enter Thailand on her recently expired Thai passport but was told that she must use her American passport to enter the Kingdom.  Prior to departure she had been told by an employee of the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles that she could enter on her expired passport, but that she must renew before returning.  Thus once again we see that Thai immigration officials are not consistent in their application of whatever laws may exist on the books.  Chaiyo!

Looks like Buddhist tattoos are about to get redefined.

I was hoping this thread might have been an update on Luk Pla.

Most young men in Thailand spend a few weeks or even months at a temple becoming a Buddhist monk and studying. Where they learn the key principles of Buddhism.

These days most Thai men only spend a few days to a week in the temple wearing the robes. It has been a long time since most men spent at least one entire rainy season (pansaa) studying. Most of the Thai men I know who spent any significant time in the temple are over 60 years of age.

About 25 years ago I was diagnosed with full fledged unilateral Ménière's disease, really more a syndrome, a collection of symptoms, with tinnitus being just one of the symptoms. Ménière's disease is not tinnitus. Fortunately I have not had a full fledged Ménière's attack in decades, the type where you crawl on all fours towards the porcelain goddess. But the tinnitus remains to this day. Tinnitus varies greatly in severity from person to person. Some people like myself simply get used to it over time, and it does take a long time. Some find herbs or drugs or a change in diet that reduce the symptoms. Lots of information online. And it is worth seeing an ear specialist to make sure there is nothing else going on that might be impacting the ear.

Your understanding of mental health issues is zilch.Until you educate yourself,better not comment.

I would question the mental health of anyone who owned a "go-go" bar on Cowboy, in Nana, or an such similar venue.

I just don't want to be in a relationship with someone from a lower class than me and its not easy to meet high class Thai girls.

Such an attitude towards economic class already places you into a class well below most Thai sex workers I have befriended over the decades. You know, the class without class.

buy Lao Khao and lots of Som Tam ..... you'll be the darling of the MooBaan ... good luck laddy ....

As one who has maintained a home in a small Thai village for decades now, I would suggest not just to buy food and drink but to drink the lao khao and eat the som tam with the locals. As one noted anthropologist noted decades ago, Thai whiskey is the social glue that holds traditional Thai society together. About the worst thing that happens when you get too drunk in a Thai village is that you pass out somewhere other than your own home. Your Thai will improve with time so don't give up or get frustrated. You don't need to be fluent, just conversant. And Thai village living is not for everyone. Hopefully there is a larger ex-pat community nearby to visit once a week or so. But to be honest, few stay long in a village that is remote and far from a larger town with some fellow expats nearby.

Why should a doctor have to speak English when the patients are Thai?

Are you implying that doctors have not been trained properly if they do not speak English.

I would certainly be wary of any medical doctor who could had no ability to communicate to some extent in English. Basically for the same reason that I would not want to fly on a commercial airlines flown by a pilot who does not speak English. For better or worse, and for a number of complex reasons, English is the lingua franca of the globe and will remain so for generations to come. All educated professionals need to be able to read English and have some ability to communicate in English. No doctor can keep up with their field of specialty without being able to read the English language medical journals. Certainly those who speak no English can prescribe an antibiotic, or set a broken arm, or bandage up and maybe stitch a cut. But for any serious or complicated medical issue I would be loath to rely on any medical doctor in Thailand, or elsewhere. who could not communicate in English.

Now there are of course exceptions to the rule. And there are the rare students who plod through the Thai public education system and become educated adults and go on to graduate work abroad. My favorite example is my friend who writes the anonymous blog Kaewmala. But most Thai teachers I know, and I have known many over the decades, including my brother-in-law, have little more than high school level knowledge of their subjects and no knowledge of any pedagogical discourse or child psychology. The Thai schools do nothing more than to impart to their students a culture of subservience (not to mention a belief in fairy tales) towards an outside ruling elite based in Bangkok. Chaiyo!

The other renditions make me appreciate the Kingsmen's version even more.

R.I.P. Jack Ely.

I agree that the Kingsmen's version has the great raw Northwest garage band sound that became exemplified with The Sonics, arguably the most influential band from the region, especially influential on the later grunge band era of Nirvana. But it was The Wailers who were reported to be a major influence on a very young Jimi Hendrix.

By releasing NO details, you give the impression that a cover-up is happening, hence the riots.

People get riotous over the police not immediately being found guilty before the gathering of evidence and proper trial. White people in America use to act in the same way.

Found this link with the three of the original recordings. I had family involved in the record business in the Northwest during that period and my uncle was very involved with the business side of releasing the song in the Northwest. Here is the original by Berry, the Wailers version, and my long time friend Little Bill's version.

It appears Freddie was was not exactly a model citizen

Yes indeed. It appears that Mr. Grey was a low level, a very low level drug dealer, mainly marijuana, which is legal in my State. If only he had opened up a legal medical marijuana shop somewhere he might be considered a model citizen. But since all the medical marijuana shops selling pot to the same group of people they were selling to before medical marijuana became "a thing" are middle class white dudes and Grey was a piss poor black guy living in a down and out neighborhood of Baltimore, well, let's call Grey something less than a model citizen and the legal sellers of pot, well, we will call them progressives. Although my guess is that you are not too fond of progressives either.

On other hand, I don't think Black lives matter. I am not Black, but I know that other than my immediate family and a small circle of close friends, my life does not matter to anyone else. My skin color does not change that basic reality of being human. And since my life don't matter to anyone else I had best act accordingly.

The Kingsmen took the tune from a Tacoma band's version of the song, The Wailers, whose lead singer "Rockin Robin Roberts" came up with the vocals that Jack Ely made famous. Maybe I should lay some flowers down by the former Spanish Castle. But better yet, I will go look for where Little Bill is playing and raise a toast with one of the last of the Pacific Northwest originals.

And I think it is the laid back beat, almost reggae, and not the simplistic cord structure that makes the tune popular.

Prajak said he asked his students if they thought the May 2014 coup would be the last putsch in Thai political history and 100 per cent said "no". This, he said, was driven partly by the fact that most of the educated middle class and upper middle class believe that poor Thais do not have the knowledge or are not suited for self-governing. So, the so-called "educated people" had opted for a system of "just or fair authoritarianism".

The imagined education provided to the middle class masses provides just enough comprehension for them to understand that they are also seen by those above themselves as being unsuited to govern and thus they have a desperate need to belittle those who are economically below them in a similar manner to compensate for their own gross insecurities. Every "middle class" Thai I know seems to have this sense of understanding when looking upon a poor, and more traditional Thai villager, that "there for but the grace of god go I". After all, they all believe in the same fairy tales, the middle class now more so than the villagers. And the more the middle class believe the tales from above and the less the poor believe such tales the more the middle class falsely accuses the poor of being less educated and in need of guidance. Until the Thai education system modernizes such inverted nonsense shall continue to fester.

I have to admit some of the female names they used in the movie is pretty funny. "Beaver's breath?" Pretty low, but funny.

[Correction] In providing examples of films with realistic and/or positive images of Native Americans I meant to refer to 'Dead Man' with Johnny Depp and not 'Dead Man Walking'. Apologies

Nothing to do with political correctness. It is all about reclaiming dignity. A classic technique for dehumanization is to portray a group of people in a negative and denigrating way, like the Nazis did the Jews. Genocide, broken treaties ... the American Indians want respect ... just like you folks out there.

I get that. But signing up to act for an Adam Sandler film and expecting respect towards others is a bit far fetched. The guy makes a living spoofing humanity, although perhaps not with the same class as Mel Brooks. If you want to highlight disrespect then best to aim your actions towards a mainstream non-comedy film that utilizes stereotypes that lack dignity and not a film that makes no pretenses towards dignity of any sort. A film whose goal is to take the piss out of everyone should be able to take the piss, and it seems literal in this film, out of Native Americans as well. Otherwise we enter the realm of protesting against cartoon characterizations of someone's imagined prophet. Besides, plenty of good films with positive representations of Native Americans: Dead Man Walking and Smoke Signals are two that come to mind.

And a nod to sgtsabai for introducing me to the term Wasi'chu. I live in a region dominated by Native American isolate languages, the Salish languages, and had never encountered that term before.

Drive up to Eagle Track Zipline in Tambon Mae Raem, Amphoe Mae Rim. You get a free, but limited, buffet lunch included in the price. There is a nice scenic waterfall at the zipline to spend some time relaxing or reading a book. You can stop on the way up at the above mentioned Dara Phirom museum in Mae Rim which is indeed a really nice museum documenting a lost era of early 20th century royal living Lanna style. Or you can head up from the zip line to the multitudes of the Mon Doi camp and view sites around the Mong village of Nong Hoi at the top of the mountain such as Mon Cheam. Drive down the backside of the mountain to Pong Yang and then you can stop at the Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens driving back into town as well. Something for everyone.

Hi, I would like to learn Thai language as it is taught in schools for Thai students at the primary level

Young Thai students arrive in school already fluent in speaking. If you are already fairly conversant in speaking Thai then the primary courses might help you in learning to read. But as an adult you can learn much quicker than primary age students and so you might want to look for an adult Thai literacy course at AUA or elsewhere.

Quite a few CM expats were extras in the movie,. I know one that had a prominent role as an extra, if that makes sense.

Don't get your hopes up. When Air America came to town to shoot there were plenty of us who got paid around 400 to get a military style haircut and show up as extras. I can think of only two who actually could be clearly seen in the released film. But since hair cuts could be had for 30 baat, I for one had no complaints.