If you believe in karma than you can easily blame the situation on previous lives, but still it brings us to the original problem - if you are not interested in something you won't get a chance to learn about it. Not now, not in million lives.

Also I wouldn't paint the picture in good-bad colors. Let's say if my bed is empty tonight then I'm not looking for an inquisitive mind to fill it in. It's a primitive example but there's a lot more to life than mind bending exercises. I think I, and many others, aren't here in Thailand for intellectually stimulating life experience. People, generally, are looking for something they lack in their lives - be it warmth, care, smiles, easy-going life, love, sex, drugs, ... err... whatever.

Coming to this part of Asia in pursuit of inttellectual challenges outside of Buddhism  is somewhat absurd.

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I wasn't talking about 'previous lives' I was talking about the situation in present day Thailand where learning is by rote, where inquisitiveness is discouraged, where large tranches of the population have to leave school to help their parents ("faces to the mud, backs to the sky") and where many of them can't afford to buy a newspaper let alone a book. There are a lot of bright people in Thailand - I know, I see a lot of them doing postgrad degrees at our local university. Unfortunately there are very few of them who aren't here as a result of their parent's money.

The United States had 62 of the top 200 universities, followed by Britain with 30, Germany 17 and Australia 14."

Thank you for the statistics, but forget all the convoluted opinions.

The US has more than twice as many of the top Universities as England and waaay more than anyone else. Also, 17 out of 20 of the world's top Universities are located in USA. These are facts.

There are clever and stupid people everywhere and, judging from the quality of the posts on this thread, a large number of the stupid ones seem to spend a lot of time on the internet bashing their betters, hoping to feel better about their own educational shortcomings.

The time would be much better spent in a remedial classroom.

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So, let's get this right, someone, other than you, refers to a list of findings and they are simply statistics or convoluted opinions. On the other hand, your list cannot be disputed or interpreted in any other manner and remain FACTS! But whos facts? Who commissioned the survey? What criteria were they using? Americans by any chance!!!!!

Lies, ###### Lies and Statistics! A quote from one of your countrymen I believe.

Maybe, before you question the intelligence of other posters on this thread, you have a good hard look at the person you meet every morning when you have a shave!

The United States had 62 of the top 200 universities, followed by Britain with 30, Germany 17 and Australia 14."

Thank you for the statistics, but forget all the convoluted opinions.

The US has more than twice as many of the top Universities as England and waaay more than anyone else. Also, 17 out of 20 of the world's top Universities are located in USA. These are facts.

There are clever and stupid people everywhere and, judging from the quality of the posts on this thread, a large number of the stupid ones seem to spend a lot of time on the internet bashing their betters, hoping to feel better about their own educational shortcomings.

The time would be much better spent in a remedial classroom.

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So, let's get this right, someone, other than you, refers to a list of findings and they are simply statistics or convoluted opinions.

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I didn't question his statistics. I thanked him for pointing them out. They verify that America has the best Universities in the world.

I did mention that opinions are like buttholes - everyone has one - and his - like the rest of the U.S. bashers on this thread - are full of the same kind of punctuation, grammatical and spelling mistakes that he is railing at Americans for.

I'm no Einstein (who was American by the way), but, at least I am intelligent enough to use spell-check when calling others stupid and criticizing their spelling and language skills!

I'm no Einstein (who was American by the way),

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see this is not right.You can't be an American as there is no such thing.Now if you had of said that Einstein was a german-american, then that would have been ok.

Einstein=pure German! (naturalized yank)

I'm no Einstein (who was American by the way),

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see this is not right.You can't be an American as there is no such thing.Now if you had of said that Einstein was a german-american, then that would have been ok.

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He was also Swiss at one stage in his life.

He was American.

We welcome new citizens instead of chasing them around with baseball bats like in some countries that I could mention (just saw Football Factory).

He was American.

We welcome new citizens instead of chasing them around with baseball bats like in some countries that I could mention (just saw Football Factory). 

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Sometimes the footie matches are the boring part!!!

Einstein was born in Germany, educated in Switzerland and graduated from the Zurich Institute of Technology in 1900. He wrote 3 fundamental papers, published in 1905, while working in the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. He wrote his 'general relativity' paper in 1916, again in Switzerland. He moved to the USA in 1932.

Einstein was born in Germany, educated in Switzerland and graduated from the Zurich Institute of Technology in 1900. He wrote 3 fundamental papers, published in 1905, while working in the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. He wrote his 'general relativity' paper in 1916, again in Switzerland. He moved to the USA in 1932.

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...and became an American citizen.

Einstein was born in Germany, educated in Switzerland and graduated from the Zurich Institute of Technology in 1900. He wrote 3 fundamental papers, published in 1905, while working in the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. He wrote his 'general relativity' paper in 1916, again in Switzerland. He moved to the USA in 1932.

...and became an American citizen.

You'll never win with these America-bashers Ulysses G.

Next they'll be saying Arnold the Govenorator is Austrian or something...

you forgot to include Boon Mee in your list....

happy new year to the whole lot of you...

may 2006 be your year of redemption

HAIL Boon Mee

...and Happy New Year!

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Take it to Bedlam.

He was German by the way.

And a very happy New Year to y'all as well!

(can't start with the bevvies yet as it's only 0700 hours here)

And a very happy New Year to y'all as well!

(can't start with the bevvies yet as it's only 0700 hours here)

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Who says?

One more hour.

He was American.

We welcome new citizens instead of chasing them around with baseball bats like in some countries that I could mention (just saw Football Factory). 

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And a very happy New Year to y'all as well!

(can't start with the bevvies yet as it's only 0700 hours here)

Who says?

Wouldn't make it to midnight if I did!

I have a feeling that is no problem for britmaverick.

Talking about History...wonder how many Farangs bothered to learn a bit about Thai history as opposed to expecting everyone else to learn or be familiar with western events?

How many Farangs can name just one thing Rama 5 initiated?

I mix the Ramas up, but I like the one who made the Thais use Western eating utensils!

Talking about History...wonder how many Farangs bothered to learn a bit about Thai history as opposed to expecting everyone else to learn or be familiar with western events?

How many Farangs can name just one thing Rama 5 initiated?

Built the railway.

I used the example of top universities in the U.S. to point out that Americans are at least as well educated as anyone casting stones here.

So your list wasnt based on the top unis in the world...and 3 Unis from overseas made it into the list of the top unis in the US.....well done mate....

Did it occur to any of you that the OP's girl is probably not Uni educated and chances are she never had more than 10 years of schooling. I have had conversations with a Uni educated Thai girl about world politics and other subjects, She was aware of all the wars and who won them as well as her own country's involvment and she also had her own opinions on those subjects.

To the poster who reckons that Mr T has done better than his predecessors .... check your history books again and not the Thai papers.

But to sum up here..... A child will learn what the child wants to learn, you can teach a child many things but if it has no relevence in that childs life then it will not be retained or be put on the back burner till later in life. This does not make the child stupid or uneducated.

It also gets me that many say the Thais are stupid or uneducated when most of them learn a second language....which is a he11 of a lot more than a lot of westerners can do.

Endure,

According to my understanding of karma people aren't just born everywhere randomly - they get what they deserve and desire. Some are born into farmers families, some are born in professors.

Thai IQ scores are lower than world average and a large percentage of population is err... "somewhat retarded". Only Bangkokians score reasonably well.

Of course there are people who all the world history and the wars, and the dates, I just haven't met them yet, not that I'm looking.

As for WWII - nazi style helmets are very popular among chopper bikers here, and please don't tell me that their swastikas in black, white and red actually refer to the ancient buddhist symbol. These bikers aren't neonazis either - they are simply ignorant people who think that it looks cool.

As for WWII - nazi style helmets are very popular among chopper bikers here, and please don't tell me that their swastikas in black, white and red actually refer to the ancient buddhist symbol. These bikers aren't neonazis either - they are simply ignorant people who think that it looks cool.

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And your point is

As for WWII - nazi style helmets are very popular among chopper bikers here, and please don't tell me that their swastikas in black, white and red actually refer to the ancient buddhist symbol. These bikers aren't neonazis either - they are simply ignorant people who think that it looks cool.

Very true Plus.

Just like kids in the West using Eastern symbols that they know f.. all about ubt look cool ie Jap symbols, Om signs etc

As for WWII - nazi style helmets are very popular among chopper bikers here, and please don't tell me that their swastikas in black, white and red actually refer to the ancient buddhist symbol. These bikers aren't neonazis either - they are simply ignorant people who think that it looks cool.

Very true Plus.

Just like kids in the West using Eastern symbols that they know f.. all about ubt look cool ie Jap symbols, Om signs etc

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What so if a helmet or a symbol was used 50 years ago for some Purpose it can’t be re used today for some thing completely deferent

@#$% Crap I have one at home but I don’t wear it as it deafens me with wind noise. But it does look cool

And I am not ignorant or a nazi

There must be something else then, if you don't see the problem with wearing nazi symbols.

They are symbols - they symbolize something. In this case there's a lot of heavy charged history behind these symbols - racism, anti-semitism, merciless killings, torture, medical experiments on live human beings, the whole gamut of human degradation into some monstrosity.

Do you seriously suggest that it's possible to breathe in new life in nazi swastika? More civilised, perhaps. That is called neonazism and it's illegal in many coounties that had the experience with the real thing.

In case of Thai bikers it's simply ignorance, I hope. I hope they aren't really into purifying human race, or even just Thai nation for starters.

There must be something else then, if you don't see the problem with wearing nazi symbols.

They are symbols - they symbolize something. In this case there's a lot of heavy charged history behind these symbols - racism, anti-semitism, merciless killings, torture, medical experiments on live human beings, the whole gamut of human degradation into some monstrosity.

Do you seriously suggest that it's possible to breathe in new life in nazi swastika? More civilised, perhaps. That is called neonazism and it's illegal in many coounties that had the experience with the real thing.

In case of Thai bikers it's simply ignorance, I hope. I hope they aren't really into purifying human race, or even just Thai nation for starters.

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Note how both the swastika and the horseshoe are "good luck" motifs on this postcard, as is the "lucky penny" and the heart with an arrow through it. This is a postcard that was sold in drug stores back in 1907, when Adolph Hitler was only 18 years old, a soon-to-be college dropout of no particular fame or merit. He did not rise to power until 1933, until which time, for most people in the West, this was just a good luck symbol not unlike a rabbit's foot or a four-leaf clover. In some cultures it was a religious symbol; some Christian churches have had swastikas in them for centuries, and you can even find ancient Jewish synagogues that are thousands of years old with swastikas side-by-side with stars of David. Swastikas have even been found ing cave paintings and artifacts dated more than 8,000 years old.

So I think it is just simply ignorance on your part to think that it can only mean one thing. Next you will be telling me I am a skin head because I shave my head

Edited December 31, 200520 yr by Rigger

The US 45th Infantry Division gained its nickname, "Thunderbird" division, from the gold thunderbird. This Native American symbol became the division's insignia in 1939. It replaced another previously used Native American symbol, a swastika, that was withdrawn when it became closely associated with the Nazi party.