US Senate approves new Bangkok envoy

[Richard Hall]

Nor is Sitting Bull, but his ancestors too were immigrants from Asia

Yes of course the U.S. is a nation of immigrants but there is still such a thing as Americanized names.

Yep, such as Tiger Woods for example.

Just wondering why the present president hasn't switched to Barney Oklahoma yet being very American while enabling him to keep his initals.

[jayboy]

He definitely seems to be a man of substance.

His name is kind of pretentiously Anglophile for an American but he had no control over that.

He's no BUBBA.

BTW, really nice tie in the OP picture ... maybe that can be his calling card in TIE-LAND. (Groan.)

Anglophile, really?

'Davies' is a Welsh name and would have Celtic origins rather than Anglo Saxon.

Americans don't care about such distinctions. It's a snooty sounding "upper class" exceedingly WHITE name to American ears. Deal with it. I'm sure he has ... quite well apparently.

Don't forget the Glyn either. Americans are usually GLEN.

My parents almost named me GARTH ... dodged that bullet! I was bullied enough.

What on earth are you talking about? I know many Americans and I am certain none would take such an absurd position of considering such a perfectly normal name "snooty" or "upper class".Your earlier use of the term "Anglophile" is simply incorrect and it's apparent you don't understand its meaning.If you have some kind of class chip on your shoulder so be it but it's ludicrous to show it up on so frail a pretext.

You are also incorrect to imagine Americans are free of class distinctions.

And if the surnames with Anglo Saxon or Western European origins upset you so much I'm not sure how you react to Bush,Clinton,Reagan,Ford,Nixon, Carter, Johnson,Kennedy,Eisenhower,Truman,Roosevelt etc.

[Jingthing]

I never said Americans are free of class distinctions. Duh! If you're not American how can you pretend to know how things sound to Americans?

I never said I was upset either. Maybe stop making things up.

Edited August 6, 2015 by Jingthing

[jayboy]

I never said Americans are free of class distinctions. Duh! If you're not American how can you pretend to know how things sound to Americans?

I never said I was upset either. Maybe stop making things up.

It was an absurd post.None of the Americans (admittedly a very well educated sample) I know would regard the new Ambassador's name as "snooty".I thought you might attempt some kind of sensible response but I suppose the warning sign was the complete misunderstanding of the word "Anglophile".

Do you regard all the presidents' names - Obama apart - since Washington as "snooty" too? No doubt American members of this forum have a view.

[Jingthing]

You fail to get my point. I don't know if intentionally or just because you really can't understand how things sound to Americans.

Like I said I was almost named GARTH.

Garth is an uncommon name in the U.S. and sounds a bit like you are putting on airs.

Yes to American ears it sounds upper class English. To name me that would have been fake and aspirational of my parents.

If I had been named Garth that would create an impression with Americans different than if I had been named Bubba.

Now what people become in life is often very different than an impression given by their name, but it is still true names give impressions.

Go ahead and pretend that you can't process that kind of information.

As far as your obsession with Welsh vs. English, what percentage of Americans do you reckon are clued in to that distinction? Well, I can tell you. Not many. You can call us idiots for that or we can call you idiots for not being aware of the difference between Ohio and Michigan. The full name from the OP sounds Anglo to most Americans and whether it is or not was not really the point at all in the first place.

Next ...

Edited August 6, 2015 by Jingthing

[toenail]

Nice to see a REAL qualified USA ambassador get appointed to Thailand. He is a career diplomat, not a party appointee due to having connections. With his experience with the UN and being assigned in North Korea, he will have more of a perspective with various issues. Knowing the close ties on NK and China, maybe he can persuade the USA to be a bit more friendly with Thailand. Being assigned to Thailand will be a reward for him after living in North Korea. We Americans wish Mr. Davies the best and please represent us Americans with knowledge and class.

[toenail]

Davies is a snooty sounding name? WHAT??? It`s a working-class Welsh name!

`Deal with it`, okay sir, sorry sir, whatever you say sir. Haha

Not to Americans. It sounds like someone who went to an elite prep school in New England and I see he went to Georgetown U. Perfect.

What does your obsession have to do with the ThaiVisa OP? Nothing, so stop it, please.

Big Deal if he attended Georgetown U. I would rather have a diplomat attend a well known university (Georgetown is known for international studies) than Kentucky State where Yingluck attended.

[Jingthing]

Georgetown is a great school indeed in a great elite neighborhood of D.C.

So did he go to an elite New England prep school? Can't find that level of bio on the guy.

[arrowsdawdle]

He definitely seems to be a man of substance.

His name is kind of pretentiously Anglophile for an American but he had no control over that.

He's no BUBBA.

BTW, really nice tie in the OP picture ... maybe that can be his calling card in TIE-LAND. (Groan.)

Anglophile, really?

'Davies' is a Welsh name and would have Celtic origins rather than Anglo Saxon.

Americans don't care about such distinctions. It's a snooty sounding "upper class" exceedingly WHITE name to American ears. Deal with it. I'm sure he has ... quite well apparently.

Don't forget the Glyn either. Americans are usually GLEN.

My parents almost named me GARTH ... dodged that bullet! I was bullied enough.

You can call me Johnson.....Bill or Bob or anything but Sue.

[lostoday]

Yes I agree, names are changed for many different reasons, and today's names by many are plain silly, that's my own opinion

Creative African American first names are seriously entertaining!

Old hat. We showed that video at our lat Klan meeting.

Edited August 6, 2015 by lostoday

[Jingthing]

You've got a job to offer.

You get two email queries.

One from Kenneth Etherington.

Another from Joe Smith.

Now tell me with a straight face those two names don't create different impressions.

Now in the U.S. if Kenneth Etherington showed up to wash your toilet, you might be a tiny bit surprised.

Edited August 6, 2015 by Jingthing

[lostoday]

You've got a job to offer.

You get two email queries.

One from Kenneth Etherington.

Another from Joe Smith.

Now tell me with a straight face those two names don't create different impressions.

A guy who don't like women and black people. Did I get it correct? Oh sorry I was still on your video.

Edit to add. Ya right two different impressions yup.

Edited August 6, 2015 by lostoday

[sgtsabai]

welshissan, I do believe most Native Americans, AKA American Indians, would disagree with you. We were here long before the white man tried genocide on us. Many have differing versions of how our ancestors got here, but I've never heard of the "land bridge from Asia" legend from any of the elders. As one very, very old Pueblo Indian "medicine man" once told me, we don't tell the anthropologists what we really know, only what they want to know.

[jayboy]

You fail to get my point. I don't know if intentionally or just because you really can't understand how things sound to Americans.

Like I said I was almost named GARTH.

Garth is an uncommon name in the U.S. and sounds a bit like you are putting on airs.

Yes to American ears it sounds upper class English. To name me that would have been fake and aspirational of my parents.

If I had been named Garth that would create an impression with Americans different than if I had been named Bubba.

Now what people become in life is often very different than an impression given by their name, but it is still true names give impressions.

Go ahead and pretend that you can't process that kind of information.

As far as your obsession with Welsh vs. English, what percentage of Americans do you reckon are clued in to that distinction? Well, I can tell you. Not many. You can call us idiots for that or we can call you idiots for not being aware of the difference between Ohio and Michigan. The full name from the OP sounds Anglo to most Americans and whether it is or not was not really the point at all in the first place.

Next ...

You made the ridiculous error of calling the name of the incoming US Ambassador as " snooty".You ignorantly and inaccurately misused the word "Anglophile".You ignore the reality that millions of highly placed Americans have by your silly definition "snooty" names.You don't have the credentials to speak for all Americans.

[tbthailand]

I never said Americans are free of class distinctions. Duh! If you're not American how can you pretend to know how things sound to Americans?

I never said I was upset either. Maybe stop making things up.

It was an absurd post.None of the Americans (admittedly a very well educated sample) I know would regard the new Ambassador's name as "snooty".I thought you might attempt some kind of sensible response but I suppose the warning sign was the complete misunderstanding of the word "Anglophile".

Do you regard all the presidents' names - Obama apart - since Washington as "snooty" too? No doubt American members of this forum have a view.

davies is pretty normal,

Glyn is unusual but we Americans just recognize that his folks were sticking close to their roots...

[Jingthing]

Yes, the FULL NAME impression is what I was talking about.

[Jingthing]

You made the ridiculous error of calling the name of the incoming US Ambassador as " snooty".You ignorantly and inaccurately misused the word "Anglophile".You ignore the reality that millions of highly placed Americans have by your silly definition "snooty" names.You don't have the credentials to speak for all Americans.

You just want to argue for arguments sake. Welcome to my ignore list.

[jayboy]

You made the ridiculous error of calling the name of the incoming US Ambassador as " snooty".You ignorantly and inaccurately misused the word "Anglophile".You ignore the reality that millions of highly placed Americans have by your silly definition "snooty" names.You don't have the credentials to speak for all Americans.

You just want to argue for arguments sake. Welcome to my ignore list.

That's one way of avoiding exposure.I agree it's not that important but your post was so silly its errors needed pointing out.

[welshissan]

welshissan, I do believe most Native Americans, AKA American Indians, would disagree with you. We were here long before the white man tried genocide on us. Many have differing versions of how our ancestors got here, but I've never heard of the "land bridge from Asia" legend from any of the elders. As one very, very old Pueblo Indian "medicine man" once told me, we don't tell the anthropologists what we really know, only what they want to know.

Thank you sgtsabai for correcting my ignorance, but I was informed of this by my ex Canadian wife who was First Nation. History is not always correctly written?

[Jingthing]

It's interesting and more complicated:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/11/131120-science-native-american-people-migration-siberia-genetics/

Prevailing theories suggest that Native Americans are descended from a group of East Asians who crossed the Bering Sea via a land bridge perhaps 16,500 years ago, though some sites may evidence an earlier arrival. (See"Siberian, Native American Languages Linked—A First [2008].")

"This study changes this idea because it shows that a significant minority of Native American ancestry actually derives not from East Asia but from a people related to present-day western Eurasians," Willerslev said.

Edited August 6, 2015 by Jingthing

[TheAppletons]

It's interesting sometimes when you just click on the last page of a thread and find out the topic is.....Native American migration patterns.

[welshissan]

Many thanks for the interesting link,this is how I thought that native Americans arrived in North America. I did know that the locals arrived before the white man tried to exterminate them. Small pox blankets I believe was one method!

[welshissan]

Such is life, a good history lesson and something to dwell on

[lostoday]

Many thanks for the interesting link,this is how I thought that native Americans arrived in North America. I did know that the locals arrived before the white man tried to exterminate them. Small pox blankets I believe was one method!

I hate to disappoint you and your obvious rigorous study of American history but the biggest killers were in addition to smallpox, measles, influenza, whooping cough, diphtheria, typhus, bubonic plague, cholera, and scarlet fever. All imported by the Europeans colonists. The methods of transmission if relegated to blankets would have been a gift.

The blanket is a better story than a sneeze or poop I guess. I mean really how vicious does it sound to say I sneezed on my enemy and threw poop at his house?

[welshissan]

Thanks for the reply and putting me in my place, but I was only giving this as one example. North American history is not my forte but am eager to learn from people like yourself and sgtsabai. No disrespect mean't

[webfact]

UNITED STATES
Thailand gets new US envoy
THE NATION


Glyn Townsend Davies

BANGKOK: -- THE UNITED STATES Senate has approved the appointment of Glyn Davies as the new ambassador to Thailand, giving him a full mandate to lead the US mission in the Kingdom at a time of strained diplomatic ties with Washington. The announcement was made yesterday morning in a tweet by the US charge d'affaires in Bangkok W Patrick Murphy.

US Senate has confirmed Glyn Davies as next US Ambassador to Kingdom of Thailand. Congrats to my future boss, a terrific diplomat!" Murphy tweeted. He did not specify when Davies will take up the post.

The new envoy, a career diplomat at the US State Department, later posted on Twitter: "Happy & honoured to be confirmed by US Senate. Jackie [his wife] & I look forward to our move to Bangkok - City of Angels!"

Thailand and the US' relationship became frayed following the May 22, 2014 coup. Washington took a tough stance, labelling the coup a political setback and the precursor to human rights violations.

Military assistance to Thailand has been frozen since the coup and a military joint exercise scaled down. The State Department downgraded Thailand's status on human trafficking to the lowest level last year and maintained the status this year.

US President Barack Obama nominated Davies as the new ambassador in April after a six-month vacancy for the job. His name was communicated to the Thai government and got approval from the Cabinet in late March.

Davies' predecessor Kristie Kenney ended her tenure in November and is now deputy assistant secretary for public affairs and public diplomacy at the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

The envoy had been a senior adviser at the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs since 2014, according to a White House statement.

He has a solid background on East Asian affairs, having served as principal deputy assistant secretary of state and deputy assistant secretary of state at the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2006 to 2009, and was special representative for North Korea policy from 2012 to 2014.

His areas of expertise include democracy and human rights, while he was a senior adviser at the Foreign Service Institute’s Leadership and Management School from 2005 to 2006, and acting assistant secretary at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour in 2005.

He served as deputy spokesman of the State Department and deputy assistant secretary for Public Affairs from 1995 to 1997. He was director of the State Department Operations Centre from 1992 to 1994. Earlier, he was posted to Australia, France, the UK and Zaire.

Davies has a Bachelor's in foreign service from Georgetown University and a Master's in security from the National Defence University.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Thailand-gets-new-US-envoy-30266125.html


-- The Nation 2015-08-07

[lostmebike]

You made the ridiculous error of calling the name of the incoming US Ambassador as " snooty".You ignorantly and inaccurately misused the word "Anglophile".You ignore the reality that millions of highly placed Americans have by your silly definition "snooty" names.You don't have the credentials to speak for all Americans.

You just want to argue for arguments sake. Welcome to my ignore list.

That's one way of avoiding exposure.I agree it's not that important but your post was so silly its errors needed pointing out.

Agreed.

Many lame and nonsensical attempts to hide his silly comments too.

[Muirton]

After Ms. Kenney, it's a relief to see that Obama has decided to select someone who is qualified for this post. I wish Mr. Davies the best of luck.

I would be interested to know how much he contributed to the parasites re election campaign.

In view of Thailand's current undemocratic state, he probably got a bonus.

The USA is fortunate to have his particular credentials as Ambassador to Thailand at a time when the USA must have a thorough understanding of Thailand's political, security and economic evolution.

Although he will need to adjust from dealing with a regime that has the largest per capita armed force in the world to a regime that has the largest per capita flag officers in the world.

He looks like a professional career diplomat. Sound choice.

Of course disappointing to a Shin fan like yourself. All those Shin apologists going on that the US wouldn't send a new ambassador as a slight to the current government.

Having a husband with experienced dealing with criminals must have been helpful to Ms. Kenney in her dealings with the Shins.

"Having a husband with experienced dealing with criminals must have been helpful to Ms. Kenney in her dealings with the Shins." Poodle In the MicroWave, Poodle In The MicroWave.

[Muirton]

He definitely seems to be a man of substance.

His name is kind of pretentiously Anglophile for an American but he had no control over that.

He's no BUBBA.

BTW, really nice tie in the OP picture ... maybe that can be his calling card in TIE-LAND. (Groan.)

Anglophile, really?

'Davies' is a Welsh name and would have Celtic origins rather than Anglo Saxon.

Americans don't care about such distinctions. It's a snooty sounding "upper class" exceedingly WHITE name to American ears. Deal with it. I'm sure he has ... quite well apparently.

Don't forget the Glyn either. Americans are usually GLEN.

My parents almost named me GARTH ... dodged that bullet! I was bullied enough.

Yeah, Abe Greenberg, Manny Rothstein, Jesus Hernandez, Mohammed Saad Ali or Joe Rossi - much more American sounding!

Has JingJag checked to see this ambassador with a name that gets JingJag's knickers all bunched up wasn't born an Abe Greenberg or a Manny Rothstein, or Jesus Hernandez, or Mohammed Saad Ali or Joe Rossi. A name change in the US requires a simple application, nothing more.

[Muirton]

Nor is Sitting Bull, but his ancestors too were immigrants from Asia

Yes of course the U.S. is a nation of immigrants but there is still such a thing as Americanized names.

The names many people arrived with got CHANGED and then when there are children often the parents decide on Americanized first names.

What does this have to do with anything?