Thais and math

[Central Scrutinizer]

P,

 

Yeah, I've seen this as well sometimes. The exposure to the west does seem to change their views on a lot of "things Thai" and the way they see the world. A lot of this is also due to the fact that "world" subjects, such as geography and world history and such doesn't seem to be taught much in the LOS. They are caught in the bubble of their "Thai-ness" and a myopic view of their standing in the world. (I see the same in the USA actually. Students have a better education, but not much of the rest of the world's culture and history is really taught to a high level. As you can see GWB's education seems to lack sorely in this area as well. ) It's why I feel every kid should take a year off after high school to travel around outside his own country to experience other cultures and peoples, and see the world, before starting their university educations. Travel is an education in itself, and should be encouraged for all children to do so. Would make some see what others go through to survive, and get them to get a broader view-point on other peoples, and even let some realize and appreciate exactly how lucky they are to live where and how they do. Hell, a lot of Thais, as well as a lot of Americans, rarely venture further than fifty miles from where they were born or live. This basically retards the way people think of others. Cross cultural exchange is the way toward peace in this screwy world really. The exchange student programs should be expanded and mandatory for all children of high school age I believe. The governments of the world should fund this, and the huge global corporations also who seem to love the idea of a world economy, as well as philanthropical organizations. If every kid could experience a year in another country and culture it would be a wonderful thing for us all. As well, I believe, would a "world" language being taught on a mandatory basis to every child in school from the first grade to graduation. (What ever the language. Hell, English may be the language of "business" right now, and the de facto "world language" at the moment, but who knows how long that may last. My suggestion is Latin. As it is now basically a "dead" language with no real "discrimination" against it now-a-days. It worked well for centuries in business as well as as a "world" language for the Roman empire. Just my thoughts on that. But a world language is a must in today's world. English is getting to be this already, but as a "mandatory" school subject the chauvinistic posturing of certain other countries might not make this possible. It's why I suggest Latin instead. As you well know French was once the language of business and diplomacy. The problem is the language is too damned flowery! My French teacher insisted on calling me Michele! Turned me right off of French right then and there! Michele's a broad's name!

 

The world governments need to get off their asses and get on with building a better future for all the world's children, including their own at least to start with.

The monies we spend to kill each other and build huge military might, would, if spent on the right things, see this world a virtual paradise in a couple centuries time.

 

(And yes, I direct this also toward my own country and countrymen as well. In fact, more so, as the way we are trying to do this now is totally ass-backwards if we want to accomplish these ends.)

 

Cent

[Guest]

>>>Pray that the economy doesn't collapse one day soon with Taksinomics. Bangkok will be flooded with people looking for work, and the shanty-towns will explode. <<<

 

 

very much agree with your post. only i think that it won't be people moving into the city - more the reverse, same as during the finacial crises - people going back upcountry into hopeless village life, scraping by, foragaing for food, being bored shitless, and do whatever one does if poor, bored and has no hope that things will change.

 

my personal solution - our farm. selfsufficient farming, enough food, a modest income which will be enough to give their children a proper education, work for themselves all year around and not depending on seasonal worldmarket oriented cashcrops which inevitably lead into the debt trap if one is a small scale farmer.

 

and one needs only very basic mathematic skills.

[Guest]

>>>It's why I suggest Latin instead.<<<

 

problem with latin though is that its too difficult. very logic but hard to learn grammar which is very important to the basic understanding of latin.

 

bahasa would be a good choice as it is one of the easiest languages to learn.

 

but i still would go with english. works on all levels, without the application of grammar or the vast vocabulary, or on a very high level. and it somehow established itself already as a worldlanguage.

 

and, it has the brilliant term "fuck" - a term applicable to almost every situation. it even appears that some native speakers get away with that term being the only vocabulary of their own language.

[Central Scrutinizer]

FlyW,

 

"very much agree with your post. only i think that it won't be people moving into the city - more the reverse, same as during the finacial crises - people going back upcountry into hopeless village life, scraping by, foragaing for food, being bored shitless, and do whatever one does if poor, bored and has no hope that things will change."

 

Yes, actually you are correct in that. That is what happened during the crsis. Many came back to the villages during this. No jobs in BKK to be found. And many lost their jobs that had them in BKK. The village we lived in was a mess due to this. And I saw many guys bumming from me during this. (Smokes, a beer, etc.) Which got to be a pain in the ass after a while. If you were spotted giving something out to one guy every guy that was down and out who heard of this would eventually try to hit up the "rich", (a subjective term of course, I ain't rich), farang guy seen now as a "soft touch". Got to be I couldn't sit outside and enjoy a goddamned beer without being approached and asked for a beer, a smoke, or some baht. The worst part was some of the kids and women not having enough to eat really at times. (One main meal a day for some I noticed during this.) I told the wife to make extra in the shop every day, and give the food to those who might need it. (She knew who was scamming, and who was truly needy, and I left it up to her discretion.) Especially to the school kids walking by to the village school down the soi from us each morning, some of whom, she knew had probably not eaten any breakfast that morning. (Some rice and pork or chicken it mostly was, but filling and nutritious, and didn't cost me much at all.) Some kids were filling up each morning with just water, to eat later in the day their one meal. The wife told those women she knew to be hurting to come around each day and eat at the shop, for free, once a day, and to bring their kids along or to take some for the kids. Although she told them usually to send the kids around to eat, rather than take away for them. I think she thought the men might eat the food intended by her for the kids or women. For some reason though she WOULD NOT do the same for the men. Only the women and kids. Said something like, "They are men. They can go find food for themselves." I guess she meant hunting/fishing. (Frogs, fish, snails, birds, etc.) A hard woman my wife is, concerning lazy lay-about men it seems. She has no sympathy at all for the ones who won't work to provide for their family, whatever it may take to do this, and neither, really, do I. Some seem to worry more about where they can get the baht to buy a smoke or something alocoholic to drink, more than what they can get for the wife and kids at times. Not all, or even many, but there is a core group of these wastrels in the village, and probably most villages. Out of 300 families in the village I'd say there are maybe 20 or so that are really poor, and/or whose males aren't worth a shit. Our village is actually one of the more prosperous around, and most are very hard-working and self-sufficient.

 

"my personal solution - our farm. selfsufficient farming, enough food, a modest income which will be enough to give their children a proper education, work for themselves all year around and not depending on seasonal worldmarket oriented cashcrops which inevitably lead into the debt trap if one is a small scale farmer."

 

So what are you growing on the farm anyway? Just curious. We don't farm or own any farmland ourselves. We are shop-keepers/restaurant-eers. Others in the family grow rice and such though and own lands for doing so. Although we have a thriving "frog farm" behind one house surrounded by chicken-wire, and now protected by two mean-ass dogs to stop the fucking theiving bastards from stealing frogs every night! (Lost almost half our frogs to midnight theives. Maybe 200 damned frogs. Not that I care. I don't eat the damned things myself, but wife and Sis were pretty pissed off about this.)

 

"and one needs only very basic mathematic skills."

 

Hahahaha. Yep.

 

Cent

[Central Scrutinizer]

FlyW,

 

Well, it can't be that difficult really, as I learned some during my early years as a Catholic schoolboy, and I SUCK with languages! And my point being that Latin seemed easy enough that millions learned the language during the reign of the Roman Empire, hundreds of years, and that it seemed to work quite well for commerce and business as well. It's not only the language we need to think of here, any language will do as a world language really if we are only talking of being able to talk to each other no matter where in the world we are, but the written language needs to be complex and versatile enough to handle modern day science, business, and diplomacy as well. All of which Latin seemed to do quite well with. I'm not only talking of conversational language, but something that can handle all aspects that a true "world language" in today's modern society as well. Written and spoken. Would Bahasa be able to do this? (I've no idea myself, as I don't anything about the language itself.) English is fine, (and as I already am fluent in it I like that idea! ) but it does have a lot of people who are biased against it, for whatever reasons, and only are learning it because they "have to" to get by in the world. But I'd imagine there would be some serious resistance in getting it to be mandated as the "world's" primary second language which is mandatorily taught in every school in the world. I think one of the more complex dead languages would have a better chance of being selected and implimented.

 

And as for fuck you fucker that's one of the fucking finest fucking words, and most fucking flexible fucking words, in the fucking English fucking language! ::

 

Cent

 

p.s. Sorry KS. Didn't mean to hijack your thread! ::

[Guest]

>>>So what are you growing on the farm anyway? Just curious. <<<

 

we have about 33 rai.

about 15 - 20 rai are reserved for assorted cashcrops, such as maize during rainseason, and then beans, for some cash and as fertilizer.

we just finished about 5 rai of fields for rice (only selfconsumption - rice as a cashcrop is the first way into the debtrap). after the rice we plan to have dryseason maize there.

we have several rai of forest, about 200 to 300 teak trees and many other tropical woods.

then a few rai for all sorts of fruit with veggie fields in between the trees. some medical herbs.

a pond where we soon will release fich in.

two houses are already on the land, and mine will be built after this year's season (poles have already been cut from our own teak trees).

and we do keep strictly with organic farming - no chemical fertilizer or pestizides, no genetically engeneered crops.

 

the whole thing started about three years ago, and it went after a few setbacks very well. two of the brothers live on the land now permanently with wifes and children. all have given up drugs (added benefit of such a project). and one old uncle lives there as well.

the whole thing is help to help themselves so that they can live a selfresponsible independent life one day with a cahnce for their children to escape the circle of poverty.

 

financial investment for me was so far about 400 000 baht for all together, now we are already on the stage that the farm almost carries itself. the land we bought three years ago for 260 000 baht, now it is worth already 400 000 baht, and i expect that it will be worth within the next ten years in excess of a million baht (conservative guess).

emotional investment was tough in the beginning.

 

what we still need is the other two brothers moving there (difficult, but lets see - time does wonders), then we need a pair of buffaloes (no cows, that is a very bad idea) which might cost about 15 000 to 17 000 baht for two calfs.

 

soon we might have water all year around as people found a spring in the nearby mountains. a small dam is being built (preliminary tests by the authorities are done now) which then will release water during the dryseason to farmers of the valley.

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

"p.s. Sorry KS. Didn't mean to hijack your thread!"

You fucker! Now the fucking fucker is fucked!

 

 

Sanuk!

[Central Scrutinizer]

P,

 

"Not wishing to be too political, but thai workers could one in a while flex their muscles and get down to serious street expressions instead of being led by the nose thru all kind of economic experiments."

 

They have before, and gotten beaten, bludgeoned and shot to death for doing so. This ain't America here, or Europe, where that also happens once in a while too. But we have a much easier time of expressing ourselves usually in public demonstrations than most Asian countries do. China? Burma? VN? Laos? They don't want the problems and don't want to hear the protests. Makes 'em lose face it does. Shoot or arrest and imprison the fuckers is their way. Thais protest all the time about issues they are trying to deal with to get fair treatment. And "usually" the cops are pretty cool about it too, until the big boys feel they are losing too much face, or money, then the batons come out and the streets are cleared.

 

"IMO, the status quo of the few "have' and the population of "have nots" has never been seriously questionned. Every national expression of discontent, one happening every 20 years, is about some political stuff, never questioning the basis of the inequaltites."

 

I'm sorry, but I beg to differ here. Read the Bangkok Post and Nation daily, fully. I see almost every week some sort of street protests happening here. Just the other day the one where the blind lottery ticket sales ladies comes to mind, with a picture of the smiling Thai police trying to haul them away from the government house steps. The protests over pollution, and dams, and polluted waters and lands from illegal factory outlets of poisons into the inviroment, and forestry encrosion, (sic?) and all sorts of things happens here all the time. The Thais are not some meek and cowering people not willing to stand up for themselves from what I see. They do, but the fat cat big-business cunts and slimey baksheesh loving pols are a slippery lot, as they are everywhere really. Promises, promises, promises, rarely kept, and laws on the books rarely enforced for those with the monies to get around the laws.

 

"And now, with a budding middle-class wishing to hang on to its miserly western life imitations (miserly by its materialistic values),"

 

Well, I don't fault the middle class for wanting the things which can make life more enjoyable and easier and more pleasant. It may be materialistic in your view, but I don't see you or any of us "middle-class" westerners wanting to go out and protest much. We're fairly happy to bitch about shit from our armchairs while sucking down a Remy Martin or a cold imported five dollar beer in front of our big-screen flat screened TV's and DVD players. And while we may sometimes put our money where our mouth is we rarely give to the point it'll hurt us. We just assuage our guilt and soothe our souls so we can sleep better at night, in air conditioned luxury.

 

It takes a lot of balls, or outrage, for one to go out into the streets and face the guns of the tyrants to change the way things are, unarmed. And an unarmed society has no fucking chance in hell to fight back when they want to revolt against the bastards that are screwing them daily and getting rich off the blood, sweat and tears of the poor. Do you think us Yanks would have much of a problem with the Iraqi's and all if they were a totally unarmed society right now? Not a chance. Why do you think the goverments and powers that be want to keep the guns out of the general populations hands in most countries? They could care less if the people kill each other in drunken stupidity over women and personal vendettas really. They ARE afraid of those guns being turned against them one day in an armed revolution.

 

"any PM will have the political mandate to severely crack down on anything questionning the way wealth is attributed by a few.."

 

It's all lies, and smokescreens, and diversion P. Everywhere really in the world the pols take care of the big money boys. They go hand and hand to the bank laughing at the silly peons who can't do a thing about it without having a full scale revolution, and they are happy as hell that THEY control the guns and ammo through the military and police.

 

 

Cent

 

p.s. Sorry if this is too political. Just general stuff. Nothing specific really in here. Delete it if necessary.

[Central Scrutinizer]

KS,

 

Kaw tort kaw tort!

 

Cent