[Thailand’s UDD leader Jatuporn raises questions over the new US consular office in Chiang Mai]

Can really good antennas in Chiang Mai pick up radio signals from China?  That consulate might be one of the more secure places for the US to keep an eye on what the Chinese military is up to in southern China.

 

Also, all US Embassies and (I guess) consulates are built like fortresses in case the local populace becomes enraged by some US action or statement or tweet and tries to storm the place.

[Cleopatra: Gal Gadot's film announcement sparks 'whitewashing' accusations]

The historical records of who married whom during the Ptolemaic dynasty are rather confusing, as many of them had the same names.  However, the theory that she was 1/2 or 1/4 African doesn't have much historical proof to back it up.  She was probably of 100% Greek ancestry and Gal Gadot wouldn't particularly stand out on the streets of Athens as a foreigner.

 

There were African (Nubian) pharaohs, the 25th dynasty were clearly Black Africans, however, Cleopatra was not one of them.

[No remorse! Female driver poses for pictures after nearly killing motorcyclist]

So who was taking her picture?  That's not a selfie!

[Senator’s black Mercedes parked in hospital’s ER zone creates furore in social media]

13 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

 

The US has Senators ????

And they represent states rather than people!  The US would be better off with just the House of Representatives, which actually represent people.

[Thai student praised for clearing traffic for ambulance - but why should this be necessary?]

The first time my wife saw the traffic "magically part" for an ambulance in Japan she was just amazed.  Later she saw the same thing happen in Australia and the US.  Now she is highly critical of Thai drivers, though she still hasn't put together the link between adequate law enforcement and civilized driving behavior.

[Official Holidays]

Tuesday the 13th is King Rama IX day and Friday the 23rd is King Chulalongkorn day.  Both of those days are official holidays with Gov. offices and (I think) banks being closed. 

 

The last time a holiday fell on a Tuesday or Thursday the Government turned it into a 4 day weekend.  I have not heard any official announcement of that happening next weekend.  However, I have been told that the government has encouraged businesses to let their employees take a long weekend to stimulate domestic tourist spending.  Of course, with kids going to school on Monday, I don't think that there will be a many families taking advantage of the semi-long weekend!

[Nonthaburi school agrees to new measures to prevent future assault cases]

On 10/1/2020 at 5:15 AM, lujanit said:

No mention of sacking the offending teachers and prosecuting them for assault. I suppose a wai will suffice.

^{Three Thai teachers have already been fired.  A Filipino teacher has been fired and is awaiting deportation.} 

 

^{Based on the OP, the school is pledging to do what schools SHOULD be doing anyway.  I suspect that there will be a mass exodus from the Sarasas chain (42 schools) next term and next year.}

[Council finds only 98 of 411 Sarasas teachers have valid licence, school claims it's a database malfunction]

It is common for teachers to start on waivers.  Theoretically, a teacher with a BA/BS in any subject can get up to 6 years of waivers (if they stay at one school).  When their waivers run out, they can usually get another 2 years by showing proof that they have signed up for a graduate course in teaching/education.  

 

The situation at Sarasas is that they couldn't even be bothered to apply for waivers or hire teachers with BA/BS degrees!  The Sarasas schools usually have very high teacher turnover and so they don't bother to go through the long and difficult process of getting all of the paperwork needed to make a teacher 100% legal.

[No outgoing mail from Thailand to USA???]

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

 

________

 

As long as we're on this topic can someone knowledgeable verify if there is any regular airmail service FROM the USA to Thailand?

Oddly enough, there does seem to be mail service (presumably by air) from the US to Thailand.  I have received a couple of notices about voting from California recently.

[PM orders Thai authorities to seek Interpol’s help to apprehend Red Bull scion]

13 minutes ago, madmitch said:

Amazingly bad judgement by the Deputy Attorney General in dropping the case! He's made things much worse for his client the Red Bull Family.

 

 

I think that this was more a case of "business as usual".  He just didn't realize how social media has changed the world.  20 years ago the case could have been dropped without any problems.  Now, however, the peasants have been empowered by the fact that anybody can start a hashtag or create a meme.  The media power that was formerly reserved for Newspapers and TV is now available to anyone who has a phone!

 

 

[PM orders Thai authorities to seek Interpol’s help to apprehend Red Bull scion]

I wouldn't be surprised if the request to Interpol is written using invisible ink!

[Crazy father in law!]

According to wikipedia:

 

Although classified currently as a least-concern species due its persistence over a rather wide distribution, this species is often quite rare and scarce and seems to be decreasing, especially in response to large-scale habitat degradation and deforestation.

 

In another generation there may be no more of these birds for them to eat!

[PM asked to temporarily remove police involved in helping Red Bull heir from active service]

The ironic thing about this whole mess is that if Boss had just confessed, given a few million in compensation to the victim's family and apologized, he would have been sentenced to a couple of years of probation and community service and this would have been all over long ago. 

 

Instead, his and his family's refusal to take any responsibility has lead to years of negative publicity and they have spent many more millions trying to cover this up and get him legally absolved.

[Thailand: All visitors will need insurance]

Unless you are one of the handful of people with PR, we are all 'visitors'.  I wouldn't be surprised if this insurance becomes a requirement for visa extensions in the near future!

[Afghan peace talks open with calls for ceasefire, women's rights]

Well, if you are an Afghan woman it is probably time to figure out what country you should immigrate to.  Odds are they will be back in their burkas soon! ☹️

[PM: Rumours of a coup are utter nonsense]

Well the Eastern Tigers have had their chance, maybe it's time for the King's Guard to have a go at it. 

[PHD Benefit]

You mentioned teaching ESL at an international school as your goal.  There are LOTS of qualified and experienced ESL teachers in Thailand.  Also, because many ESL teachers at international schools are local hires, they are generally the lowest paid teachers there. 

 

As others have mentioned, the best paid (and happiest) of the teachers at international schools are teaching Math or Science or some other STEM subject.  If I was to start over, I would get a US Math teacher qualification and teach for at least 2 years before thinking about Thailand. 

 

Finally, what part of Thailand is your wife from and does she want to live near her parents?  If so, you might find your employment options to be very limited.

 

 

[PM: Rumours of a coup are utter nonsense]

My wife is addicted to Thai news commentators on YouTube.  She thinks that there will be a coup that will happen in response to escalating anti-government protests.  Protests in Thailand usually take a while to build up, so she thinks that they coup won't happen until January. 

 

She also doesn't think that Apirat or Chacha have what it takes to be the next coup leader.  She thinks that it will be the next Army leader instead.

 

I don't know if she's right or wrong, but I think that Apirat has to retire soon, so if he wants to take over, the September 19 protests would be his best opportunity. 

[Thailand tourism collapse poses existential crisis for airlines]

Ironic that they are bemoaning the lack of tourists..... while Immigration has given the few remaining tourists in the country until the 26th of September to get out!

[Oregon man says Portland shooting was self defense]

On 9/4/2020 at 7:47 AM, Pattaya Spotter said:

Waiting for the all the condemnations of this killer from the Democrat Party and its supporters and fellow travelers.

Here you are:

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-biden-condemn-violence/fact-check-joe-biden-has-condemned-violent-protests-in-the-last-three-months-idUSKBN25V2O1

[Dangerous Thailand: Iron bar at perfect head height to kill a motorcyclist - but the police do nothing]

Yes, a truck driver could do this in any country.....

 

 

But try doing it in the US/UK/Australia, etc... and see how far you get before the police pull you over, give you ticket AND make you fix it before going any further.

 

 

[SURVEY: Does Thailand need Submarines?]

IMHO, the real question is "Does Thailand need a Navy?". 

 

In addition to cancelling the submarine order, they should scrap their aircraft carrier and invest in S&R equipment and training and then rename themselves as the Thai Coast Guard.  Some patrol boats, helicopters and a couple of long range recon planes would be all that they would need and they would actually be able to do some good instead of being an embarrassing waste of time and money.

[Democrats make U-turn on submarines, call for Covid-19 relief instead]

15 minutes ago, Geoffggi said:

Looking at the picture at least they come complete with the government flag ..................LOL

A white flag might be more useful!

 

Given that the Thai military has seen much more action against Thai citizens than foreign enemies, Thai fishermen should start feeling nervous.  ????

[Salary]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

As far as I know many don't have to pay for the university under the condition that after university they will spend a couple of years in a public hospital. I am sure others know more details.

 

And I confirm 2nd and 3rd jobs in private hospitals and clinics are normal.

A Thai friend went to an Ivy League University in the US and then got a M.S. at Stanford.  He had to work for the Thai Government for 10 years or more to pay it all off.  He's now working for a US Company in Thailand as is quite happy with a US salary and Thai expenses.

 

Most doctors have to do the same, so most of them have extra jobs at clinics or at private hospitals where they make up for their low paying Government Hospital jobs.

[SURVEY: Restricting Thai Driver’s Licenses – good or bad?]

1 hour ago, wwest5829 said:

Can someone ‘splain the following, “The Thai government is contemplating restricting licenses of those with congenital conditions.”

Probably Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Elephantiasis, Tertiary Syphilis... the usual stuff that the doctors check for when issuing a medical certificate.

 

Not that those things have much effect on your driving ability!