Today was my niece Pam's sixth year birthday party. Here are some pictures.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Look of Concentration
Today Jacob and Nalin were presented with their yellow belts. Here are some pictures.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Lost
I drove Tim to work today. She wrote out directions for the way home, but I messed up a turn at this circle. I ended up going the wrong way for a while before I got a hold of her. She was trying to give me directions as I read the signs, but she wasn't really sure where I ended up.
So I pulled over and had Tim talk to a cab driver. She instructed him to drive to our house, and I just followed him. The fair was $3, and I gave him a $3 tip. Believe me, it was money well spent.
So I pulled over and had Tim talk to a cab driver. She instructed him to drive to our house, and I just followed him. The fair was $3, and I gave him a $3 tip. Believe me, it was money well spent.
Cell Phones in Cars
A new law went into effect today, prohibiting the use of cell phones in cars, except when used in conjunction with a hands free device. The first offense is a fine, while the second can also result in the suspension of our license. Authorities are confident that this will result in a significant reduction in traffic accidents.
I don't want to be critical of the the law. This is their country, and I'm just a guest here. Additionally, Thailand is certainly not alone in restricting the use of cell phones in cars. I do wonder, however, if there aren't other areas that might warrant attention first. I might think that they might first focus on things like cracking down on people driving the wrong way on motor cycles, weaving in and out of traffic on motorcycles, cars pulling out in front of people, and maybe just rethinking the back assward road system they have here. Of course, restricting cell phones is easier.
I don't want to be critical of the the law. This is their country, and I'm just a guest here. Additionally, Thailand is certainly not alone in restricting the use of cell phones in cars. I do wonder, however, if there aren't other areas that might warrant attention first. I might think that they might first focus on things like cracking down on people driving the wrong way on motor cycles, weaving in and out of traffic on motorcycles, cars pulling out in front of people, and maybe just rethinking the back assward road system they have here. Of course, restricting cell phones is easier.
Bad Traffic
We were out driving on the expressway the other day, when I saw something funny. Funny in the sense that it wasn't happening to me.
Traffic was backed up on the expressway. Up forty or fifty feet ahead of us the highway split, and there was a police motorcycle parked in front of the median. The traffic going to the right was at a standstill, and the cop was writing a ticket (or more likely receiving a cash payment if you know what I mean) to the driver of the car stuck in traffic next to him.
Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The guy just got stuck in front of the policeman, so he got "pulled over".
Traffic was backed up on the expressway. Up forty or fifty feet ahead of us the highway split, and there was a police motorcycle parked in front of the median. The traffic going to the right was at a standstill, and the cop was writing a ticket (or more likely receiving a cash payment if you know what I mean) to the driver of the car stuck in traffic next to him.
Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The guy just got stuck in front of the policeman, so he got "pulled over".
Cyclone Aid
As the details of the havoc and death left in the wake of the cyclone that recently hit Myanmar (Burma), people and countries around the world are looking to help. There have been pledges of money, supplies, and even personnel trained to handle these type of catastrophes.
One of the big obstacles is the Myanmar government. There are emergency personnel waiting to enter with supplies who are waiting to get visas approved. So far the government has not been inclined to waive or expedite visas in order to help its own people. While there are apparently some supplies already in country, those will quickly be exhausted leaving the victims of the storm in more peril.
France has actually floated the idea of a U.N. resolution to allow aid workers to enter Myanmar without visas. They would invoke a "responsibility to protect" clause of the U.N. charter. Presumably, if such measures were taken, the Myanmar government would not forcibly resist such aid. Hopefully it doesn't come to that, and that the Myanmar government doesn't have complete disregard for all of its people. Their past behavior gives one pause, however.
Interestingly, the government had previously scheduled a referendum on a proposed constitution on May 10th. This proposed constitution was written by the military junta, and will do little to reduce its power or provide more freedom to the people of Myanmar. The government has decided to proceed with the vote, except in the areas hit hard by the cyclone. Its really sad to see that it is going to devote at least part of its attention to this sham referendum when so many of its people are suffering.
One of the big obstacles is the Myanmar government. There are emergency personnel waiting to enter with supplies who are waiting to get visas approved. So far the government has not been inclined to waive or expedite visas in order to help its own people. While there are apparently some supplies already in country, those will quickly be exhausted leaving the victims of the storm in more peril.
France has actually floated the idea of a U.N. resolution to allow aid workers to enter Myanmar without visas. They would invoke a "responsibility to protect" clause of the U.N. charter. Presumably, if such measures were taken, the Myanmar government would not forcibly resist such aid. Hopefully it doesn't come to that, and that the Myanmar government doesn't have complete disregard for all of its people. Their past behavior gives one pause, however.
Interestingly, the government had previously scheduled a referendum on a proposed constitution on May 10th. This proposed constitution was written by the military junta, and will do little to reduce its power or provide more freedom to the people of Myanmar. The government has decided to proceed with the vote, except in the areas hit hard by the cyclone. Its really sad to see that it is going to devote at least part of its attention to this sham referendum when so many of its people are suffering.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Driving in Thailand
I'm really glad that I started driving. Although its sometimes nice having a driver when it comes to parking, I really prefer the freedom go somewhere when I need to without waiting for someone to show up. Sometimes I would be waiting at the house while the driver was "stuck in traffic" or whatever excuse he had.
Driving here presents some challenges over driving in U.S. Here you drive on the left instead of the right side of the road. Well, most of the traffic drives on the left side of the road. You'll see motorcycles sometimes driving the wrong way in order to avoid a long u-turn.
The prevalence of u-turns is a bit different. Most roads of consequence here have built in u-turns. I think that's in large part because larger roads are divided highways. If you want to go to a place on the other side of the road, you don't turn against traffic to get there, you drive to a u-turn, turn around, and drive back to your destination. It can make for longer trips. That store you want might be right across the street, but if the u-turn is a mile away, you are going to drive two miles to get there.
Road signs can often present a challenge. Most of them have both English and Thai, but certainly not all of them. Even when you have the English letters, the way things are spelled might not correspond to how you think they are pronounced. For example, a major road near here is named Chaeng Wattana. Its actually pronounced more like Jang Wattana. In fact its spelled differently on different road signs. I've seen the following derivations:
- Chaeng Wattana
- Chaeng Watthana
- Chaing Wattana
- Jang Wattana
Driver's here are fairly aggressive. They have no compunction against pulling out in front of you, and once one does, others will often follow in their tail. Hey, you are already slowed down, right? Before you pull out in front of someone though, remember this, if they flash their lights, it means that they are NOT going to slow down. Yeah, if you think that nice person is flashing you to go ahead and enter, you might get an unpleasant surprise.
On smaller streets, you'll often have people parked on the side with their car, motorcycle or vending cart. On a two lane road, this will often mean that you need to stop in order to allow other traffic to pass. The same thing is when you encounter bicycles or even pedestrians. Hey, its not like there is room on the sidewalk for pedestrians.
Another challenge is just the sheer size of Bangkok. It has a population larger than Chicago, and is layed out in a less than intuitive manner. It takes a while to learn your way around. Tim often calls Top or Tham to get directions, usually on the fly.
So while driving in Bangkok is not nearly as pleasant as driving in Cincinnati, I'm glad I'm doing it.
Driving here presents some challenges over driving in U.S. Here you drive on the left instead of the right side of the road. Well, most of the traffic drives on the left side of the road. You'll see motorcycles sometimes driving the wrong way in order to avoid a long u-turn.
The prevalence of u-turns is a bit different. Most roads of consequence here have built in u-turns. I think that's in large part because larger roads are divided highways. If you want to go to a place on the other side of the road, you don't turn against traffic to get there, you drive to a u-turn, turn around, and drive back to your destination. It can make for longer trips. That store you want might be right across the street, but if the u-turn is a mile away, you are going to drive two miles to get there.
Road signs can often present a challenge. Most of them have both English and Thai, but certainly not all of them. Even when you have the English letters, the way things are spelled might not correspond to how you think they are pronounced. For example, a major road near here is named Chaeng Wattana. Its actually pronounced more like Jang Wattana. In fact its spelled differently on different road signs. I've seen the following derivations:
- Chaeng Wattana
- Chaeng Watthana
- Chaing Wattana
- Jang Wattana
Driver's here are fairly aggressive. They have no compunction against pulling out in front of you, and once one does, others will often follow in their tail. Hey, you are already slowed down, right? Before you pull out in front of someone though, remember this, if they flash their lights, it means that they are NOT going to slow down. Yeah, if you think that nice person is flashing you to go ahead and enter, you might get an unpleasant surprise.
On smaller streets, you'll often have people parked on the side with their car, motorcycle or vending cart. On a two lane road, this will often mean that you need to stop in order to allow other traffic to pass. The same thing is when you encounter bicycles or even pedestrians. Hey, its not like there is room on the sidewalk for pedestrians.
Another challenge is just the sheer size of Bangkok. It has a population larger than Chicago, and is layed out in a less than intuitive manner. It takes a while to learn your way around. Tim often calls Top or Tham to get directions, usually on the fly.
So while driving in Bangkok is not nearly as pleasant as driving in Cincinnati, I'm glad I'm doing it.
Sweetie
Its intersting to see Aleena starting to come into her own. Over the last month, and even few weeks, it seems like her language skills and play skills are really developing. Her sentences are a lot more complete and thoughtful.
At dinner, I usually have the kids take turns talking about their day. We don't always do it, and its often side tracked by something, but its a nice chance for them to get to share what happened with the rest of the family. Until recently, Aleena wasn't an active participant. I might ask her some questions, but she really didn't say much on her own. Now, however, she is participating, and its kind of amusing. I'll start with her and she'll start talking about her day. After a lull in the conversation, I'll ask Jacob or Nalin to share. Aleena will get indignant and inform me that she is not done. She gets angry when we try to proceed before she is finished. After a few times of this, I finally came up with a plan that seems to work. Aleena will speak for a while, and then I'll tell her that its one of the other children's turns, but that we can come back to her after everyone has had a turn. This satisfies her, although she never has really asked to come back to her.
One word that Aleena seems to have trouble with is the word "white". She pronounces it "wipe". Its actually amusing to hear her talk about Snow Wipe.
Aleena loves to play with her and Nalin's barbies. Sometimes she will play with me, sometimes the nanny, and other times she'll want to play by herself. When she plays, she can be quite bossy. She has certain dolls that she wants you to use and strong opinions about what their actions should be. It is funny to hear her have the dolls talk to each other, having the "mommy" call the children "sweetie". There is usually a mom, a big sister, a little sister, and sometimes a dad.
Aleena's greatest joy, though is her big sister Nalin. She adores her, wanting to do everything that her big sister does. Nalin is actually a pretty good big sister who looks out for Aleena, but her little sister's attention is not always appreciated.
At dinner, I usually have the kids take turns talking about their day. We don't always do it, and its often side tracked by something, but its a nice chance for them to get to share what happened with the rest of the family. Until recently, Aleena wasn't an active participant. I might ask her some questions, but she really didn't say much on her own. Now, however, she is participating, and its kind of amusing. I'll start with her and she'll start talking about her day. After a lull in the conversation, I'll ask Jacob or Nalin to share. Aleena will get indignant and inform me that she is not done. She gets angry when we try to proceed before she is finished. After a few times of this, I finally came up with a plan that seems to work. Aleena will speak for a while, and then I'll tell her that its one of the other children's turns, but that we can come back to her after everyone has had a turn. This satisfies her, although she never has really asked to come back to her.
One word that Aleena seems to have trouble with is the word "white". She pronounces it "wipe". Its actually amusing to hear her talk about Snow Wipe.
Aleena loves to play with her and Nalin's barbies. Sometimes she will play with me, sometimes the nanny, and other times she'll want to play by herself. When she plays, she can be quite bossy. She has certain dolls that she wants you to use and strong opinions about what their actions should be. It is funny to hear her have the dolls talk to each other, having the "mommy" call the children "sweetie". There is usually a mom, a big sister, a little sister, and sometimes a dad.
Aleena's greatest joy, though is her big sister Nalin. She adores her, wanting to do everything that her big sister does. Nalin is actually a pretty good big sister who looks out for Aleena, but her little sister's attention is not always appreciated.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Cyclone Update
I just wanted to blog a bit about the cyclone that hit Myanmar this past weekend. I've received a few emails checking on how we are doing, and I appreciate it.
As you've undoubtedly heard, a cyclone struck Myanmar this past weekend. I've read estimates putting the dead at 15,000 or 22,000 people. The exact number is not known, and will likely continue to grow. The electricity in the capital city of 6.5 million has been off for four days, and flooding and storms continue to ravage the area hit by the cyclone. Some predict that the aftermath may kill more than the storm itself.
Some of the media coverage has led to some confusion. Myanmar is not part of Thailand. I read one article on the internet where the person clearly thought that Myanmar was a city in Thailand. It is not. Myanmar is a neighbor to Thailand's west, and they share quite a long border. While the cyclone apparently hit Thailand too, it did not have near the devastation here. I'm not sure if there have been any casualties in Thailand from the storm.
There are probably a few reasons for the confusion. Myanmar was formerly named Burma. The military junta changed the name in 1989, although the opposition in Burma continue to call it Burma. While that was nearly 20 years ago, I think a lot of people may not have heard of the country named Myanmar. I didn't realize it until my trip here.
Another reason is that most of the reporting seems to be out of Thailand. The dateline on articles is often Bangkok, Thailand, and sources in Thailand are often quoted in the articles. Due to the suppression of the free press by the military junta, I doubt there were a lot of Western journalist stationed out of Myanmar. The closest place where you could probably find knowledgable people is here in Thailand.
It will be interesting to see what aid the military junta accepts from the United States. The leaders of Myanmar have accused the U.S. of wanting to overthrow their unelected government. Most believe that they will refuse the U.S.'s offer of the assistance of naval resources to help in the rescue and recovery efforts.
Thailand will probably play a pretty significant role in the relief efforts. Despite the fact that Thailand is a democracy (a deeply flawed one, but compared with its neighbors, an absolute brilliant beacon of freedom) and Myanmar an oppressive military dictatorship, the two countries have a cordial relationship. They are neighbors and important trading partners to each other. And lest we forget, its not like Thailand is a stranger to military dictatorships itself.
As you've undoubtedly heard, a cyclone struck Myanmar this past weekend. I've read estimates putting the dead at 15,000 or 22,000 people. The exact number is not known, and will likely continue to grow. The electricity in the capital city of 6.5 million has been off for four days, and flooding and storms continue to ravage the area hit by the cyclone. Some predict that the aftermath may kill more than the storm itself.
Some of the media coverage has led to some confusion. Myanmar is not part of Thailand. I read one article on the internet where the person clearly thought that Myanmar was a city in Thailand. It is not. Myanmar is a neighbor to Thailand's west, and they share quite a long border. While the cyclone apparently hit Thailand too, it did not have near the devastation here. I'm not sure if there have been any casualties in Thailand from the storm.
There are probably a few reasons for the confusion. Myanmar was formerly named Burma. The military junta changed the name in 1989, although the opposition in Burma continue to call it Burma. While that was nearly 20 years ago, I think a lot of people may not have heard of the country named Myanmar. I didn't realize it until my trip here.
Another reason is that most of the reporting seems to be out of Thailand. The dateline on articles is often Bangkok, Thailand, and sources in Thailand are often quoted in the articles. Due to the suppression of the free press by the military junta, I doubt there were a lot of Western journalist stationed out of Myanmar. The closest place where you could probably find knowledgable people is here in Thailand.
It will be interesting to see what aid the military junta accepts from the United States. The leaders of Myanmar have accused the U.S. of wanting to overthrow their unelected government. Most believe that they will refuse the U.S.'s offer of the assistance of naval resources to help in the rescue and recovery efforts.
Thailand will probably play a pretty significant role in the relief efforts. Despite the fact that Thailand is a democracy (a deeply flawed one, but compared with its neighbors, an absolute brilliant beacon of freedom) and Myanmar an oppressive military dictatorship, the two countries have a cordial relationship. They are neighbors and important trading partners to each other. And lest we forget, its not like Thailand is a stranger to military dictatorships itself.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Breaking Bricks
Jacob and Nalin had their yellow belt tests for Tae Kwon Do on Friday. They both passed and will get their new belts next week.
Part of the challenge was to break a brick with their bare hands. They were like the traditional brick, but only about 1/2 or 1/3 as thick. When Jacob broke his, the instructor put his break on top of two others. Jacob broke it with one try. With Nalin, he helped her by having one end on another brick and the other on the ground. It took her several tries, but she finally broke her brick.
Part of the challenge was to break a brick with their bare hands. They were like the traditional brick, but only about 1/2 or 1/3 as thick. When Jacob broke his, the instructor put his break on top of two others. Jacob broke it with one try. With Nalin, he helped her by having one end on another brick and the other on the ground. It took her several tries, but she finally broke her brick.
Jacob Pictures
Here are a couple of pictures of Jacob from his last cub scout meeting. Jason Richardson came and did a rope bridge with the kids. They really enjoyed it.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Not Really That Miserable
I know that its very chic right now to be miserable. The news is full of stories about how bad the economy is performing. You've heard it uttered, and maybe even said it, "the worst economy since the great depression." Amazingly, during the last presidential cycle, I seem to remember the same worst economy claims.
While fuel and food prices are certainly up, I think an objective look at the numbers will give people some perspective of how the economy is performing.
One such measure is the misery index. This index consists of the sum of the interest rate and the unemployment rate. The higher the number, the more miserable. A high number means a lot of people out of work and a high cost to borrow money.
The misery index for 2007 was 7.46. This was achieved by low interest rates and pretty low unemployment rates. Well how does 7.46 stack up historically. The actual number for each year is listed here. As a summary, the lowest misery index since 1948 was 3.47. The highest was 20.76. The average for the sixty years was 9.42. One third of the years had a better misery index than 2007, while a full 2/3 had a worse misery index.
The consumer price index is another indicator. Last year's 2.8 percent increase is below the historic 3.8 average since 1948.
There is no doubt that government spending is out of control. Unfortunately, I'm not optimistic that this will satisfactorily addressed by any of the candidates for the Presidency. Indeed, as all bills of spending originate in the House of Representatives, even willing President might be hard pressed to exercised real fiscal restraint.
So what does this all mean? Relax a bit, I say. Yes, gas and food are a bit more expensive at the moment. Will the stay that way? Maybe, maybe not. But one component of economic performance is consumer confidence. If people become overly worried to the point where they are afraid to spend money, then what they fear will come to fruition. People stop buying things, so companies stop making them. And when they stop making things, manufacturers, retailers and others have to lay people off. These unemployed individuals now have less money to spend.
A gloomy economic outlook can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Cheer up.
While fuel and food prices are certainly up, I think an objective look at the numbers will give people some perspective of how the economy is performing.
One such measure is the misery index. This index consists of the sum of the interest rate and the unemployment rate. The higher the number, the more miserable. A high number means a lot of people out of work and a high cost to borrow money.
The misery index for 2007 was 7.46. This was achieved by low interest rates and pretty low unemployment rates. Well how does 7.46 stack up historically. The actual number for each year is listed here. As a summary, the lowest misery index since 1948 was 3.47. The highest was 20.76. The average for the sixty years was 9.42. One third of the years had a better misery index than 2007, while a full 2/3 had a worse misery index.
The consumer price index is another indicator. Last year's 2.8 percent increase is below the historic 3.8 average since 1948.
There is no doubt that government spending is out of control. Unfortunately, I'm not optimistic that this will satisfactorily addressed by any of the candidates for the Presidency. Indeed, as all bills of spending originate in the House of Representatives, even willing President might be hard pressed to exercised real fiscal restraint.
So what does this all mean? Relax a bit, I say. Yes, gas and food are a bit more expensive at the moment. Will the stay that way? Maybe, maybe not. But one component of economic performance is consumer confidence. If people become overly worried to the point where they are afraid to spend money, then what they fear will come to fruition. People stop buying things, so companies stop making them. And when they stop making things, manufacturers, retailers and others have to lay people off. These unemployed individuals now have less money to spend.
A gloomy economic outlook can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Cheer up.
Forbidden Kingdom
Tim and I took Jacob and Aleena to see the movie Forbidden Kingdom tonight. Nalin was spending the night at a friend's house.
We all liked the movie. I was a little concerned that it might be a bit too much, especially for Aleena, but she did really well. She said it was only a "little" scary.
We all liked the movie. I was a little concerned that it might be a bit too much, especially for Aleena, but she did really well. She said it was only a "little" scary.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Protests
I was pretty stoked when I read an article in this mornings Bangkok post about Chinese students protesting the French grocery chain Carrefour. If you are a regular reader, you are probably aware of my dismay over mispriced items at said retailer. For a few seconds I thought that the entire Chinese nation had rallied to my cause; that they, like me, were outraged about the inability to correctly match products and price tags on a shelf.
My elation soon turned to disappointment, as I read on to discover that these Chinese students were protesting Carrefour to demonstrate anti-French sentiment over France's criticisms of China's treatment of Tibet. Now, I'm not one to dismiss criticisms of the French out of hand, I mean it is good sport. One of my favorite lines in all of comics was in Marvel's Ultimates series, when the villain tells Captain America to surrender, to wit the good Captain responds "[d]o you think the A on my forehead stands for France?" Okay, the French aren't really that bad, but its still fun.
The Chinese protesters were chanting slogans against Tibetan independence. They didn't quote the protesters, so I can only imagine some of the slogans.
"You can have my lama when you pry it from my cold dead hand."
"Chinese don't kill Tibetans. Chinese soldiers with guns and tanks kill Tibetans."
"Two, four, six, eight, don't let Tibet separate."
"George Bush stole the election from Al Gore!" (sorry, couldn't resist that one, its a favorite protest line of so many)
"Kill defenseless monks? Haven't you ever seen a martial arts movie? Those guys are dangerous."
"Free the hamsters first!" (a shot at Dalia Lama supporter Richard Gere who was the subject of scurrilous rumors about hamsters and his butt)
My elation soon turned to disappointment, as I read on to discover that these Chinese students were protesting Carrefour to demonstrate anti-French sentiment over France's criticisms of China's treatment of Tibet. Now, I'm not one to dismiss criticisms of the French out of hand, I mean it is good sport. One of my favorite lines in all of comics was in Marvel's Ultimates series, when the villain tells Captain America to surrender, to wit the good Captain responds "[d]o you think the A on my forehead stands for France?" Okay, the French aren't really that bad, but its still fun.
The Chinese protesters were chanting slogans against Tibetan independence. They didn't quote the protesters, so I can only imagine some of the slogans.
"You can have my lama when you pry it from my cold dead hand."
"Chinese don't kill Tibetans. Chinese soldiers with guns and tanks kill Tibetans."
"Two, four, six, eight, don't let Tibet separate."
"George Bush stole the election from Al Gore!" (sorry, couldn't resist that one, its a favorite protest line of so many)
"Kill defenseless monks? Haven't you ever seen a martial arts movie? Those guys are dangerous."
"Free the hamsters first!" (a shot at Dalia Lama supporter Richard Gere who was the subject of scurrilous rumors about hamsters and his butt)
Labor Day
Like much of the world, today Thailand celebrated labor day. Most Thais are off of work today. Tim did not go in the office, although she did some work from home.
Aleena was off of school today. The non-teaching staff at ISB was off today, but Nalin and Jacob had classes.
I'm glad the U.S. celelbrates Labor Day in September instead of on May 1st. When I think of May first, I think of May Day as celebrated by the communist regimes. The old Soviet Union celebrated May Day with the parading of tanks, missiles and other manifestations of its military prowess through the streets of Moscow.
Those communist regimes certainly looked out for the workers. In addition to killing over 60 million between them, Soviet Stalin and Chinese Chairman Mao impoverished most of their people. And let's not forget about the worker's paradise that is North Korea, where its people sometimes resort to "feasting" on delicacies such as tree bark.
Aleena was off of school today. The non-teaching staff at ISB was off today, but Nalin and Jacob had classes.
I'm glad the U.S. celelbrates Labor Day in September instead of on May 1st. When I think of May first, I think of May Day as celebrated by the communist regimes. The old Soviet Union celebrated May Day with the parading of tanks, missiles and other manifestations of its military prowess through the streets of Moscow.
Those communist regimes certainly looked out for the workers. In addition to killing over 60 million between them, Soviet Stalin and Chinese Chairman Mao impoverished most of their people. And let's not forget about the worker's paradise that is North Korea, where its people sometimes resort to "feasting" on delicacies such as tree bark.
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