CheshireTom

I read that but, as Scally never tires of telling us, Boeing delivers on time, on spec, on budget.

The news was announced by Boeing on Monday of this week. The aircraft was due to make its first flight in August, now they are saying Mid-November to mid-December. That is not 1 1/2 months, is it? So, contrary to the title of the thread, it is not on schedule. If nobody gives a shit, why start a thread on the subject in the first place.

Mulphy, Just had a look at the pics. A stupid question ....... why is the TV at the other end of the room from the sitting area? I would have thought that if guys were going to relax with a few beers to watch the footie or something then the TV would be better nearer the seating area. Same, same with the fridge .... it's in the sleeping area. It's not if you can be pushed for space, after all the rooms are 60 sq m.

The Sabai Lodge has its own restaurant that does half-decent Thai food.

Is BigD's prediction proving to be the kiss of death for Boeing ............ Too many reports coming out now that makes it seem like a case of deja-vu .......... Fastner problem could prove longer term hindrance to Boeing By Stephen Trimble A deeper and more widespread fastener shortage than previously thought may continue to hamper 787 production long after the first aircraft is fully assembled and in flight test. Boeing has confirmed the issue with temporary fasteners that helped to delay the 787's first flight date by at least three months is not limited to thousands of individual fasteners, but actually thousands of types of fasteners. Boeing chief executive Jim McNerney also warned at an investor conference on 11 September that the problem of fastener shortages may pose a long-term management risk for the 787. Previously, Boeing executives have said the fastener issue should be resolved after the 20th aircraft is completed on the assembly line. "We're making a progress but it's still a scramble though," he said. "It's still a scramble, if I'm honest." Jeff Turner, chief executive of Spirit AeroSystems added: "Fasteners are still a real painful exercise. We spend a lot of energy across all of or product frankly to get all the fasteners that we need." Boeing attributed the fastener shortage to industrial capacity issues, blaming a wave of consolidation in the fastener industry several years ago. The new consolidated firms, such as Alcoa, he said, "misjudged" the air transport industry's rebound after 2004 and failed to invest in new capacity. However Turner, addressing the Morgan Stanley Industrials CEO Conference, said he believed the shortage was actually caused by Boeing's decision to build a mostly composite airframe. "If you are a builder of metal airplane componentry and commodities I think you kind of took a deep breath," Turner said. "So I think maybe you had a natural lag in trying to plan and catch the cycle." Meanwhile, Boeing's largest suppliers confirm that both fastener shortages and system installation delays are hampering efforts to meet the 787's new first flight window from mid-November to mid-December. To address supplier concerns, Boeing has given them a 40 to 45-day schedule buffer by resequencing the assembly schedule, moving delivery of the fatigue airframe ahead of delivery of the second flight test aircraft, McNerney said. That schedule change is intended to relieve pressure on suppliers to fully assemble their sections despite the fastener shortage, but the supply chain is also wrestling with delays of systems equipment. "When Boeing talks about needing to resequence, part of the resequencing is that, by and large, we had our structure done and the systems weren't there to integrate into that," Turner said. "Knowing what I do now, I think I would have had our team work a lot harder trying to pull that systems definition and installation plan sooner."

Khun Meechai, Thai father and Scottish mother (hence his sense of humour ). He is the brother of the guy that runs PIH/PIC/Jazz Pit and Sugar Hut. He recently received a 1m USD donation from Bill Gates in recognition of his work. His work wasn't originally about Aids but population control in the provinces and the profits from Cabbages and Condoms and the Birds and Bees Resort go to the PDA (Population Development Agency or something similar).

LF, I do my runs to Sadao on the Malaysian border as its only an hour or so from where I live. No extra paperwork needed but I would imagine for Cambodia you have to cough up your 20 USD for a visa on arrival. Tom

Some updates from the ceremony to mark the first of AirAsiaX's receipt of its first A330. Worth noting is that Stansted appears to be pretty much confirmed as the UK destination and the flights will be by A340 rather than A330. The passengers won't notice any difference, apart from the number of engines, but it does mean they can do STN-KUL non-stop rather than having a stop in the middle-east which was the original understanding. A big bonus especially for those guys who may want to do Angeles (or just about anywhere else in Asia) as well as Thailand since AirAsia flies from KUL to Clark daily. Just need flights now from KUL-U-Tapao to complete the jigsaw. AirAsia X going to London SEPANG: Long-haul low-cost carrier, AirAsia X, is expected to launch its maiden flight to Standsted, London, by end of next year, says its chief executive officer Azran Osman Rani. Speaking to reporters after the welcoming reception for AirAsia’s Airbus A330-300 here yesterday, he said the company had already secured the landing rights for the London destination and would fly on a daily basis using the A340. “If all goes well, we should be ready to launch the UK route by end-2008 and commence sales and bookings in February,” he said, adding that the two A340 aircraft would arrive in October and November next year.

Meanwhile, over at The Wall Street Journal (Respected publication that it is) ...... was reported as saying ....... September 17, 2007 Suppliers Mock Boeing Boeing (BA) insists that it 787 Dreamliner will be delivered on time next year, despite a multi-month delay in its maiden flight. Lack of parts for the new plane and assembly problems have vexed the big US airplane maker, much as they did rival Airbus over a year ago. Airbus delays cost its orders for its new planes, and many of these customers went to Boeing. Apparently, Boeing's suppliers are willing to say what Boeing is not. The Wall Street Journal writes: "We looked at each other and said, 'Are they kidding?'" said a senior Boeing supplier who listened in on the conference call in which Boeing broke the news to Wall Street analysts and reporters. Is Boeing acting responsibly toward its investors and customers? Probably not. The odds that it cannot deliver the plane on time are clearly increasing very quickly. In its analysis, The Journal adds "according to people familiar with the program, suppliers at factories in Italy, Japan and the U.S. continue to experience chronic parts shortages." Boeing needs to come clean on what the market already know. It cannot deliver its 787 on time. If its comes close, it is no shame. If customers think they have been toyed with, Boeing starts to get a reputation like the one Airbus has. It cannot deliver products and it is not willing to admit that until it is too late for customers to change their plans. Douglas A. McIntyre

Whatever happened to the Fruitcase? Was he only visiting this planet, or what?

Soi 5 in Jomtien is probably best avoided until they put up the 90 storey condo complex that is due to start ground works soon.

Coincidentally, there was a full page spread in today's Bangkok Post on this subject. You could pass opinion on some of the content but, essentially, it makes several valid points. Zealous to speak English The low English competency of Thai students nationwide will remain unacceptable unless teaching methods drastically change Story by WEENA NOPPAKUNTHONG As a result of the low English test scores on the recent Ordinary National Educational Test (O-net), deputy secretary-general Dr Somkiart Chobphol of the Office of the Basic Education Commission announced that for the 2008 academic year the commission may increase classroom time for English and other core subjects of the national curriculum. Such a move indicates the government's immediate attempt to tackle the low English competency among Thai students, but it still overlooks the antiquated and ineffective methods used to teach English in Thai classrooms. English in Thai classrooms Instead of teaching Thai students English in the way a language is naturally learned -starting from listening and speaking and moving to reading and writing - Thailand's current education system takes the opposite approach and starts with writing, says Thongchai Yenprasert, Nonthaburi Provincial Administration Organization (NPAO) president. Moreover, our national tests emphasize grammar skills and neglect English conversation skills. Thongchai urges the Education Ministry to seriously consider why many Thai college graduates still struggle to communicate with foreigners, despite having been intensively taught grammar rules at school for years. In order to push Thai students to be competent in English, the NPAO is currently funding the Ramkhamhaeng Nonthaburi English Teachers Project, which supplies native and proficient English speakers to teach Prathom 1 to Matthayom 6 level (Grades 1 to 12) students in nearly 80 government schools using the realistic approach of encouraging youths to first speak the language. Reluctant to speak A majority of Thai teachers choose to speak Thai while teaching English because they do not speak English well, which means the students do not have a role model, says project director Lawrie Whitmore. Students know their Thai teachers will translate everything into Thai if they fail to comprehend a point in the lesson. As a result, pupils are robbed of opportunities to listen to and comprehend spoken English. And because the teacher explains in Thai, there is never a need for the student to exert an effort to speak English to their Thai teachers, says Tanawan Kaewpan, head of the foreign language department of Bang Bua Thong School in Nonthaburi province. Younger students are reluctant to speak English because they do not see it as relevant to their lives, says Whitmore. Many students will not realize the relevance until they enter the workforce. He adds that Thai youngsters are also reluctant to speak English because of the fear of making mistakes and `losing face' (being embarrassed) if they mispronounce a word or use incorrect grammar. Competition breeds motivation The Ramkhamhaeng Nonthaburi English Teachers Project has organized the Ramkhamhaeng Nonthaburi English Competitions to encourage Thai youths to speak English. The key asset of the competition is the use of fun ways for students to learn and to overcome their fear while speaking English. Nearly 1,500 primary and secondary school students from 70 government schools in Nonthaburi province joined the three-day event. The competition was arranged in various categories of interests that included: word scrabble, poetry, choir, vocal solos, trivia questions and answers, storytelling, drama, television newscasting, chants and cooking. There is widespread enthusiasm among students because the competition allows them to use English to do things they are interested in, while emphasizing their speaking and listening skills. Because the competition allows students to compete in areas of their interest, speaking English naturally becomes more relevant to them. Making English relevant, is a component often missing in the classroom. The competition is open to all students, regardless of their English speaking abilities. There is no discrimination on the basis of English competency. The only requirements are a desire to use, speak and comprehend English. Relevancy is key to success Woraya Sintanapaisan, a Grade 6 student at Wat Klong Khunsri School, likes to read. She competes in the storytelling division and captivates the audience by impersonating each character of her story, whether it is a girl, a butterfly or a spider. Woraya is marked on how she projects her voice, the clarity of her speech, her storytelling skills, and dramatic expression, all of which she has clearly mastered. Although very fluent in her delivery, Woraya says she still wants to improve her accent. She is fortunate to be regularly exposed to English outside her classroom, as she talks daily to foreign customers who shop at her family's small food business. ``I just talk, even though I might make a mistake,'' says Woraya, adding that her confidence comes from reading many books in English, some with Thai translations. After singing the song ``I Will Always Love You'', Ravikorn Sayamipakdi, a Grade 11 student from Suankularb Witayalai Nonthaburi School, comments that the singing competition motivates her to practice English. She says she often learns new English vocabulary by listening to English songs and trying to understand their meaning from the context within the song. ``You can let others teach you (English), but if you don't try on your own, then there is no use,'' says Ravikorn, before she is greeted by a throng of primary grade students who lined up to ask for her autograph after her stunning performance. For the television newscast competition, one challenge for students is the lack of a teleprompter often used by news anchors in newsrooms. The absence of a teleprompter means that students often have to memorize the majority of their news stories. Some primary school students visibly struggled to recall the bulk of their news story from memory, but they stoically pushed on to the end with a positive and ``can do'' attitude. Many secondary school students possess the confidence and the delivery style of professional anchorpersons. Students receive awards certificates for first, second and third place finishes in each category of the competition, while the rest of the students receive a certificate for participating in the competition. Lack of teachers and funding English cannot be taught effectively nationwide unless the country has the right people to do the job. Many small schools across the country lack funds to hire a sufficient number of teachers. The resulting teacher shortage means that teachers are often pressured to teach subjects beyond their area of expertise. Those pressured to teach English feel it's safer to strictly follow the repetition drills or vocabulary lists in textbooks, and to have students copy what they write on the board, says Melvyn Sharman, assistant director of Ramkhamhaeng Institute of Languages at Ramkamhaeng University, which is responsible for the NPAO project. Many Thai graduates who are highly competent in English opt to work in private companies, as opposed to becoming state school teachers because there are more career opportunities and greater salary increases, says Thongchai, who is concerned that this trend will lead to a shortage of quality teachers in the near future. Government schools lack funds to hire teachers or to improve their school's quality, and the budget request process of the Education Ministry is too slow and elaborate. As a consequence, schools often directly approach their provincial administration organization and ask for funding for a project, he adds. Realistic approach Whitmore says other provinces have expressed interest in implementing similar projects. In an effort to demonstrate the efficacy of the Ramkhamhaeng Nonthaburi English Teachers Project, he plans to conduct a random survey of English speaking and listening skills of students in Nonthaburi schools and compare the results to surveys taken in other provinces. He anticipates that there will be an enormous improvement in the English ability of students in schools that participate in the project. The education of Thailand's children cannot wait for a new government to be elected at the end of the year. This project is an excellent example of how concerned people, who are willing to start at the root of an obvious problem, can teach English effectively in Thai schools without having to wait for an approved plan of attack to officially come through the Ministry of Education.

There are hundreds of posts on the subject. Try a search on "dental" or "dentist".

touristman, Don't underestimate the CELTA courses. They, unlike many of the TEFL courses, are fairly intensive and you do need a good grasp of English grammar/usage. There are a few sites that have downloadable examples of the pre-course exercise that you need to undertake prior to being accepted on a course (ECC Thailand, Elite and International House Vietnam are three off the top of my head). I'll put together a post recounting some of the issues that I faced during my move here. It may prove useful or perhaps highlight some things that you may have not yet considered. Tom

The whole world and his dog knows that. Just that some people couldn't acknowledge the fact. Mind you, its the delay that has been announced up until now, before the aircraft has even been built, that is insignificant .......... or at least it's insignificant for Emirates. Probably because they haven't actually ordered any 787s.

I generally agree but I was referring more to the extreme parts of Isaan where there is direct, overland trade with China. That's the area where the first batch (400 if I remember correctly) of Chinese teachers were headed.

Well, apart from me, Asiarooms, gothailand and ratestogo all list it as a four star hotel.

What a load of bollocks. You obviously haven't got a clue about the procedure or cost of getting a standard meter taxi.

Why do you say it's expensive? It's 2,000 Baht a night for a 4 star hotel. And what's not all that wonderful about it? The rooms? The staff? The location?

Perhaps you did, but the other 50-odd million folk chose otherwise. I hope your pregnancy went well.

Probably for the exact same reason they choose not to live in the centre of London, Manchester or Birmingham. You should give it a go, it might broaden your horizons.

Thai universities don't pay particularly good wages and very few of the folks that I know who work in that particular sphere have teacher certification. A TEFL certificate and, in most cases, a degree is all that's needed. To get the better positions in international schools or larger corporations the emphasis is on teaching experience.

Generic tadalafil (apcalis) should be selling for around 500 baht for a box of 4. Branded stuff (cialis) should be retailing at around 1,800-1,900 Baht for a box of 4 (all 20 mg). If you are offered "the real thing" at 1,000 Baht for 4 it is almost certainly fake and I would take my time to check the box seals and batch number embossing. The buy-in price to the pharmacist for branded cialis is around 1,500-1,600 Baht per 4 x 20mg.

Sidney is the first route. London will start in late Dec/early Jan.