Tidbits, Morsels and Dribbles!

Tidbits, Morsels and Dribbles!

A couple more Dalai Lama observations that I found interesting:

“What surprises me most is “Man”, because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he doesn’t enjoy the present; The result being he doesn’t live in the present or the future; He lives as if he’s never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived.” – Dalai Lama

“Whether one is rich or poor, educated or illiterate, religious or non-believing, man or woman, black, white, or brown, we are all the same. Physically, emotionally, and mentally, we are all equal. We all share basic needs for food, shelter, safety, and love. We all aspire to happiness and we all shun suffering. Each of us has hopes, worries, fears, and dreams. Each of us wants the best for our family and loved ones. We all experience pain when we suffer loss and joy when we achieve what we seek. On this fundamental level, religion, ethnicity, culture, and language make no difference.” – Dalai Lama

A little article from the Bangkok News recently:

New Delhi: Nearly 600,000 Indian men who have sexually harassed or taunted women will receive a text message from police during the New Year reminding them to be on their best behaviour. “You and your phone are still under observation. Hope your conduct is upright now. We wish you a Happy New Year,” says the greeting from police in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The messages will be sent to “eve-teasers” - the South Asian term for the sexual harassers of women - today. “The message to eve-teasers, or pesky callers, is a reminder that the police have their record. It is meant as a deterrent.”

Interesting television practises:

Whenever anyone is smoking during a movie scene, there is a little cloud that obscures the actual cigarette. You can see the smoke and the act of smoking, but the evil cigarette is censored. Seems a little bizarre when you witness the violence and brutality that is often seen in movies along with drinking and other debaucheries. 

At 6 pm every night all TV channels are taken over by the government to broadcast a 20-30 minute, I assume, political commentary. No exceptions! A good time for supper or a bathroom break, where you will not have to be afraid of missing the program you are watching.

Dentist Fees: Again, as is the case in Mexico, I am astounded by the dental fees that are posted at the many dental clinics in Bangkok. For example, a filling costs $26 Canadian, an extraction $36, cleaning $36 and a dental implant $2000. It feels so good to know that back home we are so abused by the dental profession regarding fees, that I might just get a tooth pulled for the hell of it. At $36 it’s a steal! What is wrong with this picture?

Seat belts are compulsory on buses. On the windows of the bus there are stickers that read, “Belts compulsory, no excuses”. A very responsible attitude to be sure. The only minor flaw is that all of the seat belts are locked shut underneath the seat. If you wanted to actually use a seatbelt, you would practically have to crawl under the seat to undo the belt and then try to rearrange it to use over your lap. To date, I have not seen anyone who was that committed to its use!

Finally, for all my teacher friends: We have a mission ahead of us. In Thailand last month, 200,000 grade twelve students wrote government exams and the results were dismal. On average, students failed 8 out of the 9 exams. Their highest score was 56% in Thai language. Their averages were: social studies 34%, English 30%, math 28% and science 26%. The government insists educational reform is essential. I propose that we slap together a submission for major education upgrading and get in on the reform bandwagon. If you are with me, just let me know by email and we can get started. Knowing the talents of my readers who are educators, it will be a piece of cake! Let’s get cracking! First Calgary Catholic, then Thailand, tomorrow the world!