Finding a suitable topic for this issue was not easy. After
all, I thought, people don’t want to think about financial matters at Christmas. Or
do they?
Most readers this sunny Christmas morning will fall into one of three
categories: 1) Those who are looking forward with eager anticipation to their turkey,
stuffing and mince pies; 2) Those who have to slave over hot stoves preparing the feasts
for the first category; and 3) Those who don’t give a damn about Christmas and just
wannanotherbeer...
Being Careful
Whichever category you fall into, it’s worth
bearing in mind that at this time of year even more alcohol than normal is consumed by
more people out for a little fun (or in some cases, a lot), who then wend (or wind) their
way home (or elsewhere for more sanuk), all too often using their own means of transport -
cars meandering down the middle of the road, the drivers totally oblivious to what’s
happening around them (although that is a daily phenomenon, not just at Christmas time),
motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic at 80 kph with a whole party on board, only the
headlight working, and the mirrors positioned so the driver can see the pretty girls
sitting behind him (but never mind any other vehicles on the road) - and there you are,
going along minding your own business (and totally sober of course), just as one of these
twits appears out of nowhere.
As Newton discovered, the force of the resulting collision is proportional
to the squared velocity of impact, which can mean a tangled mass of metal and a mangled
mess of you.
If you don’t have adequate medical insurance, not only your head but
your holiday budget will end up with quite a dent in it.
Just to add insult to your injury, because of the way the law is
interpreted here, the local driver will, of course, not be held responsible let alone
accountable (assuming he hasn’t already fled the scene, as most do given the chance);
he probably doesn’t have proper insurance anyway; and certainly won’t have any
money to pay for your hospital expenses, let alone compensation for your injuries. After
all, it was your fault for getting in his way, wasn’t it, you silly farang!
Never mind the local driver is either too young to hold a driving license,
and wasn’t wearing a crash helmet, or was driving like a maniac on the wrong side of
the road with his whole family piled onboard the motorcycle (which isn’t his but
borrowed from a friend who hadn’t got around to registering or insuring it yet), your
righteously indignant protests will fall on smiling faces with deaf ears, and you will
probably find yourself forced not only to pay the hospital bills of the poor lad but
compensate him (and of course his family) for his being unable to work as a result of his
injuries, and perhaps even replace his motorcycle as well...
Perhaps that’s one reason why many locals at this time of year go
around merrily humming, "Santa Claus is com-ing to town!"...
Your investment in Christmas
No matter whether you’re a resident or just
visiting, you’ve almost certainly had to think about your budget in preparation for
this festive season. And you’re probably looking forward to getting maximum value for
your investment - even if this means just having some pleasant memories of a relaxing time
spent with friends, old or new.
Traditionally at this time of good cheer, we tend to think especially of
friends and family.
Christmas for many is a time of family reunions, giving and receiving
presents, renewing acquaintance with friends and relatives in distant lands who send us
Christmas cards even though we may not hear from them the rest of the year.
On the other hand, Christmas in Thailand, like most traditional festivals
everywhere, has become big business.
For many resident entrepreneurs, it’s the ‘high season’ -
the period when they hope to make sufficient income from the annual influx of visitors to
keep them going the rest of the year.
The past year’s economic crisis has been hard on many entrepreneurs
here, and the local government’s decision to turn parts of our City into a
cross-country safari are undoubtedly helping increase the tourism revenues. Of
destinations such as Phuket or Koh Samui, that is...
Eventually, of course, the water treatment plant will be finished, Beach
Road will be resurfaced, the 101 ‘illegal’ establishments along the Golden Mile
will have been replaced by a nice new pier and some new shops & restaurants (maybe),
and Pattaya can look forward to a bright future as tourists with pockets full of hard
currency once more flock here for fun in the sun in the Country Which Never Ceases To
Amaze...
Keeping traditions alive
For those who feel that the tradition of giving and
receiving gifts at this time of year has taken on an unfortunate patina of commercialism
that has come to mask the original spirit of joy in the birth of Christ, and since this
column has to do with money, let us pause to reflect on just how ‘Christian’
some of our most popular Christmas traditions really are.
Fun was had and gifts were exchanged at this time of year long before
"Christmas" became the name for it. Originally, all the old pagan religions
celebrated the passing of the shortest day and the ‘rebirth’ of the new year in
this mid-winter festival.
The ancient Roman Saturnalia, for example, was their biggest festival of
the year, and a good excuse for them to let their hair down and have an especially fun
time, wining and dining for several days following the winter solstice.
An important part of this festival was going to the local temple (where
indeed much of the frivolity occurred), and exchanging gifts with family, friends, and
important people of influence.
Of course, all the pagan temples made a lot of money out of these
festivals, as did the shopkeepers, and suppliers of food and drink.
Then, when Christianity became the official religion under Constantine the
Great in the 4th century AD, the shrewd Church fathers pragmatically adopted this festival
for their own (as they similarly did for the spring festival, which Christians now call
Easter, interestingly a corruption of the name of the Babylonian earth goddess and wife of
Baal, Ishtar), thereby ensuring the people still had their traditional fun and
entertainment, only under a new guise. This kept everyone happy (including the shopkeepers
and suppliers of food and drink), and ensured worshippers’ contributions continued to
flow into the newly-renamed temples...as they still do.
The tradition of giving gifts to servants and suppliers may have been
general practice in pre-Christian Roman times, but came back into vogue in 19th century
Britain when the family servants were given their Christmas ‘boxes’ and a
special day off by their generous employers on the day following Christmas, December 26th.
This practice has been perpetuated in the uniquely British public holiday called Boxing
Day, despite not many British households having servants any more.
Fancy wrapping paper hadn’t yet been invented in Roman times (the
Romans used cloth); and the tradition of giving holiday greetings printed on card started
in Europe during the 15th century, with hand-printed New Year’s woodcut engravings
being given to family and close friends. Indeed, it was not until the postal system was
first introduced in Britain in the 19th century that the widespread practice of sending
Christmas cards began. This quickly caught on in America, where greeting cards have now
become an enormous and very lucrative industry.
Yule logs go back to pre-Christian Norse traditions, but the widespread
use of an evergreen tree festooned with ornaments dates back only to the last century,
having originated in pagan rites of pre-Christian Germany, and was possibly first
introduced into England by Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert von Saxe-Coburg.
Mistletoe again has nothing to do with the Christian festival, but can be
traced all the way back to the ancient Druids of Britain (who predated even the Romans),
who used it in their fertility rites - an important one being of course the mid-winter
solstice. On the other hand, a tea made from mistletoe leaves was believed by Western
American Indians to have contraceptive and abortive qualities. Hence the
‘modern’ tradition of it being "okay" to kiss anyone standing under it
(although whether this will induce or reduce fertility is anyone’s guess.)
Santa Claus is real!
Santa Claus (an American contraction of the Dutch
Sint Nikolaas or Sinter Klaas), was a real Catholic bishop of the early Christian church
in Lycia, Anatolia (on the Mediterranean coast of modern-day eastern Turkey), but he was
not taken to slipping down chimneys after dark, nor driving a sleigh pulled by reindeer
(which incidentally come only from Lapland, so in the fine tradition of Mohammed and the
mountain, Santa Claus was moved in myth from where he really lived to where the reindeer
really live - and none live either in Turkey or at the North Pole, as far as I know. And
please don’t ask me about reindeer with shiny red noses, although there are quite a
few farangs in Pattaya who have these, so maybe they know...)
Interestingly, St. Nicholas’ reputation for generosity and compassion
has nothing to do with Christmas, but derives from the legend that he saved the three
daughters of a poor man from a life of prostitution.
(Which sounds reminiscent of similar activities followed by certain
good-hearted people in modern-day Thailand...)
On three separate occasions the bishop is said to have tossed a bag of
gold through the family’s window, thus providing a dowry to procure for each daughter
an honourable marriage.
(Although the legend doesn’t tell us if these marriages actually took
place, or whether the father simply used the money to get drunk or pay off his debts, as
apparently happens quite frequently in modern times in some locales.)
Anyway, this legend provides the foundation for the custom, still followed
in many countries, of giving gifts on the saint’s feast day - which by the way is
December 6th, not Christmas Eve as many believe.
His association with bringing presents to good children (and switches to
bad ones) is in fact a Dutch tradition, brought to America by the early settlers of New
Amsterdam, and the red ermine-trimmed suit and cap similarly derives from the robes &
mitre of Dutch bishops.
He became associated with Christmas largely as a result of the popular
stories of Washington Irving, the cartoons of Thomas Nast, and a famous poem by Clement
Moore in the United States in the early 19th century, and has since developed into a
purely secular figure known worldwide.
Joy to the world
So there’s a long tradition of euphoria and
gift-giving at this time of year, no matter whether you’re a Christian (practising or
just professing), pagan or Druid.
However, if you’re turned off by the crass materialism found
everywhere at this time of year, and bemoan the seeming loss of the spirit of generosity,
we all have the capacity to keep that spirit alive, and do something positive about it
this Christmas.
Let us therefore spare a thought for those who have to work to make our
holidays more enjoyable. For those less fortunate than ourselves. For those who don’t
have families or close friends to share this festival with. Let us all show our joyful
spirit of generosity in some small way, even if it’s only a genuinely-meant
"thank you" delivered with a smile to the person who serves you your traditional
Christmas dinner today.
May I therefore take this opportunity to thank the regular readers of this
column most sincerely for your encouragement and support during this past year, especially
those who have sent in such interesting comments and enquiries.
May your Christmas holiday be safe and joyful, and your New Year peaceful
and prosperous.
If you have any comments or queries on this article, or about other
topics concerning investment matters, write to Leslie Wright, c/o Family Money, Pattaya
Mail, or fax him directly on (038) 232522 or e-mail him at [email protected]. Further details and back
articles can be accessed on his firm’s website on www.westminsterthailand.com.
Leslie Wright is Managing Director of Westminster Portfolio Services
(Thailand) Ltd., a firm of independent financial advisors providing advice to expatriate
residents of the Eastern Seaboard on personal financial planning and international
investments.
Ranjith Chandrasiri, Resident Manager of the Royal Cliff
Grand has led an amazing life. Born in Sri Lanka, studying languages and hotel management
in Germany, working in Europe and then, together with his charming wife, adopting
Australia as home on his way back to Asia.
Even as a lad Ranjith could see future direction. At age 16, he watched
Sri Lanka going through a tourism boom, so he took himself off to the prestigious
Steigberger Hotel School in Germany for four years of rigorous training in all aspects of
the industry. Excelling in languages at school and, even then, realizing communication was
the name of the game, Ranjith concurrently taught himself German, French and Japanese. He
is now fluent in five languages.
After graduating he chose a broad based experience
and spent the next five years in Germany and Europe working in varied hospitality
positions, as chef, restaurant manager, food and beverage manager, and chief airline
steward.
Returning to Sri Lanka nine years later to political problems, he found
another type of fortune there in renewing an acquaintanceship with the daughter of the
family doctor. She was also a hotel school graduate. They fell in love, migrated to
Australia, married and after a two year settling in period, took Australian citizenship.
"Now we proudly call Australia home," Ranjith said. "It was easy to migrate
then. Australia is so free, has a great climate and excellent wines. We were both given
management positions immediately."
Ranjith worked at the famous Intercontinental Hotel in Sydney as Food and
Beverage manager. While there he studied for a wine diploma, though already good with
European wines, he wanted to develop a thorough knowledge and appreciation of the local
Australian wines. He was subsequently rewarded with Special Honours for compiling the
Intercontinental’s wine list, winner of the Best Wine List in the World Award for
five years. He has also received many other awards for his skills in organization and
management.
Ten years in Australia and another career challenge was called for, so
Ranjith chose to go to Cambodia to take charge of Training and Human Resources in the new
Intercontinental Hotel in Phnom Penh. "That was really a challenge. Starting a five
star hotel from nothing, being responsible for development, training, and
recruitment."
After two years there he detoured on his way back to Australia to assess
the Royal Cliff position of Manager. "My wife had always been fond of Thailand so we
came to have a look. I saw it was truly a five star hotel and the owners and their welcome
impressed me. I have been here six months now and I am really glad I made the
decision."
Everything in Ranjith’s life appears to be a multicultural flow on
from his original career choice. His hobby of cooking is an example. "Good food and
wine is my passion. I love making European dishes with wine." The classic way to
combine those two loves! So too his Sri Lankan and Australian favourite sports of cricket,
soccer and rugby. One wonders which side he barracks for in those heated Sri Lankan/Aussie
test matches? His love of classical jazz and dancing was also perhaps European inspired.
Ranjith’s philosophy seems career orientated with success to him
depending on, "How you set your long and short term objectives. Also team work is
essential to achieve anything." Ranjith has loads of advice to beginners in the
industry. "Get as varied experience as possible, to succeed it is important to be
flexible, have the correct attitude and be customer focused. Also the more questions you
ask the more you learn."
His plans for the future are reshaping, "We always wanted to have our
own hotel, though living in Thailand makes you want to stay longer, so that may
change." The multilingual, multicultural Ranjith Chandrasiri appears to have found
home.
One of the harder subjects to photograph is one person in a
crowd. You can get the crowd in focus OK, along with your subject, but how do you pluck
the subject away from the rest of the people surrounding him or her?
The answer is a long lens, called a telephoto, or even a zoom with tele
capabilities. Look at the photo with this week’s column. This guy was the big base
drummer in the Royal Scots Guards and standing in a line-up of musicians. This particular
chap, with his cap over his forehead, looked to me to be an interesting photographic
subject. The end result is a shot I am very happy with. Crystal clear, sharply in focus.
The guy’s concentration just beams out, and the peak on his cap is just so different
from the usual. As I said, a great subject and a pleasing shot you could even enter in a Pattaya
Mail photo competition.
Portrait of a Scots Guard drummer.
Now, to take this shot with a "standard" 50 mm lens or even a
wide angle lens and walking up real close wouldn’t give me the picture I wanted.
Firstly I would have been so close I would have ended up with a bagpipe in my left ear,
and secondly all the other guys would have been in focus as well.
The lens I chose was a "small" telephoto lens of 135 mm. It
could get me out of the firing line of the bagpipers, yet not have me so far away that the
flash would run out of power. By setting the aperture on f5.6 I ended up with the chosen
subject being sharply in focus, but the next guy in line being softly out of focus.
In other words, I had defined my subject out of the crowd. Using the short
Depth of Field you get with a longer lens makes it possible to get this type of shot. It
is for those sort of reasons that professional photographers have a range of lenses. One
standard lens can give you "standard" pictures. Once you try to accomplish a
little more than just a "record" shot, you do need the extra capabilities of
different lenses.
Note that pro shooters will generally use what we call "prime"
lenses (fixed focal length) rather than "zooms". This is because zooms do tend
to be a little less sharp in focus than the fixed focus ones.
More on photo-processing
Continuing on with last week’s subject - the appalling standard of
photo-processing in Pattaya, guess what? I got some cracker-jack results in Jomtien last
weekend. Good colour, sharply printed with excellent contrast.
Now, it is important to realise that this outlet will probably only be as
good until the chemicals are taken beyond their lifetime of usefulness (what I believe is
the main reason for lousy processing here), so don’t blame me if next week’s
results are back to woefully pathetic! The shop is the Kodak place across the little Soi
from "Big" supermarket, about 500 metres down Beach Road from the Dong Tal
Police Station.
Another interesting piece of information was that I processed two rolls of
200 ASA film. One was Fuji and the other Kodak. The Fuji roll of prints appears to me to
be slightly better than the Kodak one on a very subjective perusal. Both were printed on
Kodak Royal paper, so there was no difference there. A nice touch too, is the printing of
the negative number on the back of the print, along with the colour balance data. Anyone
else got anything to report?
by Dr Iain Corness
Over the past few years, the art and science of Radiology has really
changed. This change has benefited the diagnosticians, who now have other ways of finding
out what is wrong with you, but it has also been of great benefit to you, the patients, as
well.
You gain in two ways. Firstly it is much more likely that your treating
doctor will come to the correct diagnosis more quickly, and secondly, you can avoid all
sorts of surgical (and painful) diagnostic procedures. What would you rather have - a
special X-Ray or the knife? (Don’t bother writing in with your replies to that
question!)
This week, we look at some of the newer radiology techniques and explain
what they actually do. We bandy around these wonderful phrases like "I’m going
for a CAT scan next week" without really knowing what it means, so let’s begin
there.
CAT stands for Computerised Axial Tomography, so you’re still fairly
well in the dark, aren’t you! What this represents is a special X-Ray that looks like
"slices" through the area to be investigated. The Radiologist determines just
how thick the slices should be and can then study your body as if he were looking at
progressive slices of smoked ham (thought you’d like a Xmas analogy!). These scans
will also show areas of "soft" tissue as well as the hard, bony skeleton, while
standard X-Rays tend to show the hard material and do not do too well with the softer
regions. An X-Ray of your skull, for example, shows the hard box your brain comes in, but
CAT will show the brain itself.
Another newer technique is MRI, otherwise known as Magnetic Resonance
Imaging. These are even better at showing the soft tissues and can be particularly useful
in showing areas of haemorrhage into soft tissues.
Whilst not really an "X-Ray", one of the expanding diagnostic
tools is Ultra-Sound. This is done by passing a smooth probe over the area of concern and
viewing the response on a TV screen. From there, the images can be "caught" and
viewed later. This type of procedure has revolutionised the study of blood clots in the
legs, soft tissue problems around bony joints and investigations of liver and gall
bladder.
These developments have really come on in leaps and bounds over the past
ten years, and all diagnosticians and treating physicians and surgeons owe a debt of
gratitude to the Radiologists who have developed the techniques. As I said before - there
is one really big winner - and that is YOU!
Dear Hillary,
I’m at a loss at what to do about this situation. Our
maid, who is wonderful, is from one of the more provincial areas of Thailand.
Recently, her mother came to visit. As she is quite an elderly lady and
has a bit of trouble with her knees, I told our maid she could use our inside
‘sit-down’ toilet.
It was very curious. I would see our maid’s mother go into the
bathroom. She would close the door and be in there almost an hour. I would sit in the
living room, reading and drinking my gin and tonic. About 30 minutes later, I would hear
the water in the sink running for the longest time. But I did not hear the toilet
flushing. Going in to check, nothing was amiss.
Then I would see her go into the bathroom with a water glass. She would
leave the door open but I never heard any water running.
This happened for about 3 days. Overcome by curiosity, I finally told my
maid what was going on and would she please check with her mother?
Hillary, her mother thought the sink was the toilet and she thought the
toilet was our ‘well’. So, when she went in and closed the door, she was using
the sink as a toilet and when she went in with the water glass, she was getting a drink
from the ‘well’, i.e., the toilet!
She did tell her daughter that ‘Farang’ toilets were a bit
‘hazardous’ but she thought the ‘wells’ were wonderful.
She asked ME what to tell her mother. What should I say?
Boggled
Dear Boggled,
Don’t say anything and stay away from the sink.
Dear Hillary,
I realize that I should be tolerant but it’s so difficult sometimes.
We just moved to Pattaya and I hired a housekeeper with over 20 years experience and many
letters of reference, praising her to the skies.
Well, things are seldom what they seem, are they?
This maid very will not do things the way I tell her to and sometimes even
ignores me.
She’s also very annoying about it. I was trying to teach her how to
make beef stew and she almost threw me out of the kitchen! Every time I show her how my
husband’s clothes should be placed in his closet, she does it another way, which is
very inconvenient.
The worst thing is, my husband and 3 sons are on her side! The other
night, I was complaining to him about the way she arranged things. He just laughed at me
and said, ‘I like the arrangement.’
I told him it was very inconvenient. ‘Maybe for you,’ said the
cad. ‘But that’s the way I like it.’
I told him that his clothes were always arranged differently in our home
country. Hillary, the monster said, ‘YOU arranged things the way it was convenient
for you. The housekeeper asked me how I wanted things done and she does it that way. Leave
her alone.’
‘But her stew,’ I repined. ‘Yeah!’ he said.
‘Isn’t it great?’
Crushed again!
Hillary, this is getting out of hand. How do I put a stop to this?
Miffed
Dear Miffed,
Well, you could fire the housekeeper and do all the housework and
marketing in the crushing heat yourself. Of course, this means you couldn’t go to
ladies’ luncheons and would get cheated at the market.
Or, you could bear in mind that your housekeeper is a professional at her
job and let her do it.
No one seems to be complaining, except you.
Would you tell your surgeon how to operate?
Sorry. Wise up!
By Dr. Iain Corness
A couple of weeks ago I asked about The Prince of Darkness.
That brought a flood of replies and here’s the best of them...
From Chuck Frieden - "I’m guessing, but I suspect the
"Prince of Darkness" was Mr. Lucas of automobile wiring connectors infamy. At
least he’s the reason I’ve heard that Brits drink warm beer. (Their
refrigerators are made by Lucas)."
From Martyn Callow in Canada - "LUCAS! - who else could get their
wires so thoroughly crossed? (Nice pun there, Martyn!) My Audi had their wretched
injectors."
Prince of Darkness.
From: John Winward - "The ‘Prince of Darkness’ was, of
course, Joe Lucas. The title was conferred upon him by admiring customers of his
electrical systems. When Churchill used that famous line ‘The lights are going out
all over Britain’ he was, in fact, simply quoting the Lucas Company’s 1938
Mission Statement."
John continues - "Actually, to those of us who are fans of Italian
motorcycles, the problems with old British electrics are milk-and-water stuff. As a mere
undergraduate, I owned a Ducati SS200. Checking it over for the MOT I found that the horn
wasn’t working (I hadn’t noticed - you could have let that horn off in the
Reading Room of the British Museum without attracting attention). Tracking the problem
down to the button assembly on the ‘bars’, I took the thing apart. I discovered
- I’m not kidding - that the ‘contact strip’ for the horn button was made
out of a bit of old baked bean can. It still had the label on the back. That was the
famous year that Ducati took one and two at Imola. Fortunately, neither Smart nor the
Italian rider were called upon to use the horn during the race."
Thanks, guys for those amusing replies. Martyn gets his beer by mail (just
add water) while Chuck and John can approach me personally!
The remarks about the Italian baked beans tin I can truly understand - it
was only a few years ago that an Italian Chianti manufacturer (I use that term advisedly,
rather than wine producer), was found guilty of adulterating his product with ground up
umbrella handles, of which there was obviously a glut that year!
Toyota finds itself in a spot of bother
Quite some months ago I wrote a piece on the current
state of the world-wide auto markets and the trends as I saw them. In that article I even
had the temerity to suggest that there was a limit to how many Corollas the world could
stand, and additionally there was a slump in the Japanese domestic market that would
adversely affect the Japanese manufacturers. Guess what? Automania was first again!
The world’s number 3 car maker, Toyota Motor Corp, is in trouble in
the domestic marketplace of Japan. All sorts of scapegoats are being dragged out, from
"dull" products, to no "youth appeal" to anything else which might
appease the Big Boss short of ritual Hara Kiri. To stem the tide, Toyota are making a Fun
Park somewhere in Japan! And this will revitalise the flagging economy of Nippon and fix
Toyota’s home grown worries? Have they gone mad?
Honestly, it is time the car makers of the world got on with the job they
do best. Making cars! That is certainly not making fun parks, sponsoring tennis matches or
other such tommyrot. While they are at it, Toyota might also have a look at the number of
models they have competing against their own products - sales of which are taken away from
their own parent company, but push the price up by reducing the volume of each model sold.
There is also the small matter of all the new "brand names" that
Toyota seem to be inventing. Keep the Lexus brand if you must, but forget all the others
and rationalise the model line-up. There you are Mr. Toyoda San, just post the cheque to
my private P.O. Box, thank you.
While maintaining our record of total autotrivia, hands up all those who
know what a Palindrome is? (It’s always the same hands, isn’t it!) A Palindrome
is a word or phrase which reads the same in both directions - the "Able was I ere I
saw Elba" supposedly uttered by Napoleon (which it wasn’t), is the classic.
However, Toyota could easily have one too... all they have to do is put an "A"
in front of the name and you get "ATOYOTA". If they had that in the insignia on
the radiator grille it would still read the same in the rear vision mirror of the car in
front. Try it! (Mr. Toyoda, make that a second cheque in the envelope as well.)
Autotrivia Quiz
It was Toyota that was the subject of last week’s quiz, and the name
of the founding family. As mentioned in the par above, the name was "Toyoda" -
not "Toyota". There was some strange reason for this which involved
transliteration problems, if my memory serves me correctly.
We’ve been talking about General Motors recently, with their public
commitment to vehicle manufacture here in the Eastern Seaboard. So for this week’s
Autotrivia Quiz, and for the Automania FREE beer of the week, email or fax me at the
Editorial offices the first correct answer to this - General Motors was formed on the 16th
September 1908 and produced their 25 millionth car in 1940, their 50th millionth in
November 1954 and their 100th millionth car in April 1967. What brand names were each of
these vehicles? Now that’s almost too easy! It’s actually not difficult, believe
me! It has something to do with Swiss racing drivers.
So let’s end this week with some more details on GM, gawdblessem. The
founder was William Crapo Durant, who unfortunately, didn’t stick with the business
he knew best, either. In 1932 he went into the supermarket business and died a relatively
poor man 15 years later. Durant’s own empire was founded on the brands Durant, Star,
Locomobile and Flint. The rock he foundered on is not known, but GM survived to be number
1 in the world. Let’s hope the Thailand plant helps keep them there.
Breeding Like Rabbits!
The best thing you can do for your rabbit is to spay
or neuter. This gives them a longer, healthier life with more sociable, gentle habits.
Find a vet who has done this before (see next week).
Scared Little Rabbit
Rabbits are nervous by nature, probably because most
other larger animals regard them as dinner. They can be literally frightened to death. A
hawk, cat, dog, snake or mongoose, even outside their pen, can causes panic. The bunny
thrashes around wildly and can break its own back or drop dead from a heart attack.
Because most predators hunt at night it is better to bring pet rabbits inside in the
evenings. A sturdy covered pen in a shady spot in the garden will usually keep them safe
during the day. A slatted base to give access to grass but not burrowing is ideal.
Run Rabbit Run
Bigger is better. Make a cage at least four times as
big as Ms. Bunny or even more if she is confined for most of the day. You can build your
rabbit a two storey condo with floors connected by a ramp. They love this. Remember to
give them a slatted, solid, or cardboard covered floor. Wire is too hard on their no pad
paws. An open box inside with some straw or shredded paper where they can make a secure
nest is ideal. Bunnies also need lots of baby toys to play with.
Hi Diddle Widdle
Rabbit potty training takes persistence, patience
and personal pain. Good luck. Litter boxes should be provided and newspaper, litter of
paper pulp (probably difficult to get here) or recycled paper is ideal but most cat litter
(diatomaceous earth) is not, and can cause health problems.
Let us eat lettuce
A rabbit is a "greenie" and need heaps of
vegies, grasses, vegetables, water and pellets while in captivity. Give lots of cabbage,
lettuce, dark leafy greens, radishes, carrots, but avoid beans and rhubarb. Rabbits need
food every day, so it is important to make sure they do not miss out at meal times.