COLUMNS

HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:
 
Family Money: The biggest clamps down
 
Snap Shots: Buying an SLR
  
Modern Medicine: Cat Scratch Disease

Heart to Heart with Hillary
 
Grapevine
 
The Message In The Moon
 
Women’s World
 
Animal Crackers
   
A Slice of Thai History
 
Antiques, are they genuine?
 
The computer doctor

Family Money: The biggest clamps down

By Leslie Wright

Last week we looked at how charges are levied on offshore investment vehicles, and the transparency I believe should be applied by all financial consultants in making the client aware of both the entry and exit costs before he makes a decision.

One of the leading offshore providers of unit-linked policies (investment vehicles run by an insurance company), and arguably the largest in the industry - Isle of Man-based Royal Skandia - announced recently that it is going to require all IFA’s (independent financial advisers) around the world to submit signed illustrations showing the effect of charges on their investment products.

I am sure this will hearten them to those financial consultants who have enjoyed the freedom to date of operating in unregulated environments and not having to comply with the rules governing our industry in better-regulated environments such as the UK and Hong Kong.

One Dubai-based IFA was
reported as saying that he would stop writing business for Royal Skandia. This is a great pity, because Royal Skandia has some excellent and very cost-effective investment products, so the end losers will be his clients. This man is really client-orientated, isn’t he?

Personally, I welcome the introduction of requiring signed illustrations. Even though my firm is operating in an unregulated environment, I have always made it a rule to present clients with clear illustrations of the effects of charges on their proposed investment vehicles.

This ensures my clients are properly informed before making a decision, and protects my hard-won reputation for professional integrity down the road.

So this new rule will not change the way I conduct my business. As I said at the beginning, I’m a great believer in transparency.

I believe all clients should know exactly what they are committing to, and the effects should an unexpected
change of circumstances force them to suspend further contributions into alonger-term plan, or encash their investment early.

This was brought home recently when a client of mine needed to encash a lump-sum investment to finance a business project. He told me
before I could tell him that he knew he would suffer penalties for taking the money out before the five-year establishment period was up, and actually went on to apologise for being forced to do so!

Sad though I was that the client was losing out by encashing his investment early, I was gratified to know that I had properly informed the client going in, so he was making an informed decision coming out.

I believe the client’s assurance that when this client’s business venture has been successful and he has money to spare again, that he will come back to me for advice on how to invest his new capital.

On the other hand, if I had not made the charges clear to him at the beginning, I would now have a disgruntled client who might be going around town accusing me of having “misled” him about the investment vehicle I had recommended - which incidentally was not from Royal Skandia, nor was I forced by that institution’s rules to declare the effects of the charges that pertain to the particular investment vehicle I recommended to this particular client. I simply choose to do so, as for the third time, I’m a great believer in transparency.

Regimes around the world are becoming increasingly concerned at regulating the financial services industry, and I think this is generally a
good thing (provided it is in the best interest of clients
and not simply to provide petty bureaucrats with jobs and a modicum of power.)

As the regulations come into effect, ethical financial consultants will be able to adapt their business practices fairly easily, and it will have comparatively little effect on their productivity.

It will, however, tend to weed out the weaker consultants and unscrupulous operators, as happened in UK when new regulations a few years back forced nearly three-quarters of the IFA’s at the time to close shop.

This has resulted in UK now having a hard-core of professionals who are operating at a higher level (in most cases) and writing better quality business as a result.

Eventually this will happen in other regimes also, which will similarly professionalise the whole industry.

In regimes where no rules exist at present, or are poorly applied or enforced, institutions such as Royal Skandia are forcing IFA’s to be self-regulating and either clean up their act or not write business. Hopefully other major internationally recognised financial institutions will soon follow Royal Skandia’s lead in this regard.

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Snap Shots: Buying an SLR

by Harry Flashman

Last week I wrote about buying a compact camera. Now, the SLR’s. These are even more difficult to pick. As a guide, if you want good results, stick to the better known brands, but it is still a mine field out there.

As with all purchases, you have to first set your budget. It is pointless looking at 250,000 baht cameras if you have a 25,000 baht budget. Look at your finances and then go from there. Let common sense rule your bankbook, not your emotions.

Again, just like with the compacts, you have to decide whether you will remain true to film, or whether you are going to go digital. Digital devotees will say how much money they save by not having to get films developed and printed, how they can see straight away whether they have got the shot they wanted and how they can manipulate the shot they have taken on their home computer. What they do not say is how they can show the photo to their friends. Lug the computer round to Aunty’s house? Or buy an expensive printer, loaded with expensive photographic quality paper and then make prints yourself? Personally, I believe the choice is simple. If you are taking shots to send via email, then go digital. If your photographs are to be kept in albums to show to your friends then stay conventional.

Having done all of the above, it is only now that you should start hanging around the camera shops. What you have to remember with SLR’s is that you are buying into a “system”, not just a camera. You should be looking to the future to be able to add on to what you have.

If you are starting with a small budget, then you are better off buying one camera body and one lens, then building up from there. Next purchase would be a wide angle lens, then a portrait lens and so on. With the better brands, the new lenses will fit the older cameras and vice versa, so you have the option of starting with good second hand equipment as well. For example, after Harry had his 3 cameras, 3 motor drives and 3 lenses all “kamoyed” I went out and bought two S/H bodies, one motor drive and three lenses. This gave me the capabilities of my previous system, without the total horrendous cost of replacing the lot.

While on about S/H equipment, I go to Mah Boon Krong in Bangkok and have dealt with a mob called Foto File on the ground floor. The equipment is generally in good condition and you will get a (short) warranty, that is enough for you to put a couple of rolls of film through to check that it is operating properly. Bargain hard, but you won’t get them to come down much. (If you do, let me know and you can get my order next time!)

My personal favourite is Nikon. The typical journalist’s camera is the FM2n. A totally ‘mechanical’ camera that will work anywhere, any time. Rugged and reliable. Expect to pay around 9,000 baht for a newish body only. Nikon also has great optics in the lenses and they will retro-fit. Lenses are a few thousand baht each too.

If price is no drawback then the Nikon F5 is hard to beat. The pro’s camera. If you cannot afford this one, then take a look at the Nikon F90X.

The other brand used by 50% of pro shooters is Canon, with the top of the range EOS-1N RS rivalling the Nikon F5. Again, you’ll need a fat wallet for one of these. The cheaper EOS models are also good cameras. After those two brands, look at Minolta Dynax models and the Pentax MZ series; however, never forget you are buying into a system that should stay with you for life.

So there you have it. See how big your cash tin is and then go from there. Happy hunting!

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Modern Medicine: Cat Scratch Disease

by Dr Iain Corness, Consultant

Is your at killing you?

A little over 50 years ago, the clinical signs of Cat Scratch Disease were described, called romantically “La Maladie des griffes du chat.” However, the symptoms of this ailment are far from romantic.

Cat Scratch Disease affects between 2-10 people per 100,000 head of population in America, so whilst it isn’t an everyday diagnosis, most doctors will come across a few cases in their medical lifetime.

The presenting symptom is a regional swelling of the lymph nodes, generally in a young person or a child, and the usual scenario involves a panicking parent who is sure the child has lymphatic cancer.

What actually happens is that the cat is carrying an organism, known as Bartonella henselae, which it inoculates into the human system. This bug in turn is trapped by the lymph glands, within which one almighty fight takes place, with the end result being that the glands swell dramatically and can even burst through the skin as a suppurating discharge. Other signs and symptoms include a fever, sore throat and headache.

Now there are many causes for swollen glands, fever, headache and sore throat, so how do we pick on the family pussy cat? Quite simply, there will be a history of having been bitten or scratched by the family moggy, and the inoculation site will drain into the affected lymph glands.

So just how does the cat give you a “shot” of bugs? Well, firstly, somewhere between 20-40% of cats are carrying the organism, and it lives in the cat’s saliva as well as in its blood. While licking its claws, puss leaves a collection of the organism there, which in turn becomes yours when the cat scratches you.

Cat Scratch Disease, although generally localized can end up infecting internal organs such as the liver, spleen heart and brain, though this is very rare. For most people who contract the illness they quietly recover, though it can sometimes take some months. There is treatment, with one of the most appropriate antibiotics being Doxycycline, while the most usually available penicillins are fairly ineffective. There are tests which can be done in the laboratory to prove or disprove infection by Bartonella henselae, so what we call a “Definitive” diagnosis can be made. Again you can see the dangers in self medication. If you do indeed have Cat Scratch Disease from the cat bite, the penicillin you bought is useless!

So should we all go out and take our cats down to the vet and consign them to the great veterinary hospital in the sky? The simple answer is no, but the moral to this tale is that we should be on our guard. Cat scratches and bites should not be taken lightly. Immediately after any injuries you should wash the wounds with soap and water and after a thorough cleansing only then apply your favourite antiseptic, and at the first sign of problem, pop into the hospital and get it checked. But please leave the cat at home!

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Dear Hillary,

You constantly seem to give advice that Thai girls are out for our farang money and not true love. I believe this is unfair, my Thai girlfriend has helped me no end since I arrived originally from Northern England via Spain with my retirement nest egg. I bought a house and she persuaded me to not put in her name but to form a company of which I own 49%, with her, plus her brother (who is so close to her he wants to sleep in the same bed as her twice a week), sisters (2), mama and papa (2) owning the other 51%. This would mean they would all have to get together to oust me from our 4 million baht love nest. Impossible!

Secondly she let me buy out the half share in her beer bar on Soi A40. I don’t actually have any paperwork to authenticate this but it was the best 250K baht I have ever spent. Some sceptical people like yourself may comment you are buying half of nothing and the rumours that the bar is just a shack on wasteland which Tops are about to flatten are just jealous ones. She has even helped me renovate the shack. Now if she wasn’t looking out for my interests would she let me spend money so freely? She even supplied the workers for the renovation from her own family to keep costs down. She has also persuaded me to cut down on little things like buying new clothes as she can wash my one remaining shirt each night when she comes home.

So you see Hillary the old expression a fool and his money are easily parted does not always ring true in Pattaya. Anyway got to go, a motorbike taxi just drove into my bar!

Yours soon to be moneyless,

N. Monkey

Dear N. Monkey,

Yes, my poppet, you soon will be moneyless. Isn’t it amazing that in a country where it is so cheap to live, you can run out of money so quickly! That’s just one part of the “amazing” things in Amazing Thailand. You are so lucky to have found such a close-knit family, and isn’t her brother a treasure! Such devotion should be rewarded by their meeting up with generous people such as yourself who can assist them in their day to day endeavours to eke out a living. You can be proud that you have helped so many deserving people. By the way, do you have a brother? Your generosity and clear headedness may just run all the way through your family, and Hillary would like to meet him, before someone else does!

Dear Hillary,

Just a simple one, but one I am sure you have been asked before. To go shopping for genuine Thai artefacts where do you recommend in Pattaya, or should I just go to northern Thailand - Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai and purchase the goods there. I am looking at taking some examples back to the UK at Christmas time and seeing if I can get a distributor in my home town to sell them for me.

Brenda

Dear Brenda,

Yes, Hillary has been asked this before, and if you are thinking of running a “small business” in buying and selling Thai artefacts you should treat it as that - a business. Start doing the sums first. How much would it cost you to fly up to Chiang Mai and stay there, on top of the cost of the goods, compared to the slightly higher costs, but no personal transportation expenses, in buying the goods here? Another consideration is that if you bring “commercial” quantities into the UK be prepared to pay duty on them. Do the sums first, Brenda. Then take samples to the UK and see what people might like - not everyone might like the articles you prefer. Then go from there, but be advised that you are not the first with this “easy money and pay for my trips” idea. I am not personally aware of too many successful ones in this field. Sorry!

Dear Hillary,

Can you help? I am confused. I met so many young girls in Pattaya and they all seem to be so charming and nice that I had started to believe that I had arrived in Paradise. I began seeing one of them regularly and she said she wanted to stay with me. Since I knew I was here for a few months that seemed like a good idea, but then she asked me for money to pay the bar where she worked. Why? Who is this money for? It is no small amount being asked (around 9,000 baht), does she get this, or who? I need this answer quickly as I am under a lot of pressure now from the girl as she does not seem to understand that I am very wary of being ripped off.

Confused

Dear Confused,

Be confused no more, Petal. You are entering into a financial arrangement, whereby you are taking an employee from a bar and by doing so, the bar has one less person to work there and bring in customers (money) for the bar. You have to recompense the bar - and this is what the cash payment is for. Not for your girlfriend. But be warned, stranger in Paradise, that your girl will expect a salary for looking after you too. Enquire first about the health of the family buffalo!

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GRAPEVINE

That’s Pattaya

A greenhorn American tourist, who wandered unto a Pattaya gay bar by mistake, was so upset by the unwelcome attention lavished upon him that he hurriedly strode out and marched quickly into a neighboring nitery spot for a stiff drink to recover his wits. This one also turned out to be gay. “How the hell I do I find a woman?” he expleted to the doorman as he left. “No problem,” was the reply, “go back inside and I bring you a nice one.”

Water sports

Following a spate of troubles, farangs are being advised to remember that water skis and motorboats are not insured. If you have any sort of accident, even a minor bump, you will be expected to make a large cash donation to the operators’ benevolent fund. You will for sure be followed without interruption until a settlement is made. Problems will be even worse if you have foolishly handed over your passport. If there is no human injury, the police will deem it a civil matter for you to sort out.

Don’t be misled

Trying to be helpful, an English language newspaper in the area - not Pattaya Mail of course - has printed that to obtain a first Thai driving licence here you need a letter from your embassy and can offer a home driving license from your own country. Neither is true. To avoid taking a test, you need a valid international license and a letter from the immigration police confirming your address. You also need a current non-immigrant visa, a medical clearance letter from a local doctor and two very small photos. Check all this with one of the many farangs who have survived the bureaucracy before you.

World traveller class

British Airways has introduced a fourth class on some of its London to Bangkok flights and vice versa. Analagous to Eva Airways’ Evergreen Deluxe, BA’s World Traveller offers you more legroom (83 cm as opposed to 77cm in economy) and a few extra perks such as more hand luggage and a better choice of in-seat entertainment. The authorized return fare was 36,000 in September, but prices have zoomed up since that we understand. Check with your travel agent for updates and availability.

A real card

A reader asks whether you can be arrested for playing cards in the resort. Well, it’s not actually illegal as instanced by the fact you can buy playing cards in the major stores. What is illegal is gambling which is precisely why you will never see Thais openly indulging the activity. Police not infrequently raid premises where unlawful card playing is thought to be in progress. If you simply must play patience or gin rummy in public, ask the permission of the management, clarify you are not gambling and keep all money, eg for paying your drinks bill, off the table at all times. If anyone objects, stop the game immediately. You are definitely not in Nevada.

A bit unlikely

A medical journal has published confirmation that we have much to learn from the world of nature. A 46 year old owner of an Irish red setter noticed that his dog had only one testicle. This apparently prompted him to check his own tackle whereupon he noticed that he had one missing as well. The information is being used to support the thesis that pet owners do indeed resemble their four legged friends. The man in question is not thought to have visited Pattaya.

UBC visits

Subscribers to UBC satellite TV are reminded that engineers are set to call at their address in order to install a new decoder box. The idea is that they telephone first to make an appointment. To judge what is going on elsewhere, if you have changed your phone number since the first installation, it’s a good idea to contact UBC and notify them of the new details. Tell them also your smart card number which seems to be the key to the main computer system.

More church newspapers

The sermon this morning is “Jesus Walks on the Water.” The sermon tonight is “Searching For Jesus”.

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married in the Church last Sunday. So ends a friendship that began in their schooldays.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be “What is Hell?” Come early and listen to the choir practise.

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The Message In The Moon

by Anchalee Kaewmanee

Sun in Gemini/Moon in Scorpio - The Storyteller

The person born into this combination has a forceful and magnetic personality. Much more intense than fellow Geminis, this combo always knows just what is what, and does not flounder around wondering what to do. Natives of this sign always know what they are doing. Even if no one else can guess just what it is. Somewhat secretive, these individuals never fully reveal themselves, and this may account for their mystique. Although they project an explosive image, highly expressive and emotionally charged, Gemini-Scorpios actually do exercise extreme caution when matters concern them personally.

Self assured, bold and aggressive, others cannot fail to notice natives of this sign. And all the while they are being noticed, they are observing those around them with what can seem like X-ray eyes. Observant and analytical, people of this combination pride themselves on their perception. And that Gemini mind doesn’t miss a thing, not a detail. For the most part, that insight is accurate. But there is a decided bent toward exaggeration and over dramatisation, especially when in one of those over-expansive moods. On these occasions, all that imagination and emotional fervour can carry them away, and it is possible to do unintentional harm to others by distorting facts or blowing things out of proportion. So much wiser to learn to watch what one says, and when dealing with friends, family or associates, communication should be practiced with more discipline and less dramatic urgency.

All Gemini-Scorpios seem to be independent, their own boss, and very strong willed. Whether they realise it or not, they actually absorb ideas, moods, opinions and even goals from those around them. Because of that acute sensitivity and perception, this absorption is often sub-conscious. Rather than deciding for themselves their career choice, social or romantic life, these individuals often bend to pressure exerted by family or friends. It is important to keep an open mind to the advice of others, certainly, but better to make those final decisions based on one’s own deep down feelings. Natives of this sign should follow their basic nature.

The high degree of emotional receptivity also affects the psychological health of people born into this combination. It is vital they do not absorb other people’s unhealthy behaviour patterns or neuroses. A careful look into the past would be wise, especially the relationship with parents or siblings. Some bad habits might well have been acquired by close association with people who have great influence on the Gemini-Scorpio. Discovering the source of a problem is often a good way to solve it. Patterns of drug and alcohol abuse, multiple marriages and divorce are often found in the lives of people born into this sign. Naturally shaking off self-destructive habits is difficult, but natives of this sign have extremely determined will, and can often muster absolute discipline when motivated and turn their lives around dramatically.

Like all Geminis, the personality and mental make-up is highly intelligent and versatile. That Scorpio moon creates an emotional nature of great depth and strengthens the ability to concentrate and stick to goals. But as with all natives who have a moon in Scorpio, a little self-righteousness lurks below the surface. Beware.

Incredibly romantic and sensual, these natives almost always have love on their minds. As lovers, they are greatly passionate and self-expressive. But they can also be a little cruel to their partners without even realising it. A tendency toward irrational jealousy must be avoided, and that inherent possessiveness needs to be tightly reigned, for it can assume outrageous proportions. Although these individuals will always be a little emotionally guarded around others, when with their mates, they are never afraid to express their feelings, be it passion, anger, or loveable affection.

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Women’s World: Why do we need it?

by Lesley Warner

What is beauty and why do we need it? The pressure through the media and society leads us to believe that without it we are less than perfect. The majority of this pressure seems to fall on us ladies with the constant bombardment of adverts showing impossible to achieve hair, bodies and faces, e.g., how many real heads of hair have you ever seen with a shine like the S——— advert? Not for the want of trying; I use it every day! How many Thai faces have you seen like the girl in the ‘with whitener’ moisturizer ads? She’s whiter than a piece of paper! As for bodies we cannot strive to be a size 8 when we were born with size 14 bones but there is no reason a 14 cannot look as good as an 8.

It’s said that 6,000,000 years ago humans and chimpanzees shared a common ancestor from which we diverged. Our ideas and preferences for what is beautiful slowly evolved during the long course of human evolution. I wonder if the chimps ended up with the better deal?

There is pressure upon animals for them to be attractive in various ways to members of the opposite sex in order to secure mating opportunities. Among the male animals this usually has to do with size, strength and fighting abilities. Often among birds it has to do with colourful plumage. The female birds choose the male bird, which has either built the better nest or has the most colourful feathers. Colourful feathers are often a sign of good health and robust genetic stock. It is as if the male bird is saying, “Look at me-I can afford to spend all this energy in creating this beautiful plumage because I am healthy.”

Back in those days of evolution, having children was risky and costly to women. A woman needed a man to help provide her with the resources necessary to raise children. It was important to be able to gauge the health of prospective mates. This could only be done through appearances in the days before blood tests. Men generally needed to be tall and muscular in order to be successful at hunting and fighting and thereby able to both resource and protect the women and children from fearsome predators and marauding males. Women needed to be able, hopefully, to withstand the rigors of childbearing and nurturing.

Whether animal or human, it stands to reason that males have never been as fussy in their choice as females are. After all, it doesn’t take much energy to fertilize a female of even relatively poor quality and if only a few of the offspring survive to pass on their genes then the male has had a bit of fun but not expended any energy in parenting.

Females on the other hand tend to be more selective. They needed to attract this tall handsome male who could hunt, feed and support a family. You can imagine all these cave women looking for just the right bone to put in their hair or the prettiest animal skin to wear.

When you look back things aren’t so different, we just approach them in a different way. It’s interesting to note that in recent years the males have entered the beauty stakes with their share of moisturizers, hair products, etc. Personally I have never been into the “women’s lib movement”. I never thought we needed it but it has changed the course of nature. I imagine the men make the effort to beautify themselves for the same reasons: to find a woman provider now that there are so many women in good jobs. Or maybe the women have become fussier and more demanding, now they see themselves as equal and expect the men to make more effort?

There is a theory as to why there is beauty in the world and why and how we are capable of perceiving it. This theory is based upon evolutionary biology and evolutionary psychology and in its basic form it goes like this: Beauty has a simple biological purpose and that is to attract for purposes of sex. The biological purpose of sex is not fun but reproduction. As the song says birds do it, bees do it; even the flowers and trees do it.

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Animal Crackers: Are scorpions deadly?

by Mirin MacCarthy

Scorpions have been capturing both the fascination and fear of man since their existence (in the Silurian era, 450 odd million years ago). Over the ages scorpions have been portrayed as symbols of evil and aversion, most possibly because of a disproportionate fear of its venomous sting. Although scorpion stings can be devastatingly painful, they are not usually lethal to humans. Exceptions are the Sahara Desert scorpion Androctonus australis, whose sting causes death in 6 to 7 hours if the victim is not treated with antivenene. Also, several species of the genus Centruroides, found in Mexico and Arizona have been responsible for the deaths of a number of people, although mostly children. Indeed of the 1,200 identified scorpion species only 20-35 species (2.9%) are potentially dangerous to humans and of these so called ‘dangerous’ scorpions, less than 2% of their stings are lethal to adults.

Unmistakable appearance

Scorpions vary from about 1/2 inch to approximately 6 inches (1-15 cm) in length, though most average between 1 to 3 inches (2.5-7.6 cm) long. Unmistakable creatures with their strongly jointed bodies, four pairs of legs, large powerful grabbing pincers, smaller tearing pincers, and in particular a thin curved tail section tipped with a poison gland and injecting spine. The tail is carried high in the air, in preparation for a quick stinging thrust. Scorpions which hunt live prey, usually insects or small rodents (not humans), are able to grasp the victim in their pincers and whip over the tail to sting and paralyse them. The amount of poison injected depends on the size of the catch.

Habits and habitats

There are many different species, the smallest, a greyish marble scorpion is often found under the loose bark of trees. Larger brown ones are found lurking under logs or stones. In the drier inland areas, burrows with slit like entrances are common, which spiral down to the moister soil. Scorpions are predominantly tropical or subtropical and most scorpions are nocturnal, hiding under rocks, in crevices, or in burrows during the day, and emerging after sunset to feed. All kinds of small creepy crawlies are eaten including insects, spiders and centipedes. Scorpions may also have more eyes than other arachnids, some species possessing as many as six pairs.

They make up in quantity what they lack in quality, as their eyesight is not highly developed and smell or direct contact probably finds prey. One unusual feature of scorpions that has helped many field biologists is the UV fluorescence of scorpion bodies. Ultra Violet light is absorbed by the scorpion’s armour and is reflected back as visible eerie greenish light.

The mating game

Complex courtship rituals precede mating. Observations on some species indicate that the pair lock claws when mating and after a considerable intricate dance, retire under a rock or other hiding spot. This is a very hazardous process for the male scorpion as he usually ends up as a wedding breakfast for the female. The ladies, similar to many spiders and the praying mantis like to eat and run. The young scorpions are born alive and are carried by the mother for some time. As she wanders away from the home site the babies cling to her back twining their tails around hers. The youngsters moult and grow larger and finally leave mother to fend for themselves. About a year is required to reach maturity, then the reproduction cycle starts again, lucky boys time.

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A Slice of Thai History: Prince Bira, Thailand’s greatest sportsman

by Duncan Stearn

Part Two, Braking for the War: 1938 - 1948

Prince Bira was so successful as a racing driver that he won the British Racing Drivers Club’s (BRDC) Road Racing “Gold Star” award for 1936, 1937 and 1938, a hat trick never before or since achieved by any driver. His popularity amongst motor racing aficionados in England was similar to that experienced by the British driver Stirling Moss in the postwar years.

Indeed, he was leading in points for the 1939 racing season when the Second World War broke out in September, bringing his auto-racing career to a halt.

Apart from racing cars, Prince Bira was also an accomplished sailor and had learnt to fly. Indeed, he and Cheryl (who had altered the spelling of her first name to Ceril) would take their private plane to and from race meetings around England and Europe.

Prince Bira, and Prince Chula (married to an Englishwoman named Lisa Hunter) stayed on in England after the war started. Prince Bira volunteered his services to the British Home Guard and became a glider-training instructor for the Air Training Corps of the Royal Air Force. His restored glider forms part of the Brooklands Museum in England as a tribute to his contribution.

In 1942, the Prince authored and published a book titled Bits and Pieces. Illustrated by Prince Bira, it was a lively and well-written account of his life as a racing driver with a number of humourous anecdotes as well as respectful eulogies for those who lost their lives competing in motor sports.

One story concerned Prince Bira and the White Mouse team attending a party at a hotel in Germany in 1936, attended by some of the best-known names in motor racing at that time, including the famous Italian driver Tazio Nuvolari and Guiseppe Farina, who later won the first ever World Driver’s Championship.

After the war ended in 1945, Prince Bira revived his auto-racing career and re-established White Mouse Racing. However, with wartime rationing still in place there was little opportunity for motor racing in England so Prince Bira closed down White Mouse Racing and went to compete in Europe.

He still continued to fly himself to and from race meetings in his private plane. Indeed, he had been among a very few pilots to have flown single-handed from Britain to Thailand.

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Antiques, are they genuine? The Marriage

by Apichart Panyadee

A huge amount of two-part Continental furniture has been ‘married’, which means a piece had been borrowed from one period source to be allied with another. This is easy to imagine in the example of an 18th century bureau that has had a bookcase added to it at a later date. The bookcase could
either be contemporary, taken from another piece of furniture, or made up for the purpose. The bookcase has little value in its own right, and the bureau has its value, or at least its practicality, enhanced by the addition.

German bureau with chest of draws and writing flap ‘married’ in different periods

A quick look at the back of the whole piece should decide whether the panelling matches as it should if both parts are contempory. A look at the sides will show whether the decoration, if any, or veneer is compatible. Lift the top part away from the bureau. Is the top of the bureau veneered or decorated? Does it have good quality wood hidden away? Few cabinet makers would spend money or time on materials that were never to be seen. The faker certainly would not.

Few stands survive with their cabinets today. This is because they were often itinerant pieces that travelled from house to house in the 16th and 17th centuries. Larger, static cabinets have also lost their stands, some of which make very nice pier tables. It is unusual these days to find an original stand so be very suspicious; aim to prove the stand belongs, or at least that it is of the period.

Exploded diagram; more things to look for. This shows a simple French mortise and tenon joint with a pin inserted for strength. Years will shrink wood and pin will be revealed.

Alongside marriages or independent or quasi independent pieces, a great many items of furniture were made up to re-use fine old parts, panels in particular. The inspiration for these pieces was the contempory love of antiques, which frequently manifested itself in gothic and medieval artefacts. The demand produced many married pieces and possibly some of the earliest fakes.

A powerful source for the romantic vision in France was Alexandre Du Sommerard. He owned the Hotel de Cluny, which with its medieval and Renaissance contents was presented to the nation on the owner’s death. The collection was not conscientiously catalogued until the 1920’s and many of du Sommerard’s pieces were then judged to be fakes, or at least made up from old carving and panelling.

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The computer doctor

by Richard Bunch

Now that Windows XP has been officially launched, we can address some of the questions that I have received in my mailbox. In the first instance, what is Windows XP? It is the Operating System from Microsoft aimed at replacing Windows 98, 98 SE, Millennium Edition (Me), 2000, and NT 4.0. It has a solid foundation as it is based on an update to the Windows NT/2000 kernel. Windows XP ships in three flavours, including Home Edition for home and small offices, Professional Edition for business and power users and a 64-bit version for Intel Itanium processor-based systems, named Windows XP 64-bit Edition. Windows XP Home edition is designed as an upgrade for Windows 98/Me and therefore ships with the same type of consumer features found in Windows Me. The biggest difference is processor support that Windows XP Home has, as it will only support one processor, whereas the Professional edition supports two.

One of the most frequent questions is whether to upgrade and if so how? Personally, I think this is Microsoft’s best Operating System to date. There is a lot in it to get excited about and very little on the downside. So the short answer is yes. Windows XP is an upgrade for almost every 32-bit version of Windows so you can upgrade Windows 98, 98 SE, and Me to Windows XP Home or Professional editions and from Windows 2000 Professional and Windows NT 4.0 Workstation to Windows XP Professional but not to Home Edition, that would after all be a regression. It isn’t possible to take the upgrade path for other versions of Windows. Also nice is that with Windows 98, 98 SE and ME the opportunity is there to roll back to the original Operating System if desired, but who would? Use the Add Remove Programs Feature. However, in order to use this feature you must leave the file system intact and not convert it to NTFS.

Whichever route you take you can’t help but notice the new look and feel of Windows XP, which sports an Explorer like user interface and XML-based “skinning” technology. This gives users amazing creative powers to tailor the way their system looks. To add on to this Windows XP Plus is available which provides several more Themes, Games, Plus! Personal DJ, for easier custom playlist generation; Plus! Voice Command for Windows Media Player (WMP); Plus! CD Label Maker; various new WMP skins; new 3-D visualizations; and the Plus! MP3 Audio Converter for converting MP3 audio files to Windows Media Audio (WMA) format, speaker enhancement and other gizmos.

Windows XP is infinitely more stable than most of its domestic market predecessors and goes one stage further to eliminate the age old problem of DLL’s (Dynaminc Link Library Files) being overwritten by programs with a sloppy installation routine. In the past a single DLL could be overwritten by a programs installation routine; this has historically created problems where other programs ceased to function correctly and in a worse case scenario Windows itself failed. To eliminate this, Windows XP takes control of the programs installation routine and prevents files being overwritten, but when the program itself is run then the files it copied are presented to it. Although this method takes up additional hard disk space, in the days of cheap 40Gb hard disks and over, it really is not a problem when weighed against the benefits.

Windows XP is a true Multiuser Operating System, therefore each user can have there own personalisations and naturally a separate My Documents folder, located under C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\My Documents. These can be made inaccessible to anyone but the user or administrator. Also, when moving to different PCs there is a tool aptly named Files and Settings Transfer Wizard located in Accessories > System Tools, which does just what it says and can save a lot of time. Even if buying a new PC, your old XP settings can be instantly available.

A nice feature which helps alleviate Taskbar clutter is that when several applications of the same ilk are open then these get grouped, so for instance if you had three Excel spreadsheets open, these would appear on one button and when you hover over it you can see and select the appropriate worksheet. On the subject of alleviating clutter after installing Windows XP, the desktop is devoid of icons except the Recycle Bin. You can, however, put whatever shortcuts you desire and even My Documents, My Computer, etc.

Microsoft says that Windows XP will run with a Pentium II 233MHz and 64 MB of RAM. Whilst this may be true, in the real world the performance would not be acceptable. Realistically you need at least a 500MHz or faster Pentium III and 256 MB or more of RAM for Windows XP. In addition, it requires 1.5 GB of available drive space, SVGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor, a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and of course, a keyboard and mouse.

If doing a clean install of Windows XP (personally I recommend this) then there is no need for boot diskettes as the installation CD itself is bootable. I recommend that the NTFS file system is used, as this is significantly more efficient than FAT and FAT32. If a driver is not natively available in Windows XP and there is no XP driver available, try using the driver for Windows 2000; don’t under any circumstances use the 98, 98SE or ME driver.

Things to look out for in particular are modems and twain devices. You should run the Compatibility Check located on the Windows XP installation CD, note any problems identified and take appropriate action before continuing. Be aware that you may not be able to uninstall a non-compatible program once XP is on. If you have a program that doesn’t work under Windows XP you can tell the Operating System to spoof the application to think it is running Windows 98, etc. Simply right click on the executable file, select Properties then the Compatibility Tab and select the operating system of choice.

For Windows NT users used to hitting Ctrl + Alt + Del to lock the computer, this can be achieved by hitting Winkey + L. The Ctrl + Alt + Del combination in Windows XP presents the Task Manager.

So what are you waiting for?

Send your questions or comments to the Pattaya Mail at 370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, 20260 or fax to 038 427 596 or e-mail to [email protected]

The views and comments expressed within this column are not necessarily those of the writer or Pattaya Mail Publishing. Richard Bunch is managing director of Action Computer Technologies Co., Ltd. For further information, please telephone 01 782 4829, fax 038 716 816, e-mail: [email protected] or see the firm’s website www.act.co.th

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