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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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Updated every Friday
Copyright 2001 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand
Tel. 66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax: 66-38 427 596
Updated by
Chinnaporn Sangwanlek, assisted by Boonsiri Suansuk.
E-Mail: [email protected]
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