HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Family Money

Snap Shots

Modern Medicine

Heart to Heart with Hillary

A Slice of Thai History

Bits ‘n’ Bobs

Animal Crackers

Personal Directions

Social Commentary by Khai Khem

Roll over Rover

The Message In The Moon

PC Basics

Women’s World

Family Money: Exchange Traded Funds

By Leslie Wright,
Managing director of Westminster Portfolio Services (Thailand) Ltd.

Although you may never have heard of exchange traded funds (ETFs) before, they are becoming the main index tracking tool for institutional investors and are increasingly finding favour with sophisticated private investors who appreciate the accuracy, flexibility and low charges that accompany them.

At the end of March 2002 there were 233 ETFs listed worldwide, with the market boasting leading institutions such as Barclays, UBS and Merrill Lynch.

ETFs have yet to impact significantly on investment trust or mutual fund markets. This could be changing: one leading investment house reported that the company currently holds over 1 million shares in ETFs, compared with virtually none 12 months ago; another says European ETF asset growth in 2001 was 700%

So what are ETFs? ETFs are quoted companies structured as open-ended funds, so an ETF is a collective investment instrument that looks, behaves and acts like a share, but for ease of use it is just like a fund. ETFs combine the best attributes of mutual funds, investment trusts and index trackers, offering low-cost exposure to stock markets and sector indices, and, like investment trusts, individual ETF shares can be bought and sold on stock markets. Like a share, they have continual pricing; but they are structured like mutual funds, so their share price reflects the value of their underlying assets - unlike investment trusts which can suffer from variations between their share price and the Net Asset Value (NAV) of underlying assets.

Like mutual funds, ETF units are created or destroyed according to demand, to prevent the discounts and premiums that affect investment trusts. A discount or premium is when the share price of a stock market-listed fund falls below or rises above the NAV of its underlying assets. This is a function of supply and demand: when demand is low for a particular investment, for instance, it can trade at a discount to its NAV. Critically, discounts increase the volatility of an investment and decrease the accuracy of a tracker product. Discounts and premiums to NAV can be wider than 50% for investment trusts, whereas it is unusual for an ETF’s price to stray further than 1% from its NAV.

ETFs are prevented from rising to premiums or falling to discounts by a process known as arbitrage. If an ETF is more expensive than its NAV, market makers swap baskets of the underlying shares for new ETFs, increasing supply until demand is satisfied and the premium vanishes. If an ETF is cheaper than its NAV standing at a discount, ETFs are redeemed in favour of the underlying shares.

Importantly, the costs of this discount control mechanism are paid for by the market makers, not by the ETF itself. Closed-ended funds like investment trusts can narrow discounts by buying back surplus shares, which increases the NAV per share for remaining investors - but can require the disposal of invested assets to pay for the repurchases and cuts the number of traded shares, causing illiquidity and wider spreads.

ETFs are listed on stock exchanges and their prices follow the indices they track throughout the day. This allows investors to profit from short-term movements, buying into a market as it starts to rise or selling out when it starts to fall. Compare this to open-ended funds that are only re-priced once a day. ETFs have attracted interest from investors who are self-directed, as they can buy a market or sector at the price they want. Buying open-ended funds by comparison is like “flying in the dark” as you could miss an entire market ‘bounce’ by the time an order has been transacted the next day, let alone next week in the case of weekly-dealt funds.

Management charges are minimal for ETFs, normally 0.5% p.a. or less, as these are tracker products that can be run by computers and do not require expensive teams of fund managers and analysts. In the same way, ETFs do not incur the high initial charge that accompanies most mutual funds. They can also avoid stamp duty, or similar share transaction tax, as they are often classed as funds instead of shares.

Disadvantages

But ETFs have their disadvantages. Index tracking can be a safe, low-risk and cost-effective way to invest in markets, but only when they are rising. Recent market turmoil has shown index tracking to be highly restrictive. ETFs perform as well as the index they are tracking, so investors must still make a judgement about which index or which sector to track.

Market makers can protect themselves by increasing their charge for holding an ETF during market uncertainty: they increase the gap between their buying and selling price (known as the bid-offer spread). Spreads have widened during extreme market volatility, such as after the terrorist attacks of September 11, as market makers fear that there will be insufficient buyers to cope with stock being sold or vice versa. On September 20 2001, the spread on the iShares FTSE100 ETF reached 13.3%, for instance. Spreads also tend to widen when the market an ETF is tracking has closed, particularly for US-listed ETFs that track markets in the Far East, as market makers do not know whether a market will soar or crash when it opens.

Wide spreads are bad news for investors as they cannot take full advantage of a temporary market dip or peak. And despite resembling funds, ETFs must be bought through stockbrokers, not financial advisers. However, this could ideally suit tax-exempt offshore investors who want to play the markets by themselves.

Some ETFs are distributor funds and pay out all dividends from the underlying markets as income, which could potentially create a tax liability. Other ETFs are accumulator funds, which roll-up dividends and pay them out as capital gains.

So before buying an ETF, consider the index or sector you want to track, the type, and how this will affect your tax position.

Snap Shot: Photogenicity - or Wow! Doesn’t she look fantastic!

by Harry Flashman

You have all looked through magazines, books, the internet web sites and everything else and have seen a photograph of someone that truly looks sensational. A photograph that has this person leaping off the page at you, knocking you right off your perch. Being able to get these photographs is every photographer’s dream, but it is not that easy. As they say in the classics, you have to kiss a lot of toads before you find your princess!

Now we live in a country which is renowned for having some of the most beautiful women in the world (and beautiful lady-boys, as discovered by more than one errant, alcohol soaked swain). If that is the case, a trip down Beach Road should give you enough images to get you straight into the pages of Vogue, Cleo, Cosmo, etc., tomorrow. Oh, if it were only that easy!

Some years ago, Harry was given the opportunity of a lifetime - to shoot a glamour calendar for a client. Girls, girls and more girls, and 12 months to shoot them in. What a dream assignment. Wrong! What a headache!

You see, photogenicity is not something that every model has, but a “comp card” is something every model does have. Now the “comp” which is short for “composite card” is a selection of photographs of the girl in question. You, the photographer, go down to the model agency and they spread out this playing card pack full of comp cards for you to peruse. After several minutes you select three beauties that you would like to see further. These are the lucky ones picked for the “cattle call”.

I should also point out that this selection process should not be done by just the photographer alone. Take an accomplice! Your idea of what constitutes beauty and what the world at large (and more importantly, the client) thinks is beauty may be poles apart.

Now when the models arrive at the studio you get the first inkling that all is not going to be that simple. This girl in raggy jeans and a seat shirt does not look like any of the chosen ones! But don’t forget, what you saw was the comp - a carefully selected group of photographs showing nothing but the best and most appealing pictures. What you do not know is that it might have taken 14 rolls of film to get that girl without her eyes shut, and since then she’s put on 5 kg and masses of pimples!

However, it is not all downhill from here. You go ahead with the test shoot anyway. You must allow the model time to apply their make-up, and if you thought your wife takes an age, you haven’t experienced a model doing the business! I would shoot one roll of film and then look at the proofs. If 1 shot in 6 looked OK then you are on a winner. That’s right - only 1 in every 6 and you’ve done well.

The other amazing factor I found out, after photographing countless ladies, is that the ugly toad can sometimes really turn into a princess on film, and the most gorgeous princess can really turn into a toad! That is this magic ingredient called Photogenicity, which is not observed by the naked eye. It is something that just sparkles through with those girls that have “IT” - but how you tell is difficult. The only way I know is by the test shoot.

So if you have just discovered the most beautiful lady in town and you take her picture, do not be disappointed if the final print does not do her justice. Remember I only expected 1 in 6 - and that’s with great looking ladies who had all modelled before, were signed up with a modelling agency, and were supposed to know what to do.

But do not let me discourage you! Keep trying, there’s a lot more toads out there than you could possibly imagine!

Modern Medicine: How to love your work and live longer!

by Dr Iain Corness, Consultant

Tall order? Not really. But is it important? Well, if you take a look at statistics, then work is very important. Did you know, for example, that more heart attacks and strokes occur on Monday mornings? But that is for the working population only. Those who do not have to go to work on Mondays do not share the same statistics. Likewise, there is a reduced incidence of cardiovascular calamities over the weekend. Interesting!

So what should we do, other than all retire immediately? Well, that’s not really practical, for one, and we need to make the dough to buy the bread, or some other bakery simile. What we have to do is work out why Mondays are so bad for our collective health.

What has been well documented is that following major catastrophes like earthquakes, there is a significant increase in the number of heart attacks for many days afterwards. The pundits say this is because of major stress.

Now Mondays can hardly be called major stress, but for many people do represent a chronic, recurrent stressor. So that appears to be the culprit. So what should we do about it?

Like all stressors, they are either “real” or “imagined”. Unfortunately, they have the same effect on us. By “real” stress I mean when the bank heavies are actually knocking on your door and it’s pay up time on the arrears on the house payments. “Imagined” stress is when you spend many hours worrying about what would happen if you fell behind with the house payments, even though you are not.

So to Mondays. What do you stress about? The job itself? Is it too difficult, too boring, too much high pressure? This is where you have to sit down and look critically at yourself in relationship to your own work and workplace. For many people, it is your own attitude that might have to be modified. Change from being an unwilling worker to being a willing worker and work becomes totally different!

As I have been told many times when doing personality pieces on successful people - if you enjoy what are doing, you never have to “work” again. So if you really detest the job you are in, and it is just not “you” then perhaps it is time to work out just what you really like doing and start moving in that direction. Of course, you must be a realist. Rome was not built in a day, and you are not going to get the best paid, most fantastic job in the world tomorrow. You move towards it - after you have worked out the field you want to be in.

The key to handling stress is first to admit to it, following that work out the stressors and then modify them, or your attitude towards them. Taking charge of your own life, controlling it yourself is the stepping stone towards good health and no unhealthy Mondays.

But then, perhaps all we need to do is get rid of Mondays altogether. In fact, remove Monday from the calendar and you have a 6 day week - 5 days on and 1 day off. This means you will get 52 “extra” days off every year and never have Mondayitis again! Love it!

Heart to Heart with Hillary

Dear Hillary,

My girlfriend tells me that she wants to get big boobs, which sounds just fine to me. She is Thai and so is not very well endowed compared to the girls I am used to in England. The only problem is that she wants me to pay for them. Since it is round about 60,000 baht I would like to think I am going to get my money’s worth. Do you think I should go ahead with this, Hillary?

Nigel

Dear Nigel,

Do I think you are going to get your money’s worth? What a stupid question, Nigel! Either buy the girl her superstructure out of the goodness of your heart or forget about it. On the other hand, why don’t you get the operation done on yourself and you won’t have wasted your money on some girl who might leave you tomorrow and take her new attributes with her! Or you can always go back to England and get a nice well-endowed British lass of the sort you are used to, with a well padded posterior as well! The choice is yours, Nigel.

Dear Hillary,

I would like to try my hand at oil painting, but I am not sure where to buy artists’ supplies in Pattaya. Have you any ideas, Hillary? I have tried talking to the art studios in town, but they do not seem to understand that I want to do the painting myself and all they want to do is sell me a copy of some famous paintings. I seem to be stymied at present.

Van Gogh

Dear Van Gogh,

I hope I have got you this answer quickly enough, before you lop off another ear with frustration. If you are female, there is an artists group in the Pattaya International Ladies Club (PILC) whom you could contact through the Clubs Listings in the Pattaya Mail. If you are male, then the Au Bon Coin French Restaurant has rotating art displays and I am sure Jose, the owner could put you in touch with some of the exhibitors. When you are up and running, I will send all the Tahitian Queens I know to you as subjects.

Dear Hillary,

With so much publicity being given to the difficulties had by “good” men in meeting “good” women in Pattaya, perhaps it is time for you to start match-making. You would be the best judge of character around, so you would soon see who was genuine and who was not. The idea that if you walk through the bar area in South Pattaya you are somehow scarred for life I find rather ridiculous. What do you suggest we “good” men do? Khai Khem would have us living like monks, but that is just as silly as some of the other ideas I have heard. There are “good” women here I am sure. Just how do we meet them?

Almost Giving Up

Dear Almost Giving Up,

Don’t give up! Keep reading as the next letter refers to you as well!

Dear Hillary,

If I may be allowed to class myself in the category of “Good Men” as vaguely defined in the revealing article by Khai Khem (Pattaya Mail Vol X Number 24), it could explain why I did cut the duration of my holiday short to the tune of 50%. Unfortunately I did traverse the (un)famous Walking Street, much as I now happen to understand the situation, to the extreme dislike of all of the Nice Ladies, one of whom I would dearly have liked to meet. Hillary, give a Good Man a chance to meet a Nice Lady. Make it possible without the sleaze of Walking Street. To start this you could concur with me that an advert in your Pattaya weekly newspaper in the form of perhaps a serious lonely heart column might to an extent bear fruit. Use me as a guinea “Good Man” pig and place an advert on my behalf stating that I am looking for a Lovely Nice Thai Lady of some considerable character, wishing for herself a future of substance with me in Pretoria, a country worth living, rewarding herself and me in many ways, be such mentally, physically or monetary. I am not looking for a one night stand but for a person to spend the rest of my life with, lovingly and harmoniously in a one to one relationship.

Henk

Dear Henk,

Thank you for your heartfelt letter, which I did have to make a trifle shorter, to the tune of 50% (like your holiday). I must say too, that you are not really getting Hillary “on side” with comments such as “a serious lonely heart column”. My column is always “serious” my Petal! I can understand you are looking for a lifetime soul mate, but do you honestly think you will find one with a classified advert? How do you know the applicants are genuine? For that matter, how do they know you are genuine? Henk, the only way to meet Nice Ladies is to be here. Smile at the Nice Ladies in the offices, department stores, high class hotels and restaurants, hospitals, accountants and language schools. One Nice Lady will respond. While an advert will get you lots of letters in your mail box, neither you, nor I would have any real idea of what the girl is truly like. Finding a mate takes many months and you have to be here. There are no short cuts. Like Almost Giving Up, you must persevere or otherwise accept the short-term arrangements that sometimes can work - but you have to be lucky.

A Slice of Thai History: Prince Mahidol of Songkhla, The Father of Modern Thai Medicine

by Duncan Stearn

Part Two 1921-1929

In 1921, Prince Mahidol received his Certificate of Public Health from Harvard and travelled on a holiday to Europe. Soon after, the Rockefeller Foundation made an offer to provide finance to assist in the development of medical and nursing education in Thailand.

A senior official of the Foundation met with a former Thai Education Minister to prepare the groundwork for assistance. Further discussions took place between Prince Mahidol and senior Rockefeller Foundation officials with the Prince selecting suitable students to receive Foundation scholarships.

In 1923, Princess Galyani Vadhana, their first child and only daughter, was born in London, England.

Two months after the birth of their daughter, the family returned to Thailand and in October he was appointed director-general of the University Department at the Ministry of Education. Medical assistance was provided by funds from the Rockefeller Foundation.

Prince Mahidol worked energetically at developing a new curriculum, acquired modern equipment and constructed laboratories and classrooms. To meet expenses, the Prince supplemented government money with his own funds as well as taking donations from other members of the Royal Family. He even took a hands -on role, teaching vertebrate anatomy.

Recognising the need to upgrade the quality of qualified teaching staff, Prince Mahidol provided scholarships for six students to travel to England and study chemistry, biology and physics.

These students returned to Thailand and set about imparting their knowledge and experience to others, thereby lifting the overall standards and providing a core of homegrown talent in the basic sciences.

To further enhance the standard of public health, Prince Mahidol was appointed chairman of the committee to establish the Siriraj School of Medicine in Bangkok.

Suffering from kidney problems, Prince Mahidol and his family travelled to Heidelberg in Germany to seek treatment. In 1925, his second child, Prince Ananda Mahidol (later to become King Rama VIII) was born.

After leaving Germany, the family went to the United States where Prince Mahidol resumed his medical studies at Harvard University.

It was while in the United States that his third child, Prince Bhumibol Adulyadej (the present monarch King Rama IX) was born, in Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 5, 1927.

Prince Mahidol received a well-earned Doctor of Medicine degree in 1928 and immediately returned to Thailand with his family, determined to use his medical knowledge for the betterment of his people.

At the newly opened Siriraj School of Medicine, he taught final year medical students, exhorting them to not only be a doctor, “...but I also want you to be a human being”.

The Prince also taught at the fledgling Chulalongkorn University, and took a lot of interest in its development, donating his own funds for lecturers and scholarships and co-ordinating assistance from the Rockefeller Foundation to the university.

He proposed that Chulalongkorn University be autonomous and separated from the Ministry of Education and be given the freedom to formulate both academic and administrative policies as well as manage its own financial affairs.

A former student who studied under the Prince, recalled “[He] was a person who mixed freely with commoners. He enjoyed the company of his students and was not one to put himself above anyone.”

However, due to his Royal status, he was not allowed to serve as an intern. Disappointed at this restriction, Prince Mahidol left his family behind in Bangkok and went north to work as a resident doctor in Chiang Mai at the McCormick Hospital, run by American missionaries under Dr. E. Court.

Prince Mahidol performed operations alongside Dr. Court, living up to his statement that, “Real success exists not in learning but in its application for the benefit of mankind.”

In August 1929, Prince Mahidol travelled to Bangkok to attend a funeral. He never returned.

Prince Mahidol’s kidney problems, despite treatment in Germany and elsewhere had never really dissipated and had gradually become quite serious, to such an extent that he never told his family the true extent of his illness. Prince Mahidol died in Bangkok on August 23 at the age of 37 of, among other things, amoebic liver abscess.

Known by the appellation, ‘Father of Thai Medicine and Public Health’, in 1992 Prince Mahidol of Songkhla was named by UNESCO as an Eminent Educator, Scientist and Humanist.

Bits ‘n’ Bobs

Animal Crackers: As crazy as a Loon!

By Mirin E Mc Carthy

The loons of North America and Canada are an ancient order of birds. At first glance they may be mistaken for a large goose, though they are really different, more primitive birds, most closely related to the albatross and penguin.

For many northerners the loon symbolizes the remote wilderness, with its reclusive nature and eerie, lonely cries. In summer, loon sounds haunt the lakes and waterways with strange laughter-like calls, falsetto wails and weird yodelling. At night, the effect is absolutely chilling and unforgettable.

Built to Fish

There are five types of loons in North America which are all members of the family Gavidae. The common loon is red-eyed, with distinctive black and white markings and a pointed dagger like beak that is perfect for its long, underwater fishing trips. While most birds have hollow bones to assist them in flight, the bones of loons are almost solid. This adaptation allows them to dive easier and to greater depths, as air filled bones would make them more buoyant. They have been caught in fishing nets over 30 meters or 100 feet deep.

Camouflage

Their feather pattern is another adaptation. Both the male and the female have very characteristic black and white plumage. The dappled back, although extremely visible on land, works well as camouflage in sun speckled water. Since loons can control the level at which they float, from fully upright to “snorkelling” with just their nares or nostrils above water, they can be doubly difficult to see at times.

Water Babies

Loons are true water babies though life on land is another story. Their legs are set so far back on their bodies, which increases their agility and speed while under-water but makes them extremely awkward and vulnerable on land, unable to stand upright or walk about. Their size, about 60 cm or 2 feet long, and weight of up to 4.5 kg or 10 pounds, result in long thrashing take-offs. On smaller ponds, they often have to circle a number of times before they can gain enough height to clear the tree line. The loon’s landing resembles a controlled crash. As a result, it nests as close to the water as possible, nearly throwing itself out of the nest and into the water.

Territory

Loons are migratory and early in the spring, adult loons return to their nesting grounds from the ocean where they spent the winter. During the first few weeks, pairs begin forming a bond, courting, and finally actively defending their territory from other adult loons, as well as many other species of waterfowl. After a pair has secured a territory and formed a tight pair bond, they will mate. Rarely on land otherwise, the birds swim over to land and beach themselves, pushing themselves back into the water after mating.

Nesting

Both parents nest-build extremely close to the water’s edge, dipping their bills into the water for grasses and reeds which they then dump on the rising nest dish. Both the male and female participate in incubation too. Usually two eggs are laid, approximately a day apart. Because of their dark plumage and high metabolism, loons become hot on summer days. They often pant on nests to cool down, occasionally slipping into the water.

Chicks

After approximately 27 days the eggs hatch. The wet chicks spend a couple of hours on the nest drying, and then slip into the water never to return to a nest until they too incubate eggs of their own. This early period of the chicks’ life is the most dangerous. If they survive sibling rivalry, chicks can be eaten by snapping turtles, eagles, bass, and pike. Up until two weeks of age chicks will often ride on the back of either parent for both protection and to dry and rest. Both parents will stay with the chicks until the end of the summer, with one bird watching over them, while the other fishes. Loons are perhaps more odd than crazy.

Personal Directions: The Day that you had

by Christina Dodd, founder and managing director 
of Incorp Training Associates

I was reading some motivational literature recently and came across a passage that is very thought provoking and I think very touching as well. It’s meant to be read or considered at the end of the day when we finally have a few quiet moments to ourselves (probably the only few quiet moments for most of us). It goes like this:

Have you made someone happy or made someone sad?

What have you done with the day that you had?

God gave it to you to do just as you would.

Did you do what was wicked or do what was good?

Did you hand out a smile or just give them a frown?

Did you lift someone up or push someone down?

Did you lighten some load or some progress impede?

Did you look for a rose or just gather weed?

What did you do with your beautiful day?

God gave it to you.

Did you throw it away?

(Author Unknown)

Upon reading this I really wish I had a rewind or erase button, don’t you! This rather powerful verse makes us think about every single element of our day; how we behaved, what we said to someone, how we looked at people, what we did and didn’t accomplish and so on. Whoops - it gets a bit ugly doesn’t it!

It leads us to thinking: maybe we should have been nicer to the young sales boy behind the counter; maybe we should have shown a lot more interest in our son’s homework; perhaps we should have held the door open longer to let the little old “lueng” coming behind us through, instead of allowing it to slam in his face (we are all guilty of this universal behaviour and don’t say “no-one holds the door open for me!”). Perhaps, when it all comes down to it, we should have put more effort into filling our day with actions and deeds of value and meaning.

It leaves me also wondering then, would the better time to read this verse be at the beginning of each day, rather than at the end? That way you could be one step ahead couldn’t you! Do you think it would work?

The way we reflect on “the day that we had” is quite interesting. Some of us I’m sure lie in bed with the lights out in our very own private space and time and think about what went on during the day – do a general overview. Some of us begin to think in earnest about what has to be done tomorrow. That’s a good thing to do as it prepares us and enables us to put activities into perspective. And some of us become locked into our prayers and more often than not, within our prayers, submit a shopping list to the fellow up above - with due dates to boot! What I am intrigued by and would like to know is, how many of us at the end of the day say, “Gee God, thanks for a great day” - and leave it at that!

It would probably be truthful to say that very few of us end “the day that we had” with these particular words and thoughts. Let’s be honest about it. I remember sitting and having quite a lively and animated discussion with friends a few years ago about this very subject. I’m not exactly sure how we actually got onto it, but we all had to admit that before we went to sleep at night and when we were in prayer or thought, we always seemed to be asking for something: asking for a task to be easy … asking for a problem to go away … asking for something good to happen … asking to win the lottery! The list of requests is endless. I must admit that we all felt pretty terrible about it. The number of thankful thoughts and words at the end of our day were few and far between. Asking won hands down.

We really do have to keep working at improving ourselves don’t we! It’s tough being a good human being. We take so many things for granted and one of them is time. We certainly take for granted the time we have here to share with families and friends and to do something meaningful with our lives. Perhaps it’s because we do not truly understand the value of time and how precious it is until it is taken away from us - and then we go into shock. Have you been there? I know I have.

Perhaps the solution to this is to think of time not as seconds or minutes, not as hours or twenty-four hours, not as a clock ticking away – but as our life ticking away. Then and only then will we possibly strive harder and be more thankful at the end of our day.

Have a wonderful day and I’ll catch up with you next week.

Christina can be contacted by email at christina.
[email protected] or directly at Incorp Training Associates in Bangkok, tel. (02) 6521867-8 or fax (02) 6521870. Details of Incorp’s programs and services can be found at the website www.incorptraining.com

Social Commentary by Khai Khem

Can armed pilots make skies safer?

A recent decision in the USA to arm commercial pilots with guns was intended to produce safer skies and make passengers feel more secure. I’m not sure every passenger would feel safer if pilots packed guns. Some people don’t approve of guns in the hands of civilian employees who are trained for a career less combat-oriented than those who serve in military or special law enforcement agencies. There will be different schools of thought on this issue.

A plane takes off from Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport, Wednesday, July 10, with the U.S. Capitol in the background. Pilots could carry guns in the cockpit to defend their planes against terrorists under a bill the House passed overwhelmingly Wednesday despite opposition from the White House and airlines. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Of course it would be nice if pilots never have to use guns. But after Sept. 11, it’s obvious that in some situations, an armed pilot could very well come in handy. Others think that alternative measures can be found without arming pilots. Stun-guns were suggested, but they are not effective if an attacker is wearing heavy clothing.

Sky marshals will be specifically trained to handle hostile ‘incidents’ on board a passenger flight. But bullet-proof cockpits would allow pilots to focus on flying the plane. Why force pilots into double duty? Shouldn’t pilots maintain concentration and control of the aircraft? Most career pilots didn’t get into the profession to end up as cowboys. Their job fits another description entirely.

Not all nations will arm their pilots. The USA receives enormous international air traffic from abroad. Suppose passengers are flying on a commercial airliner from Europe and as soon as the plane enters American airspace a group of disgruntled terrorists wielding weapons suddenly jump out of their seats. They bound down the aisles, knock over the flight attendants and passengers and then break through the cockpit door. What will passengers think first? “Mon Dieu, I’m going to die”. “Golly gee! Thank goodness the PILOTS don’t have guns.” I personally wouldn’t notice. I fall into an alcohol induced sleep as soon as the craft takes off and don’t wake up until my destination.

Some months ago, John Magaw, head of the USA’s Federal Transportation Security Administration, disagreed with arming pilots. He announced that his agency would not let pilots carry firearms. If a terrorist invaded the flight deck Magaw said the pilots could resist with their fists. Either Magaw changed his mind, or his superiors changed it for him. Pilots are not trained as prize fighters either.

Tighter passenger screening, reinforced cockpit doors and federal air marshals are needed, but they may not be enough to keep extremists from commandeering an aircraft and killing hundreds of people.

In the past months since the September 11 attack we have learned that an undercover test of security at 32 American airports is not perfect. A report by the US Transportation Department’s inspector general noted that baggage screeners missed knives, guns and simulated explosives. That was before the federal government took over security, but solving this problem will not be easy. Current screening technology in the USA and other countries still can’t detect many sharp instruments or explosives.

Can armed sky marshals handle an attack inside the cockpit? Will trigger happy pilots and pistol-packing marshals create more harm than good? Is the inside of an airplane the place for a shoot-out where stray bullets might penetrate the fuselage of the aircraft or hit an innocent passenger?

This change in the landscape creates quandaries. Armed sky marshals may be the best system to insure better safety during flights if we had enough of them. Let’s just take domestic flights in continental USA. My figures came from various organizational and government websites and newspaper articles. Figures differed. From what I could discover, the USA handles about 35,000 domestic flights a day. (If my numbers are wrong I know readers will correct me).

Apparently a little more than 1,000 sky marshals are in position to implement new procedures. We don’t yet know what the guidelines will be for armed marshals and pilots. For example, what are the criteria for termination with extreme prejudice? Only when terrorist are actually trying to enter the cockpit? Will pilots then load their guns and shoot? Surely sky marshals will not fire on a harried businessman while he’s sneaking a smoke in the toilet.

I do see some new career trends in the future. The flood of lawyer jokes now makes the profession as popular as a ‘revenue agent’ during the 1920s years of Prohibition. Stock brokers and corporate accountants are stinging from the latest business scandals. The security industry will open up a whole era of wealth and job creation.

Since this column asks more questions than it provides answers, I may as well ask more. Do our present pilots want to shoot to kill? I’ve met a lot of commercial pilots and most of them were outgoing and friendly thanks to their charm-school personalities. None of them struck me as the type to shoot down a stranger, even when faced with a desperate situation. The USA has what is sometimes referred to as a ‘gun culture’. However, not all people are capable of killing, even when it’s part of their job description. During war, soldiers have been known to freeze up when it came to killing the enemy.

The association of pilots in the USA has suggested that pilots be allowed to have guns only if they pass psychological evaluations, get 48 hours of special training and demonstrate proficiency in the use of the weapon. Then, it says, they should be authorized to fire only to prevent a terrorist from interfering with the pilots or seizing control of the plane.

Forty eight hours of special training? Does anyone remember a military expression during the last war; “7 day wonders”? This was not a flattering term, since many of these soldiers were the first to be killed in the lines.

Psychological evaluations are definitely a good idea. But what happens to those career pilots who do not pass all the criteria? They could be grounded. Or maybe only some pilots on some fights will be armed. The idea seems to be more of an attempt to deter than to actually prevent. Sort of like capital punishment.

Roll over Rover: Water works!

by C. Schloemer

Dog owners who live on farms or in a mountain wilderness will probably not get hate mail or phone calls in the middle of the night from their neighbors who cannot sleep because the owner’s dog is barking all night. Urbanites in apartments and those of us who live in close quarters in housing estates have a responsibly to respect our neighbors’ right to peace and quiet. Owners who have dogs that incessantly bark need to find a method which breaks that bad habit.

The hand on the muzzle and a firm SHHH doesn’t work with all dogs. Some owners may find they have a dog that loves the sound of coins in a tin can and thinks it’s a fun game instead of a negative command. My garage mechanic has a Tibetan Mastiff that not only didn’t mind the sharp pitch of metal on metal, but after a few days simply walked up and took the can out of the man’s hand and crushed it between its jaws. Needless to say my mechanic was not impressed with that suggestion.

Water often works. For the Mastiff I suggested the garden hose. That not only made him stop barking but he learned to settle down in his station much faster.

Those of you with less mighty canines can try a spray bottle full of water. Walk up and spray him in the face with water and say SHHH. This doesn’t hurt the dog, but it does startle him. Remember to give the command once, and if he doesn’t comply, enforce the command. When he stops barking, give him praise.

This method is great for house pets and apartment dwellers. If owners want their young children to participate in dog training, this technique is particularly recommended. Youngsters often throw the can with coins at the dog instead of shaking it in his face. We must train the kids, too.

Create a schedule for your dog. Some dogs bark and whine when the owners leave the premises. They don’t like to be separated from their owners and become anxious. A reliable schedule will make a dog feel more secure.

Don’t punish your dog when he is confined to a crate or kennel or if he is in one of his stationing spots in the home. The purpose of the crate or kennel is to provide a safe lair. Punishment or harsh correction in these places dissolves that security. The dog’s stationing places in the home are his special spots. You have taught him that these areas are his and his is right to be there. Do not sternly correct him in those places. However SIT, COME, LET’S GO and other commands can be done in stationing spots. Successful correction and training must be done with careful thought and understanding of the animal.

This column originates in Thailand and unfortunately, here barking dogs are a pain in neck. It will take decades of education to turn this cultural tic around. When Westerners arrive here from countries which have strict laws concerning domestic pets barking dogs drive them crazy. Sorry. Barking dogs don’t bother most Thais.

My present house and garden community comprises a broad group of families from different backgrounds, professions, and working hours. Some have dogs and others do not. Some of my neighbors bring their pets in at night and some leave them outside in the garden. Some dogs left outside at night do not bark unless there is a reason. A prowler, for instance, or a stranger coming to the gate. These are the well-trained dogs in my neighborhood. A handful of dogs bark back and forth to each other. I can tell by the sound of the bark that this is simply ‘doggie gossip’ and boredom.

When I lived in an apartment in the city, many dogs were left to sleep on the outside balcony of high-rises buildings. Bangkok is a huge metropolis and at night I could hear a handful of dogs start to wind up for a good chit-chat. Soon the city’s massive dog population would create a symphony of howling that actually rattled the windows.

Deep in the night, on the 15th floor I used to close my eyes and laugh at loud. Ignoring the fact that Bangkok’s average mean temperature is 90 degrees, I would actually envision myself on the steppes of Russia in mid winter, surrounded by packs of starving wolves. I never once heard an owner yell out NO or SHHH in any language.

The Message In The Moon: Sun in Virgo-Moon in Scorpio

by Anchalee Kaewmanee

The Fox

This is a very intense Virgo. A reserved intellectual bearing masks an inner nature that is secretive because of the Scorpio Moon. All Scorpios are born detectives. They want to get at the bottom of things and know what makes people tick. On the other hand, they hate to be scrutinized and keep their thoughts to themselves. Others may find the Virgo-Scorpio slightly hard to get to know at first. That secret nature is not easily drawn out. But they are sensual and deeply passionate about things and people who interest them. Therefore no matter how cool and analytical this combination may try to be, most moves in any direction will be based on a gut feeling and intuition. The Virgo’s analytical personality and superb logic may guide theses individuals, but bias and emotion will have the last word in all matters.

Natives of this sign pretty much know what they want out of life and they go after it with determination. And if their goals require hard work and dogged plodding, they will not shrink from making whatever sacrifices they must to reach their objective. Seemingly gentle and soft spoken these people are tough customers and always know their own minds. But they pay a price for this intense determination and self-reliance. They are forced to keep their emotions under control most of the time.

This combo is blessed with acute perception and is often eerily accurate when making judgment calls. Virgo-Scorpio natives judge others on intuition. The precision is frequently uncanny. However, while they are busy sizing up their friends, associates, co-workers, lovers and family, they prefer to keep their inner most feelings a secret. Whether they are upset, angry or elated, very few people around them ever know about it. Self image in this sign is important and natives strive to keep calm, detached and unswerving.

The Virgo-Scorpio is so good at maintaining a cool exterior that few others appreciate the true sensitivity of the nature of this combination. It would be better for these natives if they could be more open with their feelings. They should try to express themselves with more enthusiasm. Healthy, robust passion and a more outgoing nature would allow these individuals to partake of life’s pleasures with a little more gusto. They need to relax and let down their guard a little so they can sparkle.

Many are drawn to their multitude of virtues, but once that cold eye of reason and rationalization is turned on a friend or lover, less sturdy souls run for cover. A few passions and high emotions can escape without the world coming to an end. People born under this sign should let their hair down and have some fun. This Sun-Moon sign often battles inner loneliness. Many Scorpios are susceptible to ulcers and depression because they frequently bottle up their feelings. Virgos feel duty bound to serve others, often at their own expense. Combine these qualities of self-denial and there is a propensity for deep unhappiness. Usually born with robust health, nonetheless, chronic hypochondria may be a result of inner stress.

Like most Virgos, this combo will find satisfaction and fulfillment in work. In fact, sometimes work becomes everything, replacing intimate relationships and leisure activity. To avoid turning into a workaholic, the Virgo-Scorpio must find outside interests that have absolutely nothing to do with whatever job he or she does from nine to five.

Regarding professions, this combination is drawn to the orthodox and conventional. Much too conservative to step outside the box and pursue a life which does not conform to social and family expectations, these natives often harbor revolutionary ideas and secretly want to implement change. That is why they will bring originality and innovation to their workplace no matter what field they work in. Virgo-Scorpios are ideally suited to for the medical profession, social service, law, politics or business.

In romance, they are prone to jealousy and possessiveness. It is wise to choose a partner who shares the same high standards and respects loyalty. When truly in love the mature Virgo-Scorpio is giving and compassionate and will settle into marriage and parenthood with ease. This combination is often a stern parent, but always fair and protective.

PC Basics: Driving your PC

Bay Computer Services

Each component in your PC, from your graphics card to your motherboard, needs to have a program called a driver which tells the PC how to use it. Over time, as new software and hardware is brought onto the market, these drivers are updated and improved to increase their functionality. Installing new drivers onto your PC can often result in a considerable increase in performance, and can also let it run a wider range of software applications.

The first thing to do is to establish exactly what components you have that can be updated with new drivers. The best ones to update at first are the drivers for your graphics card and sound card. To find out what you have (if you are running Windows 95 or 98) is to right-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop and select Properties. Go to Device Manager, and you will see a list of all the hardware devices in your system. Click on the plus sign next to Display Adapters, and it will tell you what graphics card you have. Do the same for Sound, Video and Game Devices to get the details on your sound card.

Once you know what you have, the next step is to locate the new drivers. The best place to look is of course the Internet. Initially, try to look at the manufacturers website. With a sound card, it should be fairly easy to find the new drivers on the Web. Updating the driver for your graphics card can be a little different, as it is possible that the manufacturer of your card may have a different name to that shown in the Device Manager. This is because a lot of graphics card manufacturers will buy the chips from someone like nVidia, then put those chips onto a board that they make. It is not unusual for them to add extra features to the board, which will only be activated if you use the drivers written for that specific board. So even if it says something like nVidia, check to see if you have any documentation or Help files on your PC that might give you a clue as to who exactly made the board. Once you know this, go to the board manufacturer’s site and download from there.

On the other hand, if you download the drivers from the chipset maker’s site (they will often be called REFERENCE drivers as they are designed to work on any board that carries their chipset) the drivers will still work, but you may lose some functionality. Once you have downloaded the drivers, make sure that you read all the installation instructions thoroughly before proceeding with the installation. It is also a good idea to locate the disk on which the original drivers are located, in case the installation fails and you need to revert back to the original driver.

Besides the sound and graphics drivers, you may want to try to update your modem, the drivers for your motherboard, and whatever other devices you may have. Be careful though; incorrectly installing a system driver can have unfortunate consequences.

Another piece of software that you can update is Microsoft’s DirectX program. If you play games, or do any graphics work, you should always ensure that you have the latest version (8.1 at the moment) to ensure that you get the best performance.

Upgrading your device drivers is free (apart from the phone bill) and are a very good way to keep your PC up to date. If you are in any doubt as to what to do, try to get a friend to help you, or have it upgraded by a PC specialist.

If you have any PC related questions please send them to pcbasics@pattayamail .com

Women’s World: Did someone mention spiders?-Part 2

by lesley Warmer

These abnormal leg veins can frequently cause pain in the legs, often made worse by prolonged standing, also feelings of fatigue, heaviness, aching, burning, throbbing, itching, cramping, and restlessness of the legs. Then the legs can swell and severe varicose veins can cause problems with the nutrition of the skin leading to eczema, inflammation or even extremely unsightly and painful ulceration of the lower leg.

Depending on the severity of the condition, initial treatment is usually a compression stocking worn while the patient is up and about. The stocking may relieve the symptoms and delay the progression of the condition somewhat, but does not cure the underlying problem.

Small varicose veins can be satisfactorily treated with sclerosant injections. These injections may only provide temporary relief depending on the individual patient. (If you need more medical information please refer to Dr. Iain).

The standard treatment for varicose veins is surgery. This usually comprises of a small incision in the groin or behind the knee, and a few knots are tied here and there! Then the long saphenous vein causing the problem will usually be removed by the insertion of an instrument called a stripper. Any other varicosities can then be removed through tiny stab incisions so small they do not require stitches. The results of carefully done, thorough surgery are good and any scaring should be minimal. Elastic stockings are worn for a couple of weeks after the operation and any bruising will normally have resolved by six weeks. Normal showers can usually be taken throughout the recovery period, or at least you can get half your body in the bath.

This procedure sounded horrific to me. Imagine having your veins pulled or stripped out of your leg? How can you do without it? I decided to ask someone who had been through the procedure exactly what the experience was like.

I spoke to a friend who told me her problem started when she was around 28 years old. She noticed the vein but it gave her no trouble so she lived with it for 15 years. During that time the size of the vein increased and it had begun to ache and burn, especially when she was performing any kind of sport, especially walking and swimming. She decided it was time to do something about it, especially as it was not particularly pleasant to look at and she didn’t feel comfortable when it could be seen.

She went to visit Dr. Pornchai, a general surgeon at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, who after the initial examination performed the operation for her. She asked him the same questions I had in my mind. Can the body do without this vein? Would it hurt? She was answered yes to both questions, the other veins would compensate for the loss of the ‘baddie’, it would hurt for a few days and then she would suffer a little discomfort for a while.

I asked her what it felt like to have a vein dragged out of your leg, but I was told that the operation required a general anesthetic so she felt nothing. But she admitted that when she came round from the operation the pain was considerable, her leg felt as if was on fire - but it soon passed.

After 3 days in the hospital she was able to go home just wearing the elastic stocking. This she continued to wear for about a month. She said showering was a bit of a problem, it wasn’t very comfortable in this heat and she had to be careful of infection, but apart from that she was very glad to have had the operation. She now proudly spends all her time running round Pattaya in the shortest of shorts!