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Family Money: Looking forward
By Leslie
Wright,
Managing director of Westminster Portfolio Services (Thailand) Ltd.
I am constantly asked how I view the markets’
prospects, so I thought it might be useful to give a thumbnail opinion on
various market sectors as I see them today. I hasten to add, however, that
this view is based on the average weighted view of 27 fund management
houses, rather than by divine inspiration. As I have stated many times
before, I don’t have a crystal ball or a magic wand. And nor do they.
But they do have teams of analysts to help them, and their jobs depend (as
does mine) on getting it right more often than we get it wrong.
Strategically, there are currently two viewpoints about
investing in equities. Some believe that much of the bad news had been
priced into markets, particularly in the US, and that now could be a good
time to buy. Others hold the view that until investors see a tangible
recovery in corporate profits, equities will not have a sustainable rally.
Indeed, I have found that for several months, most
capital investors have been sitting on the sidelines, taking a “wait
& see” approach - but this view is starting to change. Many shrewd
investors see the current low prices as buying opportunities, and in line
with some financial analysts, believe that when the rally comes it will
come quickly, and rise steeply. There is a lot of downside to be made up
before markets hit the traditional support level, let alone the resistance
level.
Although the past may have little to do with the
present, fundamentals are starting to look better, and perhaps - just
perhaps - there is a glimmer of hope that we will soon return to more
normalized markets - at least by the latter part of 2003. But this is not
a universal view, so let’s look at the markets individually.
USA
As the world’s largest economy and stock market, all
eyes are on the US. Consumer spending, which has supported the US economy,
is of key concern. Market observers are still looking at unemployment
figures: a significant increase in unemployment could lead consumers to
become disenchanted and reduce spending.
The Federal Reserve has adopted an “easing stance”
with regard to interest rates, meaning further rate cuts can be expected
if growth should slow further.
With 20% of corporate America changing auditors, I
believe that more earnings’ surprises and corporate balance sheet
restatements are still to emerge. But as the Armageddon-like conditions of
2002 eventually calm down and investors’ confidence gradually returns, I
am hopeful for a slow return to positive growth - although the hopes of
this already happening were dashed by the drops at the beginning of
December. But the US is the world’s growth engine, and we cannot ignore
it.
UK
The UK economy had been recovering steadily in 2002,
with improving industrial confidence and stabilising production levels.
Given the decline in share prices relative to other markets, UK equities
are looking attractive.
Europe
Many asset allocation managers have scaled back their
exposure to continental European equities (which many analysts had
predicted would do well in 2002, but didn’t) in favour of fixed
interest, alternative investments (hedge funds) and cash.
Although Eastern European equities produced
surprisingly good returns in 2002, I wouldn’t advocate investing in that
area just now. If you are already invested in that market sector, I would
suggest you take your profits and run!
Hedge funds
In general, I am suspicious of certain hedge fund
strategies (which I’ve written about before so shan’t detail here) -
although some hedge funds seem to be okay, provided you’re not locked in
for years with expensive penalties if you want to come out! Nonetheless, I
would not advocate having more than about 10% of your portfolio in hedge
funds - which for most investors precludes the best performers, which
require too high an entry threshold. Presently I’m overweight in bonds,
property and TEP funds - which showed a positive return in 2002.
Asia
Some clients ask why I didn’t invest heavily into
Asian equity funds at the start of last year - after all, some of them
performed very well in 2002 in both absolute and comparative terms.
But if at the start of 2002 I had advocated putting 30%
of their retirement nest-egg into China, Korea, and Thailand most of my
clients would have thought I was mad, and taking unreasonable risks with
their money. In hindsight of course, they would have recovered most if not
all of the paper losses of the previous year - but I could equally have
lost a considerable amount of their remaining capital on what would have
been a speculative gamble rather than a sound investment strategy. It is
always easy to have perfect hindsight vision. The same applies to horse
racing.
Like Turkey a couple of years ago, and Argentina, the
fizz soon fizzled out, and unless investors sold out at the right time,
paper gains would since have turned into paper losses.
Some commentators are again singing the Japanese song -
but I am not convinced, as I have not been several times before, and
correctly, as it turned out. I shall want to see a great deal more
corporate failures and unravelling of cross-shareholding in Japan before I
believe that genuine reforms are taking place, and there’s a chance for
Japan to recover.
Japan controls 30% of the world’s savings, and policy
makers there must work to unleash this capital rather than see it tied up
in 10-year government securities yielding next to nothing. Some resolution
of Japan’s 13-year debt-deflation quagmire would certainly provide the
type of environment where astute macro managers should be able to
capitalize. And if Japan can ever sort itself out, Asia should truly
blossom.
Indeed, it is only a matter of time until pan-regional
Asian trade supplants the region’s historical dependence on the US as
its main engine of growth. However, the total capitalization of Asian
markets remains amazingly small (with an aggregate value excluding Japan
no greater than the four largest US companies - GE, Microsoft, Wal-Mart
& Exxon), so liquidity within the region is also less than desired.
Some believe there is still good value in selected
emerging markets - but caution dictates that this market sector should
constitute not more than 10% of a growth portfolio, and no part of an
income portfolio.
Snap Shot: Francis Frith. Father of the postcard?
by Harry Flashman
Almost everyone who comes to Thailand as a visitor will
buy some postcards to send back to friends to show everyone at home just
what they are missing. As they do this, they should thank Francis Frith,
the man who was once the most celebrated postcard photographer and the one
who commercialised the whole business of printing postcards. In fact, by
the time he died in 1898, there were very few postcard outlets in the UK
that did not have cards supplied by Francis Frith and Company.
 We do not realise today just how tough the early
photographic pioneers really were. You and I can whip out our cameras and
photograph the Mae Ping River, Chao Phraya or Mekong delta and get our
prints in one hour, all in colour and in a natty presentation book too.
Francis Frith, when he went to Egypt in 1857, had none of those luxuries.
Since photographic film as we know it had not yet been developed (sorry
about the pun), Frith travelled with his own darkroom (a tent), chemicals
and photographic plates. The plates had to be sensitised just before the
photograph was taken, and since this was the era of the wet collodion
process and Egypt was very hot, many times Frith’s collodion boiled
while he was trying to coat his glass plates.
Following these hardships, Frith returned to the UK and
published a series of 100 stereoscopic views. He was 35 years old and his
work became a hit. The firm of Negretti and Zambra who were behind the
expedition were quick to sponsor a return trip for Frith, who this time
took a photographic ‘van’ from England. This was a wicker carriage
which had not only a darkroom, but sleeping quarters as well. Having been
in a few darkrooms in my time, I shudder to think what it must have been
like to sleep in one, at those high temperatures as well!
This trip, which commenced in November 1857 went
through till May 1858, and took in Egypt, Sinai, Palestine and Syria,
covering the major religious sites of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Damascus.
He returned with a huge selection of negatives and set about publishing
the largest photographically illustrated book ever printed at that time.
This was taken from his collection of 20" x 16" negatives and
was called ‘Egypt, Sinai and Jerusalem - A Series of 20 Photographic
Views’.
In 1859 he made a third trip, going right up the River
Nile - a feat of exploration, let alone a photo safari. Again, the results
were lapped up by a public eager to know what the rest of the world looked
like.
Frith married in 1860 and afterwards limited his trips
to Europe and the UK, taking not only his photographic equipment with him,
but his household retinue as well. By now he had his own printing company,
Francis Frith and Co., and began publishing postcards. The demand
continued, and by the mid 1870’s, Frith was in charge of the largest
topographical picture service in the world.
As he was unable to cover the demand on his own, Frith
began to employ other photographers to go out and take the images, while
he stayed at home to run the business. The advent of the dry photographic
plates in the 1870’s did make the photographic forays a simpler matter
and Frith’s photographers covered all of Western Europe as well as all
of the UK.
Unfortunately, the standard of work fell, as the demand
grew. His fleet of photographers returned what are often called
‘record’ shots. It was a case of just seeing the local highlights and
getting a photographic ‘record’ and moving on, without any attempt to
present the subject in an artistic way, something that Frith had done so
well 20 years previously.
However, Francis Frith was just as good a publisher as he had been
explorer and photographer, and by the time of his death he had built up a
huge empire, using his vision of the future, as well as his photographic
vision of the present time as he knew it.
Modern Medicine: I’ve broken my toe! And it hurts!
by Dr Iain Corness, Consultant
I celebrated Xmas Day somewhat differently - I broke my
toe! It was unintentional, and not done to get out of domestic chores or
to beg off playing golf with our Xmas house guests, who had beaten me
hollow on Xmas morning. It was a simple matter of catching the corner of
the bed in the afternoon.
After the initial mutterings of hopping one-legged
around the bedroom going “Ow! Ow!” I expected the buzzing throb to
quietly go away. It didn’t, but what did come was the slow appreciation
that I had done a little more than just a stubbed toe. The toe began to
swell and took on a beautiful purple hue, almost 100% indicative of a
fracture.
Now I was actually quite lucky. If you must have a
fractured toe as a pastime, do not pick the big toe for this. It really is
the only important toe, as it is the one that keeps your balance. No joke.
When you are standing, there are all sorts of little receptors in your
head that tell your brain whether you are stable, or in danger of falling
forwards or backwards. These receptors then relay messages to your big
toe, to increase or decrease pressure to keep you upright - and you
thought the only reason for your big toe was to move family pets out of
the way!
I was lucky in the fact that my fracture was of the
middle toe. After the importance given to the big toe, all the others are
only there to fill up the space in your shoes. And no, I’m not joking.
Just have a look at your other toes. What a twisted, misshapen bunch of
digits they all are. About as useful as a box of matches in a typhoon.
So what is the treatment for fractured toes? Let me
assure you from nerve tingling personal experience, that the first is pain
relief. (As an aside, I have always said that the ideal doctor to consult
is one who has had the ailment you are suffering from. I am now a
specialist in fractured toes.) Pain relief! Some paracetamol with a good
lump of codeine in it works well for the first 24 hours, and after that,
simple paracetamol is really all that is necessary for the smaller toes,
but the big toe might need the extra oomph of codeine for a few more days.
Again there is a difference between big and little toes
as far as further treatment is concerned. The big toe often needs some
kind of immobilization, and splinting or even plaster may be required. For
the smaller toes, taping to the next toe up is all that is necessary, or
if it is the very tip of the toes that is fractured (that’s the bit we
medico’s call the ‘Terminal Expansion’), just masterfully ignore the
toe.
Shoes? Or no shoes? Two schools of thought here. The
first is just to wear sandals or thick socks only, and undoubtedly this
can be more comfortable, but the toe is more vulnerable to small knocks
and bumps. The other school of thought is to screw your eyes up tight and
get the foot into a shoe. It contains the swelling and does offer some
protection to bumping of the exquisitely painful extremity. Ow! Ow!
Heart to Heart with Hillary
Dear Hillary,
Thanks for your response (which made me titter) (see
Vol X Number 50). Millions of A cups and a sprinkling of B’s in Pattaya
but are there any buttercups about? Happy New Year, Petal and to all
Stamens out there.
Mistersingha (sic)
Dear Mister Singha,
Thank you for the New Year’s wishes, and they are
of course returned to you and to all the readers of the Hillary column. By
the way, I have it on good authority that butter is bad for your heart, so
perhaps it would be better to look for some margarine cups in 2003; this
is a column for broken hearts after all, isn’t it, Petal?
Dear Hillary,
I think I am probably a little bit late in passing on
my New Year’s greetings to you and everyone at the paper. You always
amuse me and make the weekend a time to look forward to, sitting back
reading the paper with a beer and relaxing.
Jimbo
Dear Jimbo,
Just like Mister Singha, thank you, but I am a
little worried about both of you. Mister Singha is too much into the
butter, and you can’t even read the paper without a beer. Have you seen
anybody about this drinking problem of yours? If you cannot control these
urges, then I suggest you give up reading. Have a lovely and sober 2003.
Dear Hillary,
What did you get for your New Year’s present? Some
champagne and chocolates? It would have be better than me. I have come to
Thailand for six month holiday in September and today my Thai friend just
say he leaving and go back to village. This after I spent lot of money on
Xmas and New Year presents. Are all Thai people as like as this? We been
together three months before he up and leave (with the loot). Sorry my
English not so good.
Depressed Italian
Dear Depressed Italian,
While Hillary does feel sorry for you, it appears to
me that your relationship was founded on Lira, not on Love. You do not
trap people into a lasting relationship by lavishing money on them. Your
Thai friend knew that it was not permanent, as you were only going to be
here for six months. What was supposed to happen in two months time? You
are here on holidays and holiday “romances” are just that - a good
time you have while on holiday. You were trying too hard and chased him
away. You do not ‘buy’ anybody’s affections, Petal, especially
Thai’s, even if you can appear to get a short time friend. Life is a lot
longer than six months. Start adopting a longer term viewpoint.
Dear Hillary,
Why do so many farang men have problems in Thailand?
This country has some of the prettiest and sweetest women in the world and
yet some foreigners do not seem to appreciate this. Do you think it is a
case of having been ‘bitten’ back in their own country, they are
unable to trust any woman here, or what? Why do you think they are having
such a difficult time of it?
Totally Happy
Dear Totally Happy,
There are many reasons that some farang have
problems in Thailand, and generally it is one of rushing in where more
than angels fear to tread variety. Unfortunately, it is now a path that is
so well trodden, many first timers think it is the Super Highway! How many
foreign men would fall in love with a girl they picked up in a bar on
their first night in one of their own cities? Not only fall ‘in love’
but then plonk down oodles of cash, buy her a house, supply the family
with enough readies to change their lifestyle and all because of one
sweaty week with a lady whose job it is to provide entertainment for
unattached foreigners. It all sounds a little silly to me, and one that if
it occurred in the UK or USA would make people laugh in disbelief. Yet it
happens here and the ‘suffering’ foreigner has the gall to complain!
The only person that should be complaining is Hillary - I have to read all
this nonsense! (And they never send me chocolates and champagne, either.)
Dear Hillary,
I think we have made a blunder and need your advice on
how to get over this problem. My wife and I have not been in Thailand very
long, but have a maid who has been with us for the past four months. She
is quite good, though her ironing leaves something to be desired, and we
pay her well. Some friends told me that we should give her a bonus at new
year, and since she has always admired the fact that we have a toaster in
the kitchen, we gave her a toaster as her bonus. She seemed a little taken
aback at the time, but we thought it was just shyness. Now I believe we
should have given her some extra money as a bonus. What do we do now? The
maid has not mentioned anything about it since.
Confused Boss
Dear Confused Boss,
The usual ‘reward’ bonus at New Year is financial, but I am sure
that after 4 months your maid knows that you know nothing about what
really goes on in Thailand, and will have forgiven you. She will have
converted the appliance into something more portable (like cash) by now
anyway. Just don’t ask how she’s enjoying the toaster!
A Slice of Thai History: The pre-eminence of Ayutthaya
Part two 1529-1548
by Duncan Stearn
Ramathibodi II death in 1529, after a reign of 38 years,
threw Ayutthaya into a period of internal turmoil within the royal elite. In
19 years there were five monarchs, Boromoraja IV (1529-1533),
Ratsadatiratkuman (1533-1534), Chairacha (1534-1546), Yodfa (1546-1548) and
finally Mahachakrapat.
Ratsadatiratkuman had been assassinated after a reign of
just five months and Chairacha, his successor, employed 120 Portuguese
mercenaries to act as his bodyguard.
In 1538 the Thais and Burmese clashed seriously for the
first time when an Ayutthayan army under Chairacha, assisted by Portuguese
mercenaries, drove a Burmese occupation force from Chiang Rai. This was the
catalyst that began a period of intermittent warfare between the Thais and
Burmese which ultimately culminated in the destruction of Ayutthaya.
In 1545 Chairacha attempted to extend his control to the
kingdom of Lan Na and succeeded in taking and destroying Lamphun. However, the
Ayutthayan army was forced to retreat after failing to take the capital,
Chiang Mai and were defeated at the battle of Wat Chiengkrung, suffering heavy
losses.
That same year the city of Ayutthaya was engulfed by a fire
that sources claimed ravaged a large part of the metropolis, destroying over
10,000 houses, temples and public buildings.
In June 1546 Chairacha died, allegedly poisoned by his
wife, and was succeeded by the 10-year-old Yodfa. However, in June 1548 the
young monarch was poisoned by his mother, the queen regent, who then placed
her lover Khun Worawongse on the throne. His reign lasted just six weeks
before he was assassinated by a cabal of leading nobles who nominated
Mahachakrapat, a half-brother of former monarch Chairacha, as the new ruler.
The paramount Burmese state at this time was Toungoo and
its young King Tabinshwehti saw a great opportunity to strengthen his empire
at the expense of an Ayutthaya in political turmoil. So, in late 1548 the
Burmese invaded Thailand.
Advancing through the Three Pagodas Pass towards
Kanchanaburi, the Burmese army (supported by Portuguese mercenaries) engaged
the Ayutthayan army led by Mahachakrapat. The Thai ruler was accompanied by
his wife Queen Suriyotai and their daughter, both dressed for battle and
seated on armoured war elephants.
According to legend, when Mahachakrapat became engaged in
single combat with the Prince of Prome he was left dangerously exposed to the
enemy. Queen Suriyotai supposedly rode her elephant between her husband and
the Burmese, saving him but was herself cut down by the Burmese soldiers.
Tabinshweti’s army went on to take Kanchanaburi and
Suphanburi and then laid siege to Ayutthaya itself. At the same time, the
ruler of the state of Lovek in Cambodia took advantage of Ayutthaya’s
problems and attacked the eastern province of Prachinburi.
Ayutthaya managed to withstand the Burmese siege and
finally, after four months, Tabinshweti was forced to retire after running out
of supplies. Depressed by the defeat Tabinshweti turned to drinking and was
murdered the following year.
Bits ‘n’ Bobs
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BEWARE THE LATEST STRAIN OF THE PC
VIRUS!
Even Norton and McAfee software have no fix for
the latest ‘nasty’ that is infecting the world, resulting in the
‘Politically Correct’ virus spreading alarmingly. The vicious
strain is polluting peoples across the globe with every commercial
flight. As I unintentionally seem to be rather successful in the
‘Politically Incorrect’ arena, I feel obliged to bring this
potential pandemic to your attention and warn that tongue-in-cheek
humour and pragmatic observation are no longer welcome in the
company of some, noticeably the British. It is rumoured that the
‘PC lobotomy’ operation is now available on the National Health
Service, soon to become mandatory at birth. I was chilled to learn
that the art of wit and repartee is now an absolute no-no in the
eyes of the Politically Correct. There I was, labouring under the
illusion that the definition of ‘Political Correctness’ was the
avoidance of expressions or actions that may be understood to
exclude or denigrate certain people or groups on the grounds of
race, gender, physical disability, sexual orientation, mental
capacity, etc.
Forget it, fiendish acts such as not wearing
socks with flip-flops is punishable by haughty criticism as the
offender is lambasted for being ‘Non-P.C.’ by the ‘holier than
thou’ brigade of bigots. I am quite sure that anyone with a
modicum of commonsense is fully aware of what is and is not
acceptable and does not need to be subjected to the snide of the
selectively narrow-minded in their self-appointed role as moral
guardians.
The problem is that the phrase ‘Politically
Correct’ has, as with many viruses, mutated and is used to mean
what is socially acceptable to a pompous minority.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The problem is, God gives men a brain and a
penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time”.
Robin Williams
Tippler’s Note: Following the Jack Nicholson
quote: “My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son of a
bitch”, a discerning reader kindly wrote in with the following:
“There is a twist to your Nicholson quip. Only recently did he
discover that his “mother” was in fact his grandmother. So
perhaps she had a point.”
Thanks for sharing that, Peter Mitchell!
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ELECTRICITY BILLING
IN PATTAYA HAS GONE HI-TECH!
Rather than watch the lad from the Electricity Company
screech up and read the meter with his chalk and slate handy, a practice I
likened to those who manually lit the gas street lamps in the UK decades
ago is no more. Not even a pencil is needed to take the reading. It seems
that the powers that be have converted their staffs’ Game Boy stress
inhibitors so meter readings may be directly input via their ‘P.D.A.’.
The first bill under this new system will be interesting indeed. I wonder
if this leap into the technological age had anything to do with the
millions embezzled by the less than honest employee whose colleagues and
superiors did not have a clue of what was going on when she illicitly
amassed a fortune before fleeing her desk?
‘NON-PC’ ANAGRAM OF THE WEEK
Funeral: Real fun!
‘LEAVE’ IT OUT WILL YOU!
City Hall is apparently having a purge on the dastardly
practice of polluting rancid rubbish with dead leaves. I was told in no
uncertain terms that this was totally unacceptable, therefore the rubbish
would not be collected despite the fact that I pay for the service. They
seem happy enough to take away some of the nastiest remains of festering
Laos food, soiled female hygiene products, freshly produced dog turds too
ripe to throw over Mad Max’s wall to wish him Happy New Year, the
occasional deceased feline recently scraped off the tarmac, yet if there
is even a hint of a dead leaf then the bleating ‘jobsworth’ mentality
manifests itself in the form of a categorical ‘refusal’ to cart away
the 99.9% of non-leaf garbage. Sealing the bags in an attempt to conceal
the contents does not work as the scavengers have the irritating habit of
ripping open the bags in their search for something saleable, thereby
exposing the illegal foliage. The odd thing about this policy is that if
the maid is outside when the garbage wagon pulls up, no mention of leaves
is ever made, even when conspicuous by their presence in the brimming
receptacle. They just heave the bins up and empty them without a word. I
had better make myself scarce in future as soon as I get the unmistakable
whiff of their imminent arrival, as no way am I going to mince around in a
short skirt and boob-tube to ensure the garbage is collected...
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Personal Directions: Let the creative juices flow
by Christina Dodd, founder and managing director
of Incorp Training Asssociates
I was watching a program on television recently about
cooking which not only focused on the culinary skills of the chef, but
touched upon the creative skills of the artist whose paintings decorated
this rather unassuming restaurant in the French countryside. The paintings
were magnificent and vibrant with colour and energy, depicting scenes from
every day life to still life. Their vivid imagery on the walls of the
restaurant added a new dimension to the feasts that were prepared and
served. I thought to myself, “This young artist is going to have a
brilliant career!”
As the program continued, the artist was introduced.
Well, to my surprise the young artist was in his eighties! I thought again
to myself, “This is absolutely wonderful!”
Life can be full of such surprises and very nice ones
at that. I had naturally assumed that the artist would be around thirty or
forty years of age - certainly not over eighty. It’s great that life -
and people - is so surprising because it keeps us on our toes and in touch
with how we automatically expect things to be a certain way. We really do
have to keep an open mind and not be so enveloped by conditioning and
expectations of what is “the norm”.
It is so refreshing and inspiring to see people who
live and behave outside of the pigeonholes that they have been slotted
into.
I remember years ago overhearing a conversation between
two young women on a train, who were talking about their boys who were in
the same class at school. One mother was saying to the other that the
teacher was a bit worried that her son was very different to the rest of
the class because he always came up with some strange ideas for his
project work and that he didn’t seem to fit in as a result. How many
times have you heard this kind of statement yourself?
Not every body is the same. Some of us stand out more
than others in the way we think, in what we say and what we do. And
isn’t it strange how we look up to those people and admire them for
being who they are and for being different. The young son in the story who
came up with strange ideas for project work isn’t considered such a
worry when he becomes a highly successful creative head of an advertising
firm, is he!
Over the years I have developed an enormous amount of
understanding and respect for individuals who display unique personalities
and creative tendencies. There is such a vacuum to be filled by these
individuals who live outside the shoeboxes society has built for them, and
their creativity is there to be nurtured and encouraged to the fullest
extent.
When I was much younger and working for an advertising
firm (seems like decades ago) I recall that our team was joined by a new
recruit who looked very “arty”, as we used to say. Her dress and
appearance verged on the “beatnik theme” and we were all slightly
stunned to say the least. She was very different to the rest of us and we
thought she was a bit weird.
As the story goes, we were preparing storyboards to
present to a client for an up-coming television campaign and now we were
going through the final selection and rehearsals for the presentation.
After the usual staffers had done their initial presentations, our new
recruit was given an opportunity to present her boards. I remember seeing
the faces of my colleagues as their mouths (mine did too) literally
dropped to the floor in amazement at her presentation. From concept to
design and explanation - her work was outstanding and way above the
expectations of all of us. We applauded her for a full five minutes and
then began to realize how we had unfairly regarded her because of how she
looked and behaved. As it turned out - her designs were the ones accepted
by the client too!
Since that time I have always tried to keep an open
mind on “differences” and “expectations”.
There are so many hundreds of thousands, if not
millions, of people all over the world with different ideas and thoughts
and different ways of doing things. And out of these pools or oceans of
differences come incredible innovations, results and successes. That’s
why it is so important to encourage creativity in individuals - at all
levels - everywhere.
I know of one nine-year old boy who delights in taking
apart electronic appliances. His father at first was not very happy about
this and one can understand his point. But upon realizing that this
wasn’t so much a destructive pastime as a constructive one, the father
decided to find a way to nurture this tendency to adventurous and
enquiring behavior. So following an investment in hotpots, toasters and
some other inexpensive electronic items it became evident that the boy was
very good at not only taking things apart, but at putting them back
together again and to making them work! Now he has graduated to reading
electronics magazines and relishes at the thought of circuitry boards and
diagrams and putting together all manner of devices. Who knows where his
talent will take him - certainly not to pulling apart his dad’s prized
laptop, that’s for sure.
We have to let our creative juices flow.
We all have an element of creativity in us. Everyone
has roughly equal creative potential. It is not only an ability shared by
people with high IQs, nor is it something that is rare. Creative
expression is rare, but that has more to do with how we’re socialized
than it does with ability. Creativity can be learned and, in fact,
virtually everyone can learn to express greater creativity. The key is to
develop some simple skills or “competencies” which are as easy to
learn as tying your shoes.
For more information on how to let your creative juices
flow please contact me by email at [email protected] and until
next time, have a great week!
Social Commentary by Khai Khem
Racetracks, casinos and an international airport for Chonburi
It is true most kinds of gambling are still illegal in
Thailand, but perhaps the time has come to revue the idea of establishing
a few well positioned casinos inside the Kingdom for economic purposes.
The fact that billions of baht are flowing out of the country to casinos
in other countries is something to consider very seriously.
Chonburi Province is determined to find a way to get
the money and economy it needs to develop and modernize. Direct investment
for industrialization, the property sector and tourism have all
contributed to our region’s growth and modernization up to a point.
However, further development of our infrastructure and effective
administration will take a lot more money.
If it really is time to dispense with the moralistic
aversion toward gambling and take on a more realistic view of the
possibilities of building casinos here and operating them under strict
laws and vigilant administration, we must acknowledge that planning
procedures are critical. And once the plans have been made, precise
execution of them must go forth. Like how will we control our infamous
corruption? Thailand is still regarded as a very corrupt country by
outsiders.
In many ways, there is no excuse for Thailand’s
backwardness. The knowledge, experience, technologies, and models have
been out there for us to follow for generations. It’s not like we had to
come up with all of these ideas and research ourselves. All we had to do
is look at the successful examples of how to run a nation, our cities and
our rural areas properly, and then go about it.
In Thailand, forward planning is a cultural skill not
yet acquired. Instead of getting personal, let’s look at our major urban
areas, which are examples of neglect and chaotic administration. The left
hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. Various government
departments, from the top down, don’t work together. They don’t even
talk to each other, so coordinated efforts are impossible. Our farming
sector has also been a victim of poorly thought-out policies and
hair-brained ideas that don’t work.
Now let’s get on to Pattaya. We want casinos here and
a Turf Club and the reason we think we deserve it is because we have
thousands of hotel rooms and hundreds of restaurants, beaches and a party
atmosphere.
What we DON’T have is enough roads, streets and
highway over-passes to move hundreds of thousands of people. We DO NOT
have an international airport. Phuket has one. Chiang Mai has one. But who
cares? “Build and they will come” (and we’ll figure out the rest
later). Typical.
For readers who are newcomers to Thailand or don’t
live here at all, like the casino row, the argument for turning U-Tapao
into an international airport has been debated for many years. There are
reasons why we may never get U-Tapao developed. The region’s leaders
will have to come up with some solutions or compromise.
Pattaya doesn’t even have a city bus system or a
proper taxi service. Two weeks before the Scout Jamboree, baht bus drivers
were called in for B.F Skinner behavioral training so they didn’t shock
our respectable visitors. This by the way is temporary. Apparently good
behavior and fairly fixed prices by baht bus drivers expires when the
Scouts go home. Why? If they can pull it off for 2 weeks, why not make it
permanent? Why throttle a perfectly good idea before it has a chance to
breathe?
The issue of gambling casinos was up for debate in the
1990s and speculation on the possibility of changing the law sparked a
building frenzy of flashy new buildings in Pattaya and Jomtien which could
either house casinos, or in some way be a part of the “food-chain”. We
have now come full circle again - around and around - like hamsters on a
wheel in a cage.
A new Royal Turf Club would be nice. But we have to
plan for it. Bangkok doesn’t want it because of the chaos and traffic
congestion 30,000 spectators can create on race days. Okay, the Turf Club
will be outside the city. But don’t Pattaya businesses expect these
people to use our hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues? And
won’t the people who come to our casinos also avail themselves of
Pattaya’s other delights?
If we want to double and triple our population during
certain days, times of year, and special events, it would be a good idea
to get the infrastructure in place to handle this effectively.
Our phone lines go out every time it rains. The
traffic-load on our local Internet servers cannot handle sophisticated
demands. Power failures and surges are common, which not only leave people
without electricity for hours, but a power surge can destroy expensive
computer, home, office and factory equipment.
There are whole areas outside Pattaya which do not even
have city water and must use artesian wells, or hire trucks to fill
personal water storage tanks. If you are fortunate to live or own a
business on the beachfront from North Pattaya to Walking Street, the area
is clean, attractive and most facilities work fine. Get off the beaten
track and civilization disappears. Cheap, quick, and shabby won’t cut
the mustard anymore.
Let’s face it. Pattaya is doing a juggling act right
now. Maybe we’ve bitten off more than it can chew. Perhaps we should
swallow one mouthful before we cram another into our mouth. People who
think reasonably know you can choke like that.
There are many officials and prominent business people
in the community who acknowledge Pattaya has been poorly planned and
administrated and is not keeping up with rapid growth. They know how vital
the development of U-Tapao airport is and that the stone-walling of the
project is inexcusable. They are fully aware that without up-graded
infrastructure our more grandiose plans for the region will either never
go forward or be dragged into chaos and false starts.
Knowing this and doing something about it are two
different things. Often smart people with viable plans are blocked and
out-numbered by the short-sighted majority or by people in power who bar
the gates to progress. But times are changing and we’d better get on the
bandwagon. Keep up or get left behind.
Women’s World: In search of youth and innocence
Part III
by Lesley Warmer
I think probably most women have a story to tell on
they’re efforts to remove the hair from their body. When you’re very
young you tend to grab dad’s razor and attack your legs. I still have
the scars. But the worst experience of my life was when I decided waxing
would be the thing to do. I didn’t fancy going to a beauty shop to get
my bikini line waxed, as I always felt that it was a bit personal to lay
there with your legs apart while someone stripped the hair from your body.
So I went into Boots and bought a huge tub of wax; also in the box were
several strips of cotton cloth and a giant lollipop stick. The directions
said, “Apply a thin layer of wax in the direction of the hair growth and
peel back with a rapid movement close to the skin. Do not pull up or out,
rather pull back. Clean the skin with a warm moist towel afterwards to
remove excess wax.”
Ouch!
Unwanted
hair can be anywhere.
This
new roll on wax looks easy...
It seemed quite straightforward, microwave the wax to
soften it then spread it on the parts of the body you want to remove the
hair from. The first time I spread it on my leg it was so hot it burnt me,
the second try it was not hot enough and spread like toffee; to find that
happy medium was not as easy as it sounds. Eventually I managed a smooth
line of wax on my shin and immediately whacked a cotton cloth over it.
Pressing it down evenly, I waited a few minutes. As I pulled it off
quickly I gasped but thought that’s not too bad.
So then it was time for the bikini line. This is easier
said than done, trying to find a comfortable way of arranging yourself. So
I stood with my leg on a chair covered my self in wax and smoothed on the
cloth. I decided to do both sides at the same time to get it over with.
When I boldly yanked the first one off I screamed with the shock of it,
the pain was excruciating. I stood there for several minutes trying to
build up the courage to pull off the other side, when I eventually did I
nearly passed out it hurt so much.
I tell you this story to warn you. I don’t consider
myself a ‘wimp’ but it is truly torture. Maybe it improves with
practice but I never tried again.
But for those of you brave enough to try, here are a
few tips: when you want to wax, avoid showering and making the hair wet
prior to waxing. Hair absorbs the water making it soft and less likely to
stick to the wax. Tough hair is easier to pull off! Be sure to test a
small area of skin first to make sure there is no acute sensitivity or
allergic reaction to the process. It is beneficial if the hair is about a
quarter of an inch long. Be sure to wash the skin thoroughly and dry it
well beforehand to remove any lotions or oils, which may prevent the wax
from adhering closely to the skin. Heat the wax carefully so as not to
overheat and burn the skin when applying. Test on a small area first. The
consistency should be soft rather than runny.
If pain and discomfort is your main concern use a pain reducing gel or
cream available from pharmacists. These solutions should be applied 30 to
60 minutes before waxing so the skin is numbed beforehand. Good luck.
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