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Family Money: Estate Duties & You - Part 2
By Leslie
Wright,
Managing director of Westminster Portfolio Services (Thailand) Ltd.
Tax-Free Gifts
Last week we started looking at how inheritance tax can
affect you and your heirs.
I am frequently asked questions on this issue, which
can be complex in its ramifications for individual estate planners, no two
of whom have the same situation or solutions.
For instance, I was recently asked how to avoid
inheritance tax (IHT) on the sale of a house situated in the UK worth
about ฃ1 million, where the beneficiaries would be the client’s
non-UK domiciled spouse and their three children.
If she were UK-domiciled, she could inherit the whole
estate without any IHT liability. The client could therefore leave up to
ฃ255,000 (current nil-rate band) to the three children, and his wife
(even if they were separated but still married) could inherit the rest
with no immediate tax liability (although when she dies, IHT will become
due on any amount above the nil-rate band as it then stands.)
But if she is non-UK domiciled – e.g., Thai in this
case – then she can only inherit ฃ55,000 above the nil-rate band
without incurring IHT. So the client can only leave her a tax-free maximum
of ฃ310,000 (and the children nothing), or divvy up the nil-rate
band to the children and leave her only ฃ55,000 – or any
permutation of these figures.
PETS
Of course, many people need most of their available
cash simply to generate an income big enough to live on comfortably once
they are retired. If you feel secure and well provided-for, and have
capital to spare, then a certain amount each year can be given away as
potentially-exempt transfers (PETS). This means that if you survive for
seven years after making the gift, the taxman will not count it as part of
your estate on your death.
If you don’t live a further seven years, however,
that gift (plus any other PETS that you’ve made within the past seven
years) will have ‘failed’ – which means their value (at the time
they were handed over as gifts) will be added to your estate. But you
cannot be worse off by making PETS because if you die within seven years
then you will be liable to IHT on those assets as if you had never given
them away. Sometimes your estate is; in fact, better off as the value of
the asset in question is frozen at the time the gift was made – useful
for assets that may gain substantially in value.
It’s possible to give away a total of ฃ3,000 in
any one tax year, so couples have a joint annual exemption of ฃ6,000
(which can be doubled to ฃ12,000 in the first year that gifts are
made, to include the previous year’s allowance). Small gifts totalling
ฃ250 to any person for each tax year are also exempt, as are
marriage gifts of up to ฃ5,000 from either parent (or ฃ2,500
from grandparents or ฃ1,000 from other relatives).
It is worth noting, though, that PET limitations apply
specifically to gifts made out of capital. If you have more income than
you need, and are prepared to give money on a regular basis then, provided
it doesn’t damage your normal standard of living, there are no
restrictions on the amount you can give. It would, for example, be
feasible for a grandparent with a greater income (from pensions or
investments) than she needed, to pay regularly into her grandchildren’s
school fee fund – significantly reducing her estate in the process.
If these strategies are not appropriate for one reason
or another, then there are other schemes that can be considered as a means
of reducing IHT, particularly with regard to the family home. The ideal is
to leave the value of the house to the family, but to enable the parents
to carry on living in it until they die. This involves finding a way
around the knotty problem of ‘reservation of benefit’, which
stipulates that if you enjoy the use of an asset then, even if you have
given it away, it remains within your estate for IHT purposes.
Double Trusts
One option is to use what’s known as a ‘double
trust’ plan or ‘home loan scheme’. In a nutshell, this involves
getting the house valued, then setting up a property trust and selling the
house to it. The UK-resident homeowner is a lifetime beneficiary of this
trust, which means he can continue to live in the house during his
lifetime. The property trust is only obliged to pay for the house on the
death of the homeowner, and therefore simply gives the homeowner an IOU.
Another trust – this time a discretionary trust for the benefit of the
children after the homeowner’s death – is then set up, and the
homeowner gives the IOU to it as a gift. He then needs to live another
seven years in order for the gift to fall out of his estate.
When the homeowner dies, the property trust will be
assessed for IHT because he has been a beneficiary of it. However, the IOU
is deductible against the value of the home owned by the trust, so only
its net value is subject to IHT. Importantly, the property counts as a
principal private residence and is exempt from capital gains tax (CGT)
when it is sold by the property trustees.
This structure is most appropriate for people in their
60s and 70s, who can be reasonably confident of living another seven
years. But it is not cheap: solicitors’ fees can amount to perhaps 2% of
the value of the house, with a typical minimum charge of ฃ10,000.
Insurance policies
Another solution – perhaps the simplest for large
estates, although not necessarily the cheapest – is to take out a series
of term-life insurance policies, or a single whole-of-life policy.
Going back to my earlier example of the client with an
estate of ฃ1 million to worry about, his IHT would be about ฃ300,000
(40% of the amount above the nil-rate band) less the ฃ55,000 non-UK
domiciled wife’s allowance.
The premium for a ฃ300,000 life policy would be
about ฃ7,000 a year for a 5-year term-life policy, which would pay
out the full ฃ300,000 to his estate should he die while the policy
was in force. If he survives the 5-year term, he gets nothing back, and
has to renew the policy for a further 5-year term. Not cheap, but simple,
and a lot less expensive than his estate would otherwise have to pay in
IHT!
As always, those who fail to plan, plan to fail.
Snap Shots: Flogging your work, rather than
a dead horse
by Harry Flashman
 Many
years ago I discovered the secret to selling one’s photographs. My first
successful foray into this field was for a ladies magazine and these days
I am ashamed of that article. It was nauseating pap, but they loved it!
They even paid what was “big money” for it, and I settled my stomach
with the thought of what I was going to do with the cash.
The lesson to be learned was that by using your camera
and your ability to string a few sentences together, will give you a very
much greater chance of making money with your hobby. It is not enough to
just know the subject of your article - you see you have to research the
publication that you hope will accept your work.
The reason for this will become self evident as you
begin to do your research. Firstly, look at the contents pages, as it will
say there whether contributions are welcomed or otherwise. Send to an
“otherwise” and you will get your first rejection slip! Different
magazines also have a different “style”, and no matter how good, cute
or whatever, if your article and photographs are not in the style of the
publication - it won’t get published either! However, do not despair, I
know of a very successful writer who pastes rejection slips on his wall as
wallpaper.
So what do you have to do? Firstly go and purchase
copies of the publication you are going to try for, and then read them
from cover to cover, absorbing the style of the publication. Is it a
“hip” magazine full of words like “extreme, Man, cool” or is it
more refined? Do they like snappy short sentences or meaningful long ones?
How many words make up their average article? Sending 3,000 words on
buffalo breeding to a publication that does snappy little photo essays on
fashion and film will obviously get a rejection slip. Sending 3,000 words
on Buffalo breeding to the Buffalo Breeders Bi-monthly will also get a
rejection if the longest piece they run is 1,000 words. You must tailor
your work to suit the magazine. Write nauseating pap for a nauseating pap
magazine and you’re away!
So far you have outlaid money for several magazines and
nothing has come back in, but do not despair, you will eventually get some
rewards. The next thing to work out is what are you going to write about,
complete with illustrative photos? The simple answer here is to start by
writing about subjects you actually know something about, rather than
starting from scratch on some other topic.
Even then, you will have to do some research, either on
foot, by phone or net based research. Writing a great story on four
Chinese pandas in Chiang Mai, when everyone knows there are only two is
not going to get you published - unless you have found two more that were
smuggled in on the flight!
The next step is a crucial one as well. You must write
your story or feature, to the required length, and then illustrate that
story with appropriate photographs. Do not start with photographs and try
and write the story around the illustrations.
Let’s imagine you have written 500 words on whether
elephants should be allowed in town. What photos should you use? Any old
elephant shot will not do. You should be trying to get one strolling down
the street in the traffic. An amusing rear view of a pachyderm would also
go well, with the caption, “Is this the end of the elephant tale”
would also amuse the editor - all of which helps get your contribution
accepted.
Once you have had a couple of acceptances, you use these to get you
into more publications. You can legitimately ring the editorial office and
say, “I have been published by Blank magazine, would you be interested
in 500 words and photographs on the problems of elephants in traffic jams
in town?” You will be asked to send it in. You may still get a reject
slip, but keep going!
Modern Medicine: The ante-natal clinic, or chivalry is not dead!
by Dr Iain Corness, Consultant
Being pregnant is every woman’s birthright. At the
risk of raising the wrath of some of the more militant feminist groups
(“Hello girls!”), women have the equipment needed to nurture the next
generations. Men do not. Women therefore have the choice to continue the
line of homo sapiens or otherwise. Men can withhold supply, but have no
say or choice in the ante-natal nurturing.
After a break of many years, I find myself in the
situation called impending fatherhood. My new young wife and I discussed
the subject of progeny, and our decision was that since we were prepared
to make a go of making a life together, if that also included children,
then we should simply prepare for it. This we are doing, and it was with
much joy that we celebrated the two little red bars on the home pregnancy
kit a few months ago.
Despite the fact that I am a doctor, and even used to
run ante-natal clinics in Australia, this is not a situation where one
should treat family members. There are several good reasons for this, not
the least being the need to keep a clear head and make dispassionate
judgments at times. It is not a ‘healthy’ situation if the doctor is
too ‘close’ to the subject (patient).
So, like any ‘new’ father I have been attending the
ante-natal clinic at the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, and I have been
impressed by my fellow fathers. There are not too many women with the
enlarging tummy syndrome sitting on their own in the waiting area. And the
vast majority of fathers-to-be are also accompanying their wives into the
consultation room. They are actively involved and not just taxi drivers.
Chivalry is not dead, it seems! Well, not in Thailand anyway. You do not
see the same degree of commitment in ‘macho’ Australia for example.
I have also been impressed with the thoroughness of
today’s ante-natal care. Many years back, when I first started, the sex
of the growing baby could not be determined, other than by practitioners
of black magic, who were always 50% correct, no matter what method was
used! These days there are ultrasound scans that can tell the gestational
age of the baby, look for developmental abnormalities and even visualize
the foetal heart beating - and if you want, can indicate the likely sex of
the child. ‘Our’ scan was a little early because we were checking
whether or not we actually were going to be having twins, or just a big
baby (it’s the latter), and it is likely we will be having a daughter,
or a very shy boy!
There are also some very sensitive blood tests that can
be done these days to predict other foetal problems, such as Down’s
Syndrome. Today’s young mother can rest assured these days that the baby
she is carrying is healthy. There is no need to go nine months and have
some painful surprises at the end.
Our knowledge of the needs of the foetus is also such
that we can prescribe medication for the mother-to-be to ensure that
developmental problems are not brought on by a lack of such compounds as
folic acid, for example. Mind you, getting mother-to-be to remember to
take the tablets is another problem all on its own. Probably another area
where father can help! See you at the ante-natal classes!
 Heart to Heart with Hillary
Dear Hillary,
I placed an ad in Chiangmai Mail seeking a lady for friendship and possible
lifetime relationship and got a reply from a lovely educated girl, in her
20’s and claimed to be a tour guide. We met and it seemed that she was very
warm, honest, sincere, and showed some interest in me. I asked her if she would
help me find a condo. After looking all day, she recommended her friend’s
uncles condo. She could get a good price if I wanted to stay there. She got the
rental price from B. 6000 to B. 5,500 per month. I thought that was really nice
of her to do that for me and was getting a real bargin (sic). I was required to
give 2 months rent in advance for the deposit and B. 5,500 for the 1st
month’s rent. Which totaled B. 16,500. I gave her this in cash and she went
to sign the lease agreemant (sic). As she was doing this, I was busy putting my
things in the unit and did’nt (sic) bother checking the lease. After
everything was done, she told me she will be busy working for the next 2 days
and will not see me until Monday. Sunday comes and she tells me that her father
has a motorcyle (sic) accident in BKK and had to go by bus and see him in the
hospital. When she arrives, her purse, money and mobile phone is stolen.
Sounded kinda fishy, but I believed her and offered to help pay for her
father’s hospital bills. She has no phone and only contact her thru email.
Four days later I decide to check the lease agreement thinking that something
was wrong with this whole situation. As it turns out, the lease had a totally
different amount than what I paid her. She over charged me. The actual rent was
B3,600 and the deposit was B5,000. I gave her B16,500 and she only paid B9,400
and stole B7,100. I told her that if she don’t return my money, I will report
her to the police. She replied and said she will return it in a few days. My
question is, if she dosen’t (sic) show up with the money, should I file a
complaint to the police?
Lessons in Life
Dear Lessons in Life,
Some lessons are painful. Some lessons are expensive. Seems as if you’ve
found the latter. However, answer me this - would you put an advert in a
newspaper in your own country, looking for a lifetime companion, meet that
person and then give her a lump of money to pay your rent? File a complaint?
Forget it. It is not an excuse to say the lease agreement was in Thai - the
numbers are in English. After looking again at your letter, I suggest that the
next lessons you take should be in spelling your native language.
Dear Hillary,
My husband I went for lunch at a restaurant, when we were joined by a farang
man whom we had never seen and had not invited to join us! He told his tale of
woe and asked our advice. He was in his late 50’s and not at all attractive,
but he seemed concerned so we listened to him. As the tale went on, however, we
listened to him while nudging each other under the table. His company had sent
him to Pattaya to work for six months on the oil rigs, his first time to ever
travel outside of Australia. He almost immediately met a bargirl and began
going out with her. According to him, “She quit her job to be with me because
she fell in love with me.” They had traveled all over the country and were
now going to the north because her mother was ill and needed an operation. He
would be returning home in the next few weeks and knew he was in trouble. He
was, of course, married. He asked if we didn’t think it was a good idea to
just ring his wife up and have her come out here and sort it all out. His
alternative plan was to show up with the bargirl in tow. Hillary, what is it
with these beer-bellied old geezers? Do they really believe these women who are
half their age have fallen in love with them? Don’t they realize how light
their wallets are becoming? Are they suffering from such a severe case of
testosterone poisoning that they’re perfectly willing to toss their families
aside and donate their savings, salaries and self-respect to questionable
surgeries and the village buffalo? We agreed that he needed to sort it out with
his wife without the bargirl in tow, but we left the restaurant wishing he had
found other luncheon companions.
Disgusted Diners
Dear Disgusted Diners,
What has to be answered is just why “they’re perfectly willing to donate
their savings, salaries and self-respect to questionable surgeries and the
village buffalo”. You are suggesting it is testosterone poisoning, Petal, but
perhaps “these women who are half their age” are supplying something they
no longer get at home? Your letter also raises some questions from me - just
where are these oil rigs in Pattaya? Shell, Elf, BP and Caltex also want to
know, and why were you “nudging each other under the table”? Sometimes
it’s hard to be humble.
A Slice of Thai History: Pridi Banomyong: a life of controversy
Part One 1900-1933
by Duncan steam
One of the most prominent Thai political figures of the
twentieth century, the name of Pridi Banomyong still arouses passion and
controversy in the public arena, even decades after he went into exile.
Indeed, reaction to celebrations intended to mark the centenary of his
birth showed that mention of Pridi could still inflame passions.
Born on 11 May 1900 in Ayutthaya, Pridi Banomyong
attended primary school in his home province before studying Law at the
Ministry of Justice in Bangkok. He was a bright student and, at the age of
19, he was a made a Barrister-at-Law.
Pridi won a Ministry of Justice scholarship to study
law in France and attended the University of Paris between 1920 and 1927.
Apart from gaining his Law degree, he also received a diploma in
Economics. In his last year of study, he was elected chairman of the Thai
Student’s Association. It was at this time that he, along with six
friends, seriously began to contemplate the overthrow of the absolute
monarchy.
On his return to Thailand, Pridi joined the civil
service as a judge in the Ministry of Justice. In 1929, he was appointed
Secretary to the Office of Drafting Bills as well as being an
Administrative Law lecturer at the School of Law.
On 24 June 1932, Pridi, leading a group of 65
civilians, and Colonel Pibulsongkram, at the head of 49 military personnel
launched a bloodless coup that overthrew the absolute monarchy headed by
King Prajadhipok (Rama VII). Calling their group the Promoters, they asked
the king to remain as a constitutional monarch, but compelled him to
declare all public offices vacant.
The Promoters created a political grouping known as the
People’s Party and the executive committee, of which Pridi was a leading
member, formed a provisional government. Appeals Court judge Phraya
Manoprakorn Nithithada, better known simply as Phraya Mano, was appointed
chairman of the People’s Party.
In the interim, Pridi was appointed secretary-general
of parliament and given the task of formulating the first National
Election Act along with the Constitutional Drafting Committee that created
the 10 December 1932 Constitution, the first in Thai history. The
constitution allowed for half the members to be appointed and the other
half to be elected. Pridi and Pibulsongkram were among the original
appointees.
The marriage between the left leaning civilian Pridi
and the right wing military man Pibulsongkram was always going to fail. It
was a marriage of convenience, nothing more, nothing less. By the time of
the December constitution a rift had developed within the People’s Party
between the civilians and military. The civilians also divided along
factional lines, Pridi taking a firm hold on the left wing.
In March 1933, Pridi was given the Interior Ministry
and, as Finance minister, his proposed Draft National Economic Plan was
presented to the government of Phraya Manoprakorn. The Great Depression
was biting into the Thai economy as much as anywhere else in the world,
but Pridi’s ideas, including the nationalisation of natural resources,
were perceived as being communist in nature. Pridi’s rivals, including
Pibulsongkram, saw this as an opportunity to reduce his power base and, on
1 April, Prime Minister Phraya Mano obtained the permission of the king to
suspend the National Assembly and rule by decree. Pridi’s support base
was within the National Assembly and he was forced to resign. The
constitution was suspended, martial law proclaimed, an anti-Communist Act
was introduced and Pridi was advised to go into exile in France.
Personal Directions: You are your best investment
by Christina Dodd
How did you go with last week’s exercise? Did you
give yourself 24 hours? Were you able to find this small amount of time to
invest in your life?
Most of us think that we need to set aside special
moments in time for very special events or undertakings. The reality of it
is that if something is so special, it should be with us at all times. We
should be willing to make it a part of our lives every day. But then
again, once something becomes a part of our routine, we no longer call it
“special”. We really are strange creatures.
Take the fact that we allocate a special day to
children, mothers and fathers - to celebrate them and the impact they have
on our lives. Shouldn’t every day be celebrating this?
We become so conditioned by what is around us that it
can suddenly become very difficult to peel away the outer surfaces to find
out and see what lies beneath. To my mind we are special all of the time.
I like to adopt this approach to my life because I am so overwhelmed by
our power and ability as individuals. The enormity of our potential has
not been fully explored and we have only just scraped the surface. Each of
us is extraordinary.
For a day in your life, spend a period of five minutes
every hour to just study the face of someone around you. You may or may
not know them. It doesn’t matter. In this small amount of time engaged
in this activity try to look for the good points in that person. Don’t
think of the negative. Don’t think of their downside. Think of their
high points, or imagine from their behavior or characteristics the
goodness that is in them. Watch how they smile, or frown, or move their
head or walk. Listen to their voice and gauge from their body language a
“feel” about them. Take a look behind the face that you see. Try to
see what they see as you look at them. You may very well be surprised to
understand in a quiet moment and part of you that people are all special
and have their own stories, hardships, times of happiness and so on.
Every face tells a story. I found this so incredibly
true when I lived in Vietnam many years ago. Up until that time I thought
that I understood this point quite well. But when I was able to sit and
take the time to make a private study of people as they sat and talked and
went about their daily lives, it was profoundly moving. Looking behind the
eyes and the face into more or less the soul and the actual being,
certainly requires patience and empathy. It is a task for the dedicated,
but one we can all perform. It is a very worthwhile exercise to perform
once in a while because it keeps you in touch with life.
It is a silent time - which we should all embrace
eagerly - where we can lose ourselves in the study of our fellow human
being. It could be a child, an old woman, a young mother, a lively puppy,
a group of teenagers, or even your own reflection. Have you ever sat and
pondered your own face? Have you taken the time to look behind the lines,
the expressions and consider the person who lies behind them? On occasion
I have done this in my programs and have found that most participants
become visibly moved and touched by such a simple task, but one never
really undertaken before in their lives. Try it yourself with good intent
and see how you feel.
No matter the culture, there is the ability to
communicate regardless. Culture has a major role to play in who we are
because of the immense influence it has on almost every aspect of our
lives and how we have developed, but the point I also like to remind many
people of is that whilst we have many differences, we also have many
similarities. When you look deeply inside you will find that we are all
individuals and human beings. We act and behave in different ways, but
there are a lot of common characteristics, attitudes and behaviors that
bind us together.
Quite frequently I hold cross-cultural programs for
executives taking up postings in Thailand and indeed the region. Many of
them come with an open mind about the country and the culture of their
hosts and are very eager to understand what and what not to do. The one
thing that I try to impress upon them though, perhaps more than anything
else, is that although cultural differences exist, people should still be
regarded for who they are as individuals first. When we are born the
doctor doesn’t announce “it’s an Australian, or it’s a Thai”, he
announces “it’s a boy or it’s a girl”.
Get to know the person first. Get to know about them
and understand them as an individual who happens to be a certain
nationality.
Feel the culture, be aware of how it shapes behavior,
be aware of the demands it places on an individual - but consider every
one as a human being first and this will take you a long way. So many
times we fall into categorizing people according to cultures and
nationalities and using them to explain or excuse certain behaviors and
events. This may hold true to a certain extent, but it can also be an
extremely dangerous thing to do as it can cause us to lose perspective of
the real person and the real situation.
For more information on our cross-cultural programs, or
indeed any of our professional and personal skills programs, please
don’t hesitate to contact me at Chris tina.dodd@asiatrainingasso
ciates.com or visit our web site at www.atasiam.com
Until next time, have a great week and don’t forget,
give yourself some time.
Social Commentary by Khai Khem:
Don’t stray off the beaten path
Pattaya’s many beautification projects will
eventually show some positive results. I’m all for clean beaches lined
with swaying palm trees, clean water in Pattaya Bay, tidy power and
telephone cables and efficient waste management. The Beach Road promenade
has been improved beyond recognition and even the Jomtien Beach area is
now much cleaner and more attractive, though the crime rate still goes
unabated. Even so, if one traverses the area dressed in nothing but a
swimsuit and carries no valuables, a half-naked tourist will enjoy a day
at the beach.
Unfortunately the roads and sois in the Banglamung
district are in such poor condition it is nearly impossible to drive on
them. I’m not referring to the obvious construction going on in mid-town
Pattaya, which, in time, will see completion. It’s all the rest of the
roads in the area, where most of the area’s residents live and work, which
have deteriorated into a state of decay beyond belief.
Our region’s roads and suburban streets have become
almost impassable. We complain about bad driving habits, traffic gridlock,
ill-planned traffic control and a high rate of accidents. In fact, the major
contributor to some of these problems is the deadly conditions that we all
have to drive in. There is hardly a stretch of road in our area that isn’t
riddled with potholes. Weaving around these deadly menaces to avoid falling
into one prevents even the most cautious and responsible motorists to keep
to their lane of traffic. Sections of the sides of roads have been washed
and no attempts at repairs have yet been made.
We are approaching the peak tourist season. We are
inviting visitors to holiday in our fair city, but how will we accommodate
the increased traffic? Thais from all over the nation declare that Pattaya
is one of their favorite holiday spots. Tour groups usually arrive in busses
and are driven to main attractions. Other visitors will drive to Pattaya in
their own vehicles. These more independent tourists will be subject to the
perils of our dangerous roads. The peak tourist season could well be the
peak accident season. Local residents may have memorized every driving
hazard on their daily route. Strangers to the area are at serious risk if
they stray off the beaten path. Not all of Pattaya’s attractions are in
the center of town where all the major improvements are taking place.
City officials have admitted that our region’s traffic
problems are overwhelming and to solve them will be a major undertaking. Too
many baht buses, illegal parking and lack of professional traffic control
plans are certainly issues we need to resolve. How about adding proper road
repair and maintenance in all sub-districts to that list?
Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard are being promoted as
one of the loveliest vacation spots in the world. And so it may be. Our
beaches, islands, hotels and restaurants are gorgeous and our hospitality to
visitors is unmatched. Thai culture is unique and our tourist attractions
are fun and exciting. But our streets and sois are a disgrace.
I recently followed a baht bus loaded with European
tourists down Soi Nernplabwan. I purposely didn’t overtake it because I
was watching the expression on their faces. The baht bus driver was in fact
driving slowly. Frankly, he couldn’t go any faster because he was so
intent on navigating around the massive potholes in the road.
Every once in awhile, the taxi driver had to swerve into
oncoming traffic to avoid a crater, and in turn, all traffic coming the
other way had to run up onto shop house entrances, or veer over to the wrong
side of the road to avoid a collision. None of this, and I stress NONE, was
the result of reckless driving on anyone’s part. Motorists and
motorcyclists were driving with the utmost care to ensure they arrived at
their destination instead of the hospital. Each time the baht bus hit a
hole, one of the large European men hit his bald head on the roof of the
taxi.
I noted the expressions on the faces of the passengers.
They were staring at the condition of the road in disgust and disbelief. I
couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I assume their comments were not
flattering. One elderly woman kept sliding off her seat each time the taxi
swerved. She finally got a good grip on the man next to her and closed her
eyes. I couldn’t say for sure, but I think she was praying.
Okay. More than likely these tourists enjoyed their
holiday in Thailand. After all, a few bumps in the roads around the region
can pale in comparison with a couple of weeks of fun in the sun, great food
and fun activities. But we do know that visitors complain about our terrible
traffic, undisciplined driving, and I have no doubt that when they get home
they vilify our region’s road conditions. Even Thais from other provinces
say they drive in Pattaya with their hearts in their throats the whole time
they are here.
And what about the hundreds of thousands of people who
live here full time? Don’t we deserve
safe road conditions? After all, we are the ones who use the roads everyday
and are the ones most at risk.
Roll over Rover: Barking dogs drive us all nuts
by
C. Schloemer
I wish I could tell readers I have the solution to this
problem, but unfortunately, dogs bark, and that’s a fact. If you are an
owner whose dog does not present this problem, I envy you. Some breeds
bark more than others. Some owners are able to break their pets of the
habit of unnecessary barking, or at least reach a stage of control where
the barking doesn’t drive them and their neighbors round the bend.
Dogs bark for a variety of reasons. Incessant barking
can often be a sign that the dog isn’t receiving enough playtime and
attention. Confining a dog to close quarters for long periods of time will
often result in barking, sometimes out of sheer boredom, a need for
exercise and interaction or real discomfort.
Owners who spend all day at work and leave their dogs
alone usually don’t know that the dog is barking his head off all day
until her or she receives complaints and death threats from the neighbors.
Dogs are often the victims of abuse and even poisoning from nearby
residents because owners refuse to address this issue. This is a sad
truth, and there are many animals who suffer because their owners refuse
to accept responsibility for their pets and or make an effort to train
their dog to be a compatible member of a community.
Most annoying is the dog that barks all night. If this
is the case, try bringing your dog inside when the family goes to sleep.
Dogs usually behave better when they spend more hours in the family
dwelling. Dogs are social animals by nature and being outside alone all
day and all night is lonely. Bringing them inside at night relieves their
anxiety, makes them feel more loved and secure. And the neighbors will
definitely be less hostile!
Daytime barking usually involves a natural defense of
parameters. The ‘house and garden’ set will notice their pets bark at
the gate at passersby and other dogs on the loose.
Or perhaps your dog constantly barks at a next door
neighbor’s dog with which you share a property boundary such as a fence
or a wall. If the dogs are compatible and do not fight when socializing,
this is most likely doggie ‘chit-chat’ and if the interchange is
occasional, or at certain hours of the day, it’s probably not a problem.
Relocating your dog on your property which further separates the
neighbor’s dog could be a solution if the barking is constant. Consider
creating a dog run in the back of the house where there is less activity
in sight of the dog, thus creating a private space for your pet which
allows him to relax and not always be ‘on guard’.
Owners who live in apartments with well-trained dogs
will probably find they bark only when someone comes to the door.
Apartment dogs are less exposed to outside stimuli. However, many dogs
living in a flat will bark incessantly if left alone for too long. Make
sure your pet has plenty of food and water and some toys or chewable
treats or bones to keep him occupied while the family is at work and
school.
Dogs often need refresher sources in the “No”
command. An owner will have to choose a few basic words or phrases which
are short and to the point. Dogs don’t really understand English (or any
other language the owner may speak). Dogs do understand sounds, tones and
body language. So a select a few words which will convey the command and
stick to those words. In this case, “No” or “No barking” will
suffice.
Don’t forget the biggest motivator for your pooch is
you. He wants to be good. He wants to please you. But to be a good
teacher, you must be consistent, clear and compassionate. And remember,
it’s a rare dog that doesn’t bark except when absolutely necessary. So
don’t expect the impossible. And show your friends and neighbors that
you are at least attempting to get the problem under control.
Woman's World: Stress Busters
Part 5
by Lesley Warner
As I have already explained, there are many choices available
for those that wish to experiment in alternative ideas for health and
stress relief options. This story goes back along way; it started when I
was 17, and I was involved in a car accident. The result was a dislocation
of one of my discs in the lower part of my neck. This caused me severe pain
and I was required to wear a neck collar for several weeks and told I would
have to keep the collar to wear when required in the future.
There were continuing and painful problems throughout
the forthcoming years which meant keeping the collar handy. Sometimes my
neck would stiffen on one side forcing my head over; I would then have wear
the neck collar for a few days until the pain receded and the muscle
relaxed.
This was all extremely inconvenient, as you can imagine,
to a mother with four small children, but I couldn’t do anything without
keeping the potential neck problem in the forefront of my mind.
A friend told me that she had spoken to a Spiritualist
Healer about me and he wanted me to go and see him. Well I was horrified, I
literally thought, “give me a break - I wont be able to keep a straight
face,” but she was so convinced that he could help me I didn’t have the
heart to say no. In the end I came to a compromise with her and said,
“I’ll come and be an observer”.
I imagined we would be going to some creepy old house
with bats in the belfry and stone gremlins on the gateposts. But we went to
a small village hall in Caversham. It was the middle of winter and the hall
was freezing with only an old gas fire. The old polished floorboards made
everything happening in the room echo and no matter how quietly we tried to
walk our shoes made loud clunking noises. I felt really uncomfortable as if
I really shouldn’t be there and wished myself anywhere else; there were
about a dozen people. I settled down to watch the proceedings - there was a
chair in the middle of the room and a man standing by it. He was
unexceptional, tallish, brown hair, nice face, a quiet looking man, his
name was Michael. He asked a lady to come over and sit in the chair, then
he asked her what her problem was, and held his hands over and around her
never once touching her. I cynically thought, “This is ridiculous,
he’ll take a rabbit out of a hat in a minute”.
An hour or more passed and I was getting quite bored,
desperately wanting to leave when suddenly my friend got up and led me to
the chair. She told Michael what my problem was and he told me to sit down.
He asked my what I knew about spiritualist healing and what I thought. I
looked at him and said, “I don’t know anything about it. I only came to
watch, I’m not sure I believe.” He smiled and said, “That’s ok, a
lot of people feel the same way; would you like me to try and help you?”
I said, “Well, any help would be welcome.”
I sat in the chair feeling very conspicuous. Michael
stood behind me not saying a word, he never touched me but I felt a
powerful heat around my neck and shoulders. This went on for about 10
minutes. I felt that we were alone in the room with just warm quiet calm
all around us. Suddenly he said, “Ok, are you alright?” I looked up
feeling a little stupid and said, “What did you do?” He said, “I
didn’t do anything. I am but a channel for those spirits that are all
around us and can assist people with pain and sickness. We can’t help
everyone but hopefully we have been able to help you. Please come back if
you need more help.”
When we left my friend asked me what I thought. I
honestly told her that I had no idea what had gone on, or if I believed
anything, I only knew he hadn’t touched me but the heat was intense.
That was more that 20 years ago and I have never had to
wear the collar or had problems with my neck since, apart from a little
tension ache sometimes...
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