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Money matters:
Graham Macdonald MBMG International Ltd.
Why people are worried, part 5
To continue the mixed metaphor from last week, the snowball
was getting bigger by the minute. Whilst some investors were still okay with the
ratings being given out, others began to baulk when the defaults started to
become apparent and increased with frightening speed. This forced the rating
agencies to rethink their original statements and then lower the ratings.
More than a few of these CDOs were so complicated that many could not actually
be valued. However, it soon became apparent that even the big boys were caught
up in the mess and were made to admit that these securities were not worth as
much as originally thought.
Just over four months ago, UBS AG closed one of its hedge funds with a loss of
nearly US$125 million. A month later two of Bear Stearns hedge funds lost over
US$1.5 billion of investors’ money as it was taken by bad mortgage bets and lost
lines of credit. The trouble then became worldwide with companies in the UK,
Europe and Australia all suffering.
Even the Harvard Endowment Fund, one of the best ever performing funds of all
time, lost nearly US$350 million as the implications then spread to private
equity. However, this was a relative drop in the ocean compared to the fund’s
gains in this sector over the previous decade and as we’ve seen already, this
was just one exposure counter-balanced by many others and caused nary a blip in
the monthly performance of Jack Meyer’s endowment, highlighting the real value
of diversification. Even when the sub-prime tentacles start to reach wide,
genuine diversification will ensure that most of your asset allocation remains
unaffected.
Multiple asset diversification really spreads the risk. Dressing up your newly
polished CDO doesn’t. What we were told by the Wall Street vested interests
would spread the risk actually caused it to increase. The common sense approach
of Jack Meyer actually reduced it.
Many still do not understand how it all came about and there are lots of fund
managers who did not allow for this as their funds reacted in a different way to
what they expected. However, even though money is now in tighter supply,
arrogance still abounds from the Fed as they still think that even if all of
this resulted in problems with the housing and debt markets the strength of the
American economy shows that what they did was the correct decision – assuming it
does not lead into a recession.
From where we sit that is an awfully big assumption. You get this much debt, you
usually get a recession. You get an inverted yield curve, you usually get a
recession. You get a sustained bull run like this, you usually get a correction.
So why should this time be any different?
The arguments that it doesn’t seem to be on the horizon are very short term. The
reasons why there will be a recession are that structurally it’s inevitable –
all the conditions in which recession foments have been with us for many years.
The reasons against it are that the immediate signs are present yet. We wrote a
piece at the start of the year comparing the global economy to the Titanic. Full
speed ahead, just because the seas look clear, doesn’t mean that the berg isn’t
out there and waiting. It most definitely is whether or not we can see it.
At MBMG we’ve long been advocates of the multiple asset class approach to
diversification. S&P and Reuters Lipper number 1 ranked fund manager Sam Liddle
of our portfolio managers, MitonOptimal, visited Bangkok recently to share his
current thoughts and concerns with audiences at a range of events, culminating
in his presentation comparing the style of MitonOptimal (based in Reading,
Berkshire in the UK) with Jack Meyer’s - “When genius succeeded - The Harvard,
Yale and Berkshire Investment Master Class”.
A CD containing Sam’s presentations is available upon request and while any
attempted summary here will inevitably fail to do justice, these were the
highlights that caught our attention:
U.S. and Western slowdown is inevitable – MitonOptimal’s longer term funds are
reducing their equity allocations although the shorter term actively traded
funds are still looking for the red warning lights to start flashing before they
exit the markets.
Eastern equities will out perform the West – again the active funds are
currently drawn to China and Russia in particular (fundamentally they find India
less attractive) – although in a major worldwide recession the East would get
dragged down too.
Asian property remains more attractive than Western property but again with the
same caveats for equities but to a lesser degree.
The commodity story continues to look strong although recession would imply a
greater need to be selective.
Western currencies will continue to generally weaken versus Asian currencies.
Euro and Swiss Franc remain the pick of the Western currencies.
The case for gold continues to look compelling in the longer term.
Multiple asset class diversification is the only way to approach the pent-up
risk that is now looking to unleash itself into the markets as Alan Greenspan
feared it would all those years ago.
Adaptive allocation is a sine qua non – you see ice floes you slow down. You see
a berg you change course. MitonOptimal portfolios and the Ivy League endowments
will navigate safely through the coming crisis to the opposite shore. Too many
other portfolios will sink without a trace. And just like the Titanic, the
losses will be totally avoidable and unnecessary.
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The above data and research was compiled from sources
believed to be reliable. However, neither MBMG International Ltd nor its
officers can accept any liability for any errors or omissions in the above
article nor bear any responsibility for any losses achieved as a result of any
actions taken or not taken as a consequence of reading the above article. For
more information please contact Graham Macdonald on
[email protected]@mbmg-international.com.com
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Snap Shots: by Harry Flashman
You and Andy Warhol
 What
is the difference between you and Andy Warhol? Well, for a start, you
are alive and Andy Warhol is dead! However, Andy Warhol lives on in his
“art” in the ‘copy’ shops in Thailand. The fluoro ‘Marilyn’ series in
particular. However, Andy Warhol left far more than Marilyn and the
famous Campbell’s soup can. He left a huge collection of photographs.
Andy Warhol and yourself are both photographers.
Andy Warhol was a complex character. He said, “I also take my camera
everywhere. Having a few rolls of film to develop gives me a good reason
to get up in the morning.”
He also did not think much of the technical side of photography, “I love
the new, small automatic-focus 35 mm cameras like Minox and Konica. I
think anyone can take a good picture. My idea of a good picture is one
that’s in focus and of a famous person doing something unfamous. It’s
being in the right place at the wrong time.”
Andy Warhol was really a voyeur. However, he was a voyeur of people who
wanted to be spied upon, which gave it all a pseudo-legitimacy. I looked
through the book, Andy Warhol’s Exposures, the other day just to see if
his photos had any real lasting ‘merit’ as photographic works of art. At
the risk of enraging all the Andy fans, really they were nothing but
‘record’ shots showing the glitterati set doing what they do best –
posing and poncing around.
But where Andy Warhol excelled was in the fact that he could get to all
the places that the celebrities would go. He was accepted, and his poky
little cameras with their on-camera flashes were just part of Andy. The
photographs are then only of merit because of their subject matter, not
for technique or for final technical quality. Many are ‘blown out’ with
the subjects too close to the flash, others are blurred. However, the
majority are taken with the subjects looking away from the camera –
while they are still posing, rather than actually posing for the camera
using ‘eye contact’ with the lens. It was a crazy way to take photos,
but still one that helped Andy Warhol to fame and fortune.
Even though the book Andy Warhol’s Exposures is ostensibly a photo book,
there being more pictures than words, it is really about ‘exposing’ the
private persona of the celebrity subjects. People who did not really
have (or wish to have) private lives. Like Dean Martin’s ex-wife’s
boyfriend. Yes, that’s the sort of people you could expect to find being
photographed by the famous Campbell’s soup can artist. Of course, he
also photographed Mick and Bianca Jagger, ex-US President Jimmy Carter,
a swag of Kennedy’s, movie stars, transvestites and the works. As long
as somebody thought they were famous.
Andy Warhol was the ‘ultimate’ street photographer. Just as
Cartier-Bresson photographed the ordinary people, Andy Warhol
photographed the out of the ordinary people. His relentless shots taken
in Studio 54, the ‘in place’ disco are albums of freaks, hangers-on,
minor celebrities, aging movie stars, starlets eager for any publicity,
drunks, transvestites, designers, people with designs on being
designers, the whole superfluous and superficial crowd. And Andy got
them all, and in some ways recorded an era for posterity.
So what was the point of this week’s column? Just that if you want to
contribute something to the world of photography, you must take photos.
It doesn’t matter whether you know anything about the science behind it
all – the important thing is you have to have images.
In turn, those images must have a theme. Andy Warhol’s was the rich and
famous, wannabe’s and hangerson. You need to get a theme too. Night life
in Thailand has probably been done to death, as also the women of
Thailand, as beautiful and beguiling as they are. However, if you are a
true disciple of Andy Warhol you would perhaps do a series on the
transvestites of Thailand – not in their beautiful stage outfits but
rather dressed in ordinary clothes, without make-up and shopping at the
supermarkets.
Find a theme and start shooting today!
Modern Medicine:
by Dr. Iain Corness, Consultant
Generics: are they a patient’s ‘right’?
Prescription drugs always seem to be in the limelight. The
latest allegation is that the ‘pre-release’ testing as required by the US
Food and Drug Administration has been subject to bias. Wonder of wonders,
the drug company has only been publishing positive reviews! The negative
ones just fall through the cracks in the cement! I can remember as a first
year junior doctor, my boss being part of a clinical trial of a new drug.
The first three patients died on the point of the needle. I wonder if that
was ever published.
Cheap (generic) drugs are also in the news. Most people here know that you
can buy “brand name” medications, which tend to be expensive, or you can buy
“copy” generic drugs that tend to be cheap.
Let’s just clear up what generics is all about. What you have to first
realize is that all medications are chemicals, and somebody ‘invented’ them
in a laboratory. The ‘Trade name’ for the chemical compound is owned by the
manufacturing company, for example ‘Valium’ is the chemical diazepam, or
‘Viagra’ which is ‘sildenafil’. Valium and Viagra are trade names, while
diazepam and sildenafil are generics.
When you buy Valium, you are getting the diazepam chemical as invented by
that manufacturer, with all the purity and quality controls that a major
manufacturer has to abide by. However, when you buy diazepam tablets, these
can come from a little factory on a back street in Bangladesh or Pakistan,
with all the hygiene standards being applied that you may or may not like to
imagine!
The large pharmaceutical companies legitimately say that if they do not have
protection, they cannot recoup the cost of the development of the drug – in
some cases, multi millions of dollars, and then develop new ones. However,
if after it has been invented, Pakky Pills produce the drug cheaply after
zero costs have been outlaid for its research. This is unfair.
Through this minefield walks the medical profession. In the developed world,
on one side are the large pharmaceutical companies saying that they need the
sales to cover costs and sponsor future research, but on the other side
stands the government, saying that the public purse cannot afford these
expensive medications, when cheaper, but chemically the same, alternatives
are available. These two opposing sides have arguments that are quite
understandable.
In the developing world it is a little different. The end point consumer
does not have the money to buy the expensive original research
manufacturer’s tablets, and neither do the governments (who in most cases do
not have an all-encompassing health care systems).
To make it even more contentious, there are medications that could be called
‘essential’ for life. The ones that come immediately to mind are the AIDS
treatment drugs. Can you justify withholding treatment from the poor (people
or countries) just on price protectionism policies? Figures published in
Thailand claim that the same medication is available to the consumers
between 300,000 baht and 12,000 baht per year. For the poor, one is
affordable, one is not. For government or charity purses, ditto.
My stance on generics falls between the two extremes. For non-essential
drugs I believe the original manufacturer deserves a patent period and
generics should not be sold within that time frame. During that time frame I
would prescribe by trade name only and not generic. This covers medications
such as yet another BP reducing tablet, of which there are scores, or
another non-earth shattering antibiotic. These are not essential as there
are many alternatives.
However, for essential medications, generics should be allowed and offered
to developing nations, and to the poor, even though this may be within the
time frame. In other words, let those who can afford it pay, and those who
cannot should be assisted by the manufacturer, who can make their own
generic equivalent, as well as licensing other manufacturers to make their
drug.
So where do you fit into all this? First make sure that the ‘copy’ drug does
contain what it is supposed to and that the drug is released from the
tablet/capsule in the strength indicated. Or let your doctor prescribe –
it’s much safer!
 Heart to Heart with Hillary
Dear Hillary,
You have often mentioned books that newcomers to Thailand should read and you
should add “Falangs in Thailand” to that list. This cartoon book by Mike Baird
is based on truth and everyone who laughs at the drawings should also remember
that (it is based on truth). The cartoonist must have spent a lot of time
watching what goes on in Pattaya, but what he shows is the same for Bangkok,
Phuket and Chiang Mai. “Private Dancer” by Stephen Leather is another that
anyone who spends time in the bars should read. Stay there long enough and it
will happen to you, so be warned. I hope this helps, Hillary. I enjoy your
column.
Kevin
Dear Kevin,
Thank you for the information about suitable books, and I have looked at both
and do agree with your ideas. Unfortunately, I think many young chaps who come
here (and some not so youngs as well) don’t seem to be able to read. Perhaps the
cartoon books will be better for them, as long as they realise that Mike Baird
is being very satirical. We can only hope, Petal. We can only hope.
Dear Hillary,
When are you going to collect all your writings into a book? I reckon it would
have to be a great hit. I have mates overseas who read you every week, just for
the laugh at the poor saps who write in. I’ll buy the first copy.
Regular Reader
Dear Reg the Reader,
It is always nice to know that the readers enjoy the column, especially people
like Big D from the USA who sends champagne and chocolates with his letters.
(Thanks again Big D!) We have discussed putting some of the best letters
together, but it is a lot of work, Reg my Petal. Maybe it will be something for
me to do when I retire. I’ll let you know and autograph that first copy just for
you. Of course the first copy will be more expensive than the others, so in true
fashion for these parts, there will be around 1,000 first copies, just like the
third 50 percent share of many bars that is sold so often! By the way, I would
rather your friends laugh at my answers, rather than at the readers!
Dear Hillary,
Can you help please? Do all Thai people ask you the most personal questions?
Things like “How much money you make? You married yet? Why not? You got
girlfriend? You want me to go with you?” Apart from the fact that this is
considered a very rude way of starting a relationship in the UK, I also find it
very embarrassing when I am over here. How do I get these people to stop doing
this? You seem to have the answers for everyone else, so I hope you have some
for me too.
Shy and Retiring
Dear Shy and Retiring,
Or is that Shy and Retired? You have to look at where are these women who ask
such direct questions. My bet is in a bar somewhere. They are not in the habit
of issuing a gilt edged invitation to dinner, hand inscribed in Olde English. Be
real and be thankful that ‘these people’ as you call them are interested enough
in you to even ask questions. There’s only one thing worse than being a
wall-flower at parties, and that’s not being asked at all. In actual fact, my
turtledove, those inquiries are very cleverly designed “standard” bar girl
questions to see if you are worthwhile bothering with at all. If you have no
money all interest will be lost immediately. Likewise if you are married they
will want to know if “You marry Thai?” or whether your partner is waiting
faithfully for you back home in the UK, while you contemplate the unfaithful
ideas. Lighten up and when you are asked next time just say, “No money. Wife
take all money to boy bar,” and then laugh a lot. They’ll get the message and
you will be left happily lonely, then you can write me letters asking why does
nobody talk to you!
Dear Hillary,
The other night in the bar we had a discussion whether Thai females are
romantic. I say that they are, but my drinking buddies all say not. They said
that all they are interested in are large amounts of gold, and the larger the
better. Surely there are still some gals out there who appreciate roses and
chocolates (apart from you, Hillary)? I need you to back me up here, Hillary.
Rose
Dear Rose,
Such a lovely name, and chocolates and roses are nice, but I prefer champagne
and chocs. Of course there are romantic ladies left in Thailand, other than
myself. It sounds to me as if your drinking buddies are looking for ladies from
the wrong watering holes. The professional ladies who come to the surface with
the buffalos in tow are certainly only looking for gold. That is their business,
their profession (and an old one at that). However, by looking in the
universities, offices and even department stores, you will find ladies who
appreciate being appreciated. You are correct, Rose. Your friends are taking too
narrow a sample to base their findings. You don’t have rose colored glasses.
Your drinking buddies are looking at life through beer glasses.
Learn to Live to Learn: with Andrew Watson
Beyond Checkpoint Charlie
Three days of chipping away at the Berlin wall
with hammers and chisels had left our hands blistered and our
hearts uplifted. There were startling differences in the quality
of the wall around the city. It was at its thickest around the
Brandenburg gate, rendered with thumb-numbing Teutonic
efficiency in reinforced, reinforced concrete. Here, it was
preposterously difficult to crack off anything but the tiniest
gobbets, the greatest of which bore the iridescent remnants of
revolutionary passion in the form of graffiti. How we prized
them!
In the suburbs, this cold war wall, a truly grotesque
manifestation of humanity’s inability to communicate, took on
its most absurd form. It cut through gardens, houses, housing
estates, roads, railways, rearing up ten foot tall. For people
on either side, the wall was where one part of their existence
ended. It was the edge of the world, re-flattened by inhuman
imposition. Families and friends had been divided by unthinking,
unfeeling war mongers and faceless bureaucrats.
In retrospect, it might be easy to romanticise the whole
business, to camouflage the outrage in nostalgia. But the wall
was an abomination, a hideous evil. Attacking it with hammers
and chisels was a rare privilege to redress the balance a bit;
to do the right thing. With every strike, it felt like we were
righting what felt like a permanent wrong. We laughed at the
ludicrously small chips that flaked off the Brandenburg, because
actually, it didn’t matter how small they were. What mattered
was that granule by granule, the wall was crumbling.
As bigger and bigger holes appeared, we ventured with
incredulity into no-man’s land and scurried about like
squirrels, sniffing the wind. We had to be careful that our
forays were not in areas covered by automatic machine guns,
still fully armed and not known for their discretion. Debunking
Hitler’s bunker would have to wait. In the mean time, we made
for Checkpoint Charlie, and crossed as imagined spies into the
East, feeling like Bond. Despite the festive air and frisson of
anticipation as New Year approached, the Stasi had not yet fully
relinquished their iron grip on all things East German.
Once in “die Hauptstadt der DDR” dour faces and suspicious looks
met and followed us. “Tauschen?” we whispered rather naughtily,
whenever we passed anybody who looked local. We had arrived
armed with large quantities of small denomination dollars and
chewing gum, both of which, we had heard, were in short supply.
In a short time, we had amassed a vast wad of relatively
valueless East German marks. In truth, there weren’t many people
around. The architecture post-1945 was suprematist, communist
concrete. Hard edges blended with gestures to curvature and
geometry celebrated man’s victory of nature. Alexanderplatz had
a futuristic feel about it and the dominant phallus of the TV
tower looked as though it might as well have been designed by
Winston Smith, with its all-seeing eye. Naturally, for the
proletariat, apartment blocks were predominantly grey and deadly
dull, without warmth. We moved through the freezing cold to an
outrageously plush restaurant in Karl Marx Allée, a main
thoroughfare which without the intrusion of the wall would
otherwise have been the continuation of Unter den Linden, the
Champs Elysée of West Berlin. There then ensued one of the great
rituals of bureaucratic engagement behind the iron curtain;
gaining entry to a restaurant for the ostensibly simple task of
ordering and indeed, eating a meal.
Peering through the window it was clear that the restaurant was
anything but full. No matter, the wonderfully officious maître
d’ had no intention of letting a pack of strutting western
liberation tourists into his restaurant in any hurry, despite
the fluent German of one of our number. The maître d’ was of the
“old school” and indeed, he was sporting an old school red rug
on his head, which twitched in agitation whenever his grimace
was returned with a smile. After half an hour, during which time
we had played communist and refused to budge, he surrendered a
table to us most unwillingly. Another ten minutes produced a
people’s menu. Flush with local currency and the desire to
splash out on the very best libation and sustenance money could
buy; we ordered most things on the menu and then attempted, due
to the dearth of anything beyond sauerkraut, pork chops and
“victory” sausages, to order other things not on the menu. Our
man in grey was not in the slightest bit impressed and his wig
fidgeted with increasing dissatisfaction. “You’ll have what
you’re given,” he seemed to be saying with his eyebrows. We
demanded the finest bottle of liquor in the place and a wry
smile revealed a foul mix of ochre teeth and failed communist
dentistry; not one of them was anything like any other. A bottle
of blue (I’m quite serious) fizzy alcohol arrived along with
some genuine crystal champagne glasses filled with dust. It had
been a long time since the last celebration here. We left the
dust in the glasses on the basis it might add some flavour. It
didn’t. The drink was rancid but we went ahead and drank it
anyway. It made our tongues swell, which at least made it feel
that the fat we were chewing was something other than fat, which
it wasn’t. The pork chops were inverted; a huge swathe of
bulging white fat with a thin strip of pale pink meat at the
edge. The sauerkraut looked and tasted like a pile of autumnal
leaves swept into a heap and left for a couple of months, whilst
the “victory” sausages had clearly been but lightly heated over
a “victory” candle. It made you wonder what the losers got.
We toasted Karl Marx, which brought us an unexpected and
unwelcome but complimentary glass of orange fizzy alcohol and a
spin of approval from the wig. The bill arrived on a piece of
paper just long enough to contain all the zeros and over
“victory” coffee paste, we counted out the thousands of Marks
that constituted right and proper payment for this unique
pleasure. When we converted it back into sterling, for the five
of us the bill totalled six pounds and three pence. We
generously donated a tip of another six pounds to the hair
piece, whose owner was by now effusive in his praise for the
west and most generous in his felicitations. “You must come
back,” he cried, waving us on our way. “Of course we will!” we
laughed. But naturally, we never did.
Next week: The greatest party of the century
Doc English, the Language Doctor:
Learning letter sounds
This week we look at how to teach
children to read and write using Synthetic Phonics (letter sounds).
Often I find that new (younger) students are able to recite the alphabet
perfectly and can recognise individual letters, but they are unable to
blend letters together in order to spell or pronounce new words. They
lack creativity in writing and have no confidence in spelling. They tend
to rely on guesswork when reading or writing and often fail to spell
simple words. By teaching synthetic phonics we can enable children to
read and write independently and creatively from a very early age. Most
of all, by teaching synthetic phonics and encouraging blending and
fluency rather than accuracy when spelling, we can inspire confident
readers and spellers.
Synthetic Phonics is a method of teaching reading which first teaches
the letter sounds and then builds up to blending these sounds together
to achieve full pronunciation of whole words. The name Synthetic Phonics
comes from the concept of synthesising, which means ‘putting together’,
‘chunking’ or ‘blending’ letter sounds.
As children are introduced to the alphabet, they should be taught the
letter sounds as well as the letter names. After the first few sounds
have been taught, children can be shown how these sounds blend together
to build up words. For example, when taught the letter sounds /s/ /a/
/t/ /p/ /i/ and /n/, the children can build up the words ‘tap,’ ‘pat,
‘pats’, ‘taps’, ‘sat’, tin, pin, etc.
Most of the letter sounds can be taught in the space of a few months, at
the start of your child’s first year at school. This means that children
can read many of the unfamiliar words they meet in text for themselves,
without the assistance of the teacher.
Children can learn five or more letter sounds each week, as long as they
get enough practise with each letter and there is recurring practise and
enough repetition. On the Starfall web site (www.starfall.com) you will
find most of the common letter sounds and a number of activities for
your child to carry out to consolidate each sound. I would recommend
teaching only one sound per day, or less depending on how much time you
have to share with your child.
Study the letter sounds below. Enlarge and print out each sound, then
place each sound onto its own card. Encourage your child to make words
by placing cards together and ‘blending’ new sounds. Encourage children
to notice how more combinations can be made by combining vowels and
consonants together.
I would encourage you to teach these sounds in order in which they are
presented. When speaking, some sounds occur more frequently than others,
which is why these sounds are not presented in alphabetical order.
The Letter Sounds (you might be able to think of a few more in your
native language!):
/s/ sat, /a/ ant, /t/ tap, /p/ pin, /i/ ink, /n/ nip,
/c/ cat /k/ kick, /e/ egg, /h/ hat, /r/ rat, /m/ mat, /d/ din,
/g/ go, /o/ off, /u/ up, /l/ lip, /f/ fat, /b/ bad,
/ai/ rain, /j/ jam, /oa/ boat, /ie/ pie, /ee/ seed, /or/ fork,
/z/ buzz, /w/ wig, /ng/ sing, /v/ dove, /oo/ foot, /00/ room,
/y/ yoyo, /x/ box, /ch/ chip, /sh/ ship, /th/ the, /th/ thin
/qu/ quick, /ou/ hour, /oi/ boil, /ue/ queue, /er/ term, /ar/ farm
The Jolly Phonics (http://www.jollylearning.co.uk/) site has a list of
actions you can use when teaching these sounds. Using sound, actions and
flashcards to represent the sounds help your child memorise the sound
more easily. This site also has more information on teaching phonics and
materials for you to buy online. Many of the materials highlighted are
also used for teaching phonics in UK schools.
I hope you have enjoyed this rather brief explanation of synthetic
phonics. If you would like more information on teaching your child
phonics you can e-mail me at: docenglishpattaya@ gmail.com. Could I also
take this opportunity to point out that I am not a medical doctor and so
am unable to answer any medical queries (I thought this was obvious, but
judging from the emails I received last week it clearly needs
clarification!).
Before I go, I would like to briefly mention a very good website. The
site is principally for dyslexic children, but it also contains a great
deal of information and activities that any child can enjoy. It’s called
www. dyslexics.org.uk and it has a very good section on teaching your
child to read.
Let’s go to the movies:
by Mark Gernpy
Now playing in Pattaya
Atonement: UK/France Drama – Nominated for 7 Oscars. A
dazzling adaptation of Ian McEwan’s celebrated 2001 novel, it’s a period
piece, largely set in 1930s and ‘40s England, about an adolescent
outburst of spite that destroys two lives and crumples a third. Reviews:
Universal acclaim.
Chocolate: Thai Action – An autistic girl is a genius at martial
arts.
CJ7: Hong Kong Comedy – Stephen Chow gives a toy to a homeless
boy which is actually a powerful alien device they want back.
L: Change the World: Japan Thriller (opens Feb 9) – This prequel
to the previous two very popular Death Note films focuses on the main
character “L” as he uses his superior intellect and deduction skills to
solve various crimes.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: US Thriller/Drama
– A truly gruesome work of art, with Johnny Depp outstanding in this
brilliant Stephen Sondheim musical/opera. I loved it. “What you will see
is as dark as the grave. What you will hear is some of the finest stage
music of the past 40 years.” All the throat slashings have been censored
in Thailand (with “pixilation” – along with the label on the gin
bottle!). Even so, I warn you, it is not for the faint of heart, not for
the squeamish, not for dislikers of Sondheim. Reviews: Universal
acclaim.
American Gangster: US Crime/Drama – With Denzel Washington and
Russell Crowe giving performances I found mesmerizing. A far-from-true
story, as it turns out, from our own backyard up in Chiang Mai, as a
black American gangster negotiates drug-running contracts with Golden
Triangle drug lords during the Vietnam era. Needles and guns are
censored.
First Flight: Thai Drama – A well-meaning enterprise beset with
technical difficulties, this film has its heart in the right place, as
it attempts to create pride in the early years of Thai aviation and the
formation of the Thai air force.
Siyama: Village of Warriors: Thai Action – Three Thai girls
studying ancient Thai warfare are miraculously transported in time back
to the time of an Ayuthaya battle, arriving just as a battle is about to
begin between the Thais and a ruthless enemy, causing great confusion.
Enchanted: US Animated/Comedy – I was delighted by this film!
It’s a smart re-imagining of your basic Disney fairy tales, featuring
witty dialogue, sharp animation, and a star turn by Amy Adams. A
full-blown musical that commutes between Disney’s patented cartoon
universe and the “real” world with cleverness and grace, this splashy
production reminds me a lot of Mary Poppins, not least due to the “star
is born” aura that surrounds Amy Adams here, just as it did Julie
Andrews 43 years ago. Generally favorable reviews.
Suay Sink Krating Zab/Busaba Bold and Beautiful: Thai
Comedy/Action – Two friends live in the Bangkok underworld jungle
passing their time in small-time criminal activity till an old
girlfriend of one of them shows up and causes both of them to fall in
love.
The Flock: US Crime/Thriller – I found this a very disturbing
film about sexual predators and a federal agent (Richard Gere) who tries
to keep one thousand of them – his “flock” – from harming others. Seems
to me it wallows in the perversity it condemns. Rated R in the US for
perverse content involving aberrant sexuality and strong violence.
Cloverfield: US Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller – I was caught up by this
gripping monster attack on New York City. It’s told from the point of
view of a small group of people I didn’t particularly like with a video
camera recording it as it happens. This film, Blair-witch-like,
supposedly shows all that remains of their jittery, hand-held footage.
See it if you are one of those who adore shaky hand-held camera work and
fast editing in a Hollywood monster movie. Has some spooky, exciting
thrills, but I couldn’t wait for these uninteresting people to die.
Mixed or average reviews.
Hitman 47: US Action/Thriller – Based on a video game, it’s
simply one meaningless violent encounter after another, with an
incoherent plot and inane dialogue. Rated R in the US for strong bloody
violence, language, and some sexuality/nudity. Generally negative
reviews.
Scheduled to
open Thu. Feb. 14
Charlie Wilson’s War: US Drama – 97 mins – Directed by Mike
Nichols. Starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. That rare Hollywood
commodity these days: a smart, sophisticated entertainment for grownups
– snappy, amusing, and ruefully ironic. Rated R in the US for strong
language, nudity/sexual content and some drug use. Generally favorable
reviews.
27 Dresses: US Comedy/Romance – 107 mins – Frothy, funny and
formulaic, it is a pleasantly predictable romantic comedy. Mixed or
average reviews.
Valentine: Thai Romance/Comedy – Looks like the typical Thai low
budget comedy.
Ghost-in-Law: Thai Comedy/Horror – Sounds like the usual: Father
gives newlyweds a huge mansion as a gift, but bride’s mother schemes to
wrest ownership for herself. The bride suddenly dies, and comes back to
haunt her mother-in-law and those that killed her.
Get trendy – add cool fonts to your computer
Aren’t you bored with those over-used fonts that are
pre-installed on your computer? Fonts like Arial, Times New Roman and
other basic fonts have become too common to be considered for trendy
design work. They do give a professional look, but we can always add
some spicy typography to our creative artworks.
Let’s get started then. Firstly, let’s get some cool fonts downloaded.
Log on to any of these websites and you will find an abundance of fonts
that you can download for free:
• www.dafonts.com
• www.fontstock.net
• www.typenow.net
Remember to save your downloaded fonts in a convenient location, say, in
new folder called “Downloaded Fonts” on your desktop.
Having fun downloading them? Go ahead, download as many as you want. But
make sure you don’t crowd your computer with fonts. Some programs
require pre-loading your fonts which makes it slower to start up these
programs. This, sometimes, becomes frustrating.
Now to install those fonts you’ve downloaded, do the following:
1) Open the Downloaded Fonts folder you’ve just created.
2) If the fonts you downloaded were “compressed” or are in ZIP files,
you will have to unzip them first. Once done, you should have a list of
files that are True Type Font or TTF.
3) Select all TTF files that you want to install and press Ctrl + C to
copy them.
4) Now open My Computer and go to
C Drive > Windows > Fonts
5) Press Ctrl + V to paste the copied files into the Fonts folder.
To check if the fonts are installed, you can try using them on any text
editing or design program.
That’s it. Now get creative!
For more computer tips, log on to
www.mrtechsavvy.com
The word computer seem like “100110110” to you? Ask Mr.
Tech Savvy for help. Or if you’d like to impress the ladies with your
computer skills, suggest a tip and find it featured here next week!
Go ahead, send them to
[email protected]
Till then… Tata ;-)
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Just for Geeks
Amazing facts about the word “Google” –
The name came from the term “googol” meaning the number represented by
the numeral 1 followed by 100 zeros. “Google” is a verb which refers to
using the Google search engine. It exists as an official word in Oxford
English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. It was
chosen as the “most useful word of 2002”. |
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