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Money matters
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Snap Shots
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Modern Medicine
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Heart to Heart with Hillary
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Let’s go to the movies
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Money matters:
Graham Macdonald MBMG International Ltd.
Just Depressed or is it a Depression?
For the first time on record, all 50 states contracted at the
same time, according to the state coincident indicators for February 2009,
released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia last month. The
state-by-state indicators have been tracked by economists at the bank since
1979.
This is stunning enough but there is more. “The Great Depression in the United
States,” wrote Milton Friedman, “...is a testament to how much harm can be done
by mistakes on the part of a few men when they wield vast power over the
monetary system of a country.”
What should not have been a surprise was the fact that people were shocked when
they lost money. This is what capitalism is - boom and bust. Make a fortune,
lose a fortune. Just when people think it is a cure-all it needs medicine
itself.
Regular readers of this column will know that we have been saying that even
bankers should have seen this present crisis coming from a mile off. When
someone lends money, they usually want it back, preferably with interest. When
money is lent to those who cannot afford to pay it back then most people know
that trouble is just round the corner but not these bankers who then go running
to governments crying “foul”. The powers that be then put up well over USD10
trillion to stop capitalism from correcting itself by sorting out the wheat from
the chaff and allowing the weak to die off naturally thus leaving those that
survive to be leaner, meaner and stronger. They are trying to stop the natural
cycle of business. They will not succeed. It is like using an Elastoplast for a
quadruple by-pass.
Protectionism is becoming more and more prevalent - despite what governments
say. In the UK, banks have had to be saved. The best is in Europe where they are
reducing the life expectancy of cars and trucks (like it is different to what it
was in 2008!). In America, everything has had to be rescued. The government is
now basically running the car industry, the largest insurance company, the
largest mortgage lender, the largest… whatever next?
Without doubt, markets do not work as they should without regulation. Just like
a game of rugby, things can get a tad rough when there is no-one there to
enforce the laws. Roosevelt realized this is the 1930s. Clinton and Bush forgot
the lessons of history and took the referee away. Look where we are now. Who
shall we look to for help? How about the person who said, “Owners of capital
will stimulate the working class to buy more and more of expensive goods, houses
and technology, pushing them to take more and more expensive credits, until
their debt becomes unbearable. The unpaid debt will lead to bankruptcy of banks,
which will have to be nationalized…” This is good stuff as it pretty well sums
up what has happened. Who said it? Obama? Buffett? Gates? Well no actually, the
last line of the quotation may help, “...and the State will have to take the
road which will eventually lead to communism.” No? Well it was Karl Marx in
1867.
So, who can save capitalism? The communists? After having banged on for ages
about the fact that we are not ready for de-coupling yet, I could not be so
hypocritical as to say we are now. This is not the case but the Chinese central
bank came out with this little Marxian nugget recently: “Market forces, if left
unchecked, will lead to asset bubbles and ultimately a disastrous market
clearing in the form of a financial crisis like the current one.”
China is about the only country in the world that actually has money at the
moment, well real money that is not being printed at a stupid rate. As they do
not have free markets and do have strict regulations, is it possible that China
could show us the way?
Before I go further and rush out to buy a red badge, let me take a reality
check. Why should the Chinese Communists or the American Democrats be any better
than anyone else? It is only the perception that they should know what they are
talking about which allows us to give them the power to lead us out of this
present mess. But let us look at this more closely, It took the Russians seventy
years to realize that Lenin was wrong, Friedman wrote about the Great Depression
thirty years after the fact and by the time the present regimes realize what has
happened we could well be in another great depression.
The optimists will be stuffed when the Dow Jones falls to below 5,000. The
pessimists will sulk even more when those in charge cannot stop deflation.
Spenders will not spend due to too much debt and savers will not save as there
will be no incentive to do so.
Is this the end of the world as we know it? No, but it will take careful
management of your money to make sure that you can still afford to live. Trust
no one asset class and make no long term commitment. You will still be able to
make money and save for the future. It can be done, so even if there is a
depression there is no reason to be depressed.
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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.comm.com.com
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Snap Shots: by Harry Flashman
Children’s pix - for all the Dads
I think all parents are proud of their children - initially at least!
Parents also like to keep a photographic record of their children
growing up, and as such there are many milestones in a child’s
development that are worth recording.
Obviously events such as birthdays must rate high, but there are also so
many others, like first day at school, first day at “big school”,
concerts and dances. With childhood spanning around 17 years on average,
there are plenty of opportunities.
 Superstar
This week I will look at how to take great children’s pictures, ones
that will still bring a smile to Dad’s face many years later. Many of
the tips are relevant to all photography, but there are some specific
tricks you have to put into play when photographing young children in
particular.
Take a look at the photo with this week’s article which is the picture
of a small child during Songkran and first note the background. That’s
right, there isn’t one, other than the yellow ochre color of a wall and
some grass. By removing confusing backgrounds (and not photographing
them in the first place), you have immediately given more importance to
the subject of the picture. All very basic, but all very important for
any good portrait. In this particular shot, the photographer moved his
position to get the innocuous background. This is generally easier than
trying to shift the subject. In addition, by using an aperture in the
f2.8- f4 range it will also throw any background out of focus, even
confusing ones.
The next tip to extract from that photograph is the relativity in height
between the subject and the camera. By getting down to the same level
when taking the portrait, this again assists in making the subject the
‘hero’ and not someone insignificant being ‘looked down’ upon. The
photographer here was sitting on the ground to get this viewpoint and
the camera lens was at head height.
I have written before about the problems associated with the short
attention span demonstrated by animals and children. The music hall
adage of never sharing the stage with kids or animals still holds good
today. With this shot, where the little girl was filling the green
plastic container with water, it was necessary for the photographer to
sit patiently and wait for one of the famous photographer Cartier
Bresson’s ‘decisive moments’. This came after a couple of minutes when
the subject looked up and saw she was being observed and spontaneously
broke into a grin, giving this totally natural photograph. By trying to
coax the child into sitting there and then smile would be an invitation
to disaster. Photographically at least!
This type of photograph can be obtained while running the camera in
fully automatic mode, so even if you are hesitant to shift the mode from
the A for Auto, you can still get good photographs. However, to make it
even easier for the novices out there, try running the camera in the
‘Portrait’ mode, or if you can’t find that, then in the ‘Aperture
priority’ mode and set the aperture to f4, and let the camera do the
rest. All you have to do is compose the picture correctly in the
viewfinder.
Another factor, particularly with the composition, is to get in close
enough to fill the frame. You can see with the photograph here, the
entire frame is taken up with child and the one prop to show what was
being celebrated - the plastic container with water. Also note that the
Rule of Thirds has been adhered to - with the child’s eyes one third
down from the top of the frame. This ‘rule’ always produces better and
more interesting photographs, especially portraits.
By the way, if you look very closely at the green plastic container it
has a sticker saying “Superstar” (you may need some enlargement or a
magnifying glass to see it in the newsprint). That was a serendipitous
accident and not planned for in any way whatsoever! But for that Dad,
the photograph is one of his ‘superstar’.
Why don’t you photograph your Superstar this weekend?
Modern Medicine:
by Dr. Iain Corness, Consultant
Grub for Gout
A few weeks ago I covered a diet for dentures. This week it
is a diet for those with gout, and there are far more of you than you might
imagine. If you are a sufferer, then you join with Henry VIII, Benjamin
Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.
It is indicated in around five percent of all cases of arthritis and is
present in around three to five percent of the population, with males
outnumbering women around nine to one. Afro-Americans and many Asian races
also have higher incidence than Caucasians.
Gout is in its simplest fashion, a recurrent form of arthritis, and which
generally affects just one joint - most commonly the joint in the big toe.
This arthritis, or inflammation, occurs in association with high uric acid
levels in the blood.
It is a condition that is still being researched, and there is still no
complete agreement on the preventive treatment for this condition.
The higher the concentration of serum uric acid (SUA), the more likely you
are to get an acute attack. The ‘normal’ range for SUA is taken as less than
0.42 mmol/L (called ‘milli moles’ per liter), but if your concentration is
0.54 mmol/L then you are five times more likely to get gout.
Basically what happens is that with high concentrations of uric acid it
crystallizes out into the joint, leaving very sharp, needle-like crystals
crunching inside the articular surface of the joint. Very painful!
The typical gout sufferer is male in his 50’s, overweight, with high blood
pressure, carnivorous and consumes large quantities of alcohol. Is that you?
Gout affects almost four million men in the USA. It has long been thought
that purine-rich foods and a high protein intake are risk factors, and
sufferers are advised to avoid meats, seafood, purine-rich vegetables, and
animal protein. But this advice was based more on the theory of how excess
blood uric acid can occur, rather than actual clinical studies.
One of the newer studies began on over 50,000 men from health professions in
1986. Food-frequency questionnaires were sent out at baseline, and in 1990
and 1994. Weight, medications, and medical conditions were recorded every
two years.
The participants were assigned to groups according to the total intake of
meat, their consumption of seafood, purine-rich vegetables, dairy products,
low-fat dairy products, total protein, and animal protein.
During the study, there were 730 new cases of gout during the 12 years of
follow-up. Most of them were aged 55 to 64.
When total meat consumption was analyzed, the risk of acquiring gout was
1.41 times greater in the high meat eaters; in other words, eating more meat
was a risk factor for gout. Similarly, high seafood eaters were 1.51 times
as likely to develop gout. (Grass should be fairly safe to eat!)
In contrast, gout was less common in those taking more dairy products. Men
who drank two glasses a day of skim milk, or ate a serving of low-fat yogurt
more than twice a week, halved their risk of developing gout.
In this study at least, purine-rich vegetables, and total protein had no
influence on the chances of getting gout.
This large study confirmed that a diet high in meat and seafood increases
the likelihood that a susceptible person will develop gout. It also showed
that milk proteins increase the excretion or uric acid in the urine.
So, to avoid developing gout, try to limit your intake of meat (beef, pork,
lamb, and offal) and seafood, while increasing your intake of low-fat dairy
produce (skim milk, yogurt).
This is all very important, as the long term outlook is not good for the
unrepentant gout sufferer. Constant high levels can lead to uric acid
‘stones’ being deposited in the kidneys (producing renal problems) and even
discharging lumps (called ‘tophi’) around joints, on the forearms and even
on the outer ears. Really a most bleak and depressing future, and not one
I’d like to have.
Note too, that it is low-fat milk that is being proposed, as high fat milk
introduces the cholesterol problems again! It really is a fine line that we
must all tread!
Heart to Heart with Hillary
Dear Hillary,
Did you see Dorian Farmer’s cartoon in the mail recently? He shows you to have
frizzy hair and wearing a flowery dress, and kicking the place down because of
spelling mistakes. I have cut it out of the paper and stuck it on my wall. Is
that really you?
Wondering
Dear Wondering,
Wonder no more, my Petal. Despite what is portrayed in that cartoon, I was not
snapped by a spy cam. It is all a figment of Dorian’s fertile imagination.
However, it is correct that I am appalled by the spelling of some of my letter
writers. I get annoyed because they expect Thai people to be able to be
proficient in English, but they are not proficient themselves. The give-away is
the fact that normally I wear a beautifully tailored outfit with Victorian
collared blouse to work, and my office is not as salubrious as the one in the
picture. How I wish I had a door with “Heart to Heart with Hillary” inscribed on
it. In fact, how I wish I had my own office, the broom cupboard I work out of
has no mod cons, but the broken chair does look accurate!
Khun Hillary,
Would you care to take a break from the usual bar girl related problems? I have
a different subject for you. A Thai man a couple of blocks from our house beats
his dog. Not just a smack with a rolled up newspaper or a hit now and then, but
this guy severely and unmercifully beats the hell out of his dog. Last week my
wife saw this guy walking his dog in front of our house, and for no apparent
reason he started to beat the dog with a stick. I wasn’t home at the time and my
Thai wife hearing the bloodcurdling howls ran out to see what was going on.
Later I asked her if she tried to interfere and she said it’s not her business.
This morning at 07:00 I was returning from a bicycle ride and heard a dog
howling (I think the same dog) with such pain and fright that a cold chill went
up my back. I made a U turn and went to the house where all the commotion was
coming from. I got off my bike and watched this guy beat his dog senseless with
a shoe and then when the dog started to revive he continued to severely beat
him. I yelled and hollered at him to stop. This guy gave me a very nasty look
and yelled to mind my own business and to leave. If this was in the U.S. such as
California, I would make a call to the Humane Society and an officer would be
out there posthaste. But in Thailand there is no such thing as a humane society.
I’ve seen this exhibition of unbridled male anger several times in this “the
land of smiles”. It’s like the males and females are from different cultures.
Two times a saw a father hit and slap his young boy because he was afraid to
ride on the family motorbike. I was walking past a kick boxing match for very
young boys and a father was hitting and slapping his kid because he was afraid
to fight. And, in the parking lot at Lotus a young man was beating the hell out
of his girl friend. She was so terrified that she refused to get in the car, or,
maybe that’s why he was beating her. I started to walk over but my wife pulled
me back and said not to get involved. Thai women never try to run me off the
road when I’m on my motorcycle but Thai men have actually ran me off the road
more than once. Here’s how they do it. Don’t try this at home. A car or p/u
truck that’s following me swings out like he’s going to pass or go around. Then
when he’s abreast of me, he pulls over into my lane and there is no place for me
to go. In Pattaya the bar girls seem to have the same story, I like farang men,
Thai men are too violent. So, I have two questions; am I misinformed or maybe
biased that Thai men are so full of anger, and, if I do get involved and do more
that just yell but punch someone’s lights out, what kind of trouble would I be
in?
Uncle Bill
Dear Uncle Bill,
You are asking my advice as to whether you should “punch someone’s lights out”
because “Thai men are so full of anger”. What can I say, Uncle Bill, other than
the fact you are also full of pent-up aggression. I think your wife has a better
understanding of the situations than you do, so follow her advice. It will keep
you out of trouble.
Let’s go to the movies:
by Mark Gernpy
Milk has departed from
Major Cineplex, after a decent run, all things considered. Thanks to
Major Cineplex for bringing it to Pattaya.
Now playing in
Pattaya
Star Trek (2009):
US/ Germany, Sci-Fi/ Adventure/ Action – All new! This
much-anticipated film is a reboot of the series, going back to the
series’ ’60s roots by depicting the formative experiences of the
legendary heroes Kirk and Spock. The young James Tiberius Kirk is
played by Chris Pine as a wild Iowa boy whose father sacrificed himself
at the helm of a spaceship at the very moment the child was being born.
He is convinced to attend the Starfleet Academy with an eye to joining
the crew of the Enterprise.
Headed for the same
destination is Spock, played by Zachary Quinto, who has had a troubled
background as a half-human, half-Vulcan. How these two very opposite
figures become mutually trusted colleagues is the basic story of the
film. From director J.J. Abrams (Mission: Impossible III,
Lost, and Alias). Early reviews: generally favorable.
X-Men Origins:
Wolverine: US/ New Zealand/ Australia, Action/ Fantasy/ Sci-Fi/
Thriller – Though early reviews are lukewarm, I think it’s simply
brilliant, starting out with eight minutes of nigh perfect popular
filmmaking, a sequence that is thrilling, sensible, and, wonder of
wonders, deeply intriguing! It then veers into a quiet sequence
building up a love-interest, which might seem to be just padding, but
no, get involved with it, because the love relationship leads to some
real emotional payoffs down the line. You have to like comic book
films, but really it’s a superb action film for anyone who likes the
genre, with excellent performances by Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, and
many others. There are two very short additional scenes during the
closing credits. Early reviews: mixed or average.
The Haunting in
Connecticut: US, Horror/ Thriller – A classic haunted-house film,
and really well-done of its type. It’s technically proficient, well
acted, with an alarming score, creepy photography, and a great house.
The Thai audience I was in frequently gasped and screamed in delight at
the many scares. Besides which, the family is very believable, and an
interesting assortment of people. They move into a new home where awful
things happened in the past. Based on true events, sort of. Generally
negative reviews.
Khan Kluay 2:
Thai, Animation/ Adventure – The legendary elephant is back in action in
this superb sequel to the animated movie Khan Kluay. Brilliant,
beautiful animation that looks 3D though really only 2D, with an
engrossing story, set in the time of Ayuthaya, when Khan Kluay is
appointed King Naresuan’s royal elephant. I especially admired the
animators’ skill in the opening sequences, as the camera swoops through
forests and jungles, and the beautiful final images while Khan Kluay was
“dead” awaiting his children to return him to life. It’s much more
assured than the first Khan Kluay, and the animation skills are now
really quite advanced. There are some truly scary parts in the film
involving death and destruction. But what can you do? In a bitter and
vicious battle between two warring tribes vowing death to the
vanquished, it’s difficult to make things look pretty.
Race to Witch
Mountain: US, Adventure/ Fantasy/ Sci-Fi – A perfectly acceptable
and innocuous adventure film for children (mostly) with all the standard
chills and thrills, chase-movie suspense, and a few slam-bang action
setpieces. Mixed or average reviews.
Knowing:
Australia/ US, Drama/ Mystery – Just a lot of gloomy fun, and
well-done. A teacher deciphers a message in a time capsule that has
been dug up at his son’s elementary school; in it are some chilling
predictions – some have already occurred, others are about to. Mixed or
average reviews.
Mor 3 Pee 4:
Thai, Romance/ Comedy – A nice little advertisement for MSN: Four
teenagers make friends and chat online on MSN. Thee and Nut are
brothers living in Bangkok, June and Jane are sisters who live in
Phuket. Do the two pairs finally meet? Well it’s called a “romance”
after all!
Saranae Howpeng:
Thai, Comedy – Movie version of “Saranae Show” – a popular Thai comedy
TV show that has been on the air for 11 years. Stars many well-known
Thai comedians, including Mum Jokmok (Petchthai Wongkamlao), Kietisak
“Hoi” Udomnak, Ple Nakorn, and Willy McIntosh.
Crank: High Voltage:
US, Action – The indestructible Jason Statham again plays a hitman,
this time chasing a Chinese gangster who hijacked his heart and
substituted a mechanical one that needs to be jolted regularly to stay
pumping. Rated R in the US for frenetic strong bloody violence
throughout, crude and graphic sexual content, nudity, and pervasive
language.
Fast & Furious 4:
US, Action – Vin Diesel and Paul Walker team up again for the final
chapter of this film series almost entirely about car races and car
crashes. During the non-action parts, Vin Diesel intimidates people.
He’s very good at it. Mixed or average reviews.
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