|
Money matters:
Graham Macdonald
MBMG International Ltd.
Nominated for the Lorenzo Natali Prize
Is everything as bad as some people say? Part 2
Let’s look at more facts:
- RealtyTrac has announced that foreclosure filings in the
U.S. established an all time record for the second consecutive year in 2009.
- According to RealtyTrac, foreclosure filings were reported
on 367,056 properties in March 2010, an increase of nearly 19 percent from
February, an increase of nearly 8 percent from March 2009 and the highest
monthly total since RealtyTrac began issuing its report in January 2005.
- In Pinellas and Pasco counties, which include St.
Petersburg, Florida and the suburbs to the north, there are 34,000 open
foreclosure cases. Ten years ago, there were only about 4,000.
- In California’s Central Valley, 1 out of every 16 homes is
in some phase of foreclosure.
- The Mortgage Bankers Association recently announced that
more than 10 percent of all U.S. homeowners with a mortgage had missed at least
one payment during the January to March time period. That was a record high and
up from 9.1 percent a year ago.
- U.S. banks repossessed nearly 258,000 homes nationwide in
the first quarter of 2010, a 35 percent jump from the first quarter of 2009.
- For the first time in U.S. history, banks own a greater
share of residential housing net worth in the United States than all individual
Americans put together.
- U.S. commercial property values are down approximately 40
percent since 2007 and currently 18 percent of all office space in the United
States is sitting vacant.
- Defaults on apartment building mortgages held by U.S. banks
climbed to a record 4.6 percent in the first quarter of 2010. That was almost
twice the level of a year earlier.
- In 2009, U.S. banks posted their sharpest decline in
private lending since 1942.
- To make up for a projected 2010 budget shortfall of $280
million, Detroit issued $250 million of 20-year municipal notes in March. The
bond issuance followed on the heels of a warning from Detroit officials that if
its financial state didn’t improve, it could be forced to declare bankruptcy.
- The National League of Cities says that municipal
governments will probably come up between $56 billion and $83 billion short
between now and 2012.
- Two university professors recently calculated that the
combined unfunded pension liability for all 50 U.S. states is 3.2 trillion
dollars.
- According to Economic Policy Journal.com, 32 U.S. states
have already run out of funds to make unemployment benefit payments and so the
federal government has been supplying these states with funds so that they can
make their payments to the unemployed.
- 39.68 million Americans are now on food stamps, which
represents a new all-time record. But things look like they are going to get
even worse. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is forecasting that enrollment in
the food stamp program will exceed 43 million Americans in 2011.
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced the worst May
it has seen since 1940.
- In 1950, the ratio of the average executive’s paycheck to
the average worker’s paycheck was about 30 to 1. Since the year 2000, that ratio
has exploded to between 300 to 500 to one.
- According to economists Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez,
two-thirds of income increases in the U.S. between 2002 and 2007 went to the
wealthiest 1% of all Americans and the bottom 40 percent of income earners in
the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s
wealth.
- According to a new report based on U.S. Census Bureau data,
only 26 percent of American teens between the ages of 16 and 19 had jobs in late
2009 which represents a record low since statistics began to be kept back in
1948.
- During the first quarter of 2010, the total number of loans
that are at least three months past due in the United States increased for the
16th consecutive quarter.
- According to the Tax Foundation’s Microsimulation Model, to
erase the 2010 U.S. budget deficit, the U.S. Congress would have to multiply
each tax rate by 2.4. Thus, the 10 percent rate would be 24 percent, the 15
percent rate would be 36 percent, and the 35 percent rate would have to be 85
percent.
- The worrying fall in M3 may well lead to deflation. Paul
Ashworth of Capital economics backs this up, “Core inflation is already the
lowest since 1966, so we don’t have much margin for error here. Deflation
becomes a threat if it goes on long enough to become entrenched.”
- The Eurozone continues to worry people with people running
for cover everywhere. This created yields on ten year German Bunds to 2.56%
which is lower than in the Great Depression.
- According to the UK Telegraph, “Spreads over peripheral
European debt rose sharply again, jumping to 137 basis points for Italy, 157 for
Spain and 220 for Ireland.”
- The sovereign debt markets in Euroland are getting close to
where they were before when the previous stimulus package was released. If it
did not work then…
- Corporate bonds are suffering, with May showing the worst
amount of issuances this century. Research by Bloomberg shows that, in April,
volumes fell from USD183 billion to a paltry USD47 billion.
- Spain is causing a lot of worry. At the end of May, bank
shares fell by 6% in one day as people worried about the central bank seizing
CajaSur.
- Spain has unsold property which is equal to four years
demand.
- BNP Paribas is worried that Spain may not be able to honour
its promise to help out with the Greece rescue package as if it did not then the
rest of Euroland may not be able to cope and then the whole ideal would fall
down the plughole.
To be continued…
|
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]
|
Snap Shots: by Harry Flashman
Holiday encounters
Don’t get your hopes up. This is not some seedy expose of past holiday
romances. This is an article on how to get better photographic results
from your holiday.
In all the flurry of activity when packing for the
overseas trip, it is easy to forget to pack a camera (or two if you are
a real enthusiast). However, everyone wants a photographic record of the
trip, the event, the new experiences. After all, you saved for 11 months
for this, don’t let it just become a casual conversation on your return!
Now before you add “Pack Camera” to the To Do list,
there’s a little bit of photographic preparation to be done too. The
first, and should be most obvious, is just to make sure the camera
works. If you haven’t used the camera for some time, buy new batteries
for it and check the memory card before you go away. There’s nothing
worse than finding out that the camera had a problem after you get back!
You should take a few shots and look at them critically to make sure it
is really working properly.
Now, no matter where you go these days, someone has
been there before you. And they’ve written a guide book about it too, so
your next move is to actually plan some shots before you even leave
home. Research your destination properly and you should know what is
likely to be a significant place, monument, castle, lake, waterfall,
etc., in the area you will be visiting. When you read the Lonely Planet
Guide or whatever, use a highlighter pen to remind you of photo
opportunities.
Thinking about and anticipating “how” you should take
any landmark will produce much better results when you finally arrive to
take the picture. You will not be so over-awed that you just stand there
and go “click”. You will be ready to try to show this segment of your
trip with some photographic flair. It works, believe me!
It is always tempting to take photographs from the
plane. There is one classic shot you should always attempt on every
trip. That is the aerial. Shooting out of plane windows is not really
all that difficult with today’s cameras, but there are a couple of
catches. Firstly, pick a porthole where you can see a little of the
engine intake in the shot. Adds drama and shows how you got up there!
Shoot from the side of the plane opposite from the sun. This way you
won’t see the scratches on the plane window. Use a wide-angle lens if
you’ve got one, set the camera on auto and get as close to the window as
possible, but not touching it (otherwise you get vibrations coming
through to give you fuzzy photos).
Shooting the locals. Your research of the places you
are going to will soon tell you if there are interesting “locals” which
would make good photographs (such as this one pictured here). Priests,
tribes folk, indigenous people, policemen in uniform and the like all
make for good shots and gives the “atmosphere” of your holiday. It’s OK
to shoot when they are unaware of your presence, but if you want a
formal photograph, always ask. Just wave the camera and smile if you
can’t speak the local lingo. It usually works. If not, wave money! That
always does.
If you are going to well known destination like
London, Paris, New York, then you will always be able to buy another
memory card over there, but if you are going to the Mongolian Steppes,
you may need to bring your own supplies. I also suggest that the digital
folk take along more than one spare memory card and download their
precious images back here, where you know that everything (should) work
correctly and not delete images unexpectedly.
Finally, you should think about how you are going to
present the results. It is always a huge temptation to bring out folders
of photos as soon as you get back. Wait! Sort them, keep the good, throw
away the bad. Show only your best shots and everyone will be amazed at
your superb photographs!
Modern Medicine:
by Dr. Iain Corness, Consultant
Something for the men - if they want it!
I’ve had a couple of “male” problem requests recently. If you
are a man, you may have felt ‘left out’ recently? With the current push for
women’s health clinics and practitioners, it is easy for men to feel
displaced. After all, you’ve no uterus to become cancerous, and although you
do have vestigial breasts and it is possible to get breast cancer, I don’t
suggest you go looking for breast lumps every month after your non-existent
periods.
However, there are some specific male areas, and these
centralize around the genito-urinary systems. In the medical business,
Urologists are sometimes called the hewers of stone and drawers of water,
because much of their work deals with kidney stones and assisting men to be
able to pass water adequately. We men do suffer at times, it’s not only the
ladies who have ‘specific’ problems!
Your urinary system is a remarkable collection of organs,
beginning with the kidney, the “super filter”. The kidney filters the blood
and allows the important stuff like blood cells and nutrients to continue
waltzing around your circulation, but taking out the nasties, and at the
same time helping balance the acidity/alkalinity of the body. Clever little
organs, the kidneys!
To keep your kidneys in top shape does not require
special kidney exercises, you will be pleased to know. In fact, there is
nothing you can do ‘physically’ to make the kidneys perform, but fortunately
there are some things you can do to keep them in top condition.
The first is to drink plenty of water every day. And by
‘water’, I mean the plain and simple H2O style water, not the stuff that has
been mixed with hops, distilled with grain or left to age in oak casks.
Making the kidneys exercise, to filter and regulate the circulating blood
volume, is simply carried out by drinking several liters of water every day.
Yes, it is that easy. On your desk at work keep a glass of cold water beside
you and empty it every 30 minutes.
The advantages you get from this are enormous. First off,
you have immediately lowered the chances of forming kidney stones, a
potentially dangerous (and always painful) condition. Being a card carrying
coward, I have always preferred the drinking water option to the lying in
bed groaning with pain alternative. In fact, around 15 percent of people
will experience stones in their lifetime (especially in the hot climates)
and men outnumber women between two to three times. We also know that if you
do not change your lifestyle, you are very likely to develop another stone
within two years after the first episode. We men do suffer at times, it’s
not only the ladies who have ‘specific’ problems!
The kidneys drain to the bladder by two tubes called
Ureters. These do not do much, other than connect the kidney to the
collecting vessel (bladder). However, if a piece of stone gets stuck, you
will soon know about it. Renal colic sorts out the men from the boys!
Ultimate pain!
From the bladder, the urine gets introduced to the
outside world by another tube called the Urethra. This is short in ladies
and is the reason that women get Cystitis (bladder infections). It is longer
in the men folk, allowing us to stand up to pee and become obsessed with how
long or short it really is. After the age of 40 give up the ‘Who can pee the
highest’ competitions.
However, we chaps have another problem in that region, as
far as getting the urine from the bladder to the far wall of the urinal.
This is called the Prostate, and it encircles the Urethra and when enlarged,
closes down the internal diameter of the pee tube. This makes it difficult
to pass water and you dribble on your shoes. The prostate can also become
cancerous, an even less pleasant state of affairs. We men do suffer at
times, it’s not only the ladies who have ‘specific’ problems!
Yes, you can have a check-up for this area too. Just ask
to see the hewers of stone and drawers of water!
Heart to Heart with Hillary
Hello Hillary,
As usual you always seem to give good advice to some of our
friends who have fallen by the wayside, and they look to you to be their saviour,
this week it is George’s turn to give you his problem concerning his up and
coming marriage, your reply is, as usual, excellent and to the point, but after
having the same problem in the past, I think I may be able to offer some further
advice to this forsaken gentleman, if I may be so bold, George, as Hillary has
explained to you, a village marriage is not legal, it is, very simply, a trap to
relieve you of your cash, forget about dowries for a start, what are you
buying?, a cow, or a buffalo, when I was told that a dowry is traditional in
Thailand, I said no chance, forget it, I was married to a Thai girl a couple of
years ago, I never went to the village, I went to Bangkok and was married
legally, I had a good party in Pattaya with all my friends and the full cost to
me for everything was, 30,000 baht, after knowing this girl for only one year
George, my advice to you is to run while you still have some money in your bank
account, it seems to me that this girl will leave you with nothing, although you
are not the first and you will certainly not be the last, LEAVE TOWN GEORGE.
Experienced Pensioner
Dear Experienced Pensioner,
Wow! What a sentence! 248 words without a full stop - you leave me breathless!
However, thank you for backing up my advice to George, I also felt he was being
led up the matrimonial path by the proverbial carrot. “Experience” is always the
best teacher (and you sound as if you have several buckets of it).
Dear Hillary,
Hello again, been reading you since I can’t remember. Whether I was here in
Pattaya or in the U.S. All day with the rain I contemplated this writing. In the
past you have published two of my writings one 6-11-10, the other 7-15-10 I
believe. In my 30 yrs of coming to Thailand, and always Pattaya where I have had
the most contact, the advice you offer, most of it I had to learn the hard way,
because it was before the time of Pattaya Mail. Of course the farangs
that write you are seeking your advice. While you are most knowledgeable, it’s
one-sided. It’s always from the Thai female psyche. Sometimes I feel these
farang need a slap in the back of head from one who has been there, one of their
own. While you always offer a gentle solution to their problems, I feel some
just have a hard heads. I know it’s immaterial whether or not they take the
advice you offer, it’s up to them. But when it comes to the particularly stupid,
I’d like to be of assistance if there is some way I could be of aid in these
hard core cases please contact me.
I’m still new at this being retired, and have yet to find a
way to occupy my time, sure that will change in the future. Because from what I
read in your column it’s always the newbie or nearly newbies who get themselves
in emotional / financial trouble. Us old timers are pretty well set, if we don’t
know by now there is no helping us, nor are we seeking help. But not to invade
on your turf - if I could be of any assistance please contact me.
Take Care,
Les (and Lawan)
Dear Les (and Lawan),
Aren’t you the kindest chap, with an offer of being Hillary’s little helper. It
is nice to know there are settled “old timers” as you called yourself, ready,
willing and able to step in at a moment’s notice. However, Petal, I think the
readers out there are looking for the Thai female psyche, as they don’t
understand what their long term partner of two days is thinking. I would also be
somewhat embarrassed if you went out on some sort of vigilante exercise,
slapping my correspondents around the head as you suggested. I don’t think the
editor would like that.
Then there is another problem, and it’s not your salary as
Hillary’s assistant, because there isn’t any, it’s where are we going to put
you? The editorial desk is not very large, and just fits into my attic with me.
If I have a good meal at lunchtime, I can’t get in until after three in the
afternoon! In the days when we used to get real paper letters I had to open the
envelopes outside as there wasn’t enough room to swing the proverbial cat. Not
that I have anything against cats, you must know.
Unfortunately, I can see so many problems, apart from the
fact that Lawan might get jealous of your snuggling up to me on one of these
rainy afternoons. So many problems and so few ways around it all. I think it is
best if we just leave things as they are, but if I find someone needing a bit of
head-slapping, I’ll call you.
Let’s go to the movies:
by Mark Gernpy
Now playing in Pattaya
Resident Evil: Afterlife:
UK/ Germany/ US, Action/ Horror/ Sci-Fi/ Thriller – The series
continues. This time, in a world ravaged by a virus infection turning
its victims into the Undead, Alice (Milla Jovovich), continues on her
journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle
with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some
unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe
haven from the Undead takes them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive
the city is overrun by thousands of Undead - and Alice and her comrades
are about to step into a deadly trap. Rated R in the US for sequences of
strong violence and language.
Machete: US, Action/ Adventure/ Crime/ Thriller –
Starring Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez.
The highly skilled “Mexican Federale,” Machete, is hired by some
unsavory types to assassinate a US senator. But just as he’s about to
take the shot, he notices someone aiming at him and realizes he’s been
set up. He barely survives the sniper’s bullet, and is soon out for
revenge on his former employers, with the reluctant assistance of his
old friend Cheech Marin, who has become a priest and taken a vow of
nonviolence. If you hire him to take out the bad guys, make sure the bad
guys aren’t you! Rated R in the US for strong bloody violence
throughout, language, some sexual content, and nudity. Mixed or average
reviews. Thai-dubbed at Big C.
From Pakse with Love / Sabaidee 2: Thai, Comedy/
Romance – A follow-up sweet picture postcard from Laos following the
first sweet picture postcard from Laos in this planned trilogy, 2008’s
Sabaidee Luang Prabang. That movie starred Ananda Everingham, and
was the first feature film made in Laos in 20 years. This one stars Ray
Macdonald and Laotian beauty queen Khamly Philavong, reprising her role
from the first film as a charming tour guide.
Color’s Love / Saman Chan: Thai, Drama/ Romance –
Can a yellow-shirt love a red-shirt? Well, Thailand is on a campaign for
colors to unite and reconcile. It’s government policy, so why not. (The
colors here are actually purple and orange, but you get the idea.)
Piranha 3-D: US, Action/ Horror/ Thriller – Terror
on the lake. “Boobs and blood,” that’s what Director Alexandre Aja
promised and that’s what he delivers in spades. Don’t even think about
trying to count the kills, or the boobies. Rated R in the US for
sequences of strong bloody horror violence and gore, graphic nudity,
sexual content, language, and some drug use; 18+ in Thailand. Mixed or
average reviews. In 3D only at Pattaya Beach, but it’s not real 3D; 3D
effects were added in post production. Also in 2D at Pattaya Beach and
elsewhere, and Thai-dubbed only at Big C.
Note: Please, if you go, don’t bring the
kiddies!! In the US there’s been considerable controversy because
parents haven’t taken the R rating seriously, and have ended up with
traumatized kids. Probably for life.
The sort-of plot: After a sudden underwater tremor
sets free scores of prehistoric man-eating fish, a group of strangers
band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the summer
resort area’s new razor-toothed residents. “The most irresistibly sick
movie in years.” With Richard Dreyfuss in the cast – you remember him,
the original battler of things in the water that bite, Jaws.
Inception: US/ UK, Drama/ Mystery/ Sci-Fi/
Thriller – A brilliant and extraordinarily challenging film that has
gotten ecstatic reviews from those attuned to director Christopher
Nolan’s brand of mind games. For them, a not-to-be-missed event, and I
recommend it highly. At Pattaya Beach only. Generally favorable reviews.
Toy Story 3: US, Animation/ Adventure/ Comedy/
Family/ Fantasy – Do see this! It’s truly entertainment! Andy, the boy
who owns the toys, is now 17 and ready to head off to college, leaving
the toy-box gang to ponder their uncertain futures. Starring the voices
of Tom Hanks and many other talented actors; there are 302 characters in
the film! Has the same Pixar genius as WALL•E, and the heart of
2009’s Up. If you enjoyed those, don’t miss this. It’s inspired,
and I loved every minute of it. Shown in 3D and in 2D, only at Pattaya
Beach. Reviews: Universal acclaim.
The Expendables: US, Action/ Adventure/ Thriller –
Directed by Sylvester Stallone and starring him and bunch of his old
action buddies – Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren,
and even token appearances by Bruce Willis and California governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger. A team of mercenaries head to South America on a
mission to overthrow a dictator. Rated R in the US for strong action and
bloody violence throughout, and for some language; 18+ in Thailand.
Mixed or average reviews. Thai-dubbed at Big C.
Kuan Muen Ho / Hello Stranger: Thai, Comedy/
Romance – Riding the local wave of fascination in all things Korean (but
especially the boy-band, pop-star craze), comes another rom-com about
Thais in that country of wonder that seems to breed only cute muppets.
Still the top film in Thailand.
Salt: US, Action/ Thriller – Engrossing, quite
entertaining, and skillfully done. And Angelina Jolie is magnetic, a
true wonder, a star in the real sense of the word. She plays a CIA
officer on the run, accused of being a spy, using all her skills and
years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture and prove her
innocence. A bombastic, complicated, old-school spy action-thriller. Not
at Big C. Generally favorable reviews.
Luang Pee Teng III / The Holy Man III: Thai,
Comedy/ Drama – The continuing misadventures of a young, self-confident,
and stubborn monk who, in trying to escape from a world of confusion,
only finds more confusion. Not at Pattaya Beach.
Sing Lek Lek / Little Thing Called Love / First Love:
Thai, Comedy/ Romance – A young and ordinary high school girl has a big
crush on a heartthrob senior at school, played by for-real heartthrob
Mario Maurer. To make him see that she exists in his world, the girl
tries to improve her physical looks and tries to become a star at
school.
Brown Sugar / Nam Tan Dang: Thai, Drama/ Erotic –
This Thai film is Part 1 of 6 short erotic stories of love, greed,
wrath, and obsession presented in several genres: thriller, action,
drama, romance, and comedy. Here we get the first three,
including one already infamous for an extended, unbroken scene of female
masturbation that lasts ten minutes. “We just had to have every minute,”
says the director. Rated 18+.
Step Up 3D: US, Drama/ Music/ Romance –
Breakdancers! Third installment of the Step Up series, popular
with fans of dance films. If still on, it will be in 2D only, and only
at Pattaya Beach.
Splice: Canada/ France/ US, Horror/ Sci-Fi/
Thriller – Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) are two young,
rebellious, and to me repulsive scientists who defy legal and ethical
boundaries to forge ahead with a dangerous experiment: splicing together
human and animal DNA to create a new organism. Named “Dren,” the
creature rapidly develops from a deformed female infant into a beautiful
but dangerous winged human-chimera, who forges a bond with both of her
creators - only to have that bond turn deadly. Rated R in the US for
disturbing elements including strong sexuality, nudity, sci-fi violence,
and language. I thought it a most unpleasant movie, but my views are in
the minority, because it’s gotten generally favorable reviews. At
Pattaya Beach only.
Staying happy in Paradise - the Counseling Cornerr
Thai - Western relationships
Richard L. Fellner
Relationships between Thais and Western partners: an
evergreen topic! In this Counseling Corner series, we look below the
surface to devote ourselves to the most important issues that can await
those who enter such relationships.
Part 3: Prejudices
“An opinion may be controverted; a prejudice, never.”
(Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach)
Thai-Western couples see themselves more frequently
confronted with prejudices than most other combinations of relationships
- and it stays this way throughout most of their relationships. In the
West, men who have a Thai woman as a partner are often seen as
eccentrics who could not find a western girlfriend - only by taking
advantage of their superior economic position, they are able to buy a
‘catalog woman’. This woman would of course be trapped in an exploited
position, that’s why she will often be met with a form of friendliness
similar to compassion, especially by Western women. A relationship
related to ‘Thailand’ of course will often also bring up the stereotype
of sex tourism: is the woman possibly even a former prostitute, and the
man a sex tourist?
Thais also have their prejudices: that the Western
partner is equipped with nearly unlimited financial resources (but
somewhat stingy) and they also believe that most relations with Western
partners began under dubious circumstances.
Couples deal with these - seldom openly expressed -
presumptions in various ways: some explain at every opportunity that
their relationship meets the highest Western standards (perhaps even
more than that...) and that the Thai partner grew up under proper social
conditions. Others withdraw and isolate themselves: some binational
couples not only live in Thailand because of Western protectionism, but
also because the Western partner fears that their relationship wouldn’t
be fully accepted in their country.
Constantly having to deal with prejudice and legal hurdles can
gradually ruin the happiness of binational couples.
|
Live the happy life you planned!
Richard L. Fellner is head of the Counseling Center Pattaya
in Soi Kopai and offers consultations in English and German
languages after making an appointment at 0854 370 470. |
|
