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Family Money: If the small cap fits
By Leslie
Wright
Some readers have asked me to explain the difference between ‘blue chips’ and ‘small caps’, and how to invest in the latter.
‘Blue chip’ firms are huge companies that are regarded as well established and have steady growth. Sometimes multi-national conglomerates, they tend to
come mainly from the industrial and financial sectors, are often the largest firms in those sectors, and tend to dominate a market. They are the stocks which make up the
major market indices.
Their business activities are often diversified, however, and go well beyond their ‘main’ focus. Coca-Cola is just one example; General Electric is
another.
But it is a widely held but erroneous belief that so-called ‘small caps’ stocks belong to little entrepreneurial firms. They don’t.
To be traded at all, a stock has to be of a publicly listed company with a minimum capitalisation and a trading history.
‘Small caps’ simply means that the capitalisation of the firm is in the order of 20 million dollars as opposed to 200 million, or 20 billion, as is the
case with the big corporations that make up the major-market indices.
Nonetheless, a $20 million company is not exactly small, when compared with your local entrepreneurial firm or beer bar!
When small is better
It seems that in a period of uncertainty many investors believe that they can achieve better results from investing in stocks of smaller companies than in
‘blue chips’.
Sometimes this is true. The smaller and mid-sized cap sector is one area in which an individual investor can find an edge as well as diversity.
Picking out and trading in small cap stocks will add an element of excitement to your portfolio, because the stock price will tend to fluctuate a lot more
than a ‘blue chip’ stock will. In other words, it will tend to be a lot more volatile.
This may give you the opportunity to make higher speculative profits; but it also gives you the chance to lose more than with relatively staid ‘blue
chips’ stocks.
As always, the higher the risk, the higher the return - or potentially greater loss.
Having the information
Some sophisticated investors have the time, interest and access to the specialised information to be able to pick stocks they favour, both in the ‘blue
chip’ and ‘small caps’ sectors.
But these are the minority of investors. Most amateur investors are not in a position to research their portfolio selections sufficiently to make judicious
strategic decisions, but tend to throw darts at the wall blindly, hoping that some will hit the board and score some points.
Just as in a darts match, wearing blinkers or throwing wildly over your shoulder will rarely win the game.
What’s the solution? If you don’t have the resources to research the firms you are interested in properly, or access to information about opportunities
in other markets, you hire a professional to do it for you.
If you are a multi-millionaire, you can open an account with one or more international stock broking firms, and receive their advice on what to buy and
sell, and when. Or give them discretion to trade on your behalf, having agreed with them in advance on what proportion of your holdings will be in small cap or higher-risk
stocks.
But if you are not in this happy position - as most investors are not - the best solution is to pool your more modest resources with those of other similar
amateur investors, and use the management skills and resources of large fund management houses.
Nowadays a multitude of financial services firms offer a huge range of well-managed funds. These enable you to invest in whichever investment sectors and
markets you are interested in: global or single-country funds; major or emerging markets; and in blue-chip stocks, or small-cap stocks.
In theory, you can construct a tailor-made portfolio from the enormous range of funds available that invest in exactly those specific areas that interest
you.
I say “in theory” because of the minimum amount that has to be invested into each fund, so it would still take a few hundred thousand dollars to
construct a highly-tuned truly diversified portfolio. But at least it wouldn’t take millions.
In emerging markets there are far better values to be found in companies with smaller market capitalisation and lower market liquidity, as there is a lot
more keen and informed competition buying large stocks and high-liquidity situations.
However, many fund managers are limited to investing only in stocks that have a certain minimum market capitalisation or daily trading volume.
It is not that the undervalued smaller-companies’ shares are not excellent opportunities; it is simply that they do not meet the very rigid requirements
of a fund investment committee. Hence, they’re not included in the fund’s portfolio. You’d have to go out and research them yourself, and buy them directly.
That’s all very well if you have the time, interest and the resources - both the money and the access to the specialised information - required to do so.
Most amateur investors don’t have all these prerequisites, any one of which could cost you dearly if missing from the equation. Direct investing is not
for the small investor, unless he fully realises that this is ‘play money’ and can afford to lose it - which few will admit to.
In my view, anyone with less than two million US should not be dabbling in direct investments - no matter how knowledgeable or expert he thinks he is. He
simply cannot achieve the level of diversification across the world and market sectors which would protect his capital against significant volatility risk.
Some lucky punters have achieved great short-term success in direct investment. But the wise ones will admit this was more by luck (or access to some privy
information) than by judgment.
To use an analogy, if your pipes start leaking, or your computer goes on the blink, you could try fixing it yourself. But you could end up with a worse
problem than when you started.
In these situations, most sensible people admit their lack of expertise and hire a professional to fix their problem - whether this be leaking pipes,
crashing computers, or their investment portfolio. For most people, the last example is probably of far greater importance to their family’s well-being than the first two!
Aversion to charges
Some critics say that fund managers skim too much cream off the top of their portfolios, so it’s better to do it yourself and keep all the profits
(assuming you make one).
But if you hired a lawyer or an accountant, you’d fully expect to pay him for his expert knowledge and service to you, wouldn’t you? After all, do you
work for free? Or if you’re retired, did you provide your services to your former employer without payment?
Similarly, while it is true that all investment funds have a charge built in for the fund-managers, these people are providing you with their professional
expertise and a service which you’d be hard put to duplicate on your own.
In many cases, fund managers are paid on performance: they have to achieve a certain level of return before they can start ‘skimming cream’. At that
point you would already have received a reasonable return on your investment.
And if they achieve results above expectations, so do you. Aren’t they then entitled to a ‘bonus’ for having done so? Wouldn’t you expect a bonus
or a raise from your employer for above-expected performance?
But one has to remember that investors are driven by the twin emotions of fear and greed. Fairness doesn’t come into it.
In my experience, most investors are slow to praise above-average performance, and regard this simply as their right. They are, however, very quick to
criticise results below their expectations, and fret if their profits are eroded by market forces which are beyond the fund or portfolio manager’s control.
Future bets?
But costs and charges aside, fund managers have to perform to keep their jobs.
The continued health of the fund depends on its success. And that translates to making profits that are above average, and (hopefully) beating the index of
that particular fund’s sector.
So, if you are a fundamentalist rather than a chartist, and are seeking good value in undervalued stocks or markets, and for the long-term rather than
short-term speculation, it might be worth looking at some carefully selected funds in the small-cap sectors of those markets which you (or your advisor) believe have good
potential going forward.
And the key words here are “going forward”: it should always be borne in mind that investment success depends upon future performance, not the past.
Leslie Wright is Managing Director of Westminster Portfolio Services (Thailand) Ltd., a firm of independent financial advisors providing advice to
expatriate residents of the Eastern Seaboard on personal financial planning and international investments. If you have any comments or queries on this article, or about other
topics concerning investment matters, contact Leslie directly by fax on (038) 232522 or e-mail [email protected]. Further
details and back articles can be accessed on his firm’s website on www.westminsterthailand.com
Editor’s note: Leslie sometimes receives e-mails to which he is unable to respond due to the sender’s automatic return address being incorrect. If you
have sent him an e-mail to which you have not received a reply, this may be why. To ensure his prompt response to your enquiry, please include your complete return e-mail
address, or a contact phone/fax number.
Successfully Yours: Athiwat Krisnampok
By Mirin MacCarthy
Athiwat Krisnampok, district sales manager, Eastern Thailand, in the Pattaya Office of Thai Airways International, just might be following in his father’s
aviation footsteps; however, his road has not always been easy. Born in Bangkok with one brother, his father was initially a pilot, but then later rose to become vice president
of Thai International before he retired.
 Following his secondary schooling, the big silver birds in the sky were not really
calling him and so Athiwat took his B.A. in public communications, majoring in advertising at Bangkok University. After his graduation he traveled to Washington in the U.S.A. and
studied business administration there for three years at South Eastern University. He had decided to change his majors from advertising to administration because he had come to
realize that he would prefer a job where he would be of service to people.
On his return to Bangkok, Athiwat took a job as a trainee manager with Loxley for a year. However, the airline system really was in his blood and in 1993 he
took a position of agency sales for Thai International in Bangkok. After a year there he applied for a position in marketing. He was not given this position automatically, as all
applicants have to pass a test. It was not a silver spoon that got him there. There was a long one and a half years training in Bangkok and a further six months training in Hong
Kong following this.
He was then posted to Tokyo for four years as systems manager, a position he enjoyed. “I like the Japanese people and Tokyo is an exciting busy city.”
Athiwat does describe himself as a “city person” - he thrives on the unpredictability and the excitement of city life. Being from Bangkok, this is a very understandable
trait. However, he has been here in Pattaya for five months now and loves it too. In his free time he also keeps busy, exercising, going to the gym, playing golf and swimming,
pursuits obviously easier here than in the capital city.
In keeping with the thoughts that changed his tertiary courses from advertising to administration, the important values to him are still sharing with the less
fortunate. “If you have a chance and you have money, then you give some to someone else, you must share.” This is a very Buddhist sentiment, but when asked if Buddhism is an
important part of his life, he replied simply, “Yes, for myself, but I don’t often go to the temple. I don’t believe it is appropriate to go out to clubs and then go to the
temple to make merit. Whether you are a good person or not is inside you, not because you go to the Wat often.” This deep philosophy was said as a matter of fact.
His plans for the future are also said simply and involve his being able to continue to do just what he is doing right now. “To work with the people, to
serve, that is why I joined Thai International. I want to do the best.”
Success means to him - contributing, “Being a good man for the country. Raising a good family. If your children grow up and are successful themselves, then
you can call yourself successful.” This is a very Thai and very circular ideal of commencing with bringing honour to your parents. “If I did not have to work, I would love to
travel. I would make sure my parents were taken care of, then I would share my fortune with someone.”
Asked what country he preferred, he replied diplomatically, “Every country is a different experience. America is so large and it is very casual, there is a
lot more freedom, you can wear what you like. In Bangkok people would think it is very strange if you went to work in jeans for instance, but I love the excitement of the busy
big cities like Bangkok and Tokyo.”
His advice to Thai school leavers reflects his own life and choices, “Choose the right job for you. Make sure to choose a career that involves something you
like doing.” It appears that the charming Athiwat has already found the perfect recipe for success.
Snap Shots: High Key and highly easy!
by Harry Flashman
For 90% of photography it is important to get all the details, shadows, highlights, colours, blacks and whites in the end snapshot. However, this will,
with portrait photography, sometimes give you a result that is less than you might have hoped for. The answer is High Key photography!
High key is when the photograph does not cover all the tones from bright white to deepest black, but is restricted to the top end of the scale. In these
sort of photographs you have white running through to around 33% of darker shades and that is all.
In “classical” high key photographs, these are done in Black and White like the photograph with this week’s article (or more correctly “grey” and
white), but you can also get a great effect with colour shots as well. To produce these kind of shots is not difficult, but does take some planning beforehand. Despite this,
it is still possible to get a very pleasant high key shot with just a point and shoot camera.
Looking again at this week’s photograph (almost Page 3, isn’t it?) note that the background is pure white (or as close as newsprint will get us to pure
white), while the girl is in light shades of grey. This shot was taken as part of this model’s portfolio, and since she reminded Harry of a Marilyn Monroe type it was
decided to recreate one of Marilyn’s famous shots from the movie, with her skirt blowing up. Harry will run through the steps in creating this shot, and in doing so, you
will begin to understand a little about studio photography and a lot about high key.
Looking at the background, to get this as pure white as possible, you need to “blow it out” with lots of light. In the studio, two powerful flash heads
were aimed at the white wall behind the model. Now to light the model we used one weak diffused flash head, of half the power of the ones lighting the background.
The camera was set to expose correctly for the model, so now this meant that the background lighting was far too strong and so the white wall would come
out as much too bright - the exact result we wanted for a high key shot.
Of course, there were some technical problems as well. The main one being how to get the model’s dress to blow up naturally. In the movie, Marilyn was
standing over a subway grating and the air blew up from underneath. Answer - we stood the model on two white painted drums to get her off the floor and placed a small fan on
the floor. The assistant flicked the switch at the appropriate moment and there was the shot!
So that is how it is done in the studio where the photographer is in full control of the lighting. How are you going to get a background twice as bright as
the foreground when you haven’t got a studio and are relying on the celestial lighting technician (the sun) for illumination? The secret here is what is called “back
lighting” - placing the sun behind the model, so you are shooting into the sun, rather than shooting with the sun.
The trick is to make the camera expose for the subject, and not for the background, or worse, an “average” between the background and the subject.
Having placed your subject with the back to the sun, walk right up and get the exposure reading from the subject’s face. Hold the shutter release half way down and walk
back and compose the shot without letting the shutter release go. Now pop the shutter. You will have the subject correctly exposed and the background “blown out”.
The final trick is to get the subject to wear white or very light coloured clothes (white straw hats are very effective back lit too), which all adds to
the high key effect. Try it out this weekend with your favourite model.
Modern Medicine: Athlete’s foot? I haven’t run for years!
by Dr Iain Corness
A friend of mine confided the other day that he has been having a never-ending battle with Athlete’s Foot. This is one of the most common conditions in
the world, and you certainly do not have to be an athlete to get it - but it helps!
Why? Because athletes, like so many sporting groups tend to stand around shower/changing areas in their bare feet, spreading the little organism that
causes the condition.
So let’s talk about the condition. The correct name is Tinea, and we have several types depending upon the area of the body that is affected. If it is in
your scalp we call it Tinea capitis, on the body - Tinea corporis, on the hands - Tinea manum, on the feet - Tinea pedis and in the groin we call it Tinea cruris, otherwise
known as Dhobie itch or Crutch Rot! What a wonderful grab bag of conditions to say the least.
The organisms which cause all these are called Dermatophytes, and they have the ability to live in skin and so invade hair and even nails. The most common
has the exciting name of Trichophyton rubrum, a noble name for an organism that can live in the soggy bits between your toes, I’m sure you’ll agree.
The symptoms generally consist of a spreading “rash” with reddened edges that becomes itchy and eventually quite painful as the infection goes into the
deeper layers of the skin. This is the result of the organism putting out “tentacles” which extend deeper.
Unfortunately, there are a number of other conditions that can manifest themselves in a similar fashion, including Psoriasis, eczema and some forms of
dermatitis. This is the most usual reason for “Athletes Foot” preparations not working - it wasn’t “Athlete’s Foot” to begin with!
There are various methods of clinching the diagnosis, including examination with a special Wood’s Light, which allows you to look at the affected region
with UV light. The most accurate way however, is to take scrapings and examine under the microscope for the tell tale “tentacles”.
So what can you do if it really is our friend Trichophyton that is cropping up between your toes and other unmentionable places? The first thing to do is
not use high powered steroid creams, but use a topical anti-dermatophyte preparation like Canesten cream. You can alternate with a weak steroid, but remember that the steroid
does not “cure” the problem - it only masks it.
With some very stubborn cases it may be necessary to use medication by mouth to attack the organism through the blood stream, but these can have some
fairly unpleasant and nasty side effects, especially on your liver. If your liver is having problems straining the blood out of the beer stream then you need extreme caution.
To prevent re-occurrence it is necessary to be very careful where you put your toes, never share towels and jump over communal bath mats - but even then
you may find it comes back. Remnants of the organism start putting out their tentacles and the cycle is on again. And stop scratching!
 Dear Hillary,
I have been in Pattaya for about three months now and even now when I awake in the morning I run to the window to check that I am still here. Thankfully so
far every morning I am!
While I have been here I have been known to frequent the occasional open air hostelry (for a quick half of heavy and some sparkling conversation you
understand). The problem is that some of the young ladies that I have shared the aforementioned sparkling conversation and halves of heavy with seem rather keen to continue
our acquaintance. Keen to the point of shouting my name across the street and trying to bodily drag me into the bar. So there are many areas of Pattaya that I feel I must
avoid, I am rapidly running out of Pattaya hostelries.
My questions my dear Hillary are, is this normal behaviour for young ladies in Pattaya and do you know of any reputable plastic surgeons so I can alter my
appearance? Your sage advice is desperately needed, Hillary.
Intensely Vacant
Dear Intensely Vacant,
Oh my poor petal, what a quandary you are in. The problem is commercial. You see, for your sparkling conversationalists to get any real satisfaction from
asking where you come from and how long you stay, it is necessary to turn the half of heavy into half an hour of hot and heavy, profit margin from the amber liquid being
rather poor compared to that from half an hour’s tuition in folk dancing. However, Hillary does have the answer to all your problems, poppet. Rather than expensive plastic
surgery, I suggest you buy bottles of your favourite brew and drink them in your room by yourself. In this way, you will always know where you are, and won’t have the
embarrassing problem of young ladies shouting “Intensely” across a crowded soi. Finally, you’ve really only got a problem when they don’t call out to you.
Dear Hillary,
There is a waitress in the Royal Garden Resort that I cannot get out of my mind. She is so petite and sweet natured, and I have never seen her frown at
anyone, no matter how demanding the restaurant customers can be. I know her name because she wears a name badge, but I have never been able to just get her on her own for a
quiet chat. I have been wondering if I should approach the management and ask them to help? I am going out of my mind. Help me, Hillary.
James
Dear James,
You poor darling. You really are smitten aren’t you. However nice the management may be, I somehow don’t think they’re going to play matchmaker for
you. No, James, you are going to have to do this all by yourself. A small bunch of flowers left at the reception desk for her with who it is from is a good start. Then, next
time you are in for lunch or dinner you can ask her if she got the flowers. You have by this shown your interest and it is then up to her whether she returns it. This is not
an easy task either, young James. Thai ladies can be very “proper” and it is not so easy to woo one over. You should read the book Bangkok Angel by Mike Smith, an
Englishman who did exactly what you are going through now. It took Mike years and thousands of pounds, but for him it was all worth it. I hope it is for you too. You sound a
nice man. Remember too, that this next Wednesday is St. Valentine’s Day, so a card and roses won’t go astray. If you do get a rejection, you can always send the flowers
to Hillary. And don’t forget the champagne and chocolates either, darling.
Dear Hillary,
My mother has told me that she would like to have a go at being a go-go dancer. Ordinarily this would be fine, but my Mum is 65 years old. I asked her if
she had told Dad about this, but she said no, because Dad, at 72 years old, would not understand. Mum has a fairly good figure for someone her age, but don’t you think it
is slightly ridiculous? How can I get this crazy idea out of Mum’s head?
Julie
Dear Julie,
Aren’t you the lucky one! Not everyone’s mother wants a try out on the boards, and on the chrome pole stage too! So Dad’s a little past being Jumpin’
Jack Flash, but if Mum wants to have a go, why not? I’m sure she doesn’t want this to be a new career shift in her life, but it is not out of the ordinary for some of our
more senior citizens to want to do something “crazy” they should have done years before. Grannies have gone skiing, parachute jumping and all sorts of daring things, so
why not go-go dancing? I must admit that Hillary has not seen “Grannies a Go-Go” on her trips down Pattayaland 2, but I’m sure there are some quieter establishments
where the girls would love to let Mum act out her fantasies. Why don’t you set it up for Mum and yourself and it can be your little secret forever? Loosen up, Julie!
GRAPEVINE
| Lunar warning
One of the latest crazes in Europe is apparently for vulgar young men to bare their bottoms to people they don’t like in an expression of contempt or
disgust. Called “mooning”, this practice has now spread to holidaymakers abroad and has even been spotted in such exotic destinations as Benidorm and the Isle of Man.
However, travel agents are warning young foreign men between the ages of 20 and 30 not to risk this behavior in certain sleazy parts of South Pattaya. It is felt that the
body language could be misunderstood and that, consequently, “mooners” could end up with more than they bargained for.
Desperado
A retired lecturer in art history is returning home early from his planned one month vacation after feeling let down by pressurized advertising. Clarence
Haytor decided to make a trip to Pattaya after reading in a newspaper that hundreds of young ladies were anxious to meet him no matter what his obsessions were. He felt
this was most encouraging as he had never actually traveled to Asia before. But after only ten days in the resort, Clarence’s cash ran out and he had to call it a day. He
complained bitterly that he had indeed met countless young ladies but not one of them seemed remotely interested in his obsession for Byzantine mosaics and the Twelfth
Century Renaissance.
The last straw
Grapevine notes the legitimate concerns of those readers who say that this newspaper is going to the dogs. The music column is now written by one Mott
The Dog who appears from his or her photograph to be a Labrador or a Great Dane, howbeit one with linguistic skills. Then there is the outrageous Hillary who calls everyone
Petal and whose advice is limited to telling correspondents who are worried sick with personal problems to Shut Up or Pay Up. And this column, to quote an Internet reader
from Durham, is “the pits” although he does actually admit to being a retired miner which may explain something. On the other hand, readers can be very hard to please.
One complained that rubbish cart collections in his estate had virtually stopped altogether since his open letter to City Hall about smelly bins had been published in this
newspaper. Well, someone must be taking notes.
Late bars a no no
Well done to Ken Osborne who has taken over the administration of the Sunday and Wednesday quizzes, although he doesn’t set the questions. He is
enforcing the rule that bars must submit their answer sheets within 24 hours of the quiz being held. If they forgetfully don’t, they risk not getting any points at all.
May seem harsh, but Ken makes the fair argument that he doesn’t have his own transport. He makes one trip to Palmer’s Bar, the pick-up point, and if any answer sheets
are missing, that’s not his problem. Incidentally, Ken is making an excellent job of assessing the appeals and his feedback to the bars is first rate.
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Legal eagle
It’s very dangerous for a farang to make a physical assault on a Thai national. Following an argument, a German guy struck his girl friend and she
needed hospital treatment. He was lucky. The case remained a civil one after the lady in question accepted compensation plus payment of all medical bills. If she had made
an official complaint to the police and insisted on prosecution, the matter could easily have turned into a problematical criminal matter with all that this may entail...
A farang with an eight months’ overstay visa wants to know his options. If you are caught by the police here, you will certainly be arrested, fined, imprisoned and
deported (assuming you have the funds for an air ticket back home). Alternatively, if you make it directly to Bangkok airport, you may be able to pay the maximum 40,000
baht fine and be allowed to board your flight. But only maybe.
Management lesson
When the body was first made, all the parts wanted to be boss. The brain claimed the position because it controlled all responses and functions. The
feet objected and claimed the top position as they carried the brain about and got the body where it wanted to go. Various other bodily parts such as lungs, hands, eyes
and heart also made a formal request to be boss. Finally, the anus spoke up at which point all the other parts broke into laughter. So the anus went on strike, blocked
itself up and refused to work. Within a very short period, the other bodily parts panicked as they fevered and fell ill. So a motion was passed and the anus became boss,
just watching the others work and getting rid of what nobody wanted. Management lesson: you don’t need brains to be a leader. Any bum will do.
Worldly wise
International traveler WA sent us these notices he spotted in hotels.
Will the guest who removed all the letter ‘P’s from the Scrabble set please return them to avoid arguments?
If water not coming, please excuse our Tank.
Children not allowed to use swings, slides and play room.
The restaurant will be open again after health inspectors say Yes.
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Dining Out: Shenanigans “Stake Out” - a great bit of bull!
by Miss Terry Diner
Shenanigans Pub on Second Road has become well known over the past couple of years for the rotating special evenings each week, with the Tuesday Pasta nights
and their Carvery over the weekends being a Pattaya institution. The latest to be added to the line-up is a Monday “Stake Out” night, and Landlord Kim Fletcher asked the
Dining Out Team to call and sample the new offering.
 We were met by the always-smiling Miss Beautiful who guided us through to the
“library” section and settled us into the large comfortable Chesterfield chairs. If you have never been there, then you should, even if just to sit back, cocooned in the
arms of a Chesterfield, and quietly contemplate the passing of the world!
From an eating out point of view, it makes for comfortable dining too. It is a quiet section of the pub, the tables are large and solid, and the cutlery
likewise, none of those flimsy “twee” items that fold up if you attack your food with gusto. You also get linen napkins - a feature which was to be important later (read
on).
The humorously denoted “Stake Out” is a set menu covering soup and steak, and as stated before, is only available on Mondays, starting around noon,
according to Miss Beautiful. The cost is 195 baht, so it was obvious we were not going to be “staked out” for a King’s ransom!
The soup changes each week, and on our visit it was a pork goulash. So far so good - Miss Terry is particularly partial to goulash soup, so I was interested
in seeing just how well Shenanigans were going to do there. While we waited I enjoyed my customary Singha Gold, while Madame was making short work of one of Robbo’s famous
Margaritas.
A large soup plate arrived with a hot plate of goulash. This was very meaty with chunks of pork, potatoes, carrots, beans, capsicum and tomato. It was also
very nice, and I must admit I enjoyed it so much that I began “slurping” in a most unlady-like way. The end result was assorted goulash splashes on my white blouse, but
with a quick application of my napkin, and a brief trip to the Ladies for a sponge down, little damage was done.
 The steak is advertised as a 400 gram T-bone, and when it arrived, I had no doubt
that it was (see the photo). It was done to my order of medium-rare and came with salad and chips. Miss Beautiful had mentioned that we could have potatoes done in a different
way if we wished, but the chips sounded fine. They also tasted fine, and not at all soggy. The T-bone came with its own gravy boat filled with a light and tasty gravy, while
the vinaigrette salad was well made and tangy with iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, onion, cucumber, tomato and peppercorns. For those who wish for steak sauce, this is also
available on the table, along with the usual salt and pepper shakers, Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco and vinegar.
With the supplied steak knife I had no problem dissecting out the T-bone and must say that the steak was tender and juicy. By the time I had finished I knew
I was more than satisfied. Even without the filling soup as a first course, the T-bone steak and salad had been an excellent meal.
The final word has to be on the price. At 195 baht this represents value which will be very hard to beat anywhere. Quite frankly, you would expect to pay 350
baht for a similar meal at any facility as up-market as Shenanigans. Remember, this was not any old raggy bit of bull, it was a genuine 400 gram T-bone. Monday evenings will be
steak lover’s paradise from now on. Miss Terry, well known as a card carrying carnivore, will certainly be one of the faithful.
Shenanigan’s Irish Pub, Pattaya 2 Road, downstairs below the Royal Garden Resort’s Garden Café, 710 641.
Animal Crackers:
Siberian Huskies
by Mirin
MacCarthy
Siberian Huskies are a strong graceful and energetic sled dog. They have compelling, usually bright blue eyes, and are wolf like in appearance but they are
not related, nor are they a wolf dog cross.
 Domesticated huskies were originally bred by the Chukchi tribes of N.E. Siberia as
endurance sled dogs to pull a light load at a fast pace over great distances, in freezing cold weather on the smallest possible diet. They were bred to be friendly and
non-aggressive, consequently, they do not make good guard dogs, they are more likely to lick a thief to death!
Surprisingly, they are genetically programmed to adapt to extremes of temperature, and do better in very hot climates such as Thailand’s, than short coat
dogs that were bred for temperate climates. There are considerations about keeping them here though. Firstly they must have access to a sheltered, insulated run. A simple
roofed run is insufficient, it must be insulated to protect from the heat. Their mechanisms for heat loss include panting, splashing in shallow water, and their dense, furry
coat is an insulator. Never clip their coats, or if it becomes necessary for veterinary reasons, they must live in air conditioning until the fur grows back.
Remember that these beautiful creatures are working dogs and it is up to the owner to give them work, they are not going to be happy without it. This means
getting them a harness and pulling a light cart around the block. If you think this is cruel, then a Siberian husky is not for you. They are genetically programmed to run and
dig and must be provided with a sandpit in a shaded location, and taken for a 2 mile run (read “run”, not walk) on a leash twice a day in the cool of the morning and
evening. But beware, do not let the dog off the leash to run alone. Dogs pick up poisoned baits or can get Parvovirus from other dog’s faeces.
Siberian Huskies are comparatively easy to groom. They are by nature fastidiously clean and typically free from body odour and parasites. Siberians clean
themselves like cats. In fact, most owners only have to bath their dogs once per year or less.
Twice a year, Siberians “blow” their undercoats, that is, they shed their undercoats completely. The good news is that this only happens twice a year.
Many people feel that this periodic problem is easier to cope with than the constant shedding of many smooth-coated breeds. This shedding “schedule” is climate dependent,
however, with owners in hot climates such as ours reporting all year round. Other than during coat-blowing season, the Siberian needs very little grooming. Just occasional
brushing to remove dead hair and keep the coat fresh and shiny is required.
Siberians are an extremely intelligent and independent breed. They can, however, be very stubborn, due to their original working dog heritage, and they are
easily bored. This independent and stubborn nature may at times challenge your ingenuity. His versatility makes him an agreeable companion but owning one is not for the novice
dog owner.
Siberian Huskies are also rather quiet dogs. Typically they do not bark. They do talk, however, in a soft “woo woo woo” sound. They can also howl, much
to the dismay of neighbours.
Training them is not a breeze either, since the dog is pack-oriented, it important to establish yourself as the head of the pack, or alpha, very early. Once
you do this, the dog will respect you and training will be much easier. You should work to establish the rules of the house early. For example, if you do not want the dog on
the bed as an adult, do not allow it to climb up as a puppy and never give in, otherwise the dog will believe the rules are flexible. If you are up to the challenge then you
will find these dogs amazing companions.
Down The Iron Road:
The Hatfield Derailment of October 2000 (Part 2)
by John D.
Blyth
Introduction to part 2
In last week’s ‘Mail’ I introduced the subject of this derailment, not the worst ever in Britain by any means, but one which has had, and will
have a reaction on railways in Britain for a long time to come. I introduced the massive company ‘Railtrack’, which looks mainly after the ‘static’ parts of the rail
network, the HSE, a government body under whose rule the once very independent H.M. Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) now tries to function, and the initial HSE/HMRI action after the
derailment. If you don’t have last week’s ‘Mail’ it would be very helpful were you to beg or borrow one!
What ‘Railtrack’ did
Gerald Corbett, chief executive of ‘Railtrack’ was heard to say, soon after the event, that cracked rails would not be permitted in the future; if he
could stop them he would be a better man than any others who have had to deal with them! The action that ‘Railtrack’ took, after the Hatfield derailment, may have been
initiated by Corbett, but it is not known for certain. ‘Railtrack’s’ immediate reaction - it was usually referred to as an over-reaction, and not wrongly either- was to
order a comprehensive testing of all rails in use throughout the system using electronic testing apparatus, to locate all rail cracks of the type that were likely to lead to
‘Hatfield’ type disintegration. It has not been made clear what immediate action was to be taken, but it has now been seen that following this, a good number of rails have
been replaced. More drastic from the day-to-day aspect was the imposition of 20mph (32km/h) speed restrictions on a large number of sites, amounting to hundreds, and making the
observance of the published timetable totally impossible - even the advertised number of trains cannot be run. So in effect, ‘Railtrack’ was playing ‘safe’ by handing
back a great proportion of its customers to less safe means of travel, by road, car or bus. At this time, when rail passenger carryings are at a higher level than for many
years, this is a disaster of another kind, and when, if ever, the lost traffic will return to rail cannot even be guessed, and no one is, in fact guessing. Freight carryings
have been hit too, but not so badly, but the new equipment provided only recently for post office letter mail is almost useless, and the British post office has resorted to
road and air to try and maintain the planned transit times.
If it were possible, worse was to come, indeed it attacked an already beaten railway which had suddenly fallen to pieces, and had hardly missed a single
member of the population; all had been affected, one way or another, or many ways.
The Rains Came
2000 was a strange year for the number of places which have suffered totally abnormal levels of rainfall. We know about it here in Thailand; the desperate
plight of farmers in Isan who could not get on with their rice farming was top-line news for weeks. Much later, freak storms hit the south of Thailand, and the big city of Hat
Yai was brought to a stand with water standing high in most streets and no road transport, no drinking water and no electric power for a long period. Only now is it all getting
back to some kind of normality. I have reports of flooding in Sri Lanka; I have a cousin in New South Wales, Australia, who confirms a local newspaper report and illustrations
of a main line diesel locomotive over on its side, the track, due to flooding, having collapsed under it.
And then, what in the days when Britain was a Christian country, lawyers would refer to as an ‘Act of God’ – a phrase still entered in legal documents
as a ‘get-out’ for events not easily explained as being of human origin.
Let us, then, call the freak storms that hit much of Britain while the coaches of Leeds trains still lay on the ‘Slow’ and ‘Fast’ lines at Hatfield
while the gentlemen of the HMRI looked for…something - an ‘Act of God’. What lesser power could account for such an event? What aftermath of the Hatfield disaster could
not do, the floods did, and not many of the train operating companies acquitted themselves with much credit; some seen simply to have decided that it was not a good idea to run
trains on their patch, and had just stopped and gone home.
Unanswered Questions
There are a myriad of these: why has gauge corner cracking increased over quite a short time; is it new types of steel, something to do with the rolling
stock, even a change in the actual track gauge, now 2mm wider than before? Is it satisfactory that so high a proportion of workers on the track are now employed by contractors,
and not directly? What of the relationship between the rail regulator, who aims at perfection in all aspects but safety, and those who have to keep things moving under less
than perfect conditions? Why was the line between Glasgow and Gretna Junction (just North of Carlisle) closed completely, early in the crisis, and why could sleeping car trains
have been diverted, as would have happened in WW2? I don’t know half the questions, let alone the answers!
As I wrote last week, I have a welter of paper on the subject, and some of the answers maybe found therein. I can only invite readers to write in their
queries and I will do my best to answer, possibly by photostats from some better informed writers.
Social Commentary by Khai Khem
Sex Changes
Every once in a while one comes across a news item or magazine article which deals with someone who has had a sex change. I have never met a person who has
already had one. But believe it or not, I have talked to people who were already living and dressing as the opposite sex, and were saving money to have the surgery done. 30
years ago, transsexuals in South East Asia had to go to the United Kingdom for the operation. Now countries like Singapore and Thailand have surgeons who specialise in this
field.
When men, dressed as women, are sitting around telling you their innermost, heartfelt desires, they deserve your undivided attention, and certainly some
sincere sympathy and compassion. The details and complications of what a surgical sex change entails can be enormously overwhelming to the uninitiated. And for someone who
cancels dentist appointments out of irrational dread, the conversations can bring on nightmares for weeks. I never dared ask for more information than individuals were willing
to volunteer, so naturally I came away with a lot of unanswered questions.
Always willing to keep an open mind, I wondered how one starts out life as a man, and then one day, after the anaesthetic wears off, begins a new chapter in
life as a member of the female of the species. The logistics of this radical change mystify me. How does one go about spreading the news? Does the garage mechanic or welder
keep his old job, or does he begin a new career or business which is geared more to his new personality, like dressmaking or interior design? With a little imagination I try to
picture the man who has been processing my driver’s licence for 10 years still working at the same window, but now I must keep a straight face while he proudly sports a new
name and a uniform with a skirt.
Of course members of a family must certainly make adjustments. A mother with a son, now has a daughter, a sister has lost a brother, and so on. Some of these
men have been married and have sired children. I suppose two mothers can be a great advantage, although I can’t think of one at the moment. Perhaps two Mom’s are better
than one Mom and one mother-in -law.
Then there are the legal documents to deal with, such as birth certificates and passports. I presume the birth certificate must stay as an original and an
official name change must take place. A new passport will have to be issued. Some of these people may travel for leisure or business and may have visas which are still current
in both passports. Immigration officers the world over are not known for their sense of humour or imagination. Woe be to the unfortunate travellers who are queued up at
passport control behind a recent “sex-change”. I once had an Australian Immigration Officer keep me in a room for 2 hours examining my person and my luggage with the same
dogged determination Madame Curie had while searching for radium, all because I had forgotten to remove the orange stuffed in my bag after lunch on the plane. I shudder to know
that I would still be there if I had presented him with passports and documentation proving me to be both a man and a woman.
Although this discussion has referred to men changing their sex into women, the reverse is also true. There are sophisticated surgical techniques which can
change the female into a man. This is a more difficult procedure. A little pruning of the ‘bush’, so to speak, can be envisioned, even by someone as ignorant of these
things as myself. Even I can prune my mango trees. It is the grafting of the hybrids which deplete my pool of experience. Meeting a former woman, who now lives in the world as
a functioning male, would be an interesting experience. Although I have not yet knowingly had that opportunity, I do live in Pattaya, so anything is possible.
I would imagine that these people who actually go through with sex change operations have given it a lot of thought. Some go through counselling with
psychiatrists for months, perhaps years, before they take that final plunge. Except in Thailand. Here, it is generally considered that counselling is not a necessary
pre-condition to a sex change. Why not? Well, here the school of thought becomes a little vague. Psychiatry and psychoanalysis is not a very large field of medicine in this
country. So what happens if the subject finds out later that he or she has made a hideous mistake and has a change of mind? Well, too bad. They can always go back to
cross-dressing. Or shave their heads and enter the monastery. Sack cloth and ashes is a dress-code in its own right.
The Computer Doctor
by Richard Bunch
From Liz Udall, Newport Pagnell: We have been having a debate within our IT department about the merits of various file systems, like FAT16, FAT32 and
NTFS. I remember from when I worked for you, you were a great exponent of NTFS, and I think this made me too, but I seem to a minority of one. Do you still favour NTFS? Do you
remember me?
Computer Doctor replies: To take the last question first, sure I remember you, weren’t you the one who was always late? And yes, I am still very much
an exponent of NTFS, but I guess if you are in a minority of one I’ll have to help you out with some evidence, hopefully that will allow you to convince the non-believers.
Realistically, the best source of this type of information is at the Microsoft Knowledge Base http://search.support.microsoft.com/kb/c.asp
In article Q100108, this information is parted: Disadvantages of FAT - Preferably, when using drives or partitions of over 200 MB the FAT file system should
not be used. This is because as the size of the volume increases, performance with FAT will quickly decrease. Then in article Q154997: For most users, FAT32 will have a
negligible performance impact. Some programs may see a slight performance gain from FAT32. In other programs, particularly those heavily dependent on large sequential read or
write operations, FAT32 may result in a modest performance degradation.
Results of independent testing carried on a 866MHz Pentium III Windows 2000 machine with a DMA66 IDE hard drive, with a 2GB volume out of the hard drive: A
test program was then run which would place 5200 files of known, predicted size on that volume, filling up the volume until 24% of free space remained, using all three file
systems. Under FAT16, which could only use a 64Kbyte cluster size, the job completed in 1,682 seconds. Under FAT32, with a 4Kbyte cluster, the job completed in 2,472 seconds;
with a 1Kbyte cluster size the job completed in 3,960 seconds; with a 512byte cluster size the job completed in 7,860 seconds. Under NTFS, with a 4Kbyte cluster, the job
completed in 1,532 seconds; with a 1Kbyte cluster size the job completed in 2,963 seconds; with a 512-byte cluster size the job completed in 4,983 seconds. From these results
it is evident that a 4096-byte cluster size provides better performance under both NTFS and FAT32. More interestingly though, is that under FAT32 it took an hour and a half
longer to do the test with a 512-byte cluster size as opposed to a 4096-byte cluster size. That equates to 41 minutes (4Kbyte cluster size) as opposed to 2 hours 11 minutes
(512byte cluster size) a whopping three times longer with the smaller cluster size. Having said that though, NTFS with a 4Kbyte cluster size performed the best and for this
reason it is highly desirable to have a 4096byte cluster size on your NTFS boot. Moving from FAT32 512byte clusters to NTFS 4Kbyte clusters makes the job run in one-fifth the
time, hardly a modest improvement!
So in conclusion, unless you have a compelling need to run FAT32 then choose NTFS for both Windows 2000 and Windows NT based Operating Systems.
Send your questions or comments to the Pattaya Mail at 370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, 20260 or Fax to 038 427 596 or E-mail to [email protected]. The views and comments expressed within this column are not necessarily those of the writer or Pattaya Mail
Publishing.
Richard Bunch is Managing Director of Action Computer Technologies Co., Ltd. Providing professional information technology and Internet services which
includes; custom database and application development; website design, promotion and hosting; domain name registration; turnkey e-commerce solutions; computer and peripheral
sales service and repairs, networks (LAN & WAN) and IT consulting. For further information, please e-mail [email protected] or
telephone/fax 038 716 816 or see our website www.act.co.th
Sea Worlds : Temperate Seas
by Apichart Panyadee
Temperate seas are the seas many of us know best. We learn about them as school children, scientists study life in the tide pools along the shores, poets
romance about them, fisherman earn their living in the temperate oceans, and their scenic shorelines are photographers’ and painter’s favorite subject matter.
 Salt Marshes in sea land
tributaries
Where the ocean drops regularly and conveniently to allow us to explore, it is referred to the as the inter-tidal zone. Inter-tidal communities are most
extensive in temperate latitudes. Antarctica has none because of its ice cap. In the Arctic, tidal amplitude is small, and the zone between tide lines is frozen for most of the
year. In much of the tropical regions, tidal amplitude is low as well. In the temperate zone, however, strong tides and moderate climate have led to a flowering of abundant
inter-tidal life.
The Supralittoral Fringe
Rocky temperate shores are among the sea’s richest environments. They provide a solid substratum which allows small plants and animals to attach themselves
to it. Strong wave action keeps the water clean. It is along these strong, rocky coastlines that scientists have designated separate zones of inter-tidal communities. The
highest zone is referred to as the “splash zone”. In truth, this zone belongs more to the land than to the sea.
 Sea stars in a tide pool
Lying above all but the highest tides, its top is wet only by ocean spray and storm waves. It is the realm of periwinkels, limpets, rock lice, and barnacles.
The bottom margins are patrolled by rock crabs, its upper borders are colonised by lichens. The centre elevations are darkened by microscopic plants composed mostly of
blue-green algae, green algae, and in smaller part by lichens. These plants are a life form nearly as old as the sea itself. They form what is called a “black band”, which
runs clear around the planet’s temperate shores, like a ring left by a somewhat higher ocean.
The Midlittoral Zone
The next zone is the section exposed and covered daily by the high tides. Conditions in this middle region, or the “barnacle zone”, are richer than in
the higher zone, both in species, and in numbers of individuals in the species. This is the zone of the brown seaweeds. Here we will find acorn barnacles, mussels, crabs, and
sea stars. Beneath loosely embedded rocks hide the brittle stars, ribbon worms and slithery, clinging fish called blennies.
The Infralittoral Fringe
The last zone is the section uncovered only by very low tides. This region belongs almost entirely to the sea. This fringe has greater species diversity than
in the zones above it. Almost all of the earth’s plant and animal stock have representatives here. Species are so numerous and competitive that there is not room for a great
single-species colony such as periwinkels or barnacles. This is the zone of the red seaweeds. In protected places, every inch of rock is forested in reds, pinks, and purples of
the rockweed and coralline algae. This fringe has greater species diversity than in the zones above it. If, indeed, life on planet Earth did evolve from the sea, this is where
it most certainly began; in these particular zones of the temperate oceans.
Forgotten Classics : Very’Eavy Very’ Umble - Uriah Heep
by Mott the Dog
e-mail: [email protected]
***** 5 Star Rating
When this wonderful album was first released in June 1970, it was reviewed by the very influential Rolling Stone magazine in an appalling manner. I will
briefly quote from the beginning of that review: “If this group makes it I’ll have to commit suicide. From the first note you know you don’t want to hear any more.
Uriah Heep is watered down tenth-rate Jethro Tull, only even more boring and inane.”
 One wonders how this unnamed journalist feels now that Uriah Heep are celebrating
30 years in the business & over 100 million album sales. He’s probably walking very gingerly round sharp objects, and reviewing Mozart.
No such rash judgement from this dog though, as I’ve always rated this album very highly since buying it for it’s cover alone, having never heard the
music before.
Very’Eavy Very’Umble charges in with opening belter & all time Heep favorite “Gypsy”, here in it’s original 6 minute 55 second version before
it was drawn out too nearly 20 minutes in the stage show to allow lead guitarist Mick Box & keyboard Wizard Ken Hensley to stretch out, or just possibly so they could
sort their hair out; this was the seventies, remember.
But the star of the album has to be lead vocalist Dave Byron. In the world of heavy rock, nobody had a voice with such range. Just listen to him pleading
on “Come away Melinda” or riding the magic carpet ride of Dreamscape.
Although Uriah Heep are still going strong, the line up has never been stable (they went through 3 drummers just trying to get this album down).
Mick Box (still looking like one of the wacky characters from W.W.F.) leads the band today after 4 lead vocalists, 5 keyboard players, & umpteen
bassists & drummers, but last year’s offering, charmingly titled “Sonic Origano” was one of the year’s best Prog / Rock masterpieces.
Track Listing
Gypsy - The all-time Heep stomper. Hard, progressive rock doesn’t get much better. Still in their live set today!
Walking In Your Shadow - Another stomper and Ken’s first slide guitar work for Heep. Excellent vocals from David.
Come Away Melinda - Lovely, gentle anti-war piece wonderfully played by Mick. David’s emotional reading of this will bring tears to your eyes. Beats the
pants off the UFO version from around the same time.
Lucy Blues
Dreammare - Outstanding! The first Heep tune to deal with magic. Great harmonies.
Real Turned On - One of Mick’s best riffs, with lots of hot soloing from both Mick and Ken, who turns in some more great slide work. Love the ending.
I’ll Keep On Trying - Another prog number similar to Gypsy with lots of tempo and mood changes. Again, more of those beautiful Heep harmonies atop a
heavy riff with a beautiful Beach Boys-like break.
Wake Up (Set Your Sights) - Probably the best song on the album. A stunning piece of work.
Shaman’s Rattle: Make a Sacred Space
by Marion
Feeling down and out and slightly jaded from New Year’s partying? An excellent remedy is to spring clean. Do as the Asians do, bring in the New Year by
cleaning the house, then create a sacred space for yourself. This will make such a difference to your life you will be amazed.
 You have no idea how uplifting and freeing this is. It is mind clearing. Get rid of
the old and celebrate the new. Leave room in your life for positive things.
Creating sacred space is not a heathen practice or mindless superstition, it is an effective way to draw positive energy into your home or office. Have you
ever walked into a room where a couple of people have just stopped arguing and felt the disharmony although nothing was said? Have you ever been inside a place that gave you
the creeps, made the hair on the back of your neck stand up on end? Have you ever visited a prison, or a hospital for the terminally ill or insane and couldn’t wait to leave?
Ever sat alone inside a church or a wat and absorbed the peace and serenity? If you have then you will know that buildings really do absorb and reflect energy, both positive
and negative energy.
The following is a marvellous, energizing, healing ceremony that really does make a radical and lasting, difference in your life. You are about to clear
negative energy from your home or apartment and create a sacred space around you. First, wash your hands, then play some soft music and dim the lights. Light a candle and
incense if you have any. On a saucer sized piece of paper draw a clockwise spiral (like a nautilus shell). Or you can draw the powerful figure of infinity (a figure eight lying
on its side). Draw one for each corner of your room. If you have two rooms in your apartment draw eight, etc., and put one spiral or infinity symbol on a round plate or basket
in each corner of the room. Starting in the corner closest to the north and walking around the room clockwise, sprinkle two teaspoons of salt on each spiral. While you do so
repeat aloud or silently,
“Sacred Salt, Salt of the Earth and Sea,
Clear this Room that We may be Free.”
When you have finished, sit in the middle of the room, preferably on the floor, and say,
“Mother Earth beneath us all Hear us now, answer our call, Enter this home, this sacred place Heal all who live within this space.”
The exact words are not important, your intention is. You can say as I often do, “Mother, Father, God, The Great Spirit, The Lord Buddha, protect and bless
this space, bring to it peace, harmony and positive energy for the good of all.”
The next day you can flush the salt down the toilet and return the infinity symbols or spirals to the baskets or plates. On top of them put some natural
objects such as shells, pebbles, leaves, fruit, flowers or plants or bonsai (not dead or artificial). Leave at least one basket of natural objects in each room, place the
remaining symbols behind pictures or inside drawers.
A modified version of this space clearing can also be done in your office. It is advisable to do this in private as other people may decide that you have
lost the plot! Unless you are alone in your office, do not use paper symbols or candles and incense. Wait until you are alone and quietly sprinkle a little salt in each corner
while visualizing the symbols. Bring a small bonsai or small saucer or pebbles for your desk. If even these would raise eyebrows then buy a desk calendar with dolphins and
whales and display it, and simply visualize the symbols over it. Or draw them over the back of it.
These simple measures do give a boost of energy and that added sparkle. Buy these books as a New Year present for yourself from www.amazon.com or order them
in from Bookazine, “Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui” by Karen Kingston, Published by Piatkus, ISBN 0-7499-1601-X: and “Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui” by Karen
Kingston, Publisher Piatkus ISBN 0-7499-1824-1.
Women’s World : Elizabeth Taylor
by Lesley Warner
This column is called Women’s World so I thought it would make a change to look into the lives of some of the great women of the world, some beautiful and
some that make us proud to be a woman. Lets find out what sort of lives they have lived. Are they so different from us?
Reputedly, the most beautiful woman in the world is Elizabeth Taylor with those incredible blue/violet eyes. But there is so much more to her. When asked why
she decided to put so much of her energy into the fight against the dreaded disease AIDS she said she hated the way people talked about the disease and did nothing. She spent
Rock Hudson’s (one of the first celebrities to die of AIDS) last night with him before he died and swore to in her words, “get this disease by the throat”.
She also has a successful perfume business, with ‘White Diamonds” and ‘Passion” the number one fragrances sold to celebrities in the US. White
Diamonds are her favourite gem, like the famous ring purchased for her by Burton - a flawless clear diamond that previously belonged to Vera Krupp. When asked why she wanted it
she said, “Vera Krupp helped to send many Jews to their death, so it seemed poetic justice that the ring belong to me a Jewish girl.”
Although one could argue that plastic surgery is responsible for the way she looks now, I feel sure that even without it she would have still been beautiful.
Throughout her life she has been hospitalised 73 times and dogged by ill health, including three hip surgeries, a brain tumor and spinal surgery, but still manages to maintain
her looks with diet and exercise. To prove that she is as human as the rest of us she has to admit to a few lapses throughout the years, especially with alcohol, but has always
managed to fight back.
Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born on February 27, l932, in London, England. At the outset, she was blessed with stunning good looks and obvious
intelligence.
By the age of nine, Elizabeth had already received her first movie contract and was featured in “There’s One Born Every Minute”.
After a couple of films co-starring with Lassie, Elizabeth really came to fame with “National Velvet”.
Unlike a lot of child actors, Elizabeth easily made the transition to adult star, and was soon being featured in ever-more-challenging lead roles, such as
Maggie the Cat in 1958’s “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”.
When she was only 19 she starred in a decisive movie for her career, “A place in the sun” opposite Montgomery Clift.
Nominated for Academy Awards for several years in a row for films like “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf” she finally won the award in 1960 for
“Butterfield 8”, a role she detested.
Elizabeth was the first actress to be paid one million dollars for a film role - l963’s “Cleopatra”.
Her 8 marriages were source of entertainment for the media for years, as were the domestic scenes between her and Richard Burton. They made the most loved
couple in the world, and they had both highs and lows in their relationship. (Like most of us!) Elizabeth says if she had her time again she would marry only the two men she
would have given her life for, Todd and Burton.
At 68 years of age Elizabeth accepts an occasional acting assignment (mostly television guest appearances) when the mood strikes her and her fragile health
permits.
When asked, she will say the greatest day of her life was when she was made ‘Dame Elizabeth Taylor’.
Elizabeth enjoys the status of being a true screen legend (one of only a handful), so she can pick and choose her projects. Her latest film to be released in
February is “These Old Broads” with some of our old favourites like Debbie Reynolds and Joan Collins.
Nightmarch
In the Boozers: For those of you who have spent any time at all on the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phan Ngan, or watched any of those dreadful 1960s
Gidget movies (things like Gidget Goes Berserk, Gidget Does Hawaii, Gidget Goes Troppo) you will know that partying on the beach is right up there in the Ultimate Experiences
of a Lifetime Stakes.
Now Pattaya has its own version of Koh Phan Ngan’s famous Beach Moon parties with the Moonshine Bar, located on the sandy bit in front of the Hill Beach
Hotel on Pratamnak Soi 4. You can’t get any closer to partying near the water, unless you actually want to be on it or in it. The Moonshine consists of the usual rattan and
bamboo furniture, an open bar and features two rock and roll bands. The Thai band starts at 6 p.m. and plays until 9:30 p.m. when they have to shake the sand out of their shoes
and trek off down to FLB Bar in Walking Street.
A Russian lineup then takes up the cudgels and kicks off around 10 p.m. and belts out the sounds until around 1 a.m. The parties take place on Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday nights.
It’s also a pretty good place to come down to during the day. The water is fresh and clean and the bar music consists of material from artists like George
Thorogood, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Seger and others. The nosh is good and the booze reasonably priced.
It’s easy enough to find. Just get down to the end of Pratamnak Soi 4 (past the Asia Pattaya sleeping palace), look for the ‘Beach Party Zone’ sign and
head for the water.
Mark Mark my words: Calling all balloon chasers, the grand opening of yet another boozer is to take place tonight (Friday, February 9) at the Mark Mark
Bar in Soi Chaiyapoom. Formerly known as the GG Bar (it must be a requirement that people who buy into this establishment must stutter), the Mark Mark Bar is quite a nice play
on words. One of the new owners bears the cognomen of Mark and, as many people know, the Thai phrase that sounds a lot like ‘mark, mark’ means ‘much’ or ‘a lot of’.
The bar has been, and is, undergoing fairly extensive renovations and it joins places like The Asylum, Texxan Inn, the Red House and others in really spicing up what was once a
street considered to be in the back blocks.
Spicy Girls R Us: Talking of spice, the Spicy Girls ogling den (Beach Road end of Pattayaland Soi 1) is turning two years old, and quite a precocious
little thing she is turning out to be. To celebrate the occasion a birthday bash will be held on Wednesday February 14 with the usual free nosh on offer to regulars and balloon
chasers. The den is noted for its British rock music and the friendliness of its dancing maidens as well as its reasonably priced libations.
You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream: No I haven’t gone completely mad just yet. The Waffle noshery in Soi Day-Night 2 (just down from the
well-known Flamingo sleeping palace) has just begun producing top-quality ice cream made from all-natural ingredients with no preservatives. Flavours range from chocolate and
coffee through to pineapple and lemon. At just 15 baht a scoop, it represents terrific value for your taste buds.
For the Hungry: The T.W. One munchhouse and boozer (Walking Street, opposite Champion ogling den) is set to open its restaurant facilities 24 hours a
day, seven days a week starting around March. The owners are just in the process of hiring the necessary restaurant staff and once that’s done then they’ll throw the doors
open all day, every day. With both Thai and Western nosh at reasonable prices and seating with a good view of Pattaya Bay, it’s definitely worth putting on your list of
places to visit in Fun Town.
Good reading, not just good eating: The Big Chilli is not the name of a giant sweat-inducing pungent dried fruit, but that of a monthly news and features
magazine based in Bangkok, hence the cognomen. It is gaining an increasingly larger audience as each issue hits the streets and the proprietors have started flogging it here in
Fun Town. The highly regarded Bookazine (Beach Road near Pattayaland Soi 1) stocks copies of the mag and at just 80 baht a copy it’s a good read.
Annual Migration: For just another indicator that High Season is now well and truly over, have you noticed that the Beach Road katoey’s have begun
their annual migration from the northern reaches of the Fun Town promenade to more southern areas? When the season starts to pick up, many of the second category types are
forced to look for pickings at the northern end of Beach Road, but as the female ranks start to thin out as High Season winds down, they begin an annual migration towards the
south.
My e-mail address is: [email protected]
Guide to buying a small dog : Yorkshire Terrier
Good points: affectionate, healthy and fearless, good watchdog, suits apartment living
 Take heed: lengthy show preparation, needs weekly bath, difficult to determine
pup’s eventual size and colouring
The Yorkshire Terrier is one of the most popular breeds of the day. It rivals the Chihuahua for the world’s smallest dog. It is unlikely to be overawed by
larger animals, however, but is not the ideal choice for the standoffish because it wants to make friends with everybody. It has been described as a big dog inhabiting a small
dog’s body.
Size: Weight up to 3.2 kg
Exercise: The Yorkie is well suited to town and apartment living, but will prove tireless on a country walk.
Grooming: Many Yorkie owners are content for their pet to have a somewhat scruffy, shaggy dog look as long as they know it is clean and healthy. The show
aspirant, however, has a busy time ahead. The Yorkshire Terrier is exhibited on a show box, which displays its immaculate coat to advantage; a condition which can only be
achieved through endless grooming, shampooing and oiling. The show Yorkie spends much of its life away from the ring in curlers!
Health care: The Yorkie has strong, terrier-type teeth, but it is well to have them scaled by a veterinarian at regular intervals. Toy breeds tend to
lose their teeth at an early age (sometimes as early as three years) but the avoidance of commercial treats and titbits will preserve them for as long as is possible.
Origin and history: The Yorkshire Terrier is similar in appearance to the Australian (or Sydney) Silky Terrier. It has been with us for a little more
than 100 years. This breed is known to be a brave and efficient ratter. It is believed that the Yorkie evolved through the crossing of the Skye Terrier with the old Black and
Tan Terrier. But is possible that the Yorkie is a descendant of the Maltese Terrier or that the Dandie Dinmount Terrier was also a contributing ancestor.
Coins of the Realm: American Numismatic Association
by Jan Olav Aamlid - President - House of the Golden Coin
http://www.thaicoins.com
The 109th Anniversary Convention for the American Numismatic Association took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from August 9 - 13 last year.
More than 400 dealers, mints and publishers had rented booths in the Pennsylvania Convention Center where the main event took place. The majority of the
dealers at this event were from the United States, but several overseas dealers had also rented booths, like Champ Galleries from Hong Kong, Spink and Knightsbridge Coins from
England, Cayon from Spain, Oslo Mynthandel from Norway, Leu Numismatics from Switzerland and Numismatik Lanz from Germany.
 Mints from several countries were represented; the Singapore Mint was present, and
for Thai collectors they had brought with them the first Thai coins struck for the Millennium. The Thai Mint used to attend these conventions some years back, but lately they
have not attended. Several of the mints had brought with them small change to be handed out to those who bought the “Mint Passport”. After visiting most of the mints, one
would have a collection of change from close to 25 countries. Several of the mints would also stamp your passport.
During the convention there were over 60 hours of educational programs. Features included a treasure hunt, bags full of hobby items, a “Treasure Trivia”
game and drawing. A three day seminar on coin grading took place, which was very useful both for collectors and dealers.
In the “Numismatic Theater” there was a new speaker every hour. A few of the topics were: “Are your coins really worth hundreds or thousands of dollars
- instead of cents” by Anthony Swiatek, “The 50 State Quarters Program” by David Ganz and “First the Book - Building a Core Numismatic Library” by Beth Deisher.
Several coin and banknote-auctions took place during the convention. Clubs, like the Token and Medal Society met, a membership meeting of the Professional
Numismatic Guild took place, and the National Silver Dollar Roundtable Board had a breakfast meeting, to mention a few.
The American Numismatic Association arranged sightseeing in Philadelphia, and a place many of the participants at this conference visited was one of the four
American mints, the Philadelphia Mint.
The 110th American Numismatic Association will take place in Atlanta from August 8 - 12 this year. However, if you do not want to travel all the way to
United States for a coin show, you might want to visit Singapore from March 8 - 11 when the Singapore International Coin Convention takes place at the Raffles Convention
Center. There will be a coin auction and several international dealers and collectors attending, but the event will not be as big as the one in Atlanta.
Copyright 2001 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co. Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected] |
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