Family Money: Charging It Up (Part 3)

By Leslie Wright

The costs of saving

Over the past fortnight we’ve taken a look at the various costs that apply to alternative lump-sum investment vehicles.

Now let’s examine the ones that apply to various types of savings plans.

Many people find these particularly complicated and difficult to comprehend.

Some investors won’t start up any savings plan of this nature on the grounds that they don’t like paying the charges that are applied.

Well, none of us do.

But because no-one in this world works for nothing, the institutions that run these savings plans expect to earn some money somehow; and in a highly competitive environment have carefully designed their various savings plans to be fair and equitable to all parties.

It is true, nonetheless, that the array of charges many savings plans carry can be quite complex and confusing to many.

Even some financial advisers tend to gloss over the charges, especially in the case of longer term savings plans that typically have the most complex charging structures.

This is not to say that your financial adviser is doing you a disservice in recommending one of these plans nor trying to hide something.

For example, at the start of my career in this industry I found myself on more than one occasion being so diligent in explaining all the various charges to a prospective investor that the client ended up confused, going away "to think about it", and then buying a simpler plan through another brokerage that was neither as cost-effective nor as appropriate to the client’s needs as the one I had gone to such pains to explain.

In such instances my being so conscious of due diligence and professional scruples in thoroughly explaining the charges did not in fact serve the client’s best interests.

Ensuring the client fully understood the complex charges had become my most important consideration, and overshadowed the real benefits of the plan to the client.

Why so complicated?

The question often arises as to why the institutions that offer unit-linked savings plans have to make their charges so complicated. Why can’t they keep them simple?

Well, in some instances the charging structure is extremely simple.

For example, one leading offshore institution offers a totally open-ended plan which doesn’t require you to make any commitment at all as to how long you’re going to keep it going, and allows you to increase, decrease, or stop contributions at any time, and even withdraw some or all of your money any time you like.

It also has an extremely simple charging structure that any primary student could understand.

But it doesn’t give any ‘loyalty’ bonuses like many of the longer-term plans do, nor offer incentives for larger contributions - nor, on the other hand, does it charge any penalties for withdrawing your money like many of the longer-term plans do.

Simple, yes. Easy to understand? Certainly. Cost-effective? Not necessarily. Best savings plan on the market? Depends what you want to achieve, what resources you have at your disposal to get there, and over what time frame.

The costs of flexibility

Most of the longer term unit-linked savings plans available these days are highly flexible.

They allow savers to increase, decrease, or even stop their regular contributions; or even withdraw some or all of their accumulated capital before the maturity date.

But there’s always a trade-off between flexibility, accessibility, and cost.

The more flexibility or accessibility you require, the heavier the charges are likely to be.

After all, as noted earlier, the institutions that run these savings plans are in business to make money, and their overall costs of setting up and administering them have to be recouped somehow, so the charging structures that apply to their various different plans have been designed accordingly.

If the institution is able to forecast with a high degree of certainty that it will earn the built-in fund management charges over a reasonably long period of time, then it can afford to lower the other charges, or offer additional incentives.

But such plans are inherently likely to be more rigid as to the commitment you’re asked to make to them.

The institutions recoup their costs in one of two ways.

The first way is by your having paid them already in one form or another (about which more shortly); the second way is by levying an early redemption penalty of one form or another.

Which is better? Once again, it’s a matter of horses for courses.

Front-end loading

With some of the more flexible long-term plans, the institution recoups its costs by assigning contributions made in the early months to what are called ‘establishment units’ or ‘initial units’ or ‘capital units’.

These have an additional charge built into them - which can be as high as 7 1/2% p.a. - so grow at a lower rate than the units which don’t carry this additional charge (which in some plans are called ‘accumulation units’) which are acquired once the ‘initial’, ‘capital’ or ‘establishment’ period is completed.

How long this period lasts is typically determined by the term you’ve committed to contributing into the plan. The longer the term, the longer the establishment period.

This type of charging is termed ‘front-end loading’, since all the charges are taken in the early stages of the contract, or the front end.

Often, however, this additional charge is offset by ‘loyalty bonuses’ which are allocated to the plan either after it’s been running a few years or when it comes to maturity.

Some institutions offer investors incentives to save more into their plans by increasing the percentage of your money that gets allocated to units, typically on a sliding scale.

Put simply, instead of 100% of your money being invested into units, they increase this to 102%, or in certain cases up to 105%.

The ‘standard’ charging structure carried by the plan still gets applied, but it’s applied to more of your money, so effectively you pay less in the way of charges.

Bells & whistles

"Why make it so complicated?" you ask again. "Why not simplify the charges?"

The principal reason is you’re only one of thousands of savers, and the fund units you’re buying into are quoted in the financial press at standard prevailing prices that apply to all holders of those funds.

It would be administratively impossible to quote you one unit price and someone else savings twice as much as you are a different unit price.

And remember that, analogously speaking, the funds you’re choosing to invest in through your savings plan are the ‘horses’ that are pulling your ‘cart’, which is the savings plan itself.

It’s the ‘cart’ that has the complicated charging structure applied to it, not the ‘horses’. So the charges really depend on what bells & whistles you require on your ‘cart’.

How long a period you’re prepared to commit to saving into it; how much you can afford to put into it regularly; how much flexibility you require as to period, amount, accessibility to the capital; how important is tax efficiency?

It’s then a matter of getting all these ‘wants’ fulfilled in the most cost-effective manner.

Because not everyone needs all the bells & whistles, various ‘carts’ have been designed by competing institutions to appeal to the widely differing requirements of their clients, and the costs of buying the ‘cart’ that is most suitable for your purposes reflects the simplicity or complexity of the features you require to be built into your ‘cart’.

And this, in a nutshell, is why the charging structures seem complicated.

Choose the features, not the cost

All the plans on the market nowadays are good in their own way.

So before deciding on any particular plan, it’s a matter of carefully evaluating what you really want to achieve from the plan in question, and what you really need to be included or excluded by way of features.

What does this mean to a potential investor?

Quite simply, that so long as you enter into such a plan with the intention of keeping it going to the maturity date you decided on at the start, some or all of these charges may not even apply, or in many cases will be offset by the ‘loyalty’ bonuses given along the way or at the end.

If, on the other hand, you take advantage of the high degree of flexibility in such plans, and through choice or circumstances reduce or stop contributions, or want to take your accumulated capital out before the maturity date, you may - but have to be prepared to pay a price for so doing.

Again, most investors need objective professional guidance in this regard, because ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ rarely coincide.

The need for discipline

For example, if you have a poor record of being able to save, but know you need to do something sensible to ensure you have a nest-egg built up for your eventual retirement (otherwise you’d have no choice but to forget retiring and work till you drop), an element of discipline clearly needs to be built into your future savings plans.

You may not ‘want’ discipline in your savings, preferring to have total access to your capital whenever you like, but a dispassionately objective professional advisor will clearly see you ‘need’ this feature if you’re going to have any hope of achieving the investment goal that’s been identified in the course of discussing your requirements and circumstances with you.

Similarly, if you are taking out an endowment to buy a house, you have to make the payments or stand to lose the house (at least in most countries where NPLs are treated with far less tolerance and flexibility than in Thailand...)

Hence, a plan which carries somewhat punitive penalties for stopping it early or taking your money out could be a very appropriate plan for you.

Yes, it will hurt your pocket a bit at the start. Yes, you may be tempted to withdraw the capital next time you have a cash flow problem. But the heavy penalties built into that plan will make you think twice and hard about taking the "easy" way out. And you may then have a better chance of achieving the goal for which the plan was set up. Otherwise you certainly won’t.

And anyway, so long as you do manage to keep it going all the way to maturity, the penalties will never apply - and most plans of this type have very attractive bonuses either in the form of increased initial allocations or ‘loyalty’ bonuses which can make them more cost-effective in the long run than more loosely structured (and hence more flexible) plans.

Indeed, provided you do keep it going, such a plan may well prove in the long run to be the ‘cheapest’ (although I prefer ‘most cost-effective’) on the market.

Keeping up the payments

It goes without saying, of course (but I’ll say it anyway), that the amount you decide at the beginning to contribute into such a plan has to be a figure that you feel you can comfortably afford to keep contributing all the way through to maturity.

It would be inappropriate to start up such a plan at the highest possible figure you can just about afford now, but may not be able to maintain if your circumstances change a few years down the road.

That would not only be poor planning, but would probably be quite costly in penalties should you need to reduce or suspend the payments.

Your professional advisor should discuss this with you, and it should be quite clear in your mind before entering into the contract.

Remember that you’re not making a commitment to him (or her), or even to the institution that is running the plan; you’re making a commitment to yourself and your family.

And this should not be done lightly or whimsically, but with careful forward planning and forethought.

If you have any comments or queries on this article, or about other topics concerning investment matters, write to Leslie Wright, c/o Family Money, Pattaya Mail, or fax him directly on (038) 232522 or e-mail him at [email protected]. Further details and back articles can be accessed on his firm’s website on www.westminsterthailand.com.

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.

The computer doctor

By Richard Bunch

From Jayntutu: I have just installed Microsoft office 97 Thai version within my IBM 390 laptop. The installation went trouble free and all components of the program work fine using English text. However, when I attempt to engage the office 97 language switcher from the windows start button (programs), I am prompted, "can not use language switcher because this machine is not running Microsoft windows Thai edition". What actions do I need to perform so that Office 97 will work using Thai text? Do I need to change my entire windows 98 operating system? Thank you for your help. Thai twisted

Computer Doctor replies: There are two solutions to your conundrum. If you want to take the Microsoft route then you will have to format your Hard Disk, install the Thai version of Windows 98 then the Thai/English version of Office 97 and any other software you may require. The other and less torturous route is to use a keyboard switch with complimentary Thai fonts. The keyboard switch itself is a small TSR. This will involve de-installing the Thai version of Office and replacing it with the English version. If you need any more help please contact me directly.

From Bob Wilde: I have 2 problems with my computer. The first is I played poker on it in MS DOS. Now it will only boot up to Windows 98 if I go to step-by-step-command by pressing F8 and press escape for autoexec.bat and config.sys. If I do not do this I get first a message concerning the LOCK system in MSDOS and second a message saying would I like to get out of MSDOS. Whatever answers I give, I just get a looping effect, with the questions being asked again and again and Windows 98 not booting up. The other problem is, originally I think I had a Philips CD in the machine. Now the message comes up that it’s an ATAPI. I can get the machine to play wav. files, but the CD (which I note is attached to Drive E - is this normal?) does not work for playing CD’s. Any help would be much appreciated.

Computer Doctor replies: I counted three problems. Anyway, from the information you have given it is difficult to give a precise answer to your first question, but it is likely the Registry has become corrupted.

Your second problem is, I believe, a non-problem. Often, during the boot sequence, the CD will be shown as ATAPI rather than the device manufacturer, although the Windows System will normally display the device manufacturer.

In response to your third question, the CD ROM drive normally occupies the first available drive letter after the last fixed disk, which in some instances is a Zip drive. Hence if you have a drive C and D and hard disks, drive E would normally be your CD ROM. The last part of this question, the problem may be down to device drivers or hardware.

With the problems you have outlined I think the best course of action is to be bold and format your hard drive and reinstall Windows 98, etc.

The comments contained within this column are not necessarily the views of the author or Pattaya Mail Publishing Co., Ltd. Letters may be edited.

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].

Richard Bunch is Managing Director of Action Computer Technologies, on South Pattaya Road (900 metres from Sukhumvit Road). Providing total computer and IT solutions to corporate clients and households on the Eastern Seaboard.

Successfully Yours: Khun Premrudee Jittivuthikan

by Mirin MacCarthy

Khun Premrudee Jittivuthikan is a beautiful Thai businesswoman who is active in community work in Pattaya. Owner of King Sea Food Restaurant and Star Music Disco, Premrudee has been a very dynamic member, and a past president, of the Lions Club in Pattaya and recently has taken on the Presidency of the YWCA.

Born and schooled in Ubon, she worked hard and steadily through the Thai educational system till University level. Premrudee majored in Humanities at Ramkamhaeng University with a teaching career in mind. However, in the typical Thai family situation, she found the salary not sufficient to support her six brothers and sisters so she took a job in a jewelry shop in Bangkok instead. It was there she met her husband, then came to Pattaya twenty odd years ago.

Pattaya has been kind to her and she is happy to publicly acknowledge that. "I feel I owe Pattaya so much. I came here with only one bag and a little money. Now I have a big home and many businesses, so I want to give something back to the community." This is no self effacing statement - it is heart felt and the driving force behind her charity work.

Despite her busy work schedule she does put time aside for her family and three children and for personal recreation. Her interests are reading classics like Steinbeck, Hemmingway, O’Henry and Guy de Maupassant; studying Buddhist Philosophy, gardening and collecting Thai mint coins. She has also traveled all over the world, many times for the conventions of her favorite charity organizations.

Discussing her travels, she easily slips into a discourse on world politics and their influence on Thailand and the rest of the world. The variety of her interests gives but a small insight into the deep and diverse nature of this woman.

Premrudee has become the President of the Young Women’s Christian Association here in Pattaya, although not a Christian herself, because she wants to raise scholarships for poor children’s education. "I work for the community because I believe when you have more you should share with people in need." Again this is said in that quiet assured manner.

Premrudee is also a member of the Walking Street committee. "In the future I’d like to work more for the improvement of Pattaya. I’d like to see businessmen cooperate together for improvement." She slips from discussing one organization to another with that same quiet confidence and competence.

She has not found any difficulties being a high profile businesswoman here in Thailand. "We are lucky, men and women are equal in business in Thailand. But of course women have to carry a greater burden. Men are free to play golf after work but women must also care for the children and do the cooking." Said with a wry grin.

Her advice to Thai women who want to make it in business here is simple. "Work hard, have vision, be clever and most important of all be honest."

When we spoke about her most important values she placed her hand on her chest and said, "What Christians call peace of mind, Buddhists call enlightenment. If you can find that it is most essential because your life is very fragile." In one quiet reply she gives a glimpse of her inner nature, her inner spirituality, an understanding of comparative religion and that calm Buddhist acceptance of the very meaning of life.

Success she says is, "Making your life for living. If you are happy then people accept who you are. If you can do something to help other people have a better life, then your life has meaning, your life is a success."

When you look at Premrudee Jittivuthikan you cannot help but be impressed by someone who is so well read and traveled, politically aware, intelligent, composed and cosmopolitan yet through it all, totally Thai. She deserves her inner peace.

Snap Shots: Hang it on the wall!

by Harry Flashman

While it is very nice to get your prints back from the photo processors in a snazzy little book with every one in a clear plastic envelope, it is the worst way to present or display your artistic masterpieces. The best way to show your pix is right there on your living room wall.

This week Harry Flashman will show you how to produce some fabulous "wall art" and you can do this with any camera, even the "film in a cardboard box" variety. This art depends on your being able to see and has nothing whatsoever to do with photographic technique or fancy equipment. As I have said before, if you have all sorts of automatic flash and exposure features on your point and shooter - turn them off for this exercise.

The wall art you will end up with is six shots mounted side by side, so dramatically different that you will even amaze yourself that you have produced such a masterpiece! Before you say, "My photo’s aren’t that good," keep reading. Anyone can do this exercise!

What we (or rather, you) are going to do is to use Bold Colour Effects to produce this artistic work of genius. While multi-coloured pictures are all very fine, selective or limited use of colour produces a much more stunning effect.

Start by choosing the six colours you want to display. Any six will do, but suggest you include red, green, yellow and blue - but if purple, black or indigo violet is your choice that is fine. The principle is to write down your six colours and go out and shoot them. Simple!

Now the secret here is to make your chosen colour predominate in the photograph. For example, a clear blue sky with a small parasail in one corner. A yellow strip of beach with one large orange shell. A green door surrounded by brown surrounds. A green field with one brown buffalo. You can see what I am driving at I am sure. When you just quickly glance at the picture the impression you should get will be one of that particular colour.

This is also one photo project that you can do with just one roll of film. You want 6 photographs, so one 36 shot roll of film is 6 pix of each colour. Plenty!

Since colour has to be the major item, as opposed to light and shadow, you are best to pick the less harsh times of the day to shoot, rather than the mid day sun. In fact, the grey overcast days we have had recently will work very well here. Another alternative is to shoot in open shade. If you do have a polarizing filter in the bag, then use it too, it lessens reflections and makes the job easier - but it is not an essential item for this exercise - it is your ability to look through the viewfinder that is important.

After you get the prints back select the best one of each colour and get them blown up to 10" x 8" and mount them in two rows of three. Get this professionally done (very cheap here in Thailand) and you have a true "work of art". Dramatic, clever and attention grabbing. And what is more, you did it and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg. As a small side benefit, the exercise also made you look critically through the camera to make it produce the images that you wanted, not just indiscriminately snapping away at anything in front of the lens.

Do try doing this one weekend. You will not be disappointed, Harry Flashman’s guarantee!

Modern Medicine: Digging your grave with your teeth!

by Dr Iain Corness

While the heading for this week’s article is eye-catching it also happens to be true. Eat the wrong food and you become prey to all sorts of medical problems and become likely to die early.

"You are what you eat" is also true. If you eat too much you become overweight. Now there are lots of people out there who are aware that they are eating the wrong food, and too much of it, but who continue to say they can not lose weight or work out what is a "healthy" diet.

Unfortunately, in most instances this is just an excuse. It is always easier to do nothing rather than actually doing something about any problem. Why do today what you can put off till tomorrow and why do tomorrow what you can put off indefinitely? The results of this type of thinking include diabetes, hypertension, hardening of the arteries, premature senility, arthritis, liver disease and a whole host of other conditions that you do not want.

Let us attack the "What should I eat?" question first. Like most things in life, the answer lies in the "middle way". Extremes of anything can be fun - but extremes should be infrequent. What we are talking about here is the "average" kind of menu that is "healthy" for the average member of the population.

In your weekly menu you should have grilled or poached fish on one or two days. The old "Fish on Fridays" was based on good nutritional evidence, not just religious dogma!

Have two eggs each week, preferably boiled or poached.

Eat Asian food for two days each week, especially all the vegetarian or vegetable and rice based dishes.

Have cold meat and salad twice each week. Likewise have soup twice a week, especially the "kwiteo nam" (watery noodle) variety.

That has you eating Asian for two days, fish for two days and meat and salads for two days. That leaves one day a week for you to have anything you want. Splurge, go mad, roll in raspberry jam and cream! But it is only one day, remember!

Now for all the people who are overweight, there is no secret in losing those extra kilo’s. When you are putting on weight you are eating more than you need. End of story. It is that simple.

So the first rule is to restrict your eating to three times a day. Breakfast lunch and dinner. That’s it. No in betweens.

The next rule is to load your plate up with 75% of the amount you would normally have. Sure, you will finish the meal and still feel hungry, but that is good. After a few days of this your body will start to burn up the excess fat to fill the void - and that is just what you want. It sometimes helps if you chose a smaller plate to eat from and stops the temptation to put on that little bit more food!

You will be amazed at the good results you can get by having a good menu and eating sensibly. Follow those recommendations and I will guarantee you will reduce your cholesterol and your weight by a significant amount in three weeks. Go on, try it.

Dear Hillary,

I am a 14 year old boy attending one of the international schools here in Pattaya and I have an embarrassing problem. Every morning recently I have been waking up with certain stiffness down below and since I cut my foot a week ago and did not go to hospital I am afraid this could be tetanus. How can I tell? I started to ask one of the boys in my class but he laughed at me so I didn’t tell him about the tetanus problem. What should I do?

Worried

Dear Worried,

That stiffness you are describing does not sound like tetanus to me, poor boy. I think you should have a chat with your father about this or an elder brother if you have one. Just be aware that this is a normal part of growing up, like your voice altering and just caused by natural hormone changes. You’ll be looking for it later I can assure you! Meanwhile, take a cold shower in the mornings and you will be able to fit into your school shorts.

Dear Hillary,

I am very worried about my boyfriend. We have had a good time for the past few years, but lately he has been staying out later and later on his nights out with the boys. It’s not that I mind him having a few beers with friends but several times over the last month he had not come home to six in the morning and all he does is fall into bed and snore. When I ask him where he has been he says he has been watching the sunrise at Si Racha. Do you think this is true and what can I do about it?

Lek

Dear Lek,

I think the sunrise at Si racha is not the only thing your boyfriend has been watching. If you can’t beat him join him. Tell him you get frightened when you are left alone all night and insist on joining him on his nights out with the boys. If you get tired of that then just lock him out of the house after one a.m.!

Dear Hillary,

I am sixteen, and recently I caught my younger brother who is only thirteen dressing up in my clothes. He wears my make up and shoes and he looks crazy. It would even be funny and cool if he only did it at home, but he waits till Mum and Dad are asleep and sneaks out like that. Should I tell Mum?

Big Sis

Dear Big Sis,

Yes, do tell your mother and lock up your things, too. Your brother is far too young to be allowed out at night in a dress.

GRAPEVINE

Dining Out: Spice Girls?

by Miss Terry Diner

One of the joys of being in Thailand is the ability to have real Thai food. However, as anyone with any gourmand pretensions will tell you, there are several different cuisine available in Thailand, and most of these are regional differences.

The Northeast, or Isaan region, is known for its spicy delicacies and the Dining Out Team decided to try this type of cuisine this week. The venue chosen was the Isaan restaurant in the Weekender Hotel on Pattaya Second Road (between Alcazar and Big C).

This quiet little restaurant is set out in the Isaan style, with several little low tables covered with Lanna woven tablecloths, surrounded by floor mats and the traditional triangular shaped Isaan cushions. Bead curtains hang down to separate the dining areas and a display of Isaan musical instruments complete the "Northeast" ambience. However, for those who are not partial to sitting on the floor (or who’s creaky joints do not bend that well), there are three bamboo booths with bench seating both sides and a thatched roof over the top. The Team chose a booth. Since we were going to sample Isaan food, we included a young lady from Isaan in our party who was able to comment on the authenticity of the individual dishes. Thank you Khun Som for your help!

Although the menu also covers the different cuisine available in the other Weekender restaurants, it was our intention to stick with the Isaan menu. This has 12 items with the majority being only 35 Baht. The exception is the Suki Lao at 75 Baht. Wine by the glass is available, all the usual beers (including the lower strength Singha Gold, thank you Mr. Weekender) plus cocktails.

With five in the party, we took the easy way out of ordering and asked for one of everything. The menu does say that the food can be ordered in varying degrees of spiciness, so we asked for "pet nit noi" (only a little spicy). Along with the dishes came those wonderful little woven containers with sticky rice, rather than the steamed rice which is the norm for the other Thai regional cooking.

With 12 dishes arriving on the table, it soon became apparent which of us was into the spicy food and which of us was less adventurous! K. Som then attended to the Suki Lao. This dish arrived at the table with the "soup" in the clay pot over the "dow tarn" (heat source) and the ingredients (squid, mushroom, prawn, cabbage and liver) on a side plate. Throw in the goodies, wait till cooked and enjoy.

The Team liked the Larb Moo very much and indeed doubled up on that dish, likewise the chicken wings and the N-E sausage. The variety was such that everyone in our party had some item they found to their liking and the different tastes of the Isaan cuisine made for a memorable dinner.

The Weekender also does an "Isaan Surprise" on Tuesday nights at 100 Baht a head with a complete range of the North Eastern cuisine.

The Dining Out Team enjoyed the experience and the ambience at the Weekender’s Isaan restaurant. It was inexpensive and best enjoyed in a group situation where you can take advantage of the numbers and try every item on the menu, as we did! Highly recommended for parties between four and eight persons to get the maximum fun out of the evening.

Animal Crackers: Tiger! Tiger!

by Mirin MacCarthy

"Tiger! Tiger! burning bright, In the forest of the night, What immortal hand or eye Can frame thy fearful symmetry?"

Captive Tiger.

As the words of Rudyard Kipling underline, tigers have inspired and terrified men for centuries, mainly because they are immense, powerful, and magnificent, solitary and gloriously camouflaged. Once abundant in Asia there are still a few left in the northern forests of Thailand, although you are more likely to encounter their paw prints, as big as dinner plates, than sight one in the wild here.

Tiger countries

Fossil evidence shows that the tiger originated in Siberia and spread southward across Asia in the Ice Age. Although once widespread throughout Siberia and Manchuria and Northern Korea there are probably only about 200 Siberian tigers left.

Different regions and climates developed different species, from the Caspian tiger, which was once one of the most widespread before much forest destruction, to the Bengal and white tigers of India, to the Chinese, Sumatran, Javan and Bali tigers.

Tiger woods

During the hot days many tigers lie low in the shade of trees, in caves, and long grass. They swim readily, and not being fond of the heat because of their chilly origins, may even be found swimming in swamps or cooling off in shallow pools.

Extinction

The superb Bengal tiger is not yet classified as endangered but may soon be listed as near extinction. Man with his weapons is one of the few natural enemies of the tiger, but that has been enough to slowly destroy them and their habitat. For life in the wild, a tiger needs three things - game, water and cover. With abundant food, a constant supply of water to drink and dense thickets for shade and ambush, a tiger can lead the natural life it was designed for. These habitats are fast disappearing, however. Future generations will probably only be able to see tigers in zoos.

Man-eaters

Tigers avoid contact with man, preferring deer, wild boar, even domestic buffalo and cattle as food. Only a few severely injured, old and weakened tigers turn into man-eaters as a last resort. Once a taste for soft skinned slow moving prey has developed then a man-eater may enter villages in search of it. Villagers become afraid to leave their houses between dusk and dawn and hunters are usually called in to shoot the animals. The most legendary man-eater was attributed with 430 people kills and was shot in India in 1907. Mores the pity, for both the tiger and its 430 dinners!

Auto Mania: Baht Bus drivers join Institute of Advanced Motorists!

by Dr. Iain Corness

Now there’s a heading that’s more than eye catching, you know it’s damn well unbelievable! Comes from an email I received the other day from Roy Dean in China. Roy is a motorcycle buff and is the guy looking for an old Triumph to restore that we spoke about a few weeks ago (still looking, by the way), so anyone seen one?

He said (quote) "China drivers make even Pattaya Baht Bus drivers look as though they are discerning members of the Institute of Advanced Motorists! The driving standard is really appalling and every driver is mega-aggressive, never gives way to anything! Lots of bad traffic accidents on the highways. Lots of bicycles get run over in town. Definitely not the place to roar around on a Fireblade." Thanks for the tip, Roy! Must admit I never thought we would actually see someone praise our Baht Bus jockeys! Shows that everything is relative, doesn’t it!

"Our" F1 event

We have had a "forward scout" go to Malaysia to recce the new F1 circuit for us. Nick Lynx-Lomonde went over to watch the 500 cc bike event and sent over the following message: "The track is spectacular. The choice of where to sit for the race is one of perspective. If you sit on the south side, you cannot see the pits or the Start/Finish line, but you do have a fantastic view of the back straight and over half the track. If you sit on the North side you have the pits and the grid, but not much more. On the track map it seems that you also have a view of half the track, but in reality the Pit buildings prevent a view. I would recommend the South side, which is where I will buy my seat."

Meanwhile, Niel Poulsen says, "I don’t care, I’m getting a Gold Pass!" So there you are, you can join Niel with the Gold Pass, wherever that is, or Nick on the South side. Actually, it makes no difference - if you are an F1 enthusiast you just have to be there. I remember the first time I saw the current crop of F1 type cars in the flesh. It was an earth shattering feeling. They accelerate just so hard and the stopping power defies description. Where we were hanging out the picks at 150 yards in the sports sedans, the F1 guys were going through to 50 yards, dropping down through 4 gears and accelerating away like startled jack-rabbits.

Fangio as a young 15 year old boy, imagining his career!

So let’s get this Malaysian show on the road. I do want names, telephone numbers, email addresses NOW. As I said last week, let’s try and get ourselves some "deals" - but we need to know the numbers. Fax (427 596) or email me ([email protected]) and put your name down. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Autotrivia Quiz

Last week it was another Citroen question (I promise it’s the last Citroen question, Jean-Fernand Wasser!) and related to the origin of the Chevron insignia used by them. The design was taken from the appearance of the teeth on the double hypoid gears used by Andre Citroen to keep mechanical noises down.

For all of you with a mind for statistics - what car is least likely to be stolen in the UK? Citroen! Not even the kamoys want them! (Sorry J-F W)

Right then, here we go for this week. Remember that the first correct entry received at the Editorial Office wins the FREE beer! Fax 427 596 or email to [email protected]. From the history of motoring in the U.K. - what is the connection between Swallow Doretti’s and Camels? That should get you all thinking, especially those who have never heard of Swallow Doretti’s!

Honda in Formula 1 again?

The Honda Motor Company is very much in the news at present with their proposed return as a full blown team next year being in doubt after the death of Harvey Postlethwaite who was in charge of their F1 project. The Japanese giant now has to work out whether to continue to develop the Honda F1 (they have already contracted Verstappen and Salo as drivers) or just sell the F1 engines to the highest bidders. At this stage BAR and Benetton have their hands in the air being very unhappy with the Supertec V10’s they have at present, while Eddie Jordan, the only officially contracted Honda engine user, is tearing his hair out! I think it is more likely that Honda will pull back when they work out the costs involved in fielding their own team and just sell engines.

Who was the best?

My little item comparing Senna and Fangio a couple of weeks back certainly stirred up some interest, especially when Juan Manuel Fangio roundly trounced Ayrton. What about Alain Prost? said the French. Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart or "Our Nige"? say the Poms. Or Schuey? say the Germans? Ascari? in his Ferrari or even Nelson Piquet?

Well I put them all through the computerized statistics and nobody comes near Fangio. The Argentinean won almost 50% of all the GP races he entered, with Ascari 40%, Clark 34%, Stewart and Schumacher 27%, Senna and Prost 25%, Mansell 16% and Piquet at 11% all trailing him.

Fangio qualified on the front row 94% of the time. Closest to that is Ascari on 78%, Clark 66% and then Senna 54% with the rest nowhere.

Fangio set the fastest lap in almost half the races he competed in compared to Clark at 39%, Ascari 38%, Schumacher 29% and the rest insignificant.

Finally if you look at the average points per race the order is Fangio 5.44, Schuey 4.47, Ascari 4.38, Prost 4.01, Clark 3.81, Senna 3.81, Stewart 3.64, Mansell 2.58 and Piquet 2.38.

Taking those four parameters together and giving each of the 9 drivers points from 9 back to 1 for each section, here are the top drivers in order since 1950 till today. Fangio 36, Ascari 30, Clark 26, Schumacher 24, Prost 20, Senna 17, Stewart 16, Mansell 10 and Piquet 4. An interesting comparison? Sure is!

Fitness Tips: Fat Bits Finale’

by David Garred
Club Manager Dusit Resort Sports Club

G’day Pattaya,

As I mentioned last week, recently I received some interesting reports from the 8th International Congress on Obesity. These reports lend themselves to great educational reading, and I hope that you get at least one thing out of them, thus justifying your time spent reading these articles.

This is the last week of reports to come out of the conference.

Exercise alone doesn’t effect fat levels in young girls

It’s well known now that exercise has a different effect on fat loss in boys and girls.

Researchers from Sweden have confirmed this with the finding that there is no association between the level of physical activity and body fat in adolescent girls. On the other hand boys who are physically active carry less fat than boys who are not. The difference appears to be in either moderating metabolic rates in girls (i.e. increasing metabolic rate by regular resistance training) or in an increased compensatory food intake after exercise. The results go on to confirm that using physical activity without dietary change in obese girls is likely to be ineffective. A follow up study was performed to answer the obvious question of what is likely to be effective and the results were no surprise at all. During a controlled 12 week study aerobic exercise and resistance training in conjunction with a healthy eating plan had these same obese adolescent girls losing on average 1 Kg of body fat per week.

A nasal spray to reduce weight that works: But you won’t see it on the market

WHY! I hear some of you cry in anguish. This report is a bit of a tease but it does show you that drug testing is necessary.

Most weight control products are gimmicks, with little long term success. So if you were to hear about a nasal spray that helped weight loss by reducing appetite, you would be right to be skeptical.

One such spray, based on scientific evidence, tested in strict laboratory conditions, has been developed by a university group with impeccable scientific credentials in the field of hunger research.

The spray uses a chemical known to stimulate a stomach hormone known as CCK (cholecystokinin) which reduces appetite. Because this is digested in the gut, it can’t be given orally and a nasal spray is the best option. Research with a number of young men at Leeds University comparing food eaten after the CCK or a placebo show a significant dose-related effect of the spray, suggesting that it does work.

Despite this, you are not likely to see it on your supermarket shelves. Interference with CCK levels has been shown to cause nausea. Although this was found in only five out of twenty four men tested, it is enough to cause significant disinterest in pharmaceutical companies, especially considering that so many of them are already saddled with litigation for adverse drug effects, in producing the drug commercially.

That does it for fat bits for the time being. Next week you can look forward to Why is a safe, effective weight control drug so hard to find, What constitutes enough exercise and the results of a survey on Who helps the overweight achieve the results they want the best.

For the time being, heed the advise in the first section of this week’s column, it applies to all of us.

Carpe’ diem

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