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Family Money: Ponzis
for Patsies
By Leslie
Wright
Back in the 1920s, Carlo Ponzi - an Italian-American
living in New York - came up with a brilliant investment scheme.
This involved persuading small investors to place their
money with him in the expectation of reaping huge profits. After some
months had passed, handsome profits were indeed paid out to them. So
successful was his investment strategy that these same delighted investors
would pour more money into the scheme, and persuade their friends to do so
also.
The only problem was that wily Carlo never actually
invested any of his investors’ money. All the wonderful performance
figures he was showing his investors were created out of thin air. And the
profits taken out of the scheme by ‘old’ investors were actually part
of ‘new’ investors’ capital. In other words, he simply used the
increasingly large inflows of new money to pay out old money, and keep the
difference for himself.
So successful was he at this confidence trick that this
type of scam is named after him.
More of the same
In more recent times, another American - Steve Michaels
- started up a whole series of similar Ponzi schemes, selling non-existent
commodities, oil-exploration options, and then rare coins, over the
telephone to gullible investors. He was such a persuasive salesman that
his telemarketing schemes reaped him millions of dollars. All his
investors needed were a credit card and a desire to reap big profits - and
all they received were empty promises.
Just a few years ago another even more sophisticated
Ponzi scheme in the United States milked charitable investors and
non-profit organisations out of millions of dollars. It worked by spinning
a wonderful story about influential wealthy people who wished to remain
anonymous wanting to help non-profit organisations (especially targeted
were church groups) by having agreed to match, dollar-for-dollar after six
months, the funds raised by those organisations and placed through the New
Era Philanthropy Foundation, purportedly a charitable foundation set up by
the organiser of this scheme, John Bennett Jr., who had supposedly
established contacts with all these wealthy important unnamed people.
At the end of six months, the Foundation paid out to
the charities and church groups the 100% return on their members’
contributions, and everyone was happy. So happy that they immediately
reinvested the money for another six months, and let other church groups
know what a wonderful opportunity had presented itself to them.
This went on for some time, and the New Era
Philanthropy Foundation grew to become well known nationwide. Its founder,
Bennett, was awarded plaques by civic groups, and even feted by the
wealthy influential people he had been supposed to know in the first
place.
In the meantime, of course, no money had ever been
invested - although some wealthy individuals (who didn’t mind whether
they remained anonymous or not) actually made substantial personal
donations to the scheme in the erroneous belief that their contributions
were going to benefit needy projects, rather than straight into
Bennett’s pockets.
When the fraudulent nature of the scheme eventually
came to light and the New York Securities & Exchange Commission filed
criminal charges, Bennett even went on TV to make an impassioned apology
to the thousands of investors who had lost all their money, hoping perhaps
that they would charitably forgive him (since many were church groups and
charities) rather than sending him to jail.
How can it happen?
In all these cases, investors were taken in by
carefully prepared stories told by super-salesmen without qualms or
conscience.
These financial parasites understand only too well that
many people are gullible enough to believe the unbelievable opportunity
they are being presented on the strength of a promise to double their
money in 6 or 12 months.
In the hope that it just might be true, investors allow
their greed to blind their caution. And then, when they are able to take
their initial capital or profits out as promised, their initial concerns
are allayed. They are then only too willing to add more money and attract
other investors to this wonderful opportunity - which is exactly what the
astute confidence trickster is counting on to continue growing his
pyramid.
The forex scam
In Hong Kong in the 1980s, millions of dollars of
supposedly shrewd (but greedy) investors’ money disappeared in similar
schemes purporting to deal in foreign exchange.
In fact, no trades were ever made by these operators,
who simply satisfied the withdrawal requirements of old clients with new
investors’ money.
Since the withdrawals made by old investors were
generally much less than the inflow of new money (especially since they
were persuaded by the enticing performance figures to leave the bulk of
their money invested), the pot was constantly being topped up. Once a
sufficient amount had been accumulated, or investors were starting to grow
suspicious at the delays in getting their money out, the investment firm
would clear out its rented offices and literally disappear overnight.
Since these firms were unlicensed and unregulated, the
bilked investors had no recourse to the regulatory authorities, and since
no paper certificates were ever issued setting out exactly what the
investors had invested in, the police were unable to prosecute the
perpetrators since there was no paper to hang on them.
Similar cases have been reported more recently in
Thailand. One published report less than two years ago cited a large firm
in a prestigious office building in Bangkok which one suspicious investor,
a high-ranking civil servant in the Thai government, had reported to the
police. The police, having no evidence that any illegal trades had ever
taken place, were unable to act. Even the Central Bank - the only
authority able to issue licences to trade in foreign exchange, and
generally only to commercial banks - were powerless to prosecute or close
the firm, for the same reason.
Other investors who threatened legal action were in
turn reportedly threatened by the firm’s staff with physical retaliation
if they tried to make trouble.
Shortly thereafter, the firm changed its name, added
security grilles to its doors, and posted armed security guards to prevent
any “unauthorised” persons from entering its premises.
Even the big boys get it wrong
In these days of instant global communications, making
money from the differences in the foreign-exchange rates being quoted from
one country to another - which in technical jargon is called arbitrage -
have largely disappeared. Nowadays, large commercial banks have teams of
traders who spend all their time looking for tiny differences - typically
to the third place of decimals - on which they can pounce and make a quick
killing. But because these discrepancies are so small, and last such a
short time, it takes huge amounts of trading capital - hundreds of
millions of dollars or pounds or yen - to make any significant profit.
That’s why these activities are generally conducted only by very large
financial institutions with the wherewithal at their command to do so.
It is true that our old friend George Soros made a very
significant amount of money back in 1992 when he shorted Sterling (which
means selling something he didn’t have in the belief that it would
depreciate and he would be able to buy it back later at a lower price than
he sold it for, and keep the difference), and this certainly blew a few
fuses in the Bank of England.
When he tried to carry out a similar currency coup
against the Malaysian ringgit the government saw him coming and
immediately banned all foreign exchange dealing in its currency. He also
got it significantly wrong when he started playing with the Russian rouble
in 1998.
And it is worth remembering that George Soros is not a
small currency trader but the head of one of the largest mutual fund
groups in the world, with teams of analysts to identify opportunities for
the multi-millionaires who invest into his world-famous Quantum Fund.
So if legions of traders in big international banks
make only a relatively small percentage profit with their enormous amounts
of leveraged capital, and George Soros’ experienced team of experts get
it wrong from time to time, it is curious how some individuals, purporting
to conduct forex trading from small offices with only two or three staff,
seem able to make inordinately high profits with relatively modest amounts
of capital and never get it wrong - according to the figures they show
their investors, both actual and potential. But unlike most of us, perhaps
these geniuses have crystal balls...
I am also curious as to why, if they are indeed able to
make such big profits as their literature (and reports to their investors)
would lead one to believe, this very literature is not a bit classier and
more professionally prepared? After all, it only costs a couple of
thousand dollars to have a few hundred high quality brochures printed up -
and the minimum starting amount these guys are asking you to invest these
days is at least $25,000 and in the case of one firm I know of, $100,000.
Surely, one might ask, for that level of investment they could afford to
invest a modest amount of their reportedly high profits in some decent
brochures?
Another aspect which should be of concern (but which is
either forgotten or glossed over in the euphoria of greed) is that all too
often, you are asked to remit your money into an account which is in the
name not of a legally-registered corporation, but of an individual. This
is just tempting fate and asking for trouble, in my opinion.
What recourse do you have if that individual absconds
with your money - as he could do at any time?
And it is worth remembering that even international
banks offering higher-than-usual interest on deposits are not above
suddenly finding themselves unable to pay their depositors and closing
their doors forever.
For instance, the infamous BCCI fiasco of the early
1990s is still not finally resolved, although a recent report in the
Financial Times of London indicates that it might be settled “soon”
and some 70,000 depositors might get back perhaps three-quarters of the
remaining several billion dollars that has been locked up in litigation
for nearly a decade.
So if any investment scheme is offered to you which
promises above average returns for that type of investment, or involves
placing your money into an account which is other than a corporate account
with an internationally-recognised financial institution with the proper
licences to operate in a well-regulated regime, please, please, let
caution be your guide, and throw greed - or the salesman - out of the
door.
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.
The Computer Doctor
by Richard Bunch
This week, I will touch on the subject of viruses
again. Over recent weeks and particularly in the last few days, we have
seen widespread outbreaks of viruses which are spread by e-mail. At the
time of writing, the latest is Newlove, which is particularly destructive
and as it will seek out network drives has the potential to wipe out
entire networks.
As it is common practice to send file attachments with
e-mail messages, some recipients have unwittingly opened files disguised
as friendly e-mail attachments. Malevolent hackers have used this method
of opening e-mail attachments directly from within Microsoft’s Outlook
as a way of deceiving users into spreading viruses. The viruses that
spread using e-mail do so by using the Contacts list and Address Book
within Outlook. By using built-in automation within Outlook automation,
the virus forwards itself to all your contacts without your knowledge.
Microsoft is expected to release a security patch for
both Outlook 2000 and Outlook 98 by the time this article goes to press.
In the latest outbreaks, the hackers have abused
legitimate Outlook functionality, such as the ability to share documents
quickly and easily with co-workers and update your contact list from other
devices like 3Coms Palm range. As Outlook is not ‘intelligent’, it is
not possible for it to differentiate between legitimate and hostile use.
This security patch will protect you from most e-mail based viruses, such
as the ILOVEYOU and Melissa viruses, or indeed worm viruses that can
replicate through Outlook.
Whilst the E-mail Security Update undoubtedly provides
you with protection, there is a price to pay! Once installed, the update
will prevent mail from being sent without your permission, and also
protect from inadvertently opening attached files that could potentially
damage the integrity of your computer.
The downside is that the update limits certain
functions within Outlook to provide a higher level of security. Outlook
checks the file type of each attachment received in your Inbox. A
comparison is then made against types of files that could be harmful.
These .EXE’s, .COM’s, .BAS’s, .VBS’s, .JS’s, URL’s, .ISN’s,
.LNK’s, and .PIF’s as well as Zip files. In the case of Zip files, the
user is prompted to save before opening; all the other file types are
unavailable.
Since access to certain file attachments in Outlook is
prohibited by the update, users will need to establish an alternative
means of distributing legitimate files.
It cannot be overemphasized that you should always use
high-quality anti-virus scanning software. Also, if you receive an e-mail
containing a doubtful attachment delete it immediately, and under no
circumstances open it. If in doubt, be cautious and if possible contact
the sender to establish its authenticity.
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 services which includes: website design,
website promotion (cloaking) turnkey e-commerce solutions, website
hosting, domain name registration, computer and peripheral sales service
and repairs, networks (LAN & WAN) and IT consulting. Please telephone
038 716 816, e-mail [email protected]
or see our website www.act.co.th
Successfully Yours: Ralph-Rainer
Ohlsen
by Mirin MacCarthy
The President of BMW Manufacturing Thailand is Ralph-Rainer
Ohlsen, a forty five year old man with a future. But before contemplating that
future, a little of his past.
His father was a bon vivant second generation American
German on the Board of Directors of Opel in Germany. Unfortunately, his father
died when Ralph-Rainer was only one year old, but he left him a legacy - not
money - but some very distinctive features, most of which would come to light
later, but beginning by spelling his name in the American way, rather than the
German “Ralf”.
So, born in Weisbaden, the young Ralph-Rainer lived with
his mother. When his mother remarried, Ralph-Rainer was nine years old and he
acquired a stepfather. He also acquired a new surname, being formally adopted
by his new father. Shortly after this, the family went to live in Taiwan for
two years, where Ohlsen Snr was advisor for a UN project.
On their return to Germany, Ralph-Rainer went to school in
Husum. As a young teenager he showed some traits that were in his own words
“a clear indicator that I had to do something commercial.” The first was
to sign up his parents to a lawn mowing agreement where he received 5 DM.
Ralph-Rainer, however, sub-contracted the lawn’s needs to another boy from
school for 3.50 DM, thereby enjoying his leisure time and the 1.50 DM to spend
it in!
Like so many young people after graduating, he had not
worked out his career path. “No clue at all,” he said, shaking his head
and laughing. Fortunately the government made the next decision in the shape
of eighteen months compulsory National Service.
After boots and battledress he rejoined academia, enrolling
in a course of National Economics. Why this direction? “I just wanted to
understand the principles of what I had already done,” he said
mischievously. He understood those principles well, however, buying his first
car, an old VW for 30 DM, “investing” (his words) 110 DM in repairs and
selling it for 170 DM many months later!
At the end of his Economics course, he knew it was not
really for him, so he went to Hamburg to study for (and receive) his MBA.
While studying, his parents helped provide, but the university student also
went to work part-time in bars and restaurants. “I wanted more. There were
girls and cars - it was the School of Life.”
His next phase was as a Scientific Assistant at the Faculty
of Economics and Social Sciences at Cologne University. There, sponsored and
guided by his Professor, ultimately receiving his Ph. D. in 1985.
Now it was time for real life and he began sending out
letters of application, with attached CV’s. His hobby at that time was Music
and Film, so he sent off 20 letters to organisations in that field and
received 20 rejections. “It was a total failure trying to combine my hobby
and work. The industry didn’t want me,” he said somewhat ruefully.
A second batch of 60 went out, including one to BMW for an
advertised position. He was passed over for that one, but they suggested that
with his qualifications he would be better suited to a new project they had in
mind. This was to be a Project Manager in BMW Sales and Marketing.
He travelled the world and was so successful that the
project finished early. Realising they had a rare talent on their hands, BMW
slotted him into being Head of Procurement at the Munich plant. It was then
that his mother remarked on how his American born biological father had also
been in that field with Opel. Like father, like son, and more than
coincidence.
From there, he was thrown in at the deep end of Logistics.
“I had never done it before. I was in charge of 10,000 parts from 700
different suppliers.” However, Ralph-Rainer was not one to sink and soon
swam to the surface, so much so, that by 1993 he was Head of Logistics at
Munich. He also married Petra that year, a Graphic Designer in the publishing
industry.
His next step up the BMW ladder was to South Africa, where
he was in charge of one of their divisions there, but after four years he
applied for the posting to Thailand. This was done to, “open up my mind
further. There would be nothing worse than to have on your gravestone - Born
in Germany - Died in Germany!” For Ralph-Rainer it is, “a privilege to see
the world with company backing.”
There was also another reason. His focus on life had
changed. “Now I have a wife, two boys and a dog.” While the boys are
young, this is the time to explore and he considers that the experience he can
get while working in Asia over-rides any doubts about career choices.
He believes that “wisdom” comes out of having a family.
In fact, his advice to others who may follow his path is to “work at the
balance between the career and the rest of life.”
He considers the pinnacle of his life is the combination of
having a good job and a good family. And regrets? “I cannot think of one,”
he said after much reflection.
Ralph-Rainer Ohlsen demonstrates an almost perfect combination of Teutonic
thoroughness, probably instilled into him by his upbringing, but tempered with
a sense of humour and love of life inherited from his biological father. With
this combination, he will go far - and he is with a company that can make it
happen. Make no mistake about this man - he has a great future.
Snap Shots: Read
the Book!
by Harry Flashman
One of the most sage pieces of advice you can ever get
runs as follows: “When all else fails, read the instruction manual.”
This was brought home to Harry himself the other day when he came across
the instruction manual for his cherished Nikon FA. (This was the second
hand replacement for the two FA’s and the FM2N that were kamoyed last
year, and still sadly missed.)
Now you have to remember that Harry has been using
FA’s for the past sixteen years, so he is fairly au fait with the use of
his cameras, yet it was amazing just what he had forgotten about the
capabilities of his camera.
 When
all else fails, read the instruction manual
For example, the double exposure facility on the top of
an FA, next to the rewind lever. Harry had been thinking about doing some
double exposure shots and will give you some ideas on those later. The
self-timer, stop-down depth of field preview and the ability to change the
exposure metering had all slipped his memory, as had the knowledge that
when you run the camera in “manual” mode, the metering pattern is
different from the other modes.
In fact, it was an enjoyable half hour to read through
the book again. It even stimulated Harry to get the camera out of the bag
and just fiddle with the forgotten controls while reading.
No, the instruction book that comes with your camera is
really a very important operating document. The manufacturers have spent
much time, effort and money to make it as accurate as they can, and we,
the super-mortals that we are, chuck it in a drawer and forget about it.
Harry suggests that you do as he did and dig out the
manual and re-read it (for some people this will be the first time, I am
sure) and explore the different capabilities in your expensive investment.
It is worthwhile.
Double Exposure Trickery
Almost every camera these days has a multiple exposure
facility, even the mid-range point and shoot compacts. This gives the
photographer lots of artistic licence to compose and create all kinds of
different images - but there are a few wriggles to remember.
Since you are superimposing separate images on to the
one frame of film, it becomes very easy to over-expose the background. By
the time you have taken three exposures, for example, you have now
overexposed the background by a factor of three and you will have a white
blurry mess.
The first trick in multiple exposure photography is to
then select as dark a background as possible. Black is the ultimate, as
you can keep on shooting as many exposures as you like - it will not
radically alter the background colour. If you cannot find a nice dark
spot, with no sunlight, consider shooting the double exposures at night,
using flash and with the subject positioned a long way in front of any
background, so that it is not lit by the flash burst.
The second important point to remember is that if your
subjects overlap in the photograph, you will get a ghostly image if you
are not careful. This generally detracts from the final image or effect.
The second trick is to very gently divide the
viewfinder into the number of exposures you are going to put on the one
frame. Into halves if it is a double exposure or into thirds for a triple
exposure. Then by positioning the subject carefully within the marked off
section you can stop too much overlap. Use marker that will wash off, or
you will have permanently affected the viewfinder!
The double exposure facility is what the pros use when
they want to show an appliance, for example, with the lid down and the lid
up at the same time, but this time you deliberately overlap the images.
Read your instruction manual and try some double exposures this
weekend.
Modern Medicine: More
on Stress
by Dr Iain Corness
Three weeks ago I began with a short article on Psycho
Neuro Immunology (PNI) and it has ended up like Peyton Place, Dallas or
Coronation Street - a long running serial. Funnily enough, as I wrote the
first one I could see that I could not cover it all in one week. As I
wrote the second, it became obvious that this was so important that it
would go to three - so here it is!
Last week I spoke about methods of improving one’s
ability to cope, mainly by changing from negative thought (which is
immunosuppressive) to positive thought (which is immuno-enhancing). The
first two steps were self awareness and taking one step at a time, so see
last week’s article first!
The next step, in what is a fairly lengthy process to
remember, is to simply live in the present. That is today! There is
absolutely nothing to be gained from dwelling in the past, going over and
over past mistakes, misdeeds or whatever. Certainly, ‘learn’ from the
past - but don’t live in it. Today is a new day, full of new features,
new people, new everythings - if you let them come into your life. And the
only way that happens is by living in today. The right here and now. Live
as if there is no tomorrow - nobody can promise you that you are really
going to get one! Sure, expect a tomorrow, but make full use of today.
The next step is even harder, for all those people who
have become ingrained into negativity. That is to minimise negative
strategies that we use to perpetuate the negative side of life. This
includes catastrophising - that is assuming every small hurdle or problem
is an enormous, unable to be overcome, situation. “And now the toilet
won’t flush!” So? Use the one in the spare room, drive to a hotel, go
next door, ring the handyman - endless possibilities abound, so it is not
really a catastrophe at all. By analysis you can change from negative to
positive thought.
Another symptom of negativity is “shutting off” or
avoidance. By saying “I can’t cope right now, so leave me alone,” is
not a positive response in any way. It reinforces the failure to cope
mechanism, reinforcing a rather unhealthy scenario for you personally.
Another important item in thought pattern conversion
from negative to positive includes meditation and relaxation. However, you
have to make sure you are doing true relaxation and not just shutting off
or using meditation as the excuse to lie quietly and think about all the
ills, hurts, injustices and so forth from the past. Properly used,
meditation can be a good immuno-enhancing tool, but beware of using it
incorrectly.
Really, the important message from the past three weeks
has been to cultivate positive attitudes to everything in life as this
will carry over into helping you through life’s adverse events, in a
very positive way, with a very positive effect on the rest of your life.
Try it!
 Dear
Hillary,
You were suggesting to wear a raincoat at Songkran. I
am unable to find one. I like the foldable ones that fit in a pocket. I
checked out Lotus and Big C. I also cannot find a thermometer and a small
kitchen scales. Can you go shopping with me? Also, where can I find a
second hand (small) motorbike at good value? There is not much in the ad
section of your paper.
Amin
Dear Amin,
The good news is you’ve got 12 months to go before
next Songkran, so you can import one. Boots Pharmacy and Lotus Pharmacy
have thermometers. Small kitchen scales are available in Friendship. Motor
cycles you will find on the notice board at Foodland and Friendship. By
the way, let’s not forget to buy some toilet tissue, as I have a
sneaking suspicion you will need your bottom wiped as well. What am I
running here? Advice to the lovelorn or Hillary’s Hints on Home
shopping?
Dear Hillary,
How do I get a job on TV? I watch Pattaya Mail Channel
and I do as good, sure I could, as the people they got. I can reed reel
good too and look OK, so how abowt giving a youngster a go?
Larry
Dear Larry,
Just watch your name-sake, Larry King (almost dead) and
practice a lot. While you’re at it, learn to spell. I’ll pass this
letter on to the Pattaya Mail Channel and you can expect a call in the
next one or two decades. Don’t wait up.
Dear Hillary,
I met a girl last time I was over in Thailand and I had
been writing to her after I went back to England. She sounded very serious
about our relationship and I told her I was coming back and would come to
see her. Imagine how I felt when I went to the bar and the other girls
told me she had gone to Phuket with some guy and they didn’t know when
she would be back. Hillary, is this the right way to treat visitors who
are prepared to help?
Shattered
Dear Shattered,
Who are you helping? Her? Or yourself? Come on, even in
jolly old England you don’t have any say over what a girl does until
you’ve got a ring on the finger (and even then it’s a mutual
agreement). I know this sounds hard to believe, but the girls round here
get lots of letters from guys like yourself and 90% of them never show up
again, so of course she would go to Phuket with a guy who is here and now.
The bird sitting on your hand is better than the couple there might be in
the bush, isn’t it! If you’re here for a good time, then go out with
the good-time girls. If you’re looking for your life’s partner then
you don’t begin in a bar. Grow up!
Dear Hillary,
When the Cobra Gold sailors were here I noticed that
the prices went up in many places - bars, massage parlours, taxis - just
about everything. Do you think this is fair on the locals who live and
work here, and not just bob in and out like the Americans?
Anti-Yank
Dear Auntie,
What planet are you from? 6000 Americans stepped off
those ships - over paid, over sexed and over here, to borrow a phrase from
WWII. Imagine you are a business operator, wouldn’t you want to get a
hefty slice of their wallets too? Just think yourself lucky they were only
here for a short time (metaphorically of course) and prices have returned
to your pre-invasion levels.
Dear Hilary,
I have heard a rumour that you have a soft spot for a
young blonde singer. Is this true?
Harpic
Dear Harpic,
Hillary is full of soft spots, Harpic, some of which
are even nicer and softer than others. By the way, darling, Hillary spells
her name with two ‘ells’ not one! So does Hillary have a soft spot for
young blonde singers who can’t spell? Ah, we’ll never know, will we!
Never listen to rumours - the true gory details are always much more fun!
Dear Hillary,
My wife and I enjoy reading your column and thought you
might be able to help us. Most of the entertainment at night seems to be
aimed at the singles in town. Are there any places for couples? Appreciate
your time, here.
Couples
Dear Couples,
Is that Fred Couples, the famous golfer? Ooooh Hillary
has come over all goose bumps. My advice is to leave Mrs. Couples at home,
preferably in the States, and come straight over here and take Hillary out
instead! Seriously, there are plenty of places for couples (without the
golf bags, thank you). Try Delaney’s Irish Pub, Pattaya 2 - good food
and music, Planet Rock, Soi Pattayaland 2 - noisy but fun, Henry J
Bean’s Bar & Grill, top end Beach Road - food and music, The Hopf
and Samsara, Beach Road corners of Yamato and Post Office Sois - there’s
plenty. Try those to begin with and then get adventurous and explore the
rest by yourselves from there.
GRAPEVINE
|
Doctor in trouble
Angry Mrs Yvonne Snape, a well-heeled widow
from Potters Bar, has walked out of a leading Pattaya hospital in
disgust after being told that her consultant would be a homeopath. She
told the bursar there was far too much of this sort of thing in Sin
City and it was time to take a stand in the name of decency and
morality. “My ingrowing toe nail can wait till I get back to sanity
in England,” she added indignantly as she boarded a baht bus on the
Sukhumvit highway.
Eating like a bird
Retired teacher and expat Hercule Trinon was
delighted to note that his pet parrot, called The General, needed no
special diet. “He would leap chirpily onto my shoulder to devour
chicken fried rice, chop suey and even chocolate pudding. His absolute
favorite was deep pan pizza with the filled crust.” Hercule
excitedly contacted Thai TV to come and film the green giant as he
pecked away. The cameras duly rolled for a full fifteen minutes before
it was realized that The General, flat on his back, was stone dead. At
first it was believed he had expired of a surfeit of high calorie
food. However, an electrician then noticed that a falling tripod had
more likely despatched the parrot into eternity.
Percussion assault
A farang has been arrested after claims that
he attacked his local girl friend for continually banging a drum
throughout the night. He told investigating officers that she was
trying to drive him insane by thumping the canvas drum as he was
trying to sleep. “It has gone on for weeks and weeks,” he said.
She explained that she was working during the day at a restaurant and
needed to practise drum rolls at home as she was in charge of the
music at her brother’s forthcoming marriage. Suggestions that the
drum be sent for forensic analysis were abandoned after it was pointed
out there wasn’t really much point.
Reader query
Pattaya Mail fan GF asks who is currently
the Pattaya agent for UBC satellite TV in Pattaya as he wants to avoid
having to deal with the regional headquarters in Ban Saen near
Chonburi. We understand that you can have the UBC system installed by
contacting Electronic House on North Pattaya Road. The previous agent
on South Pattaya Road, more or less opposite Friendship supermarket,
tells Grapevine he is no longer acting for UBC. But it’s always a
good idea to check the TV company’s website first in case there are
any special offers around.
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New technology
Pattaya police will in September start to
use interactive video evidence where young children are suspected of
having been abused. Specialist officers have been trained in the use
of the technology which is designed to avoid children being cross
examined in a formal court setting which is held to be threatening.
The new equipment will not be housed in a police station for the same
reason. European police forces have been working with Thai police for
over two years to make the inquiries into child sex offences more
sophisticated.
Fake policy crackdown
The Insurance Department is warning that
fake third party insurance stickers are becoming a rampant problem.
The yearly compulsory insurance costs 1200 baht for a car and 200 baht
for a motorcycle. The fund was set up in 1993 to help victims of road
accidents not settled by insurance companies. However, some stickers
are being sold on the black market without any contribution to the
proper fund coffers. One idea is to make the design of the stickers
strikingly intricate to make counterfeiting more difficult. Farangs
are advised to buy the compulsory stickers from their principal car
insurance agent or at authorized vehicle registration centers.
Displaying a forged sticker is a criminal offence.
Readers’ queries
Reader SW asks where is the best place to
try and obtain spare parts for his ageing Suzuki jeep. We suggest you
try the row of shop houses on Sukhumvit just after the South Pattaya
Road junction and travelling north. There are several small businesses
on the left specializing in car and motorbike mechanics... GF wants to
know where she can have a birthday cake made without spending a
fortune. Check out the Boat Bakery on Second Road opposite the old
Mike Department Store. Incidentally, the attached restaurant is one of
the most popular around for budget eaters.
Insurance claims
From the written forms.
In an attempt to kill the fly, I then drove into
the lamp post.
I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at
my mother in law and immediately headed for the embankment.
I told the police I was not injured but, on
removing my hat, discovered I had a fractured skull.
I was thrown from my car as it left the road.
Luckily I was then found by a roaming buffalo which was friendly.
I had been driving for forty years when I fell
asleep at the wheel and had an accident. |
Dining Out: No.
43 Italian Bistro - worth the drive?
by Miss Terry Diner
This week the Dining Out Team headed out of Pattaya in
search of new pastures and ended up in Rayong. There on Beach Road is the
Kanary Bay Serviced Apartments; within the bottom of the complex an Italian
Bistro, No. 43. The title seemed intriguing, but apparently the complex’s
owners have another Italian restaurant in Bangkok on Soi 43, Langsuan,
Ploenchit - so the name stuck!
 Chef
Francesco
The restaurant itself is only eight months old and is in a
large, well lit, high ceiling area on the ground floor, with an outlook over
the sea. Glass topped tables, with cane backed chairs, good quality glasses
and cutlery, white tiles on the floor, tall bottles with different pastas and
you have an Italian bistro atmosphere. There was also that unmistakable aroma
of Italian cooking. It began to look as if the drive might have been worth it.
The menu is large, has big print and is very easy to read.
At last, a restaurant that realises that not everyone has 20/20 vision! Each
dish is given its Italian name, with an explanation in English. It begins with
Antipasti ranging in price between 120-230 baht, all very Italian, with
Eggplant and Zucchini, Terrine of Mozzarella, Parma Ham and Smoked Salmon.
Next up are the Soups (B70-100), Salads (B60-130) and Pastas (B130-220). These
cover the usual Caesar salad and other inviting items like a seafood salad and
a green salad loaded with anchovies and black olives. Soups are three,
Minestrone, Tomato and Seafood and there are ten choices in the Pastas.
Main courses are next (B170-250) with sauteed mussels,
chicken breast, pork steaks, T-bones, sea-bass and veal escallops, with
everything cooked in a variety of aromatic Italian herbs and spices, and of
course, lots of garlic. No wonder the restaurant smells so good! A page of
Pizzas follows (B120-180) and then some Chef’s specialities (B220-280)
including shrimp in bell peppers and pan fried pork medallions on tomato
sauce, capers, oregano, anchovies and basil pesto! (My back teeth are awash as
I write this!)
 No.
43 Italian Bistro
It finishes with Italian desserts and a page of beverages.
There is also a wine suggestion list on the table, and yet another menu
covering the month’s Italian specials, the most expensive of which was a
Grilled Prawns with Mediterranean herbs at 260 baht.
My dinner companion for the evening chose the Eggplant and
zucchini fried in pastella for starters, to be followed by the Milanese style
knuckle of veal (Ossobucco) with potato croquettes and sauteed spinach with
garlic, while I went for the Minestrone soup and then Saltimbocca alla Romana
(veal escallop with raw ham and sage) with sauteed potatoes and green peas
with onion and bacon.
While we waited we had an assortment of breads, all baked
in the Number 43 in-house bakery. We selected a Soave wine and sat back. The
starters arrived and were very good, the eggplant really melting in the mouth,
but my Minestrone! It was huge and it was first class - one of the best
Minestrone’s ever. We were also lucky enough to catch up with 43’s most
interesting Sardinian chef, Francesco Uneddu, who said that the secret of the
Minestrone is the subtle addition of Pesto sauce just before serving. So now
you know!
Then on came the mains - the Ossobucco fell apart under the
knife and the Saltimbocca likewise. The side orders were good and in fact, the
whole meal was of a very high standard. And this was down in Rayong!
While talking about standards, mention must also be made of
the standard of service. The waiters and waitresses were well dressed, well
schooled and impeccable. They could hold their own in any hospitality
establishment.
So was the drive worth it? It certainly was - even if just for the
Minestrone. The Dining Out Team can certainly give this restaurant top marks.
If it were in Pattaya, they would be queuing up to get in. It’s that good!
 Down
The Iron Road:
The Compound Locomotive-3, Chapelon (part1)
by John D. Blyth
Background
Andre Chapelon, destined to become the most distinguished
steam locomotive engineer of all time, was born in 1892 in a small village
in S.E. France, and it was his first visit to the footplate of a steam
locomotive of some antiquity at his local station on the
Paris-Lyon-Mediteranee line that settled what his future was to be. His
engineering training was interrupted by the outbreak of war in 1914, and in
that conflict he was to serve his country with distinction, but in 1919 he
was able to resume his studies and in due course entered the service of his
‘local’ railway, the ‘PLM’. After two years he resigned in disgust
at the ‘closed minds’ and self-satisfied arrogance of the engineering
staff, and went to work - of all places! - for the telephone department of
the French Post Office.
 P.O.-Moidi
No. 240-705, a Chapelon 4-8-0 rebuilt from a P.O. 4-6-2. At Paris (Bercy)
during trial on the ‘PLM’ line from Paris to Lyon, in 1938.
His professor of thermodynamics, a subject in which he
had shown deep interest, had not forgotten him, and happened to be the
cousin of the head of the mechanical engineering department of the
Paris-Orleans Railway, smaller by far than the PLM, but with a more
reasonable outlook. Chapelon was taken on and at once found himself in his
element.
Re-vamping the P.-O ‘Pacifics
He quickly realised that ‘size’ had outpaced design,
and although superheated, the newest locomotive showed no advance in
performance over their predecessors. Under his supervisor, Paul Billet,
Chapelon set to work with numerous experiments to the superheater, valve
gear, exhaust arrangements, etc., in efforts to improve the flow of steam
through the system and reduce greatly the pressure drops which were being
caused by throttling. In the mid ’20s he was ready to ask Billet for
permission to incorporate his findings in a single locomotive; the work
would not be too costly, and this was agreed. However, in the small P.-O
workshop, progress was not quick, and before it was completed, Billet had
retired; de Boysson, the new officer, was one of those who had little faith
in what Chapelon was doing, and there was a two-year delay before work
re-commenced. Chapelon had set out each of the changes proposed, with an
estimate for each one, of the improvement in power output which would result
from each, and the saving of fuel per unit in power. The totals were quite
notable, to the extent of looking improbable, but at last a half-convinced
de Boysson allowed the work to be resumed. Chapelon stated that the maximum
horsepower could be raised from 1850h.p. to 3000h.p., with fuel reduction of
around 25%. The very first trial run confirmed these figures to be
astonishingly accurate. Chapelon had aimed to free the flow of steam through
the throttle, internal steam pipe, superheater, through the valves and
cylinders to a novel ‘Kylchap’ exhaust system originated by
‘Kyl?la”, a Finnish engineer, and developed by Chapelon himself.
 A
Chapelon 4-6-2 enters Paris Gare du Nord with the ‘Night Ferry from
Dunkirque; to the original Chapelon drawings but built new for the Northern
Railway.
Chapelon’s reputation was well-established by this
success; the locomotive went into traffic in late 1929, and much trial
running was carried out to be sure that the best had been done, and then
permission was given for more such modifications to proceed on similar
engines.
I will mention one test run only, between Poitiers and
Angouleme, 71 miles, covered in just one hour, without exceeding the
out-dated overall speed restriction of 75m.p.h. imposed on all mechanical
land transport in France. The speed graph, many times published, shows a
straight line all the way, despite the undulating nature of the route. The
one-hour schedule was adopted for all trains on this section, and time was
never lost.
When electrification on P.-O main lines was in progress,
a number of these locomotives were purchased by Northern (Nord), and Eastern
(EST) railways who quickly found them to be superior to any they already
had. The Nord even had some to the same drawings built new by French
locomotive firms, so useful were they on the heaviest of trains.
Hill-climbing - the next problem
The need for more powerful locomotives over the difficult
Toulouse main line of the P.-O. was not wholly solved by what had been done
so far. Adhesion between steel rail and steel wheel is limited, and only
about 56 tons weight could be carried on three coupled axles of the
Pacifics; new locomotives, or a reduction in train loads were possibilities,
but so was another rebuild. This would follow the principles already
established, but would be more drastic as a fourth coupled axle was vital.
This in turn would mean altering the frames and fitting new boilers with
narrow fireboxes to fit between the frames. A boiler based on a ‘Nord’
design with a deep firebox was chosen, but the pressure was raised and a
bigger superheater was planned.
 Delivered
to the PLM after the outbreak of war, this was one of the 25 locomotives
ordered for this very difficult route; a substantial advance on even the
first of the these rebuilds.
Really heavy trains were at once used on the trial runs,
735 tons being typical. The locomotive was giant, far ahead of the Pacifics;
horsepowers of 3800 at 56 mph, and 4000 at 70 mph were recorded. Even the
famous ‘Deltic’ type diesels of post war Britain were well outclassed.
The P.-O. 4-8-0s were tested on many other French main lines and the PLM
asked for 25 to be supplied for their section between Laroche and Djion, on
their main line to the South. War had started by the time they were
delivered in 1940, and little testing could be done, but it was plain that
they even exceeded the ability of the original batch. It may have been pure
jealousy that tales began to circulate that they were in trouble with
weaknesses in the main frames; start a tale like this and it will never stop
-and it never did - even the most respected railway writers got hold of it
and took seeming delight in repeating it their books. In fact the only
trouble ever experienced with them was heating of the bogie bearings due to
use of inferior oil in wartime.
They became redundant at Laroche when the line to Djion
was electrified; at least two other regions of the now nationalised rail
system of France badly wanted them, but a stupid argument between regional
accountants stopped the move for so long that the owning region scrapped
them with a working life of only ten years. A really sad end, and a criminal
folly which lost the most advanced steam locomotive to be seen anywhere in
the prime their lives. They held one record not beaten for steam traction -
they could produce the highest power output for every ton of the weight of
any locomotive.
In the next part I will outline the background to Chapelon’s final
designs for France; there were only three, making six in all, and on these
rest his unassailable reputation.
Animal Crackers:
Cougars - the Mountain Lions
by Mirin
MacCarthy
The name “Cougar” has really stirred the imagination
of the people in the Americas. The name of this large cat has been used for
countless sporting teams all over America and is also the evocative name for
a sporty motorcar, the Mercury Cougar. However, no matter how popular the
name, the Cougar itself is not that popular and has been hunted down so much
that it is now on the endangered species list.
The Cougar is the second largest cat in the Americas and
is almost three metres from nose to tail in the adult male. They are also
quite heavy, weighing in at around 70 kg fully grown, with the females about
10 kg lighter.
Although born with spots and ringed tails, the Cougars
lose these markings as they get older and by the end of their first year
they have the adult colours of a tawny hue with a lighter reddish belly. The
inside of the ears is light coloured, with a darker area just behind them.
The Cougars have very acute hearing and can detect
ultra-sonic noises. The ears can work independently as well as together, to
pinpoint the position of its prey. Their vision is also very acute, with a
pupil six times larger than that of a human. The cells in the Cougar’s
retina are also very specialized, with more light detecting cells, but fewer
colour detectors than the human eye. This means that the Cougar has
excellent night vision, even though its colour vision is not as good as
ours.
These animals begin breeding when they are around two
years old, with litters of three, spotted kittens at a time. They breed only
every two to three years, and the female chooses her mate, though she can
choose more than one male during the breeding season.
The kittens are no lightweights either, being about 5kg
in weight by the time they are only two months old, and having already
attained the weight of around 45 kg by the time they are a year old.
While the mother Cougar will look after her kittens for
up to eighteen months, they are solitary animals and only come together to
mate; the males then leaving immediately afterwards.
The Cougars will hunt deer, but their diet may also
include small mammals, wild turkeys, and occasionally domestic livestock,
the primary reason that they have been exterminated by the farmers.
Contrary to popular belief, the Cougar does not sit in
trees and jump on its prey; rather it attacks stealthily at nightfall from
behind and kills the animal by a savage bite to the base of the head, thus
breaking the quarry’s neck.
The Cougar is also known as the Ghost of the Wilderness because of its
solitary nature, and its ability to blend into the rocky mountainous
environment that is its home.
Copyright 2000 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]
Updated by
Chinnaporn Sangwanlek, assisted by Boonsiri Suansuk. |
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