Family Money: Estate Planning

By Leslie Wright

If you are one of the considerable number of immortals who live in Pattaya, who are sure they are never going to die and therefore have given no thought to their estate planning or making a will, this article will be of no interest to you.

If on the other hand you are not immortal, then estate planning should be an important consideration in your financial planning.

Unless you are amongst the landed gentry, estate planning has nothing to do with deciding which fields to plant with what, or how to maintain the herds of deer. (Although the sort of estate planning I have in mind is also of considerable concern to members of the landed gentry, who want to avoid their estates being parcelled off to pay rapacious amounts of inheritance tax, or forcing them to allow us peasants to wander around their stately homes to earn some money to pay those taxes.)

Last week we touched on the importance of protecting your interests and those of your loved ones after you’ve gone. Several readers have asked me to expand upon this theme, as it has evidently caused a few of the local “immortals” to wonder just how immortal they really are.

Estate planning is simply ensuring in advance that your affairs (financial, that is) are in order - and any offspring from the other sort are provided for also, if that is your wish.

Offshore Assets

Many people are happy to hold assets in an offshore financial centre, comforted by the thought that those assets are outside the reach of creditors, unfriendly governments, exchange control regulations and unnecessary death duties.

But their assets may not be as secure as they imagine. The problem lies with the planning of their estate.

A person who dies, who has assets in any jurisdiction of the world, is considered to hold an estate in that country which will require the appointment of an executor.

The executor must obtain a Grant of Letters of Executorship before any assets can be released and before he can, in turn, pass on those assets to the heirs.

When assets are held in many different jurisdictions, this process is often very complicated.

The Procedures

When someone dies, their assets in each country are frozen and no one - not even the spouse or children - will be granted access until the Grant of Letters of Executorship has been obtained in each country where assets are held.

In order to obtain the Grant of Letters of Executorship in the individual’s country of residence, it must first be proven that death has occurred.

This is fairly easy in most cases, simply requiring the production of a death certificate. (Although it should be noted that in Thailand, unless you die in a hospital where your doctor may - but not always - be able to issue a death certificate, a death certificate is usually issued only after an autopsy, which is generally carried out in Bangkok. This can cause your family additional inconvenience and expense.)

Once the Grant of Letters of Executorship has been issued, it can be used to appoint an agent in each country who will, in turn, apply to the court of that country to obtain a local Grant of Letters of Administration.

This will allow the agent to instruct the bank or institution holding the assets to hand them over to the executor in the client’s country of residence, to be administered in accordance with the terms of your will - assuming you’ve made one.

(Otherwise you are deemed to have died intestate, and the State will administer your estate for you, with your assets passing to your next of kin. It is worth noting that if you have chosen to live with someone locally without having entered into a formal marriage, that person will have no legal claim to your estate at all.)

The Problems

It is now that the problems start to become evident - and it is usually the grieving family that is left to cope with them.

Delays: Just at the time when cash-flow is most important, the family finds that all the available assets are frozen. It can take months, and even years, to finalise an estate, causing at best inconvenience, and at worst, genuine distress.

Cost: Administering an estate can be a lengthy and time-consuming process, and the legal costs, agents’ fees and statutory charges can amount to as much as 10% of the value of the estate.

Taxes: As the will is a public document, the full details of the estate will be known to the authorities in the individual’s country of residence and may be liable to inheritance tax. In some regimes - UK for example - this can cost as much as 40% of the estate above the nil-rate band.

It is also worth mentioning that if you are British but your wife is not UK-domiciled (she was born in Thailand for example), then she may inherit only ฃ55,000 of your estate tax free, and the remainder is subject to inheritance tax at the full rate.

In addition, an individual may have been avoiding the payment of income and capital gains taxes on these overseas assets - but the estate may now become liable to substantial sums in back taxes and penalties.

Forced Heirship: As was touched upon last week, in some civil law countries, such as France, Spain and the Philippines, as well as in many Moslem countries, legal restrictions are placed on the way in which a testator (what lawyers call someone who has made a will and is now deceased) can dispose of his estate.

For instance, his wife and legitimate children are each entitled to a stipulated minimum percentage of his estate, as are his natural children (those born out of wedlock).

This can mean that the estate may not be distributed the way the now-deceased testator may have wished. It can also mean that not all of the heirs are properly provided for. And the testator is hardly in a position to argue!

Exchange control: If the offshore assets are brought to the attention of the authorities, countries with exchange control regulations may require them to be repatriated.

Financial planning: A single member of the family - typically the family patriarch - will often have assumed the burden of controlling the family’s finances: managing investments, properties and business interests on behalf of other members. That person may well be you.

After this person’s death, the family may find it difficult to locate all these assets - especially when the head of the family hasn’t told other family members, or his executor, about ‘secret’ bank accounts, offshore assets, etc.

And even if he has, no other family member may wish or be able to take on responsibility for the management of these assets.

Assets may then be lost forever, or subject to mismanagement, misappropriation or unwise or speculative investment, leaving the family in a difficult if not destitute position.

The Solutions

There are a number of ways in which an individual can plan for a more efficient, and less costly, distribution of an estate.

Local Wills: It is possible to make a separate will for each jurisdiction in which assets are held. One for Thailand (properly translated into Thai), and one for the rest of the world may be sufficient. But professional guidance should be sought in this regard.

Making separate wills has the effect of reducing the time taken to administer the estate; but under international law, the assets must be administered in accordance with the laws of the country of residence at death.

If you are resident in Thailand when you die, you know how simple, efficient and speedy bureaucratic processes are here...

Joint Accounts: Holding assets in joint accounts may avoid the problem of obtaining a Grant of Letters of Executorship on the death of the first account holder. But the problems have only been deferred until the death of the survivor, and not actually solved.

In many regimes - the Philippines, for example - even joint bank accounts are frozen if one signatory is known to have died.

Trusts: Holding assets in a trust can provide not only flexibility during one’s lifetime, but also ensures a simple and swift distribution of assets after death - in full accordance with one’s wishes, and avoiding any restrictions imposed by forced heirship.

As there is no requirement to obtain a Grant of Letters of Executorship with a trust, there are no costly legal bills to pay. The distribution of assets takes place without disclosure to any third party, so estate duty, which would otherwise have been payable, is often avoided.

As was touched upon last week, many people believe that trusts are expensive to set up, expensive to maintain, and are only for the super-rich.

This is not necessarily the case, however, and next week we’ll look at trusts in more detail.

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

By Mirin MacCarthy

Many of you have heard of Monika Rottmann. Even more will have heard her sing. Monika is the lady with the amazing alto voice who used to sing with the Seaboard Sound, and now can be heard performing in MoJo - her own restaurant/nightclub in Jomtien.

Monika was born in Hamm in Germany some forty odd years ago. Neither she nor her elder brother had easy childhoods. “My brother and I were both rebels. My father worked for the railways and my mother was a housewife. They were both strict Catholics and wanted me to settle down and be a good little haus frau too. I had different ideas, as even at a very early age I had music on my mind. I wanted a completely different lifestyle than their narrow view.”

Monika left high school at sixteen and then put herself through architecture for the next ten years by doing practical draftmanship and playing the guitar at the weekends. She is indeed a qualified architect, so why the change to music? “Architecture is all about logic and numbers and art and self expression, and so is music. It was just a natural follow on really; music was taking up more and more of my life instead of drawing and then I heard of the Cologne University where you could study jazz singing.” Monika spent the next four and a half years taking a degree in instrument teaching then, including the teaching of singing, piano and sax. She has been successfully singing for her supper ever since. For the next 19 years after her graduation she, “Made a living travelling, singing, playing the guitar and playing sax. It was great fun really; my whole life was music.”

However, do not assume that Monika is just a hair-brained warbler. She is compassionate, fun, resourceful and philosophical. She has been the vice president of the Pattaya International Ladies Club (PILC), the manager of the Seaboard Sound choir and now a restaurateur.

About seven years ago Monika decided to retire to Thailand to rethink her music career direction. “When you sing mainly popular songs for nineteen years, as the market dictates, you get stuck in the Hotel California groove. There is no development,” she said with a laugh. “It was great fun but my life then was all music and I had no time for great romances or other friends either.”

Monika’s philosophy in life is to live and let live. “Thailand is the perfect place for it. I think it was one of the reasons why I left Germany for here. Germans generally have a narrow, correct and proper outlook, whereas Thais are interested in sanuk. I love Thailand because of the blue skies, the smiling faces, and the tolerance. What more could you ask for? Additionally though, there are many more opportunities for women to make a career here than there are in Europe, especially if you are prepared to work and do your homework.”

One very important aspect to life for Monika is, “Relations between people. My philosophy is live and let live, accept people the way they are. I want to be accepted the way I am. I don’t want to be judged or changed or restricted. So I just enjoy people for their differences. Here in Thailand we are living between the worlds. The moral standards you have in Europe and the moral standards they live in Thailand are very different. It all comes down to having a live and let live attitude like the Thais. Thailand is ideal for that. I chose this country and was happy to leave Germany.”

Success to Monika is, “Having your own idea or dream and being able to put it into reality and have it accepted in the market. In Thailand again you have more opportunities for this than you do in Europe.” Does this then explain the giant leap of opening her own restaurant/nightclub here in December last year? “I actually did a lot of work researching both running a small business and establishing one here. Wow! Even so it is a fast learning curve. MoJo has been a roaring success. It attracts all the locals in the know who come for the great relaxed atmosphere, cool cocktails and music that is not overwhelming.”

Life for a successful businesswoman is not always a bed of roses, however. “I was actually threatened by one of the guards in my condo. I had the most horrible night. He had been watching me for weeks apparently, and knew I came home late every night with takings. I reported him to the tourist police and now I am employing a personal bodyguard to escort me to my door every night.”

Whilst music may be her life, there are more strings to her bow. She is also a talented, award-winning photographer; she enjoys reading, travelling and meeting as many people from different nationalities as possible. “Now I am here in Thailand it is the perfect opportunity to learn about other countries and their culture. Pattaya is so international. It is very interesting learning about places I will never have the opportunity to travel to.”

Monika Rottmann is the very definition of success, life and living. Someone who has made their passion their life. Salute, long may you sing, Monika.

by Mirin MacCarthy

by John D. Blyth 

The modest Austrian town of Jenbach has, among its several industries, a small locomotive building firm turning out good quality small diesel locomotives, of which many are in use in industry and on the Bundesbahn, the nation’s main rail network. A holiday resort as well, Jenbach is notable in being the starting-point of two narrow-gauge railways. One, the subject of this article, is the Achenseebahn, whose terminus is on the north side of the main east - west railway which serves Jenbach; the other is the Zillertalbahn, which is on the south side of the main line, serving the people of the Ziller Valley as far as Mayrhofen, about 32 km from Jenbach. It is a pleasant but ordinary narrow gauge line, in the common narrow gauge of 750 mm, and is now almost totally dieselised (you may note that simply by crossing the tracks from one small station to the other you can pass from ‘A’ to ‘Z’!).

The Achenseebahn has little about it that is ‘normal’ or ‘commonplace’. It is worked entirely by steam, noisily and unmistakably! It is a rack railway, but unlike so many, it does not simply go to the top of a mountain - it goes instead to a lake-side landing stage on the Achensee (Achen Lake), whence it used to be possible to travel on a vintage paddle-steamer to the town of Pertisau on the far shore. I have heard nothing of this steamer for some years, and it may have been replaced by something more modern.

Locomotive No. 1 stands at the rear of its two-coach train, waiting to charge the fearsome grade that begins at the end of the station platform at Jenbach. The different styles of coaches, closed and open, will be noted.

On opening in 1889, the Achenseebahn was the proud possessor of four locomotives of unusual design, even for a rack line. They were designed and built by the Wiener Lokomotiv-fabrik at Floridsdorf, Vienna; one of these was scrapped in 1930; the reason is not known to me - but the remaining three have worked the service between them ever since; some record, as they approach their 112th birthday. About 1996 there was a suggestion that a new ‘fourth’ locomotive was under construction, using some spares and some new parts, but nothing has been heard of this for some time.

The photograph and drawing will show that like many rack locomotives, these are built on a slant, so that when on the steep grade, the boiler is level, an appearance one writer has described as ‘like kneeling cows’. The cylinders drive on to the ends of a ‘jack-shaft’, which is geared directly to the main driving shaft, between the frames. This shaft also carries the main cogwheel which engages with a rack between the running rails on the section where the steepness of the gradient calls for its use. Coupling rods from this main axle also provide power to the two pairs of carrying wheels, through which the power is transmitted where the rack is not in use.

Ian Beattie’s fine drawing of an Achenseebahn locomotive. The main cogwheel which engages in the rack can be clearly seen near the centre of the locomotive. This should help to explain the unusual driving gear, if seen in conjunction with my explanation in the text.

Leaving Jenbach, the rack is engaged at once, and the little train charges up the steep gradient out of the town. On this section the locomotive is at the rear, as is always the case on very steep grades, so the conductor rides on the front coach, and he can give warning on the locomotive’s whistle, by pulling on a cord passing over the coaches. The mountain views on this section are superb, and it seems a short time has passed when the train reaches Eben, 4 km in just 28 minutes. Now the hard work is over, and the locomotive parks the coaches (not more than two are allowed), and running round to the front, is coupled to the train, which for the rest of the run to Seespitz, the lake-side terminal, is worked by adhesion. These final 7 km are run in a far less time than the first difficult rack section, and soon the train arrives at the lake side. On the return journey the locomotive is at the front of the train throughout.

The Achenseebahn seems to be flourishing now, although at the time of my first visit, 44 years ago, its future was very much in doubt - when I enquired about the first train of the day, I was told it would be a bus, which did not sound hopeful, and not a good start to my first visit to Austria! On that occasion I had to miss a ride on this line and go down the Zillertalbahn’s line instead. But the following year I was with a group, and our steam run was definitely assured. Austria has been building up its tourist drive ever since, and it may be that money for essential repairs to these vintage locomotives has become available. For many, the absence of steam on such a line would deprive it of one of its main features, something that some Swiss and Austrian rack railways have already discovered, and which, as already recorded in an article in the ‘Mail’ last November, has led to the design of a totally new and modern rack steam locomotive type - I have doubts of its suitability on this very traditional little line.

The excellent drawing comes from ‘Continental Modeller’ by kind permission of its Editor and long-time friend Andrew Burnham; the drawing is by the magazine’s late illustrator, Ian Beatty, whose outstanding work is now sorely missed following his sudden death last year.

I don’t want to over-do rack lines, fascinating though they are, but I think the Nilgiri line, the only remaining rack railway in all India (there were only two at best) is worth a look, and I will put something together on this in the near future

Santched from the Jaws of Oblivion

Recent headlines revealed that occasionally a May and December love match can often end in tragedy. Young ladies who murder their elderly husbands or boyfriends are rare indeed. Observers who have never found themselves in a relationship where the generation gap is as wide as the Grand Canyon may not comprehend where the attraction lies. For the young woman from a poor county, perhaps poverty, lack of education, and hope for security may be the inducement. For the older man, the reasons could be more complicated.

It happens. We all know the drill. The marriage you entered into with so much enthusiasm and hope, ends. Or the job into which you put so much of yourself goes sour, or is ‘downsized’. Any big set-back in life leaves you with hard questions about who you are. Using an unforeseen break in your life to figure out where you are, and where you want to go next, can give you the insight that makes second chances happen.

The inclination to leap into something new and different can be very tempting. Dye your hair, grow a beard, get that facelift you’ve been contemplating for years. Find a lover 20 years your junior; leave town, leave the country! However, quick ‘fixes’ can often plunge us into worse scenarios that those from which we thought we were escaping. In these hard edged, modern times, people sometimes think they can fix their lives like they fix their cars.

Perhaps the secret to new beginnings is to give ourselves some time to drift into a neutral time frame, which allows us to look over our lives, and pause to reflect. Too bad hardly anyone actually does anything that rational, and Thailand is a great place to observe people who have come here because something went very, very wrong with their lives back home. Of course, not everyone is here because they are running away from their demons. Let us just say, there are plenty of individuals who simply decided they wanted a change of scenery for personal reasons. This category covers a wide range of subjects.

Growing old is a good example. Asians have a hard time understanding that to grow elderly in the West is rather like being put out to pasture, especially for the man. Not only do Western nations deify youth and beauty, their societies imply that to grow old and infirm is tantamount to a social insult.

In addition to finding himself on the wrong side of youthful vigor, the divorce rate in some Western countries is higher than 50%, so chances are his marriage broke up long ago, and the ‘dating scene’ in these nations is fraught with obstacles. Unless these gentlemen stay in the work force, or immerse themselves in active hobbies or charity work, many find themselves at loose ends. I used to think Western women handled this time of life better than their male counterparts. After all, they have grandchildren and all those soppy women’s magazines to turn to, while Sports Illustrated and Popular Mechanics don’t gear themselves to social issues. But as the Baby Boomers advance toward the age of retirement, the women of this generation are proving me wrong, but that is a subject for another time.

Eastern societies place a premium on older people, and great age commands respect. The elderly hold elevated positions in their neighborhoods, and are revered for their accumulated wisdom. A wai, a salaam, or a bow from the young is always proffered with sincerity. While gray hair and a wrinkled face will get you nothing in the West except a name card from a plastic surgeon or a discounted fare on the city bus, a wai, a salaam, or a bow from the young is always proffered with sincerity.

And if these gentlemen, by chance, or design, find themselves in Thailand, a fresh young bride in her 20’s is not exactly out of reach. Out of reach? He will most likely be pursued. After all, he probably has money; at least a generous pension, maybe a business. He will buy her a house and a car, perhaps send her to school, take her on foreign holidays, and support her relatives. At least that is her dream. And the gentleman? It depends on what kind of bargain they have made. Surely it will beat sitting in a public park in Chicago, London or Frankfurt, feeding the pigeons.

by Richard Bunch

This week, I thought it would be a change not to have readers questions but something which is fairly topical at the moment: and that it the latest processor from Intel, the Pentium 4.

This processor is available in 3 speeds, 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5Ghz, all of which feature Intel’s new NetBurst? micro-architecture which incorporates a 400MHz system bus, hyper-pipelined technology, rapid execution engine, execution trace cache, advanced transfer cache, advanced dynamic execution, enhanced floating point/multimedia and streaming SIMD extensions 2. The hub architecture is based on the Intel 850 chipset, which was in itself designed with the Pentium 4 and NetBurst technology in mind. This doubles the length of the pipeline between the processor and the chipset, which enables higher performance than ever before. In addition, the Pentium 4 has a 400 MHz system bus that provides three times the bandwidth over previous technologies. It also provides advanced dynamic execution to more accurately predict branch utilization while an execution trace cache stores decoded instructions, which removes the decoder from the main instruction loop. The processor also provides 144 new streaming SIMD Extension 2 instructions, with double precision floating point, 128-bit SIMD integer, and improved cache and memory management instructions.

I recently built a Pentium 4, 1.4Ghz on Intel’s D850Gb motherboard. The boxed Intel Processor comes with 128Mb RDRAM (2 * 64Mb/800Mhz), yes one again memory has to be inserted in matched pairs and all memory on the same motherboard has to be the same speed. RDRAM is available in both 600 and 800Mhz speeds. The board naturally supports ATA100 hard disks, which further enhances performance. The motherboard is physically larger than that used for Pentium 3 and Celerons; this added width initially caused me a problem as I could not mount my removable HDD rack where I wanted as there was insufficient clearance. However, moving it up the tower resolved the problem. As well as being somewhat larger physically, the next thing to note is that it requires 3 separate power connections, so no standard ATX case here! The processor itself is a 423 pin grid array and comes complete with a syringe of heat transfer grease and a humungous fan, the latter of which is not that easy to mount.

Whilst that sums up the basics, it is very important that when building a performance PC like this that the ancillary equipment like AGP cards, hard disks and sound card are not scrimped, as a poor performing AGP card will drastically reduce overall performance, as will pre ATA100 hard disks thereby negating the expense of building the Pentium 4 based PC in the first place.

In operation I have found overall performance a little disappointing. It is true to say that it opens programs much quicker and multitasks better, but clearly the 128Mb of RDRAM, as supplied, is inadequate and needs to be increased. This is not a cheap upgrade and 128Mb of RDRAM will set you back over 9,000 baht, in contrast 128Mb of PC133 SDRAM will cost just over 2,000 baht. Also, at the time of writing RDRAM is rather scarce.

So, should you rush out and buy one? The answer, unless you really have a burning desire for ownership is probably no. Prices will undoubtedly come down, although when is uncertain. As yet, Pentium 3 chips are holding their price and no significant reduction has been seen, whereas when Pentium 3’s were introduced the price of Pentium 2 chips was slashed.

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: custom database and application development; website design, promotion and hosting; computer and peripheral sales service and repairs, pro audio solutions, networks (LAN & WAN) and IT consulting. For further information, please e-mail [email protected] or telephone/fax 038 716 816 or see our website www.act.co.th

by Apichart Panyadee

New Zealand Waters

Hookers sea lion off coast of Poor Knights Island

Bordered on north, east and west by the bountiful South Pacific, and on the south by the harsh, polar Southern Ocean, New Zealand’s temperate waters encircle thousands of miles of coastline. Off the west coast of South Island, where an early snow may dust Doubtful Sound, the bottlenose dolphins cruise and hunt. These sea mammals use biosonar to create “pictures” of their surroundings. In these waters, the bottlenose dolphins feed on sea creatures including squid. They also snatch up fish discarded by fishermen. In shallow waters, these clever creatures often roll over on their backs and feed upside down. It is thought this peculiar method of eating is used in the shallows to enhance echo-location by subduing surface echoes. In this way they filter out the surface noise.

New Zealand’s Bottlenose dolphin

On New Zealand’s opposite end, about 15 miles off North Island’s north east coast, lies Poor Knights Island. These isolated and uninhabited bits of land overlook a magical underwater sanctuary where the sea has etched cavities out of volcanic rock. Amongst a throng of underwater creatures, there dwells the tiny, two inch crested blennies. Divers will also find the long-spined red urchins feeding on seaweed here. This sea urchin defends itself with two sets of mobile spines. Each spine is tucked into a ball-and-socket joint, and attached to that joint is a muscle at the base, which allows the spine to swivel around and aim it at passing predators looking for a meal.

Seven inch male seahorse

The Auckland Islands are located in New Zealand’s outermost territory of its southern islands. In these waters lives the Hooker’s sea lion. Probably less than 10,000 live and breed in this region. However, populations are increasing since laws were passed to prevent the hunting of seals. In shallow bays on Steward Island, scuba divers observe the sea horse, which may grow to about seven inches when mature. This curious creature is an interesting example of reverse roles in parenting. Sea horse reproduction occurs when the female injects her eggs into the incubating pouch of the male. He inseminates them, nurtures them, and after a few weeks, spews them forth into the sea. It may take several days for as many as 300 half-inch babies to emerge. Hungry when born, sea horses eat crustacean larvae and other small creatures with their tubular mouths. Sea horses are becoming increasingly rare as collectors and traders decimate their populations for domestic aquariums.

by Marion

by Lesley Warner

Out of the Rumour Mill: The Lovely ogling den (Naklua Road) is reported to be closing its doors sometime this coming April. The reason being offered is that the lease is up for renewal and the present ownership feels the current return on investment is not worth the money. Instead, they will concentrate on improving their other operations in Walking Street, namely Happy (Soi Happy) and Peppermint (upstairs and next to the Marine Disco).

It is also being reported that the Star Night ogling den (Soi 6) is up for grabs and will, in all likelihood, be shutting down in the near future.

However, hope springs eternal, for when one door closes it seems yet another one opens. If the sign is anything to go by then the new Giligins (Pattayland Soi 1) is certain to be noticed. The beer boozer by day, ogling den by night is due to open its doors to the paying public sometime in the next couple of weeks. Management is also suggesting that around 2:00am the ogling den will then turn into a disco and continue on until the wee small hours.

In the Boozers: As of March 1, the sedate nosh house and laid back beer boozer Larry’s Dive (South Pattaya Road) turns into Blacky’s Pirate Den from 10:00pm until closing (around 4:00am).

The popular Blacky has been around Pattaya for the last eight years singing and playing his own brand of rock and roll and was formerly the resident musician at the Bamboo Bar, just across the road from Larry’s Dive.

However, Blacky has struck a deal with the Larry’s Dive management and now his ensign, the black flag sporting the skull and crossbones, will be hung out each night.

Happy Hour kicks off at 3:00am and continues until closing and Blacky will have a super VCD show to enhance his performance and hopefully attract passers by.

Shameless Plug: For those of you who like a good laugh then may I humbly recommend a new magazine entitled ‘Pattaya Unplugged’. The magazine features sections on some of the T-shirts put out by ogling dens and beer boozers, restaurant menus that don’t quite make sense as well as unusual signs, posters, sayings and the like from a multitude of boozers and nosh houses. It costs just 40 baht and is available from Bookazine, DK Books in Soi Post Office and DK Bookmart in Central Pattaya Road (Beach Road end) and was compiled by yours truly.

In the Hot Spots: To be perfectly blunt, there are some ogling dens around Fun Town that employ dancing maidens who, quite frankly, should really be plying their trade in places where abundant apparel is a requirement. Siberia in mid-winter is one place that comes readily to mind.

In one particular establishment I counted around 15 or so wobbling specimens, and most of them looked like the ‘before’ photos used in advertisements for Weight Watchers. ‘Hi, I’m Ton and I lost 300 kilos in just six weeks’.

This den offers three shows a night, but I left before the first offering as I’d only just finished my dinner and wasn’t keen on losing it. Just the thought of it gave me hot and cold flushes all night.

Worthwhile Websites: The recently re-named FLB Bar (past the big tree on Walking Street) has one of the most popular websites in Pattaya. I recently spent some time checking through it and I’d have to say it’s well worth a visit, whether you’re living here, a tourist or planning on coming to Fun Town for the first or fiftieth time. Ignore the odd spelling mistake and grammatical glitch, the site is chock full of valuable information and interesting stories. You’ll find it at www.freelancer.com

My e-mail address is: [email protected]

by C. Schloemer

Good points: attractive, sporty appearance, faithful, (if formidable) guard, good with children

Take heed: that hard, wiry coat needs to be hand stripped; if it gets into a fight you could end up with the other guy’s vet bill.

The Airedale is the king of the terriers and the largest of the terrier group. It is a splendid looking animal with plenty of stamina. The Airedale can ideally combine the roles of family pet and guard dog. Prior to the First World War, the Airedale worked as a patrol dog with dock and railway police. During the War, it served in both the Russian and the British Army. It worked for the Red Cross, locating the wounded and carrying messages. Indeed, at that time its abilities as messenger and guard were superior to those of the German Shepherd. This dog is intelligent and faithful, as well as hard working. The Airedale is now a modern day family pet and is good with children. The owners should socialise this dog as a puppy. It can sometimes have a problem with other dogs, so be prepared to train your Airedale to a lead. And the sooner the owner trains this dog to respond to voice commands, the better.

Size: Approximately 25 kg, height: dogs, 61 cm at the shoulder, bitches slightly less.

Exercise: One of the useful features about this dog is that although large, it will adapt easily to living in a reasonably confined space, provided that it has at least two good 20-minute walks and off the leash free runs every day. Alternatively, it will be in its element running with horses in the country and slopping though muddy fields. Not exactly adapted to downtown city life because of exercise requirements, the Airedale, however, will be happy in a medium sized garden as long as there are public parks for free runs. This dog needs training early, and will reward that training with obedience and loyalty.

Grooming: The Airedale needs a daily grooming with a stiff brush, and if you plan to enter him in the show ring, it is absolutely essential to that his coat is hand stripped regularly. Ask the breeder to show you how this is done and don’t be ashamed if you eventually resort to a grooming salon. If you own an Airedale in Thailand’s tropical heat, you will need to hand strip the coat more often to keep him cool. Those owners who live in cold climes will allow the winter coat to grow thick for protection, but still need to strip the coat in Spring and Summer.

Origin and History: The Airedale is named after the valley of Aire in Yorkshire from which its ancestors came. It was originally called the Waterside, or working terrier. The forerunner of the present-day Airedale was kept for vermin control by Yorkshire gamekeepers and it was probably crossed with the Otterhound. In the late 1800’s the Fox Terrier enjoyed immense popularity. Lots of thought and care went into the breeding of the Airedale. It was a bigger terrier, attractive, and at the same time, a very useful dog. It was soon adopted as a companion, and a pet. But when given a chance the Airedale can still be an expert ratter and can also be trained to the gun.

by Anchalee Kaewmanee

In order to more accurately synthesize the elements of your Sun sign with those of your Moon sign, and arrive at a startlingly accurate picture of your personality - your passions, fortes, compatibility with others and your career potentials - you must understand the underlying influences of the Moon sign over the more obvious personality traits of the Sun sign.

Let’s take some quick examples. If you are a Gemini, for instance, you will probably have many of the traits common to all Geminis. These subjects are very talkative, usually high strung, and incredibly mobile. As a Gemini, others may find you somewhat quick-changing, inconsistent and hard to follow. You will most likely lead an active life, and your quest will be geared towards the pursuit of variety and excitement.

If, however, you are a Gemini with a Moon in Taurus, you will possess an underlying emotional stability, and thus appear much more consistent than your Gemini cousins with a Moon sign in a less earthy sign. You will also be more stubborn, less flexible, and you will be inclined to hold on to impressions and beliefs with fixed intensity.

In addition, the Gemini Sun sign personality with a Moon sign in Taurus will also be inclined to pursue a life geared more to comfort, luxury, and material security, rather than a search for constant novelty and what some may refer to as downright chaos.

To cite another example, let us say you are a Cancer with the Moon in Sagittarius. You may have all the other traits so characteristic of the stereotypical Cancer, it is true. Outwardly, you might be somewhat cautious, self-protective and shrewd. Your particular quest in life may lie in pursuit of emotional security and domestic happiness. That would be perfectly natural for a Cancer Sun sign. If, by chance, you happen to be a Cancer with a Moon in Sagittarius, you will be far more freedom-loving, uninhibited, and certainly more adventurous than what is typical of your sign.

The Cancer-Sagittarius will have deep dreams and aspirations which are geared more to the quest for truth, liberty, and philosophy. This subject is a deep thinker, who ponders on the meaning of life and the desires and motives of others. So we see, that by adding the Moon sign, we gain a whole new dimension to our understanding of the personality of the individual. Our view is no longer only a one-sided calculation of the Sun sign.

Now let us take an actual example. Former American President Jimmy Carter is a Libra with the Moon in Scorpio. His Libran nature is very evident in his style, mannerisms, and tactics. We know that Librans are concerned with establishing peace, harmony, balance, and happiness for those around them. Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign rhetoric, true to his Libran nature, was filled with references to love, the ‘politics of joy’, and the importance of bringing the population of his country together as a society which could work in tandem. His appeal was populist, which is also a Libran trait. They generally do not make decisions without first consulting others. They are fond of partnership and co-operation. Librans always favor compromise over combat. True to form, his administration policies were full of compromise, avoiding extremes and usually walking the middle path.

Librans are also known for their vanity, and perhaps this is why Mr. Carter was so concerned with the image he presented to the world while he was in office. But what about the other side of Jimmy Carter? That side was not always so apparent. The side which is represented by his Scorpio Moon sign would, by its very nature, be the opposite of a typical Libran. Scorpios are confident and bold, ambitious, stubborn, and decisive. Carter’s intense ambition and self-confidence attest to this Scorpio facet of his personality. During his term as president, there were plenty of times when he proved himself to be decisive and unafraid of initiating bold actions; all very much Scorpion attributes. While on the public stage, many could observe an underlying self-righteousness and egotism in Mr. Carter which sometimes brought about downright tyrannical behavior, especially in times of crisis. Again, this was the Scorpio Moon side of his emotional makeup.

by Jan Olav Aamlid - President - House of the Golden Coin
http://www.thaicoins.com

A diver’s dream is finding treasure. In the sea not too far from Pattaya several treasures have been found; unfortunately it is rarely reported to the authorities. The reason for this is that the law is not clear of the ownership of the items found.

Historically important evidence found in the sea is part of our heritage, and lots of questions from the past can be answered when curators have the opportunity to examine the items and the site where treasures are found.

This situation does not only apply Thailand, but also several other countries. In 1972 three divers, two Swedes and one Norwegian, were diving off the cost of Norway at the island of Runde in Sunnmore.

The reason for diving outside Runde was to see the interesting marine life by the Norwegian coast. Suddenly, one of the divers came to a clearing in the metre high forest of seaweed. He saw a great number of regular objects, and after he picked up a few he released that they were coins. Not only a few coins, but also a treasure.

After a few days the three divers took up about 75 kilos of gold and silver coins. They reported the find to the local police and handed over the coins to the police for safekeeping. The first reaction from the police was to tell the divers that it was prohibited to dive at this spot.

A few days later the leading expert in marine law made a statement saying that in his opinion the coins found on the bottom off the sea off Runde were no man’s property and that the finders were entitled to claim them.

During the next couple of weeks the divers picked up almost 500 kilos of gold and silver coins. The ownership of the coins was not clear. The ship was Dutch, named Akerendam, and foundered in 1725. Akerendam was on her way to Batavia, and the coins were supposed to be spent in South East Asia; maybe some of the coins were supposed to be used in Thailand buying silk.

The Dutch State wanted the coins, the Norwegian State wanted the coins and the divers wanted to keep what they had found. After some discussion, an agreement was made; the Dutch State got 7%, the divers got 67.6% and the State of Norway kept the rest.

In my opinion this was a good solution. Curators obtained historically important evidence, several books were written about the ship and the circumstances when Akerendam sank. The coins kept by the Norwegian State are exhibited at the University Coin Collection in Oslo. Some of the cannons and other items found are at the Maritime Museum in Bergen. Divers can still today dive at the sight and have the pleasure of seeing cannons still on the seabed.

One of the divers sold his coins to an investor. This investor and the two other divers in 1978 sold their coins at an auction in Switzerland. A Norwegian coin dealer ended up buying the coins, and sold them as collections of about twelve coins to collectors. The collectors are happy, not only do they have a part of important historical evidence, but also the price of their collections has increased a lot.

The Dutch State did not impress me. The 7% of the coins they received were later sold at a private auction. In my opinion the Dutch State should have kept the coins as a part of Holland’s important part in international shipping and trade and in respect of the seamen that died off the coast of Norway in 1725.

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