HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Family Money

Snap Shots

Modern Medicine

Women's World

Heart to Heart with Hillary

Grapevine

Antiques, are they genuine?

The computer doctor

Social Commentary by Khai Khem

Roll over Rover

A Slice of Thai History

The Message In The Moon

Coins of the Realm

Family Money: Lowered expectations

By Leslie Wright,
Managing director of Westminster Portfolio Services (Thailand) Ltd.

Rather than putting money into offshore funds or other investment vehicles exposed to stock market volatility, many expatriates prefer to keep their savings in safe and simple offshore deposit accounts.

Located in well regulated regimes such as the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, or Gibraltar, these accounts may be regarded as both safe and secure. But with base interest rates falling over the past year, these accounts are earning savers a decreasing return on their investments. This has caused great concern to many - especially retirees, whose bank deposits represent their entire nest-egg of capital.

In Thailand, just a few short years ago, time deposit savings accounts were paying up to 17% interest per annum - which in most cases provided an ample ‘pension’ without having to consider the risks and volatility of dabbling in the stock market. Now you’re lucky to get more than 3.5%.

Of course, the currency risk (of significant fluctuation relative to international hard currencies) should always be considered, but up until mid 1997, was largely ignored. Now with local passbook savings account interest down to around 1.5~2%, the situation is quite different.

Even the best offshore sterling-denominated savings rates are currently paying only around 5% or less; returns for accounts denominated in dollars or euros are even lower. Government base rates have fallen to 3.25% in the Euro zone and 2% in the US, compared to 4.5% in the Euro zone and 5.5% in the US two years ago.

There is little doubt that the pressure is on central banks to take further action to halt the slide in business activity. For ex-pats, these falls are reflected in offshore savings account rates. Customers of banks and building societies are anxious that rates will fall even further this year.

While no savings vehicles are ever likely to set the performance books on fire nor compete with stocks and shares for long-term profits there are simple options that can make saving more palatable. For example, fixed-rate bonds, where money is invested for a fixed period, boast higher rates than comparable variable rate accounts. The best one-year sterling accounts are currently paying around 5%.

Moreover, 2001 saw several new stock market-linked capital guaranteed products, as well as new base-rate tracker savings plans from leading offshore banks and building societies. Well-known institutions in this market included Abbey National, Barclays, Britannia International, Halifax International, Investec, Northern Rock, Royal Bank of Scotland International, Skipton Guernsey and The Derbyshire. “When stock markets were rising, many investors were complacent,” said one bank executive. “Now people have woken up, and they have sought these savings products partly out of fright. It is a noticeable trend.”

Stock market exposure

Stock market-linked deposit accounts are being advertised in the offshore press and touted by many brokerages as offering the best of both worlds. But is this really true? While they offer the potential for the highest interest rates, they can also carry more risk than straightforward deposit accounts. Growth is linked to stock markets: if markets perform well, you receive better interest rates; but if they perform badly, then you can actually end up with poorer rates.

This is simply a clever marketing ploy by offshore providers such as Scottish Life (who are currently offering a “guaranteed” market-linked bond which is being aggressively marketed by at least one local brokerage), where the downside is made less than crystal clear in the literature (unless you’re in the business and understand the terms) and certainly not by aggressive financial-product salesmen.

There are variations on this theme: the House Price Index Tracker Bond from Barclays Private Clients, launched last year, followed the UK house price index rather than the stock market and was launched, says Barclays, “in response to the post-September 11 reluctance to invest in shares.” A sound idea; but as this account is now closed to new subscribers, you can’t buy into it until an existing subscriber sells his units.

Stock market-linked accounts put a percentage of your investment into a standard savings or fixed-rate bond paying interest over a specific term, usually between two and five years. The remainder of your investment goes into a stock market-linked vehicle or tracker instrument. Dollar accounts tend to follow the S&P 500, euro accounts the FTSE Eurotop or a similar index, while sterling accounts benchmark the FTSE 100 or FTSE All Share. Your money is never invested directly in equities.

Stock market-linked accounts tend to offer a capital guarantee so, whatever happens to stock markets, your initial deposit is safe. Indeed, stock market-linked accounts are sold on the back of offering a degree of exposure plus this capital guarantee. Northern Rock’s Offshore Fifty-Fifty Bond, launched last December and again closed to new subscribers, is a classic example of this new type of account. It splits your balance equally between a fixed-rate savings bond and an FTSE 100 equity tracker bond. A guaranteed minimum interest rate of 6.35% a year until September 2003 was offered on the fixed-rate bond, after which it switches to a variable rate. The equity tracker bond came with a capital guarantee and a rate of return equivalent to 75% of any rise in the FTSE 100 over the five-year term.

This may sound interesting but stock market linked accounts need bullish conditions to work. For instance, the FTSE 100 would have to rise by over 6% a year for Northern Rock’s Fifty-Fifty to compete with a more traditional offshore savings accounts or bonds paying 5%. In the end, whether to invest in these linked products depends on your projections for stock market growth over the coming years.

While the FTSE 100 has fallen 6% annually over the last two years, for the last 20 years it has averaged returns of over 10% a year. So if you think it could rise by more than 6% per year over the next five years, products like Northern Rock Offshore’s Fifty-Fifty could be a good choice. Unfortunately, if the FTSE 100 does not rally, interest rates would be diluted and could end up below those found in more straightforward deposit accounts. My own view? As always: KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid.

Snap Shot: Stocking fillers - and I don’t mean legs

by Harry Flashman

Some days it is possible to look at the blank screen and have no real stimulus to write, no subject material coming to the forefront and having a mind as blank as the screen. Fortunately, I have someone who always seems to pop in to stimulate the grey matter and during the course of a five minute chat, will give me the idea on what to write. One of these people is Ernie Kuehnelt, one of the most enthusiastic local amateurs who has started to get himself set up as a pet photographer.

Now, for my money, Ernie is either exceptionally brave or exceptionally foolish. On the few occasions that Harry here has tried to photograph pet animals it has been hours of frustration and very little fun. As they say, dogs have owners but cats have servants! Try telling puss to “sit!” Put another way, dogs are difficult but cats are catastrophic! However, the one item that all dog photographers should have is a box of matches. One little rattle and Rover pricks his ears up and looks intelligent. Or as intelligent as Rovers can look.

So what did Ernie make me think of? He made me stop to think about all the little items that make the life of a photographer just that little bit easier. Sort of like the things you put in Xmas stockings and hence the title of this week’s column.

So after the box of matches, what else should you keep in the camera bag? For my money it is a torch. Any photographer who takes his camera out at night will need one. Even if just to see what way up the batteries go in the flash, which always runs out of volts just when you don’t need it.

Another small, but definitely handy item is a remote release for the shutter. Any time you are trying to do a time exposure, it becomes very difficult holding the button down and not making the camera tremble - especially with long exposures. Cheap, does not take up much space, and very useful.

While talking about time exposures, another useful “camera bag” item is a miniature tripod. Harry has one that was made by Polaroid a few years ago which folds up small and even fits into the side pocket on the bag. With something like this you can mount the tripod on the roof of the car and take 5 minute moonlight shots if you need it. Often called table-top tripods. There are some with “springy” legs but they are not much good. Get one with solid legs.

Now the next one is not so easy to get here, but you can always get someone to bring you one in from overseas. With the bright sunlight here, the magic brain inside your camera that sets the exposure settings can get confused. The answer for correct exposures is an 18% grey card. This you place beside the subject and take a meter reading from it. You then set the camera to that f stop and shutter speed and you have the correct exposure for the main shot. If you are serious about getting the correct exposure, and particularly if you shoot slides, one of these is invaluable. You can just fold it up and slip it in the camera bag very easily.

The next item is again not a true photographic item, but is invaluable. It is a waterproof marker pen. How many times have you written details, names, etc., on the back of a print, to find that it has rubbed off on the face of the next print and so forth? Totally annoying and often requires another set of prints to be made.

The last item that is worth considering, if you are a serious photographer, is a battery charger. You will go through heaps of batteries is you are shooting regularly. This gets expensive. Buy two sets of the rechargeable batteries and a charger and your photography expenses will be a lot less.

Modern Medicine: Warts and All

by Dr Iain Corness, Consultant

What a wonderful organ is our skin. It really is. It regulates the passage of water and electrolytes and keeps that collection of bones and internal organs neatly covered with a self-sealing all enveloping covering. We can’t live without our skin.

Unfortunately we tend to abuse our skin, and I must admit I am no exception, sitting here typing with purple ears and blistered face. And yes Mother, I forgot to put any sun block on before I went and played golf with Kim Fletcher, so it’s all his fault!

Like all of our other organs, the skin organ can have problems too, and these range from minor rashes, fungal infections, cysts, warts and other “lumpy” conditions like Squamous Cell Carcinomas (SCC’s), Basal Cell Carcinomas (BCC’s) that eat you away and then the melanomas that can be fatal. Yes, while your skin may keep you alive, it can also kill you. The message here is not to ignore your outer covering!

Melanoma is much more widespread than you would imagine. And the statistics can be quite frightening. Take these, for example, that I found in the United States - every hour of every day of the year, a person dies of melanoma in the United States. Melanoma strikes people of all ages, all races, all economic levels and both sexes. It is already the most common cancer for women 25 to 29 and the second most common cancer for women 30 to 34 and the incidence of melanoma is increasing faster than any other cancer. An American’s lifetime risk of developing melanoma is about 1 in 75.

Those are certainly not numbers to ignore. If someone told you of a raffle where you had a 1 in 75 chance of winning, you’d have your money out in no time. You would, wouldn’t you! Yet we are all ready to ignore the “skin lottery”.

Now those American statistics are not so bad compared to some other countries. Two of the worst as far as melanoma statistics are concerned are Australia and New Zealand. Why? Because these sunny countries have become inhabited by fair skinned people from the northern hemisphere, a skin which does not take the sun too well.

So where does that put us farangs living in a tropical country like Thailand? At risk, that’s what. And I am sure you have all been like me and suffered sunburn from time to time, one of the predisposing factors in changing seemingly “innocent moles” into malignant melanomas.

The message is to find the moles before they change - and that takes a trained and skilled eye and sometimes a biopsy as well. But it worth the look. Melanoma can be fatal, remember.

Now the news is not all bad! On Saturday 30th of March there will be a seminar held at the Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital on the subject of skin cancer, held by Dr. Anna Jaruwarn, a Specialist Dermatologist. At the seminar you will be able to receive a voucher to entitle you to 40% off the cost of a total skin check by Dr. Anna at a later date (B. 300 instead of the usual B. 500). To secure a place at this seminar, call the International Department of the hospital today. 038 427 777 is the number.

Women’s World: “The way I dress is the way I am, it’s the way I live my life. I’m not trying to be anything that I’m not.” Pamela Anderson

by Lesley Warner

What vision comes into your mind when you think of American women? Is it the glamorous ‘Barbie doll’ with the brilliant smile, silicone implants, blonde hair, lithe body from her visits to the gym, perfect makeup and hair from her regular trips to the beautician? Or is it the ‘corporate bitch’ image? This perfectly groomed ice maiden is the female version of a misogynist; she lives for her work, is single, has no family or a family she avoids and has often had a disturbed childhood! Why in the soap opera’s and movies that come out of America do they portray their women like this? It tends to give the rest of the world the impression that America is populated with empty, air headed, synthetic blondes and women totally devoid of emotion that are constantly fighting to prove themselves.

Pamela Anderson

With these thoughts in my head I went through my normal channel of investigation to see what I could discover about American women.

I decided to start with the most famous American Barbie doll, Pamela Anderson. Is she the same as us? Does she have bad hair days and spots? If she does she doesn’t admit to it. All I could discover was that she loves her life the way it is and can see nothing wrong with the way she is portrayed and is proud of what she has achieved. She also says that it suits her for people to see her as an empty headed blonde. She says she did not plan to become a sex symbol, it just happened that way. Well good for her; this is a lady that knows what she wants from life and grabs it with both hands and she is happy with herself! How many of us can say that?

As for ‘corporate bitch” - it seems that there’s a brain drain going on in the business world in America. For about thirty years women have been fighting for equality and their place in the labour market and they achieved it. We are perverse creatures, though, and have a habit of changing our minds when we achieve our goal. Surveys conclude that many women are now leaving their jobs and going home to start their own businesses - consulting practices and cottage industries - so they can better balance their career and family. Does that mean that they have decided that maybe the corporate world isn’t so wonderful after all? Or maybe they realize that they can have both if they manage their lives carefully.

Employers are now getting concerned that very talented female workers want out! They are coming to realize that concerns at home are once again becoming more important than the office. Many employers have decided to become more flexible as long as the work gets done and are letting their employees have hours to suit their lifestyle and family commitments. They know it simply costs too much money to continue to lose valuable women only to replace them with others who will ultimately leave.

Almost 20 years ago, Beverly LaHaye founded Concerned Women for America because she saw that feminism was destroying marriages, children, families and ultimately, the foundation of American culture. Maybe she is right. Some researchers maintain that the portrayal of men as crass idiots on screen, for example in movies like American Pie, has the ladies wondering if this is what they want. Has equality stripped men of their manliness?

I don’t know the answers to all these questions but I suspect maybe the American’s famous apple pie will soon be back on the menu at home.

Heart to Heart with Hillary

Dear Hillary,

From my understanding, as high as 90%+ of all marriages between Thai girls and foreigners are between bar girls and foreign sex-tourists and/or sex-pats. And from my own analysis, this is very correct. All of my male friends and acquaintances are married to bar girls and only one that I personally know about married a non-bar girl who is classified as nice low-class Thai girl. So is it fair to assume almost all foreigners marry bar girls?

Baffled

Dear Baffled,

There are lies, damned lies and statistics, and I’m trying to place your letter in the right category. Let us look at your sweeping statements, Petal. All of your friends and acquaintances, bar one, are married to bar girls. So what you are saying is that 90% (minus one) of your friends are either foreign sex-tourists or sex-pats. Really? It’s time you changed your bars, my little turtle dove! 90% of Hillary’s male friends are not married to bar girls, are not foreign sex-tourists or sex-pats, so we obviously do not share water holes (isn’t that a relief, she cried)! So in answer to your question of “Is it fair to assume almost all foreigners marry bar girls?” the answer is, No, it is not fair to assume this. You would probably be able to say, with a fair chance of being correct, that almost all foreigners marry girls. That is, providing they are male foreigners. But I doubt if the percentage is as high as 90%. We are living in a changing world! However, the fact of the matter is that men marry women they meet and socialize with, be that at work or after work. Managers marry secretaries, doctors marry nurses, trapeze artists marry circus ladies, ice skaters marry other ice skaters and so forth. If your male friends only frequent the bars, the only girls they will meet and marry are from the bars, but do not take it that this is the norm for expats and Thai girls.

Dear Hillary,

With Songkran rapidly approaching, have you any hints for staying dry? Every year we have to endure this madness which seems to last a week in Pattaya, rather than the one or two days anywhere else. Last year there were many injuries caused by idiotic behaviour. Over to you, Hillary. You must have some thoughts on this.

Soaked Sam

Dear Soaked Sam,

Hillary has lots of thoughts on everything, my Petal. How do you stay dry over Songkran? Simple. Emigrate to a non Asian country. Those countries on our borders have their own version of the water festival, so you would not escape that easily. Probably avoid the UK as well, as it is in a state of permanent celestial Songkran over there. If you do have to stay here, stay inside behind locked doors and order thin and crusty pizza takeaways (that is the only takeaway food they can slide it under the door without your having to open it). If you must go out, travel only by car with the windows up and the doors locked from the inside. On no account open the doors or wind down the windows if someone requests that you do so, or you will end up with a lapful of water. Make sure your windscreen washers are full of water as they will smear white paste on your windscreen and pull the wiper blades away from the screen to try to make you get out to replace them so that you can see again. Final tip, keep your wallet in a plastic zip-lock bag. After all you don’t want your money to end up as soggy satang do you.

Dear Hillary,

I have read somewhere that it is advisable to learn Thai as then you can understand just what your girlfriend is saying to her friends. Surely the girl is entitled to a little bit of privacy and should feel free to speak Thai with her friends? All of whom being Thai naturally speak Thai. I wonder if some of these people are just a little unsure of themselves. If they worked harder at the relationship then they wouldn’t have this sort of worry. Am I right on this, Hillary?

Tom

Dear Tom,

You sound a nice sort of chap, even if a little na๏ve, Petal. You are correct when you say that Thai girls will speak Thai amongst themselves, after all this is Thailand, and Thai is the native language. It would be strange if they were to try and converse in English. However, there are many ex-pats who have written in to say that when they began to understand Thai they began to understand just what was being said about them! And it was not all that complimentary. There are others who write to say that their ladies stopped them from learning Thai and they believe it was for the same reason - the girls wanted to be able to chat about the situation with their girlfriends without the true nature of the discussion being found out by the foreigners. Hillary really believes that all foreigners who wish to be resident here should learn the language. For many of you, Thai is difficult, but if you have a Thai girl/boy friend then you have someone to practice with. If they do not want you to learn, then perhaps this might sound a warning. If your mate really wants you to be part of life in this country, they will help you speak the language.

Grapevine

Antique, are they genuine? Netsuke and Okimono

by Apichart Panyadee

The netsuke is a small object, usually crafted in wood or ivory, designed to suspend a pouch, pipe case or “inro” (set of miniature boxes) from the obi (sash) holding together the Japanese kimono which has no pockets. To fulfill its function it could not be too large or it would be uncomfortable to wear, nor could it have projections that might get caught up in the kimono. These details will be an aid in sorting out a true netsuke from the later Okimono (standing figures) or groups carved by the same carver, either for indigenous collectors or more often for export.

Manju netsuke with silvered metal purse attachment, 1.9 inches

Okimono started to be produced when Japan was opened up to Western influence after Commander Perry of the US Navy sailed into Yokohama Harbor in 1853. Okimono continued the netsuke tradition of two holes in the base but were obviously too large to be worn.

The materials

To tell a fake from a genuine netsuke one needs some familiarity with the materials from which authentic pieces were made. The numbers of original netsuke carved in ivory and wood were about equal. There are, however, more forged ivory carvings on the market. There are several reasons for this. First, up until the 1980’s all ivory netsuke pieces were more highly regarded and more expensive. Second, the patina of wooden examples, both that which was put on by the original carver and that which has developed through age, is a great more subtle than on an ivory of comparable date and therefore harder to recreate.

Ivory is now out of fashion due to conservationist efforts to educate the buying public. Ivory products are now banned in many countries, and the availability of some plastics to simulate ivory makes production cheaper and easier. But before the latter part of the 20th century, ivory was treasured as a luxury article.

Ivory is not indigenous to Japan and was introduced only in the 19th century. Strictly speaking, the term should be applied only to the tusks of elephants, although a wider definition includes the teeth of the hippo, narwhal whale and the walrus. Tusks are incisors from the upper jaw and are entirely formed of dentine. This is composed of innumerable minute longitudinal tubes, which are, when fresh, filled with oil. This oil enables ivory to take on its characteristic polish and is slowly lost with age.

Faint longitudinal stripes are a sure guide to identifying the simulated ivories that appeared at the turn of the century with the stripes built into them. If the suspect ivory is held up to a light source so that the stripes are visible and then revolved slowly horizontally through 90 degrees, the light and dark stripes on genuine ivory will become less pronounced or disappear.

Okimono of a peasant, 5 inches tall

On the simulation, they will be visible at any angle. They also tend to be wider and more regular than on the genuine article. This test takes some learning, but once mastered is invaluable. The color of these simulations is also revealing. Some are not stained and are too white. The forgeries made about 1900 are in casein, (made from milk) and other plastics and occasionally have the “signature” of the “carver” molded into the base. The base also displays the same striping as the sides, whereas a cross section of ivory shows concentric lozenges.

Another substitute for elephant ivory is the walrus tusk, which can be distinguished from true ivory by its core of granular dentine, though it is often disguised by cross-hatching or similar patterning. Walrus ivory is formed of different layers and therefore is less stable than ivory and more prone to cracking. A cheaper and readily available material which is often passed off as ivory is bone. A lot of Netsuke in this material is at large to trap the unwary buyer. Bone, unlike ivory, is provided with a blood source and therefore, even in small pieces, has minute pores and channels through which the bone is kept alive. They appear on a carving as small brown or black spots or channels.

The Computer Doctor

by Richard Bunch

From Jim Christie, Ban Phe (Koh Samet port town):

I enjoy your column in the Pattaya Mail, and I am hoping you can give me some advice/comments.

My wife and I have just added a small internet cafe on the mezzanine above our retail shop. The cafe has 5 Atec workstations with i-Kon drives and AMD 850 chips. The “gateway” workstation is connected to a satellite (“turbo internet” from cscoms.com), with the other 4 stations supposedly networked with the gateway. The satellite gives very nice speed to the one computer, but the other 4 are slow.

We bought the hardware from a different company than our current ISP.

The ISP is telling us that the slowness is due to the AMD 850’s. They say that Pentium 4’s will solve the problem.

Computer-savvy friends are telling me that the 850’s should be perfectly adequate to run the network. They say the problem is low bandwidth thru the phone system. (We have satellite downloading and 56k thru the phone for uplinks.) But the uplink is fast on the gateway workstation.

I don’t have much computer expertise myself, so I hope what I’ve written above is intelligible. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Computer Doctor replies:

I am assuming that your PC’s are Duron based and as such should be adequate for the job. I don’t believe Pentium 4’s will improve the situation. CS Coms Turbo Internet is probably the most cost effective solution for getting a reasonable throughput and as you rightly say, the upload is done through the normal analogue modem and the download via satellite, the dish kicking in as the analogue connection is activated. Unfortunately you have not provided me with any details as to the Operating System, Local Area Network (LAN), gateway configuration, or ICS sharing, but in my experience the problems you are having, assuming there is no defective hardware is usually caused by configuration problems. However, it is not uncommon to see totally unmatched components and protocols being used. I don’t know what advice you sought when you purchased your equipment or indeed if it is new equipment but you really need to get professional help from a network expert. Unfortunately I cannot really assist you too much remotely; there are so many things that could be causing the problem, many of them of a technical nature.

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. For further information, please telephone 0 1782 4829, fax 0 3871 6816, e-mail: [email protected] or see the firm’s website www.act.co.th

Social Commentary by Khai Khem

Feeding the hand that bites you

One of the most contentious issues among foreign residents and tourists in Thailand is what is euphemistically called the ‘two-tier’ pricing system (one price for Thais, a higher price for foreigners). There is, however, another custom which is rarely discussed. Almost every day around the world, in what we like to call civilized urban society, we are being mugged. It is only minor mugging, not usually physically violent, and it’s perfectly legal. But is it mugging, nevertheless. An empty, demanding hand is thrust at us, and we press money into it. No, I am not talking about street beggars or pan-handlers. Think again.

Of all the pleasant old customs that progress and affluence have twisted out of recognition, one of the most savagely twisted is the business of tipping. What used to be an occasional bonus for special effort has become a nagging, continual obligation. It is now a form of servile blackmail that is practiced in varying degrees from the truck-stop diner to the four-star restaurant, with countless stops along the way.

The origin of the word ‘tip’ probably took on its present meaning in the 17th century as part of what the Oxford Dictionary describes with admirable accuracy as “rogues’ cant”. Somehow through the passage of time, the word has become respectable and unavoidable.

Today the tip vultures are everywhere. In France, for example, a man diving into a public toilet in need of relief is likely to find a large, mustached woman glowering over him as he enters. In front of her is a saucer, suggestively sprinkled with coins. If he should fail to add to the collection, there will be muttered curses and possibly a farewell flick from a wet mop. In France you are expected to pay for your pee pee.

Does one ever wonder why most of us are prepared to add a surcharge to what we have already paid for? What causes our endless generosity towards people who are often surly and careless? Certainly there are times when tips are happily given for service above and beyond the call of duty. But most times we don’t tip because we want to be liked by the tipping mafia. We tip because we feel if we don’t tip, embarrassment or worse will be inflicted on us. Many and various are the pressures and unspoken threats involved.

Many people tip for insurance. The man in charge of valet parking runs a speculative eye over your new Benz. He remarks what a lovely and expensive machine it is and that he will take care of it for you. The real translation is that if you ever want to see your hubcaps and stereo system again don’t forget the generous tip!

We also tip for comfort. When you have finally persuaded the girl of your dreams to dine with you, we all know that making reservations at a first class restaurant is not enough. Even expensive restaurants have cheap tables carefully placed next to the doors leading to the kitchen where you can enjoy the sound of smashing dishes and the curses of the chef as you eat. To avoid that, have your money ready as the maitre d’ greets you.

I once dined at a famous restaurant in Manhattan with a friend who was more courageous than most. He did not tip the maitre d’ and we were seated in a miserable location. The service was non-existent, and the thick skinned waiter, all teeth and charm, hovered like an insurance salesman over my friend as he presented the bill. After signing the credit card receipt (with no tip added), my friend pulled out a $50 dollar bill and held it under the waiter’s nose. Then he struck a match and lighted the banknote. “This is for you,” he told the waiter.

Trying to avoid public ridicule is often a good reason for tipping. The big city taxi-driver is the undisputed champion in this situation. He will grudgingly take to your destination at a dangerously high speed, and at the end of your journey you are usually a complete nervous wreck. But every cabbie expects a tip as his divine right. If the tip is not forthcoming his jeers and insults can be heard for miles, while passersby stop to stare at you as though you’d just robbed him.

Tipping in advance at hotels sometimes improves the level of service and avoids the embarrassment of being ambushed in the lobby at the end of your stay. Restaurants often add a service charge on to the tab, thereby avoiding the possibility that even the most indifferent service does not go unrewarded. In bars, take my advice. Don’t waste your time trying to calculate how much to leave. The bartender will do it for you by soaking an appropriate part of your change in a puddle of booze. When you finish drinking, simply pick up the dry money and go.

Roll over Rover: If every dog is different, can they all adapt?

by C. Schloemer

Every dog can adapt with training. But adaptation is relative. Certain breeds can adapt only so much. For example, suppose an owner is having a house party. A Golden Retriever in that situation would consider the opportunity marvelous for making new friends and showing off its latest tennis ball collection. Perhaps a bit too cheery, but the Retriever will mesh just fine. A German Shepherd bitch, however, bent on keeping track of her territory, might suffer career stress watching the comings and goings of guests. With training, she may become more accepting, but the owner should not expect the Shepherd to lie belly-up at just anyone’s feet. This dog is usually pretty attached to its owner and may remain aloof with strangers. Training will help an owner get a handle on his or her dog’s instincts, but it will not eliminate them completely.

If you have a mixed breed dog, don’t worry. The job of training may be a little more adventurous and it can be helpful if you can identify the mix and then read about the breed’s group description. Studying your mixed breed’s behavior will help determine where the pooch fits in.

The sporting group

Originally bred to spend entire days in the fields seeking out and collecting land and water fowl for their masters, this bunch is an energetic, loyal and happy lot who thrive on group interaction. Trusting, friendly and bright, they take to training well and generally view all strangers as potential friends. These easy-going dogs make excellent family pets, but prolonged isolation does upset them. Isolated they will develop diversionary habits like destructive chewing, barking, or jumping. They are annoyingly enthusiastic when left untrained. Examples are Labrador and Golden Retrievers, Irish Setters, German Shorthaired Pointers and Cocker Spaniels.

The hound group

These guys were bred to pursue game, using their eyes (sight hounds) or their noses (nose hounds). They are dogs with a mission! Active, lively and rugged, they make fun-loving and gentle pets. But be warned. They do have an independent streak. Not bred to look to man for direction, they usually don’t. Consequently, training them can be slow and challenging. They would rather scent a rabbit or a cat than do “sit-stays”. Generally sweet, lively and tolerant, hounds thrive on family involvement, and accept children and strangers with ease. Examples are Basset Hounds, Greyhounds, Beagles, Dachshunds, Afghans and the Weimaraner.

The working group

This is the most diversified group in terms of their breed and functions. Some pull sleds, others guard flocks and some protect the homestead. They do, however, have one common bond; they were all bred to serve man, helping him to survive and advance along the evolutionary scale. As pets, the working breeds are still very serious about their roles as workers and need a serious commitment to training. Intelligent, fearless and dignified, they can make devoted and loyal companions. Misunderstood, isolated or untrained, they will be unhappy, nervous and in some cases, overly aggressive. A few examples are the Rottweiler, Mastiffs, Doberman Pinschers, and Siberian Husky.

A Slice of Thai History: Scouting in Thailand

Part Two: 1912-present

by Duncan Stearn

The first Tiger Cubs group to be formed was established in the relatively new Royal Pages School.

It was through this school that the King was to learn of parental reluctance to support the fledgling Tiger Cubs. A Wild Tiger Corps demonstration was held in Bangkok in February 1912 and the Tiger Cub unit from the Royal Pages School was sent to attend.

However, the King was puzzled by the small number of Tiger Cubs who came to the manoeuvres and, on questioning the local commander, was informed that many parents had refused to give permission for their children to join the movement because they suspected it was a devious method of drafting their offspring into the armed forces.

King Vajiravudh, a former inspector-general of the army, knew the lengths to which some people would go to avoid being called up for military service and he was also aware of the resistance by parents to sending their children to the first public schools when they had been created some years earlier.

King Rama VI was determined to allay these fears and launched a two-pronged campaign to promote the Tiger Cubs.

First, he ordered the formation of a travelling troupe of actors who were sent out into the provinces to perform a play titled The Heart of a Fighter, written by the monarch himself.

The plot was a straightforward tale of a father who refused to give permission for his son to join the Tiger Cubs. He finally relents when foreign invaders endanger him and his life is saved by a group of Tiger Cubs.

On a more practical note, the King ordered the Education Ministry to co-ordinate with the Tiger Cubs and promote the benefits of the movement to parents, allaying their fears at the same time.

These moves proved successful and in 1920, the King established the Wild Tigress Corps that later devolved into the Girl Guides.

At the time of the creation of the Wild Tiger Corps and the Tiger Cubs, Thailand had been in the grip of a major economic recession that had begun in 1905. Among those blamed for the continuation of this recession was the large number of Chinese immigrants to Thailand.

Anti-Chinese sentiment grew, not least because the Chinese were involved in the opium trade and in tax collection as well as being accused of bribery and corruption at high levels.

When the Wild Tiger Corps and the Tiger Cubs were formed, some 10 percent of Thailand’s population was Chinese or of Chinese descent. Many of the newer immigrants refused to intermarry with the local Thais and, concurrent with the rise of Thai nationalism, came the advent of Chinese nationalism.

Against this backdrop came the First World War (1914-1918) and the participation of Thailand in late 1917 on the side of the Entente Cordiale, a further spur to Thai nationalism.

These events led to the Wild Tiger Corps and the Tiger Cubs becoming an entrenched and accepted part of Thai society to the point that in 1922, Thailand became one of the founder members of the World Scouting Organization.

Scouting remains strong in Thailand courtesy of the fact that it is part of the school curriculum. Each week the nation’s schoolchildren spend some of their educational time performing scouting tasks, dressed appropriately in Boy Scout and Girl Guide uniforms.

The Message In The Moon: Sun in Leo-Moon in Taurus

by Anchalee Kaewmanee

Stubborn, willful, bold and determined, natives born into this combination all take themselves and their actions very seriously. Normally, they are self-controlled, calm and sympathetic. They dwell in a stronghold of common sense and worldly wisdom. But when they are in a stressful or tense situation, or when things are not going their way, they can become just the opposite; temperamental, moody, unreasonable and even tyrannical.

Heaviness pervades the Leo-Taurus soul. Intense, dramatic and purposeful, these individuals desire only a few things in life. The problem is that when they set their sights on having whatever it is they want; they can become all consuming and obsessed. Sensual and materialistic, they will pursue power and status primarily for the comfort and luxury they provide.

Like most Leos, people of this combination are a bit egomaniacal. With self-assurance and near total faith in their own strengths and intuition, these people will strive hard to fulfill their dreams and ambitions. And they are one and all, extremely ambitious.

Since both the Leo Sun and the Taurus Moon are fixed signs, all natives of this combo possess dogged determination to achieve the heights they feel they deserve. Yet, despite those admirable qualities, these individuals often are their own worst enemies. Over-confidence and rigidity often blind their judgment and cause them to unconsciously undermine their own efforts.

All are endowed with inherent pragmatism and broad, far-reaching vision. But the absolute faith they have in themselves often causes them to reject or ignore the opinions of others. Too many times they will stubbornly neglect what good advice they have been given, only to discover they have made a serious mistake later on.

Capable of tremendous creativity, these natives must learn to cooperate with people. It is not possible to be right all of the time. The Leo-Taurus may be a born leader, but all the best leaders know enough to compromise now and then

It is not easy for this combination to accept defeat. For a Leo-Taurus, not getting his or her own way will throw them into a state of depression, and they will often become extremely irritated. There is a tendency to throw temperamental fits and tantrums, which are often directed at close associates and loved ones. Calm one moment and in a fit of fury the next, loved ones can be caught off guard and completely surprised at this loss of control. This is due to that strong ego and extraordinary sense of pride.

In maturity, the successful native of this combo learns that no one can be continually successful and live lives empty of all failure and mistakes. They will eventually learn to cope with disappointments now and then, and detach themselves a little more from their own activities.

Ultimately, happiness and inner peace can come only from within. When they learn to be more objective when they feel thwarted in their personal goals, they will not take everything so hard.

It is vital for these natives to channel excess tension and energy into some other creative endeavors. Instead of taking things out on their children or co-workers, they should take up some athletic sport which can help them expel stress and tension. All of these people need plenty of physical exercise. Meditation or artistic hobbies can be of much benefit since they are productive endeavors which direct energy and frustration into something positive. The Leo-Taurus will eventually learn to look at things from a distance and achieve the objectiveness he or she lacks. Plenty of diversion is essential to these natives in order to keep them from becoming obsessed with their own aims and goals.

Sensual and earthy, a good sex life is vital to maintain the Leo-Taurus’ overall happiness and well-being. Oddly, they are not particularly romantic and have a cavalier approach to love. Many affairs are likely for people of this combo. However, they must keep a watch on their own jealousy and over-possessiveness and be certain to respect their partner’s freedom and wishes.

Coins of the Realm: 1,600,000 baht paid for Thai coin

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

In the recent Singapore Coin Auction a collector paid 1,600,000 baht for a four baht Thai bullet coin in gold struck during the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV) who reigned from 1851 till 1868. This is about 4.5 times the high estimate. The same collector also bought the two baht coin for 650,000 baht and the one baht gold bullet coin for 150,000 baht.

One tical (baht) banknote issued by The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China in 1898 sold for 75,000 baht.

Steve Fenton of Knightsbridge Coins of London expressed after the sale that the price paid for the four and two baht was surprisingly low. He added that this was a classical case where the coins should not have been sold in auction, rather offered privately in the market. Even the four baht coin, which sold for 4.5 times the estimate, Mr. Fenton was of the opinion that the estimation was far to low, and that a rare, even unique in private collections, large gold coin like this should have sold for at least 4,000,000 baht.

More than 15 of the important collectors and dealers of Thai coins were present in the room. After the sale everyone agreed that the price paid for the four and two baht in gold was very reasonable. No one really had a good reason for not bidding more actively in the sale other than that they expected the coins to sell for much more and were not prepared to bid.

Another very rare one baht bullet coin struck during the time of King Rama III (1824-1851) was sold to a mail bidder for 500,000 baht. This was more than five times the high estimation, but also considered reasonable, as the coin is probably unique in private collections.

Well known Thai coin collector Peter Nagl from Switzerland was a very happy man after the sale. He was the buyer of a 1/8th baht bullet gold coin that sold for only 14,000 baht. The coin was described in the catalogue as being struck in the reign of King Rama IV, but was actually struck during the time of Rama III. Smaller denominations gold bullet coins from King Rama IV are seen quite often in the market, but the ones struck during King Rama III’s reign are very rare and deserve a much higher price.

One, two and four baht gold bullet coins sold for 2,400,000 baht to the same collector.

The most expensive Thai banknote in the sale was a one tical (baht) banknote issued by the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China in 1898, which sold for 75,000 baht, slightly under the low estimate. The other banknotes in the sale sold for prices not too far from those indicated in the new Complete Edition of The Thai Banknotes Catalogue presented in Pattaya Mail last week.

The Asia Money Fair took place in Singapore from the 15th to 17th of March. Close to 50 exhibitors had booths and thousands of visitors spent some time at the convention. Several speakers presented interesting numismatic topics, and several educational games took place. The games were meant to be played by kids but several very big kids could be observed eagerly participating. Prizes were coins and banknotes and were mostly sponsored by the Singapore Mint.

A new Singapore banknote, specially issued for the show, made people line up for hours, limited to only two notes a person. Many collectors were also buying the new euro coins that were introduced this year. You can read about those in the next edition of Pattaya Mail.