HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Family Money

Snap Shots

Modern Medicine

Practical Thai Law

Heart to Heart with Hillary

Bits ‘n’ Bobs

Animal Crackers

Personal Directions

Social Commentary by Khai Khem

Roll over Rover

The Message In The Moon

PC Basics

Family Money: TEPS

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

The market for traded endowment policies (TEPs), sometimes called the second-hand endowment policy market (SHEP), has grown in stature over the past two decades and now represents a multi-million pound industry.

Essentially, buying a TEP means one is purchasing another individual’s life assurance policy. The purchaser buys with a lump sum and then assumes the responsibility of paying the premiums until the policy matures.

Along with this responsibility, the purchaser gains all the bonuses that have been paid out over the years when the policy was held by the individual whose life is assured at the outset. The only link the new policy holder has with the old is, were the original holder (who must remain the assured) to die before the policy matures, the policy ceases with the payout being made to the new investor whose premium obligation then ceases.

But no one should buy a TEP on the basis that someone might die. After all, the policy purchase should be viewed as an investment and not a gamble.

There are several reasons why investors are including TEPs as a fundamental element of an investment portfolio. To begin with TEPs can be secured for smallish lump sums and investors have a range from which to choose. For investment purposes, what finds favour is the fact that a number of givens are known at the outset. These include:

* the overall sum assured

* the bonuses paid so far

* the premium sum

* and the date of maturity

For many investors, one of the largest carrots that a TEP can dangle is the knowledge that as the policy’s term life has been shortened by the original owner’s premiums, so have all the front-end charges been settled.

Another inducement for the purchase is the knowledge that the policy secures two elements of guarantee: the sum assured which is the amount the insurance company will pay out on maturity and ongoing annual bonuses called reversionary bonuses. Once a reversionary bonus has been paid, it is locked into the policy. No matter what the life company does in the future, a reversionary bonus once declared cannot be taken away.

Although this payment is made annually, it is not handed to the investor as a cash sum, but added to the value of the policy and that is why it cannot be taken away. On top of that, there is what is called a terminal bonus which may be added on maturity: in some cases this may be worth a sizeable percentage of the final value of the policy.

Along with reduced charges and locked in bonuses, there is the opportunity to invest for a known date. Investors buying a TEP may choose a policy which matures in a year to suit their own forward financial planning.

TEP investors warm to two further elements which can minimise investment risk. The first is that the investments in endowment policies reflect a wide spread: typically the equity proportion is around 60~70%. Insurance policies are managed in such a way as to effect a smoother run of performance returns, being balanced over the years where a certain creaming off from the good years counteracts the bad.

The second reassurance comes with the fact that these policies hail from well-respected international insurance companies. A key to choosing a policy is to research the track record of bonus payouts from the life assurers. A consistent record of good bonus payouts is far more important than being a one year top-of-the-league-table wonder: there’s no guarantee that last year’s winner will not be bottom of the league table next year.

Also bear in mind that what really matters is the maturity value of the policy. This is the sum which will enable you to meet your own financial goals. Life companies declare annual and terminal bonuses once a year and these announcements are made between January and April.

But if you’re confused about where to go to buy a TEP, or which one to buy, there’s an easy solution: invest into a TEP fund.

In recent years, the second-hand endowment business has grown enormously. There are literally millions of these policies being traded, and fund management houses specialising in these policies have been buying them in bulk.

Investors into TEP funds benefit in several ways: first, the economy of scale and the significant numbers involved mean that the volatility (and hence the risk) is further reduced. Most TEP funds have remarkably stable performance track records far more stable than typical mainstream funds. Perhaps most significantly, TEP funds, because of the way they operate and the maturity bonuses that are collected from the policies held, have been able to return positive performance figures even in years of negative equity growth, such as the past two years for instance.

So while stock markets continue to be volatile and investors continue to be nervous as a result (or some would say the cause), a staid & steady TEP fund may be a relatively safe port while the storm clouds are still hovering outside.

Snap Shot: Shooting your way to 1,000,000 dollars

by Harry Flashman

I believe just about every semi-serious photographer dreams about getting paid for his pictures. And it does happen. Our own coin collector Jan Olav Aamlid went up the Pattaya Park Tower with a bunch of loonies called BASE jumpers who jumped off the parapet and floated to earth via parachute. Jan Olav got some photographs that ended up being published in Norway and he got paid handsomely. Jan Olav, in fact, couldn’t believe just how much!

Photo by Richard Sharabura

When Harry Flashman became a “pro” do you know what his best piece of equipment was? No, it wasn’t his camera. No, it wasn’t the flash lighting gear. No, it wasn’t the tripod or a reflector. It was a book!

That book was written by a Canadian professional photographer, Richard Sharabura, and was called “Shooting your way to a $ Million”. Harry here, carried that book as his personal bible, and still refers to it. Written in 1981, the advice is just as pertinent today as it was twenty-one years ago. Anyone who has ever contemplated any form of “pay me for my pictures” should read this book. By the way, previously when I wrote about this book, local amateur Ernie Kuehnelt went looking and managed to locate a second hand one through Amazon Dot Com, so it is still possible to find copies.

The opening paragraphs state: “No other profession spawns more eager hopefuls. No other profession calls so many and chooses so few.” He goes on “ ... Practically every photographer has a preconceived notion about what he (or she) will shoot or not shoot. This is probably one of the most common stumbling blocks to financial success.”

Sharabura believes in being a generalist. In other words, you should be able to shoot anything. And I mean everything. It is no good saying to a potential customer, “Sorry, but I only shoot camels in mid-summer!” You have no idea of the number of photographic jobs that come from one initial request to shoot one particular subject. Harry started with a shot of a concrete truck, which expanded into a glamour calendar, then an engagement shot and a wedding - all from the same corporate executive. Be versatile is the answer!

There is no secret to becoming versatile. Just as the tennis pro’s play lots of tennis to get to the top, so do the photographic pro’s shoot lots of film to get to the top.

A good exercise is to pretend you are now the ace photographer for the Pattaya Mail! Just take a look at the different pictures in any newspaper and see what I mean about being versatile. There are photos of visiting celebrities, holes in the road, funerals, schools, construction sites, sporting tournaments and even babies.

Each weekend give yourself an assignment and go out and cover it pictorially. Here’s a few for you to try: the bus station, shopping on Beach Road, nightlife, the local laundry, life as a petrol pump attendant, beggars, baht busses. The list is as big as your imagination. Just choose one and get ready to shoot it this weekend.

Go out and illustrate your topic, as if the editor had told you to cover it. Make your shots describe the action, scene or activity. Think about how you are going to do it and how you are going to show it. Make the subject the “hero” and the main item of interest in all the shots.

Do all that and you are already thinking like a “pro”. Do it enough times and you will takes shots like a “pro”. Do that enough times and people will pay you like a “pro”.

The same can happen for you - just keep on shooting film and eventually someone will pay you for your hobby! And being paid for something you like doing is a real buzz! But remember that like all things - practice makes perfect!

Modern Medicine: Gene Therapy

by Dr Iain Corness, Consultant

A few months ago I mentioned Gene Therapy in this column. Unfortunately there is a public perception that meddling with human genes is like producing genetically modified eggs, corn or beef. Somehow, it’s “wrong” or dangerous. Even my own family will have nothing to do with genetically modified foodstuffs (called GM these days), with my sister spending hours at the supermarket to make sure that anything she buys is natural and “organic” (sorry, Sis).

I do not share these concerns (sorry, Mum) as we medicos are not in the business to produce cyborgs which are 3 metres tall. What GM scientific projects are doing is to produce “perfect” versions of our original eggs, meat and corn. And people?

You see, we have all been hanging around planet earth for so long that we have become imperfect. Just as your computer software programmes become corrupted and do not work as well, our gene code has become corrupted too. We were not designed to have diabetes or asthma or Sickle Cell Anaemia. Somewhere in previous generations a gene got corrupted and it just went on from there. A corrupted gene met another of the same ilk and now there is a whole lineage of people with Sickle Cell Anaemia. This is neither perfect nor “normal”.

In the British Medical Journal there is the report of the first success for gene therapy in the UK, where a young boy who was born with a combined immunodeficiency disorder was successfully treated for this. This condition is commonly referred to as the “Baby in the Bubble” where these children have no resistance to infection and must live their days in a ventilator screened off from the day to day bugs that we gain resistance to. Can you imagine this incarceration? It does not bear thinking about.

For 18-month-old Rhys Evans, this new process of gene therapy has meant that he can live a normal life at home. He can interact with his parents and other children. He is, for all intents and purposes “cured”.

According to the BMJ report, “The treatment began with the extraction and freezing of cells from Rhys’s bone marrow. A mouse retrovirus was genetically engineered to carry a healthy copy of the gene that was defective in Rhys. A bag containing the retrovirus was connected to a bag of his bone marrow. The virus then spliced the healthy gene into the stem cells, which were then reinserted into the bone. Within a few months his lymphocyte count began to climb rapidly.”

What all that means is that a genetically modified virus was able to be inserted into the boy’s “stem cells” that are part of the body’s building blocks. The virus carried the normal gene and the new cells which were duplicated were “normal”, giving the boy his immunity back again. For my money, that is a great breakthrough in treatment. One day, these genetically inherited illnesses will be a thing of the past, through GM treatment.

Of course, we medicos have to be cautious. Dr Adrian Thrasher, consultant paediatric immunologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital said, “I’d like to say that Rhys is cured, but we can’t say that. He will be followed up for years and years.” However, it certainly looks good right now.

Practical Thai Law: Laws on the Environment - Part 1

by Premprecha Dibbayawan - MCL Miami University Chairman - International Swiss Siam Co., Ltd.

Even when one claims that the environment is a hot issue nowadays, one cannot claim to be dealing with the latest issue. The environment formed us and is what has surrounded us from the birth of man and before. Because we did not realise the importance of the environment, now we start to fear the dangers caused by a man-damaged environment - but we may be too late. Whatever we are doing, can one say that such act does not involve the environment, starting from breathing, eating and so on?

The world environment today has reached a critical point. Global climate change, often seen as a process stretching over thousands of years, could in fact occur abruptly and unexpectedly quickly pushing up temperatures worldwide by as much as 10 degrees Celsius within a generation and wreaking havoc on human society. The most immediate dangers posed by abrupt climate change range from devastating droughts and floods that could seriously affect both water supply and agriculture across vast stretches of the planet to the inundation of whole islands and prosperous coastlines of continents. Scientists believe that the Gulf Stream, a current of warm Atlantic water which now keeps much of Northern Europe temperate, could theoretically reverse direction if enough cool fresh water runs into the north Atlantic from melting ice, a change that would quickly impact on European weather and affect the climate everywhere.

The increasing temperatures are causing the ice caps at the North and South Poles to melt and the seas are rising. Thailand will be amongst the first countries to be affected if there is any change in the mean sea level. A mere 7 metre rise in the mean sea level will see Bangkok flooded up to Rangsit (airport area).

Thailand has numerous environmental laws, some of which date back to the year 1875, which covered only the central area of Bangkok. The various laws are:

The Public Health Act 1941

Section 19 of the Public Health Act, 1941, provides that the local authority shall have the duty to take care of and prevent undesirable events or objects in public which will cause hazards to public health or the freedom of the people. There is a long list of undesirable events such as creating bad smells, noise, vibration and dust, which is classified as being a nuisance to others. The amended Public Health Act, 1992, authorizes the local authority to prevent any undesirable event by force without asking for a Court Order.

Act on Public Cleanliness and Public Good Order 1960

This law actually supports the standards of Westerners and informed Thais who are irritated by the habits of some local people who act against good preservation of the environment. The act was amended in 1992 and prohibits people to write, spray, or apply paint of any kind on walls or trees that can be seen from public place. The violator of this law is subject to fines that range from 1,000 baht.

Also prohibited and subject to fines is depositing objects or waste in a public place or hanging any material that can be seen from a public place. Other restrictions under this act are similar to those enforced in western countries such as to play group games in public places, to pick flowers in parks, to spit or to throw waste on the street or in public places.

In the case of a person breaking this law, those who witness the offence may report the case to the local authority or to the police, and the officer who received the report must take immediate action. The person who filed the report is considered as the injured party under the Criminal Code. If the officer who received the report fails to act accordingly, he shall be punished as if he were the offender.

Next week we will look at more environmental laws.

Heart to Heart with Hillary

Dear Hillary,

I made the mistake (well at least it seems that way) of being friendly to one of the cleaning staff in a bar I frequent. I got her to go and get me some cigarettes and something to eat and told her she could get something for herself too. She came back with the food, I gave her a tip and we sat and ate together. That was it. Imagine how I felt in the office the next day, when she arrived with a friend who had good English, to tell me that the lady in question was a “good woman” and needed a “good man” like me as she had a child and no husband, and she had come to be with me. I then saw that she had a suitcase with her as well! What should I have done, Hillary? To be honest, I was so dumbfounded, I muttered something about being very busy and fled the scene (as they say after road accidents). What do I do now, I sit in my office petrified that I am about to be deluged with ladies with well packed suitcases in need of “good man”? You are the last person I can turn to in this my hour of need.

Good Man George

Dear Good Man George,

Are you sure that was all that happened that evening? Just a small tip for getting ciggies and tom yum? Nothing else? Nothing else implied? It wasn’t a case of noodles and nookie? Thai girls are not that forward on a fleeting exchange, George (good or otherwise and Hillary doesn’t particularly care, so no protestations, Petal) so Hillary thinks you probably got what you deserved. How did she get your office address? Clairvoyance? There are too many facts missing from your letter, George. I’d change offices. Thai girls can be very vindictive if they think they’ve been led up the garden path (or the elevator to the condo).

Dear Hillary,

I am very new to Thailand and do not speak much Thai (about six words, I think). When I go down the road to buy something from the shop, the people next door say something like “By Ny”. What are they saying as I get very embarrassed just smiling and nodding every day? Even if you give me something to reply will be sufficient. Thanking you in advance,

Vera

Dear Vera,

You are learning the first lesson about Thais in Thailand, Petal. They are very inquisitive and the “Bai nai” (usual Anglicized transliteration) just means “where are you going?” Without having to be specific, like I am going to the post office or to the shops, all you have to say is “Bai tee-oh” which means you are going somewhere for “fun”, which is the usual rejoinder.

Dear Hillary,

Platform shoes went out in the 60’s but they seem to abound in Thailand. Even in the cabaret shows you will see the girls in huge clumpy shoes and boots. I asked a friend who has been here since the 60’s and he said the fashion just endured. Do you know of any particular reason for this?

Platform Priscilla

Dear PP,

This is not the first time Hillary has been asked this question, and I will introduce you to the others who probably got their seeing eye dogs at the same canine school as yourself. What height are Thai girls? What height are farang men? If they are ever to see eye to eye with this week’s soul-mate and recipient of the “I love you to mutt, Teerak” they need a little help, which generally comes in at about six inches of platform soul, sorry, “sole”. Use your eyes darling. Everything in Thailand is always perfectly logical.

Dear Hillary,

It was brought to my attention very recently that there was a golf match between Kim Fletcher and his wife Ning and the musical maestros Rick and Harpic. The spy who witnessed this match told me that Rick and Harpic lost by 7 shots. What I want to know is whether these were Stableford points or were they playing four skins and just added their totals at the end?

Frank Mikelin

Dear Frank,

Hillary too heard this probably malicious rumour. Since Rick plays off a low handicap, and Harpic has played a round before and has her own balls and clubs these days, it is inconceivable that they could have been beaten by such a margin, considering that Ning has never played the game before and Kim Fletcher didn’t get his place in the Dream Team through gifted golf. As far as Stableford is concerned, “stable door” would more closely describe Kim’s accuracy on the putting green, so I think we can put this report down to either an aberration caused by the El Nino effect, Fletcher paid the other side’s caddy to add the scores incorrectly or just another of those intellectual discussions that occur late in the evenings in Pattaya bars. In Pattaya, believe 50% of what you see, 25% of what you read (except my column of course, Petal) and zero % of what you hear.

Bits ‘n’ Bobs

Animal Crackers: Cats - friend or foe?

By Mirin E Mc Carthy

The ordinary cat has become the scapegoat for human devastation of the environment in Australia. Domestic cats take the full and unjust brunt of wildlife destruction.

Cats which have been in Australia since European settlement were deliberately released into the wild in the late 1800’s in the hope that they would control rabbits, rats and mice. There is no distinct breed of wildcat in Australia, such as the Scottish wildcat, though three categories of cat are recognised: domestic, stray and feral cats. Strays are those roaming cities, and some rural properties but not owned by anyone. Feral cats exist without human contact or assistance for their survival.

Impact

The impact of both domestic and feral cats on small native animal wildlife and birds is a controversial issue in Australia. Cats have become a convenient target for the anti-conservationist developers to distance themselves and distract attention from their man made destruction of the landscape. This decimation of the Australian environment has been achieved both by the deliberate introduction of non native species including rabbits, cane toads and foxes, clearing and overgrazing of land by introduced sheep and cattle, in addition to urban developmental sprawl. Many people are unaware that there is currently more destructive land clearing in Australia than in Brazilian rainforests.

Ecology

Feral cats are very adaptable, surviving in arid conditions as they are mainly nocturnal and so hunt when it is cooler. They utilise the moisture from their prey so do not have to rely on a ready supply of drinking water either. In the outback feral cats are seen in their hundreds perching in trees like birds to escape being taken by dingoes and foxes.

Feral cats generally eat mice, rats, and small mammals, also some birds, reptiles and insects.

In pastoral regions in Australia, young rabbits make up the majority of their diet. However, in areas where rabbits are scarce, feral cats will prey largely on wild pigeons and native animals.

Stray and feral cats do play a large part in reducing zoonotic diseases spread by rats and mice.

Environment Australia (Commonwealth Department of the Australian Government) uses the following unscientific and emotional scare tactic statement as a licence to hunt, poison, trap, bait and kill feral cats in any cruel manner and in some states to attempt to introduce draconian laws to restrict domestic cat ownership:

“Feral cats carry infective diseases such as toxoplasmosis. These diseases can be transmitted to native animals, domestic livestock and humans. In wildlife, toxoplasmosis can cause damage to the central nervous system, blindness, respiratory problems and general debilitation. In humans, toxoplasmosis can also cause debilitation, miscarriage in pregnant women and congenital birth defects. If rabies were to be accidentally introduced into Australia the potential for feral cats to act as carriers would be a high risk. This could prove disastrous for native wildlife and domestic stock.”

By way of explanation, toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease (one capable of being transferred across species to man), so is rabies. Toxoplasmosis is spread by birds and cats kill birds. Rabies is spread by rats, mice and mammals, including monkeys and dogs. So the feral and stray cat performs a valuable rabies limiting service in rabies endemic countries such as Thailand by killing large numbers of rats and mice.

Leptospirosis, another serious zoonotic virus in Australia which is spread by pigs, rats and mice, is also kept under plague proportions by the much maligned cat. So perhaps the ordinary cat may be viewed as of beneficial rather than the target for persecution.

Personal Directions: Passion IS a Driving Forcel

by Christina Dodd, founder and managing director 
of Incorp Training Associates

I found myself this week having the privilege of meeting two of the most energizing young individuals that I have met for a long time. Both professionals in separate fields of industry, I was told prior to meeting them that they were great proponents of change... men of vision and ideas who were willing to go that extra mile! What a build-up I thought, so I prepared myself to meet these two “dynamos” and at the same time wondered, “Sure, this has all been said before so I’ll just wait and see what the real story is!”

The first gentleman was the main speaker at a seminar I was invited to attend and when his session opened, a rather small-framed fellow with spikey and jelled hair appeared and proceeded to the podium. I thought to myself, “this will be interesting”. There was complete silence while he scanned the audience and then he began to speak.

Well, from the very moment he spoke I knew that this was to be no ordinary experience! His words and his whole style of delivery were laced with the one thing that set him apart from everyone else that I had heard that day and indeed for a long, long time - and that was “passion”. He spoke with such passion that I could see others in the room literally on the edge of their seats. Some people were almost spellbound, waiting on the very next word or sentence. He provoked laughter, discussion, thought and action. He filled the room with such energy that I was simply blown away!

The second young “dynamo” that I met was completely the opposite in appearance. He didn’t have enough hair to jell and walked ten feet taller. He sat behind a desk with an entourage of helpers standing by for his next command. I wondered to myself - “what have I got here!” After exchanging introductions and name cards, he sat and quietly studied me, and then gave a warm and sincere smile.

His conversation and approach to the subject of our meeting was well planned, methodical, with nothing out of place. And as soon as he began to explain his views, I knew at once that this meeting would be no ordinary meeting, for behind that desk sat a man who believed one thousand percent in what he wanted and the way in which he was going to achieve it. He spoke with a genuine desire and such a level of passion that I came away feeling inspired and compelled to go and climb a mountain! It was that motivating.

Passion is the driving force behind some of the world’s greatest success stories, some of history’s greatest achievements and some of mankind’s greatest inventions. Embraced in the right way it is a powerful catalyst that can unleash abilities and energy from within an individual that can bring unprecedented results. It has the power to change people and the way they live their lives.

It is so invigorating to be around people who have a passion for what they do. It is an enviable quality. We feel like we have just woken up from a hundred years of sleep. We start asking ourselves what we have been doing all this time. We begin to see that there is hope despite all life’s obstacles. We feel an energy build up inside us that is ready to propel us to anywhere we want to go. We suddenly want to better our lives and the lives of those around us!

I quite honestly haven’t been able to put these two extraordinary gentlemen out of my mind for a minute since meeting them. I even have flashbacks to parts of the conversations we had - they were that dynamic! I remember something I read in one of Napoleon Hill’s many books about success and achievement. He wrote that for an individual to reach success there had to be a desire from within - but not just any old desire - a “burning” desire or “passion”.

Well I certainly know of two more people who are going to achieve everything they want and much, much more. Their passion is their driving force!

Are you passionate about what you want in your personal life or your professional life? Or in the way you live your life day to day? We admire those who are - so why not be like them!

Christina can be contacted by email at [email protected] or directly at Incorp Training Associates in Bangkok, tel. (02) 6521867-8 or fax: (02) 6521870.

Social Commentary by Khai Khem

Looking for love

The letter read; “Dear Sir - I would like to make the acquaintance of a Thailand Lady before I come on holiday to Pattaya later this year. I would therefore like to place an advert in your newspaper, describing my personal details and the lady I would like to meet. I can pay for this service with my credit card, can you let me know if your newspaper has an introduction column, thank you for any assistance you can give me. Yours sincerely, Lo Botomy.”

In case readers think I make this stuff up, I can assure you, that with the exception of the signature, this was a genuine request. Kind of makes you wonder about the people roaming around out there in the world and how they broke out of their padded cells. My dogs have better survival instincts.

So what prompts people to make such inquires? I know this is not such an unusual phenomenon these days. Publications all over the world carry personal ads looking for mates and partners in various activities. Websites now replace the old fashioned matchmakers of yesteryear.

My question is the motive. Are these people completely desperate? Even computer dating services usually include a VDO tape where one can see and hear who’s doing the soliciting. A print ad is so obscure. And who in their right mind would advertise for a stranger in a foreign country where the race, language and culture is so alien that in most cases, the two people who may eventually meet may not even be able to talk to each other?

So maybe it’s a scam in the making. Somehow I doubt it in this case. What does a woman from a poor Third World country have that a Western gentleman is going to bilk her out of? A couple of gold chains and an amulet? Her broken down 2-stroke motorcycle? The family water buffalo? Beats me.

I’m pretty sure the nice but terribly na๏ve man who wrote the letter actually thought he’d find his own true love in Thailand if he just advertised. He even offered to put the damages on his credit card. He’s planning a holiday here so since he got no response he will at least be in-country for awhile to do his own legwork. I did smile at his attempt at ‘virtual shopping’ before he made the trip.

When he arrives he will certainly have a cornucopia of lovely young nymphs who will be happy to accommodate him and his credit card. There was no mention of the condition of the letter writer; his age, or even if he had all his faculties. Yes, we already know that some part of him is missing - a fraction of the pre-frontal lobe. Something called common sense must have been removed during the operation. I’m not a neurosurgeon but I’m pretty certain that’s where it’s located.

Now this gentleman could just be an adventurer and like tourists who throw darts at wall maps to choose where to book their next holiday, or the millions of people everywhere who buy lottery tickets every week, he may just be ready for a lark. Some of these guys are very philosophical about the Dating Game. Win some; lose some. After all, it’s only money. And if he’s ready for a hair-raising roller coaster ride that doesn’t take place in a theme park, he’s on his way to the right place.

His ad wasn’t placed. But when he gets here, I have a stack of tourist brochures, and a great map that shows all the hotspots in Fun City. That’s the least I can do. It’s also the most I can help him with. After that, he’s on his own.

Roll over Rover: Teaching your dog to listen

by C. Schloemer

An owner will have to choose a few basic words or phrases which are short and to the point. Dogs don’t really understand English (or any other language the owner may speak). Dogs do understand sounds, tones and body language. So a select a few words which will convey the command and stick to those words.

Sit, stay, no, wait, let’s go, (dog’s name) settle down, good dog, and sorry are probably enough to get the novice trainer ready to teach voice commands. Don’t forget the biggest motivator for your pooch is you. He wants to be good. He wants to please you. But to be a good teacher, you must be consistent, clear and compassionate.

It doesn’t really matter which command an owner starts with. If it’s a very young puppy you are dealing with and he’s chewing on your new Gucci shoes the first command will probably be NO.

Older dogs and bigger puppies can start with SIT. It’s a fun command because once you start using it consistently both dog and owner will reap immediate rewards. For example, teach the command SIT before dinner, giving treats, playtime, petting, greetings and when letting your dog outside, out of the car, or when a visitor arrives. A sit ‘rover’ command will certainly impress any friends who have been at your home before the training course started. They are probably the ones ‘Rover’ has been jumping on the minute they come through the door.

Owners should make this command friendly. Dogs like this order and look forward to it. It’s one of the easiest commands for all dogs to learn. But be consistent. When you ask for a sit, your dog must sit. Do not give empty commands. Dogs understand sounds. Sit. It’s enough. Stand tall. You’re the leader. If your dog doesn’t sit, don’t worry. Praise and position him. Yes! Praise him even if he doesn’t sit right away. Dogs respond to understanding. Impatience or anger will only confuse him and his attention span will fly out the window.

Teaching voice commands takes time and patience. Make the time and keep your frustration hidden. Animals are sensitive to owner’s frustration during training times. If you become frustrated you will transfer that feeling to your dog and his ability to comprehend your orders will be compromised. A soft firm voice and lots of love and praise are needed in each step of training. A day, a week, a month? Don’t worry. Your dog is your beloved companion and however long it takes, a well-behaved dog is a treasure.

LET’S GO is another great command that dogs love and will learn easily. It communicates leadership passively without thought or effort, and of course it’s easy for the dog to master. Don’t forget, dogs follow leaders. And you are the leader, so when you say, let’s go, be sure he follows you. When the dog masters the command, try changing directions when you give it. First one way and then another. Don’t’ check to see if your dog approves. It’ not up to him. You are teaching him that when he hears that command he must obey. Let’s go ‘Rover’! And away you go. Don’t forget “good dog” and a scratch or cuddle when he does it right. Dogs are “love sponges”. They just soak it up.

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

by Anchalee Kaewmanee

The Censor

This combination makes a double Virgo. That means in some natives, all of the virtues and most of the detractors in the personalities are intensified. Of course there are many kinds of double Virgos, ranging from the mousy librarian to the brilliant scientist or administrator. But all of these individuals will have things in common. They will all be very perceptive and a whole lot studier than they appear. These people can be tough. Those who seem incredibly shy, reserved and gentle to others around them will have a deep core of self assurance and sense of purpose. Their resolve is not shaken by vicissitudes of life.

The double Virgo is methodical, energetic and determined. This combination is endowed with great resilience so once a native born under this sign sets his or her mind on a goal, they will achieve it.

The Virgo-Virgos have keen intelligence and fine minds. Their powers of concentration are enviable and all have sharp, analytical abilities which make them suitable for success in many fields. Occasionally they will let down that humble disguise and present an argument or express a viewpoint. A word to the wise; don’t tangle double Virgos. Their logic and clarity of thought make few people want to challenge them. Their perception and insight into people is frighteningly accurate. Too bad this often makes them unnerve friends and associates. That penetrating gaze can be too much to bear for those with less mental acuity. Very little escapes their attention.

There’s a slight drawback here, however. Like most Virgos, this double Sun and Moon brings out severe disapproval and these natives are quick to see imperfections and point out faults. Fortunately they are not one of our scrappy personalities of the Zodiac, and maturity will eventually teach them to hold their sharp tongues. They do tend to level their harshest criticisms at themselves. They need to learn to lighten up a little and not let those high standards stunt their emotional growth. It’s too hard to live up to such high standards. Constant striving for perfection can wear out the soul.

Double Virgos should learn to appreciate their many talents instead of getting depressed because they are not perfect. Constant nit-picking annoys the people closest to them. And putting oneself under a microscope only magnifies minor faults. They should try a little self love. Why not? These natives have so many strengths that their few flaws are not worth bothering about.

Essentially kind, sympathetic and considerate, the double Virgo does not understand treachery and deceit. They have soft hearts and tender souls, but they are not totally na๏ve. This combination is blessed with great courage and persistence which helps them to survive in a world full of wolves and other predators. They prosper because ‘mind over matter’ is their mantra and they feel all things can be brought under control if they apply themselves to the problem.

Professionally this combination will excel in fields that require detailed analysis and precision. Natives of this sign are all intellectually inclined and the professions of teaching, science, journalism and research are filled with double Virgos. They also feel a need to help and serve others and make fine writers, doctors, theologians and politicians. This group will need self fulfillment and satisfaction through work. It is vital that a chosen career includes an outlet to use their unique talents. Outstanding natives of this combination include Leo Tolstoy and former American president Lyndon Johnson.

Virgo is a mutable sign, thus a double Virgo will be very adaptable and always open to advice and reason. Sometimes, however, these natives can be a tad too malleable and easily persuaded by those in their inner circle. Conservative by nature, the Virgo feels pressure to conform.

That’s fine for the most part. However, these people all have a strong sense of self worth and firm opinions. To compromise under pressure will make them tense and irritable. Usually they end up relying on their own mind and intuition which is probably for the best. Double Virgos trapped into a long-term situation which goes against their grain can become depressed. Many natives of this sign lean toward hypochondria. Once they escape from an untenable job or personal relationship, they find their robust health returning and their frayed nerves repaired.

On love this combination will search for a stable and consistent partner. Double Virgos need sympathetic mates. But they will not be interested in doormats, nor spouses whose mental powers do not match their own. An intellectually bored Virgo will become restless and look for stimulation elsewhere.

PC Basics: Working Spacce

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One of the most important (but often most overlooked) factors that affect the performance of your PC is how much room it has to work in, or in other words, how much memory it has. In order for your PC to run at its best speed, it needs to be performing tasks that are in the memory. But as the PC is already running a number of different tasks at any one time (Windows, graphics and sound drivers, Internet connection, etc.) the amount of available space can rapidly decrease. If the computer runs out of space, it has to remove some information from memory, store it on the hard drive, load new information from the hard drive into the memory, then carry on. The more it does this, the slower it becomes. On the other hand, if your PC has enough available memory at all times to perform its tasks, it will always be running at its best speed.

The absolute minimum that you can run a PC with is 64Mb on a PC running Windows 98. This is just about sufficient for basic office tasks. If you want to stretch your PC however, you will notice that it will seem to spend a lot of time appearing to do nothing while the hard drive light flashes. Put a total of 128Mb in it, however, and the PC will immediately become a lot faster and more responsive, as it is no longer having to move data between the memory and the hard drive. Now the processor is able to run at its best speed, and the difference can be dramatic. Putting 256Mb of memory into your PC will mean that it can handle very large documents and spreadsheets, and be able to manipulate photographic images, which can now be held in their entirety in the memory.

Even on a PC that has a large amount of RAM, there can be things that are clogging up the system. If you have Office on your PC, there are two programs that it will load into the memory of your PC, which you just don’t need. The first is called Office Startup, which essentially pre-loads parts of Office into the memory so that when you open up Word, for example, it loads quickly. Good idea, but if you only type the occasional letter, it just uses up system resources. The second program is called Find Fast. This will regularly scan your hard drive, searching for Office compatible documents, and then it makes a note of their location. When this kicks in, the PC can slow to a snails’ pace. If you click on Start, Programs, Startup, look at the programs that your PC is loading when it boots. You can remove them by right clicking on them and then select Delete. Be careful though that you don’t delete something that you might need.

Lots of other programs will pre-load themselves as well. Some notorious culprits are RealPlayer, Go-Zilla, and GetRight. If you have lots of icons just to the left of your clock on the taskbar, take a look at them and see if there are any that you don’t want to have loading all the time. You can normally stop them from loading by opening the program and changing its configuration settings.

If you have any PC related questions please send them to [email protected]