|
Money matters:
John Sheehan
Global Markets Asia
The inevitable demise of
Western Democratic Capitalism? Part 1
Imagine you were a shareholder in a company that showed great
promise. Annual performance budgets prepared by the directors at the beginning
of the year projected solid returns for the shareholders and a bumper year. The
directors seemed to place self-publicity above the company, but they talked a
good game, and if they delivered what they promised, everyone would profit.
Then part way through the year the market dropped. For months
after, the directors perpetuated a state of denial until one day they announced
to the stunned shareholders that their business plan was in fact hopelessly out
of touch with market reality and the company had made a massive loss that would
take decades to repay. On top of this the directors had absolutely no idea that
the downturn was coming!
Upon further investigation it became clear that they had been
massaging their indicative numbers in order to artificially boost their own
image and accomplishments, whilst their response to crisis demonstrated their
total incompetence and a complete lack of understanding of the business they
were involved in!
Then to cap it all the directors started withholding critical
information and borrowed more cash against shareholder funds in order to bail
out the third party suppliers that had been a major contributor to the market
crash! The directors seemed incapable of creating meaningful budget cuts needed
to put the company back on track and at the time when the shareholders needed
the company to produce more from less, they went the other way and recruited
more employees that yielded less productivity! The shareholders only had the
chance to remove the directors once every five years or so, and even if they
were to do so the new directors would re-hire exactly the same senior managers
and consultants in order to maintain continuity. Meanwhile, for the foreseeable
future, the company will likely lose money every year with bankruptcy looking
increasingly inevitable.
Would you as a shareholder put up with such a ludicrous
situation? Of course not - the directors of the company would be immediately and
summarily fired and criminal negligence proceedings would likely be filed!
Government support for protecting shareholders from corporate incompetence of
this kind is unilateral and exemplified by Australia’s newly proposed
shareholder protection legislation. Yet when governments fail hopelessly in
managing their own economies, a double standard is evident. Unlike the private
sector, the electorate tolerates Government’s appalling ineptitude and awful
performance and allows them to keep their jobs!
The political system is
running out of fuel
The 2008 crisis has exposed glaringly obvious government
incompetence that is not going away and things may likely get much worse. How
long can this go on and how far does it have to go until social unrest develops?
People are already realizing that politics have been hijacked
by the media and spin machines, irrespective of which faction is in power, and
parties or ideology are becoming increasingly irrelevant. How often does one
hear people complaining that all the political parties have polarized towards
each other? How long will it be before society concludes that it is the current
democratic capitalist model that emerged after the Second World War, and has
boomed unrivalled since the fall of communism that is now failing? For how much
longer will Main Street allow Washington to be presided over by Wall Street? How
can it be in a rational world that Wall Street is permitted to privatize its
gains and socialize its losses? Around the globe, how long will it be until we
get to the stage where rural Main Street can no longer realistically co-exist
within the same jurisdiction as Wall Street and civil strife erupts? How long
until the wealth divide reaches a point where the super-rich capital exchange
city states decouple and emerge as separate entities?
Many political commentators in 2009 noted the political
conundrum whereby western governments are now pursuing socialist policies whilst
communist China has been practicing rampant capitalism. Sales of Das Kapital,
Karl Marx’s 1867 epic have enjoyed a renaissance in Germany in 2009 as a new
younger generation seeks alternatives to capitalism. One only needs to look at
the state of places like Iceland from the following recent New York Times
article to see how relevant Marx was: “One by one the mighty banks have been
seized by the government, and Icelanders, aghast, have been told that each and
every one of us owes millions of dollars, to whom, we don’t know. We accepted
the capitalist system, which now appears to have been a gigantic casino without
an owner. We did in the end believe that we could get ‘money for nothing’ and
now we face the fact that we will get nothing for our money.” As a result of
burgeoning demand, a new edition of the 1848 “Communist Manifesto” is due to be
published in Iceland later this year!
To be continued…
|
The above data and research was compiled from sources
believed to be reliable. However, neither MBMG International Ltd nor its
officers can accept any liability for any errors or omissions in the above
article nor bear any responsibility for any losses achieved as a result of any
actions taken or not taken as a consequence of reading the above article. For
more information please contact Graham Macdonald on [email protected]
|
Snap Shots: by Harry Flashman
Getting professional results
Every so often I will dig out some old photographs that I took as an
enthusiastic amateur, and I am sorry to say that there are very few that
I am proud of. The concepts I explored were good. The delivery of those
concepts was not.
I have written before about how a misguided friend
delivered a very expensive camera outfit to me on his return from an
overseas trip. I had asked him to enquire how much the Hasselblad
cameras were in the duty free stores, but he decided that I had
empowered him to buy one on my behalf. In the long run that was a good
decision, but in the short term it was a huge financial drain, just when
I didn’t need it. It was at that moment I decided that the Hasselblad
was going to have to pay for itself. And if it were to bring in money,
it meant I was going to have to become good enough to charge for my
photographs.
The next step in my photographic career was to go to
all the bookstores and purchase books on photography. Initially I was
selecting ‘how to’ books, especially those which gave examples of photo
projects. These I devoured until I could reproduce the results that
professional photographers like Michael Freeman explained in his
instruction books.
After that I began to give myself my own project
subjects, imagining, for example, that I had been hired to do the
photography for a catalogue of artificial flowers. I had a friend who
did import these, so it was not too difficult to borrow some for my own
photo shoot.
In this way I learned to shoot to a layout and was
able to size the photo illustrations to fit. I also, from the books,
learned how to set up a small studio at home in the spare bedroom. Rolls
of background papers were found and the catalogue items photographed
against them. I had no expensive flash heads, but used internal
reflector tungsten lights. I very quickly learned how this changes the
overall color of the shot, and how by using blue gels I could correct
for the overly warm tones of the tungsten lighting.
By this stage, being used to handling the camera, I
began to give myself projects to be photographed outside. These were
mainly “advertising” style of shots with models in some physical
setting, looking at a fashion style of layout. Fortunately there were
enough amateur would-be models wanting to parade in front of the
would-be photographer’s lens in return for a few prints. We all learned
together!
I also began to learn to use shadow, instead of
bathing the models in floodlight (or the sun). All of a sudden, my shots
began to have an air of mystery and were starting to look professional,
as well as now having a 3D look to them. Shadow is the photographer’s
friend!
Eventually I was ready to present my work as a
professional, and to do this you place your best shots together, which
is called your ‘book’. This is not a real book, but should show your
work in the best possible way. The local photographic equipment store
showed me some books belonging to semi-pro shooters and I made the
decision to present only transparencies (slides), but a minimum of 6x6
cm (the Hasselblad size, otherwise known as two and quarter inch
square), with the rest 5x4 inch. This made it look as if I had a 5x4
camera, which I didn’t, but the Hasselblad transparencies were sharp
enough to be duplicated and enlarged (known as ‘dupes’ in the trade).
I bought a portable light box, mounted all the
transparencies on heavy dark card so that they could be thrown on the
light box for viewing, and I was ready to meet the art directors - the
people from the ad agencies who dole out the work to the photographers.
Eventually one gave me an assignment, and I went on from there. Get one
and the rest are easy.
I had become a professional shooter.
Modern Medicine:
by Dr. Iain Corness, Consultant
Have you got “sugar”?
I certainly do hope you have some sugar in your system, or
otherwise you will grind to a halt in no time. Sugar is needed for us to
perform properly, and when you get that burning desire for a chocolate bar,
it is generally because your blood sugar is getting low. But that is not an
excuse for habitual chocaholics!
Glucose is a type of sugar found in fruits and many other
foods (this includes lactose and fructose). It is the main source of energy
used by the body. Most of the carbohydrates that people eat are also turned
into glucose, which can be used for energy or stored in the liver and
kidneys as glycogen.
“Sugar” is also the name often used for “Diabetes”, an
important condition that is diagnosed and monitored mainly through a simple
blood test - the Blood Glucose level.
To stop the sugar levels just increasing daily, a balance
is achieved through a hormone called Insulin which helps the body use and
control the amount of glucose in the blood. Insulin is produced in areas of
the pancreas called ‘islets’ and released into the blood when the level of
glucose in the blood rises. In simple terms, people who do not produce
enough insulin develop Diabetes. People can also develop Diabetes if they do
not respond normally to the insulin their bodies produce. This occurs most
commonly when a person is overweight, and since obesity is on the rise, so
are various types of Diabetes.
Blood glucose levels that remain high over time can cause
damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and blood vessels, which explains why
good glucose control is important.
There are many ways to carry out blood glucose tests,
including Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS). This is a measurement of blood glucose
after fasting for 12 to 14 hours. For an accurate fasting blood sugar test,
do not eat or drink for 12 to 14 hours before the blood sample is taken;
however, water can be freely taken, as otherwise hemoconcentration occurs to
give a falsely high reading. This is often the first test done to detect
diabetes, and explains why fasting blood tests are usually done when having
a medical check-up.
The other common test is called the Random Blood Sugar (RBS).
A random blood sugar measurement may also be called a casual blood glucose
test. This is a measurement of blood glucose that is taken regardless of
when the person last ate a meal. Sometimes several random measurements are
taken throughout a day. Random testing is useful because glucose levels in
healthy people do not vary widely throughout the day, so wild swings may
indicate a metabolic problem.
An oral glucose tolerance test is simply a series of
blood glucose measurements taken after a person drinks a liquid containing a
specific amount of glucose. However, this test is not used to initially
diagnose diabetes.
To monitor the treatment of diabetes, there are another
couple of tests which can be carried out. The commonest is Glycated
Hemoglobin, otherwise referred to as HbA1c. This test actually is an
indicator of the average glucose concentration over the life of the red
blood cells (which is taken as over the previous three months).
Another is the Serum C-Peptide which is used to
investigate low blood sugar levels, done by measuring the C-Peptide which is
produced by the Beta cells in the pancreas.
“Normal” levels may vary from lab to lab, but generally
the range taken for FBS is that the level should be less than 100 milligrams
per deciliter (mg/dL). Diagnosis of diabetes needs a fasting blood glucose
level higher than 125 mg/dL on two separate days.
A fasting glucose level below 40 mg/dL in women or below
50 mg/dL in men that is accompanied by symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood
sugar) may indicate an insulinoma, a tumor that produces abnormally high
amounts of insulin. Lower than expected glucose levels can also indicate
Addison’s disease, an underactive thyroid gland or pituitary gland, liver
disease (such as cirrhosis), malnutrition, or a problem that prevents the
intestines from absorbing the nutrients in food.
“Sugar” is important. How is your level?
Heart to Heart with Hillary
Dear Hillary,
So it’s someone called Jerry Singha who is the villain of the piece. But life,
as always being full of surprises and coincidences, is looking brighter and I
now have every hope of everything returning to normal between myself and the
lovely Nok.
In a bar the other night I met three very charming young
local men who it seems are unfortunately permanently out of work. Obviously
American sports enthusiasts as they were all carrying baseball bats. After a few
beers I told them my sad story and was amazed that they appeared to know this
man Jerry who has poisoned the mind of my Darling. Well, I assumed they did,
because they said if I paid them 20,000 baht each (half then and half when I get
the signed papers) they would go visit and persuade him to give me back my two
houses and car before he went into an ICU hospital ward next week. They
explained they could be very persuasive and make this man see right from wrong
so, bearing no ill will, I asked them to wish him a safe recovery from whatever
malaise he has, which apparently could be life threatening. There are God
fearing gentle and kind good Samaritans everywhere!
I gathered from your last reply to my letters you in some
disapproved of my relationship with Nok and seemed suspicious of her intentions.
But surely now my above experience will give you back some trust and faith in
our fellow man?
Yes, the rock has the word “BLACKPOOL” stamped all the way
through and although my dog has chewed one end of it I have saved a stick for
your good self.
Nobody’s Fool
Dear Nobody’s Fool,
It is unselfish people like you that make the world go round, or the money go
round at least! I would be a trifle worried about hob-nobbing with American
baseball enthusiasts in Thailand, if I were you, my Petal. Most of them are
probably not quite as spontaneously charitable as the ones you have met in Nok’s
bar. You must let me know where it is, so that I can advise my friends to give
it a wide berth. (I never go to bars any more. Last time I went to one I did not
get picked up, offered money or even a lady drink. Men just aren’t the gallant
buccaneers they used to be in my day.) Never mind, Nobody’s Fool, everyone is
rooting for you, even Macho Mouse, in the letter below yours.
Dear Hillary,
Surely the Jerry Singha vs ‘Nobody’s Fool’ is a wind up? They seem more like
Dick Dastardly and Muttley than real people. Incidentally, I went to a bar in
Jomtien the other afternoon that advertised a meal for 99 baht. Imagine my shock
and awe when on walking in I saw about 10 ladies in skimpy attire, looking to
hire themselves out as escorts for a modest fee. To be honest I was more
interested in the food, so not wishing to appear rude I hid in a corner till it
came. I won’t be going there again unless it’s with my trusty walking stick to
fend them off with; not that they all rushed at once to escort me upstairs (or
anywhere else for that matter). I don’t know if I should feel insulted.
Mr Macho Mouse
Dear Mr Macho Mouse,
I think you and I have a lot in common. I used to be a wallflower at parties -
now they don’t ask me at all! However, looking at your situation my Petal, are
you sure these were escorts and not just titillating waitresses? The owner must
be getting desperate with meals and skimpy attire and all for B. 99. Sounds like
a bargain and when I asked the boys at the office what did they think, they all
wanted the address. Should you feel insulted? No, but I’d change my handle if I
were you. “Macho” doesn’t seem to fit the behavior somehow. But keep “Mouse”,
that seems to fit. By the way, many years ago one of the correspondents was
“Mighty Mouse”. You’re not related, are you?
Dear Hillary
My work colleagues have all decided that I am gay because I don’t live with
anyone, while they all are living with a succession of local girls. Every week I
hear another tale of woe and how they have been cleaned out. Every week I thank
my lucky stars that this is them not me. They just go straight back into another
relationship, which ends up just like the previous ones - a disaster. They seem
to think that I have something against women, while I don’t, but they keep on
saying over and over, “Got a feller yet?” I haven’t got anything against gays
either, it’s just that I’m not one. How do I get them to understand at work?
Getting Annoyed
Dear Getting Annoyed,
Jai yen yen! Maintain a cool heart! They are only keeping this up because you
continue to rise to the bait. When they get no reaction from you, they will
eventually stop. It may seem hard, but just a “Suit yourself,” response and
nothing else will produce the desired result. By the way, don’t comment on their
relationships and they will give up commenting on your (lack of relationships)
too.
Let’s go to the movies:
by Mark Gernpy
Now playing in Pattaya
Alice in
Wonderland (3D):
US, Adventure/
Family/ Fantasy – This is not your usual Alice, and it would be more
truthful to call is something like “Alice Returns to Wonderland”,
because it’s a new story, a riff on the original, with Alice all grown
up as a late teens girl about to be proposed to. She returns to
Wonderland to find the strange land even more frightening than before,
in the hands of a cruel despot who is making life miserable for
everybody. Alice is charged with ending the evil and bringing things
back to what passes for normal in Wonderland.
With Tim Burton,
plus this particular Alice (Misa Wasikowska), plus Johnny Depp in
another of his way-out-there tragicomic performances, plus 3D – it all
adds up to an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind movie experience. Mixed or
average reviews. In 3D, and at Pattaya Beach only.
Green Zone:
France/ US/ Spain/ UK, Action/ Drama/ Thriller/ War – Discovering covert
and faulty intelligence causes a US Army officer to go rogue as he hunts
for those elusive “Weapons of Mass Destruction” believed to be
stockpiled in the Iraqi desert at the start of the Iraq war. Rocketing
from one booby-trapped and treacherous site to the next, the men search
for deadly chemical agents but stumble instead upon an elaborate
cover-up. Starring Matt Damon, directed by Paul Greengrass (The
Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93). Rated R in the
US for violence and language.
Daybreakers:
Australia/ US, Action/ Drama/ Horror/ Sci-Fi/ Thriller – For me, a most
excellent and exciting vampire film in the old school. In the year
2019, a plague has transformed most every human into a vampire. Faced
with a dwindling blood supply, the dominant race plots their survival;
meanwhile, a researcher works with a covert band of vampires on a way to
save humankind. But be aware, it’s a true vampire film, and as such is
very bloody indeed, with many gory deaths and a slew of decapitations,
including close-ups of the severed heads seemingly on the verge of
speaking a few final words.
Starring Ethan
Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Sam Neill. Rated R in the US for strong bloody
violence, language, and brief nudity; 18+ in Thailand. Big C has only a
Thai-dubbed version; in English elsewhere. Mixed or average reviews.
The Book of Eli:
US,
Action/ Adventure/ Drama/ Thriller/ Western – Not for everyone, but I
found it thoroughly engrossing. The story revolves around a lone
warrior (Denzel Washington) who must fight to bring society the
knowledge that could be the key to survival. Gary Oldman is great as
the despot of a small town who’s determined to take possession of the
book Eli’s guarding.
Directed by the
twin Hughes brothers (Albert and Allen), who inject some fresh stylish
fun into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. I think Denzel is terrific!
Rated R in the US for some brutal violence and language, 18+ in
Thailand. Big C has only a Thai-dubbed version; in English elsewhere.
Mixed or average reviews.
Dear John:
US, Drama/
Romance/ War – Out of nowhere, Pattaya Beach brings us this rather dull
piece. It’s a romantic drama about a soldier who falls for a
conservative college student while he’s home on leave. Intensely weepy,
if you’re a 12-year-old girl.
Starring Channing
Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, and Henry Thomas. At Pattaya Beach only. Mixed
or average reviews.
The Wolfman:
UK/ US, Horror/ Thriller – An excellent spare, dark, and brooding gothic
version of the famous tale, told with great style and much blood. For
those who like straight-up Gothic horror and blood, this is a welcome
remake of the 1941 Lon Chaney movie.
Starring Benicio
Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins. Rated R in the US for bloody horror
violence and gore; 18+ in Thailand. Mixed or average reviews.
Percy Jackson &
the Olympians: The Lightning Thief:
Canada/ US, Fantasy/ Comedy – The Mount Olympus gods are not happy:
Zeus’ lightning bolt has been stolen, and high school student Percy
Jackson is the prime suspect in this sprawling and entertaining teen
adventure. Logan Lerman as Percy is an excellent new teenaged hero.
There’s one short additional scene during the closing credits.
Big C has only a
Thai-dubbed version; in English elsewhere. Mixed or average reviews.
Avatar:
US, Action/ Adventure/ Sci-Fi/ Thriller – A very good film and a truly
major technological breakthrough. It’s exciting and beautiful, and has
received near-universal rave reviews from critics and fans. Major
Cineplex has a 2D version, and Pattaya Beach will probably be showing
the 3D version from time to time; check at theater. Reviews: Universal
acclaim. Not to be missed.
Little Big
Soldier:
China/ Hong Kong,
Action/ Adventure/ Comedy – An old soldier kidnaps a young enemy general
and takes him on a long journey to collect a reward. Written, produced,
directed, and starring Jackie Chan. Only at Big C and in a Thai-dubbed
version only, no English subtitles.
From Paris with
Love:
France, Action/ Crime/ Thriller – An intelligence operative working in
the office of the US Ambassador in France (Jonathan Rhys Meyers)
partners with a wisecracking, fast-shooting, high-ranking US agent (a
bald John Travolta) who’s been sent to Paris to stop a terrorist
attack. Stylish, fast-moving, exciting, with a wild performance by
Travolta. Rated R in the US for strong bloody violence throughout, drug
content, pervasive language, and brief sexuality; 18+ in Thailand.
Mixed or average reviews. At Pattaya Beach only.
Who Are You?:
Thai,
Horror/ Thriller – Typical Thai bloody horror, this one about a mother
whose son has withdrawn from social life and locked himself away in his
room for five years. The only way she can communicate with her son is
to write on a piece of paper and slip it under the door. Rated 18+ in
Thailand.
Kong Phan /
Gong-pan:
Plot: You’re in
the Army now! What fun! It’s been described as a “gays in the military
romp.” Studio synopsis: “Jiwon, a young lad, is enlisted to the army
where he meets his new and unusual friends.”
True Legend / Su
Qi-Er:
China, Action/ Drama/ History – A wealthy man living during the Qing
Dynasty loses his fortune as a result of a conspiracy. He dedicates his
life to martial arts and reemerges as a patriotic hero. Only at Big C
and in a Thai-dubbed version only, no English subtitles.
|
