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Family Money: Spoiled for choice?
By Leslie
Wright,
Managing director of Westminster Portfolio Services (Thailand) Ltd.
About a year ago I wrote on the twin topics of domicile
and residency, but judging by the queries and letters I still receive,
many readers remain confused about these subjects.
You might think a life overseas gives you the simple
label ‘expat’ and that is all. Not so for UK expatriates. The UK’s
Inland Revenue has a whole string of labels to pin us down with. And they
all matter, because the label you are given directly equates to the amount
of UK tax for which you could be liable.
Resident or
Non-Resident?
The label British expats want above all others is
“non-resident”. Tax advisers are adamant on the importance of
residency status and the need to have this status confirmed as a matter of
record on file with the Inland Revenue. The UK’s tax rules define status
based on whether an individual is resident and domiciled in the UK. Anyone
changing their residency by moving abroad will find that they could be
outside the charge on certain UK taxes, such as income or capital gains
tax.
By being non-resident, expatriates must be away from
the UK for a minimum number of days per year as well as conform to a set
period of years. As I wrote about a few weeks back, the rules for who pays
capital gains tax changed in the UK’s Budget of 1998 and all expats must
chart and calculate carefully the exact length of time they have spent
abroad.
If your absence from the UK is expected to be for a
period of less than five complete tax years, then you will have to begin
planning for your homecoming much earlier than you might have thought.
Those falling into this category who left the UK prior to March 17, 1998
will find themselves in the situation where exemption from capital gains
tax will come to an end on 6th April preceding the date on which they
return and, as a result, a review of profitable assets will be needed well
in advance. For those who left the UK after March 17, 1998 the position is
even worse, as any assets held on departure will have remained within the
CGT net throughout the period spent overseas and gains realised during
your absence will be fully chargeable to tax upon your return.
Key records which must be kept by all expats regardless
of tax status but essential to support non-residency status include:
* How long did you live in the UK before leaving?
* The date you left?
* The date you plan to return?
* The dates assets were bought?
* The dates assets were sold?
Domicile
As a recent correspondent has discovered, establishing
domicile - or in his case non-domicile - with the Inland Revenue is a more
tricky matter. Put very simply, domicile describes where your roots are.
The country in which you were born will be the domicile that stays with
you until you can prove otherwise.
Expatriates who have lived abroad for decades, bought
and resided in local properties, paid local taxes and never returned to
the UK can still, on some obscure point, be classified as UK domiciled by
the Inland Revenue Department. The reason why the UK tax authorities
remain interested is the fact that any individual with a UK domicile may
have his or her estate charged for inheritance tax purposes on worldwide
assets.
Some expatriates have found clarifying domicile status
an extraordinarily frustrating business. Many expats become more confused
when they are told one thing by advisers and another by the Revenue. In
many cases, the Revenue declares its perception of domicile status only on
the death of the individual. This is because the view is taken that
between a declaration of domicile and death, circumstances may change.
For example, an individual could return to the UK after
many years spent overseas, or express a wish to be buried in the UK, which
would only become apparent upon death. Hence the IRD are unwilling to
confirm your non-domicile status, claiming that this is a legal position
which can only be determined by the courts upon death. That effectively
means they won’t tell you that you’re non-domiciled in case they
should decide to make an IHT claim against your estate at death, when your
executor will be called into probate court to explain why he thinks
you’re non-UK domiciled and try to persuade the court to agree. It is
then up to the court to decide the matter and it’s by no means a
foregone conclusion.
For any expatriate keen to shake off their UK domicile
status and take up another, it is all down to evidence. Your lifestyle has
to be 100% that of the adopted country. That means severing all ties to
the UK, and adopting the new country’s culture, language and life-style.
In short, the action of putting down new roots must speak louder than mere
words to escape tax duties in the UK.
Snap Shot: Time lapse photography made easy!
by Harry Flashman
We are all aware of the fact that the camera and film
can catch a particular moment in time and freeze it forever. The famous
French photographer Lartigue was particularly good at this. So also was
Henri Cartier-Bresson, famous for the phrase “the decisive moment.”
 However,
what I am discussing today is “time lapse” photography. This is where
you stack a series of ‘decisive moments’ together. Closely related to
each other, this kind of photography will show such things as the
development of a flower, or the butterfly emerging from the chrysalis. You
know the sort of thing - all very National Geographic or Disney World. Any
of you who have seen the film “A Zed and Two Noughts” will also
remember those scenes of bodies decomposing, all done by time lapse
photography. Very avant-garde.
 Now
while all this style of time lapse photography sounds expensive and even
time consuming, it does not need to be so. You can produce your own time
lapse shots with any old camera. It just needs a little planning.
There is one famous photographer who on her birthday
takes a photo of herself in the nude. This she has done for the past 30
something years and has produced a time lapse record of human aging. This
series of shots has been studied by the medical profession, as it is the
only such record that has been undertaken in the world. So, if it
doesn’t depress you too much, there’s an idea for you. Just don’t
lose last year’s photos, will you!
No, for me, I want more instant gratification than
that. I believe you should pick on something that can allow you to produce
a finished product in the sort of time frame that you could sit with
comfortably. So let us look at some items that you could do easily, with
just a point and shooter.
Here is one suggestion - buy a rose (they sell them in
all bars every night) and place it in a vase by the window and shoot it at
lunchtime. Leave it exactly where it is, and take one lunchtime shot every
day for the next week. In that time, it will have spread its petals, begin
to die, the petals will shrink up, the stem will bend over, the water will
have gone cloudy and other attributes that will only become obvious when
you study the shots. However, to capitalise on this you must mount the
seven shots, side by side, in order from the left. You have just produced
a work of art in a week!
So you haven’t got the stamina for a week. What else
can you do? Well, there is always the record of one object in daylight.
Take six shots, one every two hours, of your house, for example, starting
at 6 a.m. You will see how the different time of day produces different
light, the sun’s movement produces different shadows and again, by
mounting them side by side, in order from the left, you will have produced
a work of art in one day!
So you don’t want to spend a day getting your
definitive time lapse shots, so look at taking one hour. In that time you
can document the progress of a snail along a wall, or serial shots of
people walking down the street, someone cleaning their car or the way your
beer glass empties. Just light it from behind with natural lighting to get
the best effect. Probably Harry would suggest that you repeat this a few
times over a Sunday.
Note that I have said that the shots must be mounted
from the left. There is a sound reason for this. We read from left to
right and we naturally then place the “start” of anything on the left,
with the “finish” on the right. (If you are an Arab who reads from
right to left, then probably mount yours the other way round!)
Modern Medicine: I’ve cut myself! Will I die?
by Dr Iain Corness, Consultant
Well, if you have cut yourself severely enough and you
lose enough blood, you can indeed die. It won’t be instantaneous,
however, so you still have plenty of time to do something about it, even
by yourself if nobody else is around. The thing to do is to keep your
head, when everyone else is losing theirs. (That was a famous quote during
the French Revolution!)
People still faint at the sight of blood. In fact, in
my class in Medical School we had such a chap who managed to last till
third year but kept on fainting, even when we were being shown slides of
anything a little gory. Needless to say, he did not make it through the
six years!
“Blood” is not a “magic” fluid. It is mainly a
water solution with oxygen bearing red and white blood cells floating in
it. Unfortunately, we do need blood to circulate or otherwise the tissues
starve of oxygen and they die, so we die. Simple.
Our blood circulation system is also very simple. It is
just a closed circuit pumping system - the heart pumps the blood through
the arteries which get progressively smaller then hook up with tiny veins
that get larger and larger and return the blood to the pump (the heart).
Because it is a closed system, you do not get to see
this blood rushing around - until we open up an artery or a vein. Then you
can see lots of it! The common way this occurs is when we cut ourselves,
which we medical folk call “lacerations”. No matter how it happened,
if you split open a vein or artery, the pump keeps on pumping and the
blood keeps on coming out.
So how do you know if you’ve cut an artery or a vein?
If it is a vein, the blood is moving along at a fairly low pressure, so
you get a nice steady ooze at the site of the cut. But if it is an artery
that has been cut, then these are high pressure tubes and the blood will
tend to spurt in rhythmic pulses, in time with your heart beat.
From the point of view of stopping the blood loss
(which we call haemorrhage), it does not really matter whether the blood
loss is venous or arterial. Even arterial blood is only at 3 pounds per
square inch pressure and you can stop the flow with your thumb. Yes, you
can stop 99% of all haemorrhages by putting a piece of cloth (a
handkerchief, rag, torn piece of shirt, etc.) over the site of the wound
and applying firm pressure with your hand.
Now some parts of the body are better supplied with
blood vessels than others, so these are the areas that really bleed. The
scalp, the ear lobe and around the mouth are classic sites for lots of
gore. Fortunately the treatment is just the same. Cover and direct
pressure and the flow will cease. Of course, you will still need to see
the doctor for the closing of the laceration - but you will not bleed to
death in the meantime!
Keep your head and apply direct pressure over the wound
and take it and yourself to the Casualty Department!
Women’s World: A tip for the week
by Lesley Warner
A reader asked me for some more ‘tips’ the other
day so here is a selection that I’ve being collecting. Try this tasty
Shrimp Risotto; it’s quick and easy to make.
Shrimp Risotto
3/4 lb medium fresh or frozen and thawed shrimps,
peeled
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups rice
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
1/4 cup (1 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
In a medium saucepan, combine the broth and water. Heat
to simmering, reduce the heat to low and keep warm.
Warm the oil in a large shallow saucepan over medium
heat. Add the onion and garlic cook for 10 minutes or until the onion is
tender. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a further 10 minutes. Stir
in the rice and reduce heat to medium-low.
Add approximately 1 cup of warm broth. Cook, stirring
constantly, until almost completely absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1 cup
at a time, stirring constantly until the rice is barely tender.
Stir in the shrimp and wine (if you have succumbed to
the suggestion!). Cook for 5 minutes or until the rice is tender yet firm
and the shrimps are opaque. Serve with the cheese. Makes 8 servings.
Take care of yourself...
The sun is here with a vengeance again so it’s time
to take care of our skin and hair. I find my hair going yellow with only
short exposure to the sun leaving it dehydrated and dull. Egg yolks are
widely acknowledged as one of nature’s best moisturizers. Here are a
couple ultra-rich masks to “deep condition” hair and skin. Make your
hair shine and your skin glow with these natural recipes you can whip up
with just a few simple, easy-to-find ingredients.
Egg Yolk & Honey
Facial Mask (best for dryer skin types)
Mix together 1-tablespoon honey, 1 egg yolk, 1/2
teaspoon almond oil and 1 tablespoon yogurt. Honey stimulates and
smoothes, egg and almond oil penetrate and moisturize and yogurt refines
and tightens pores.
Egg & Olive Oil Hair
Mask
Mix two whole eggs with four tablespoons of olive oil.
Smooth through hair. Wrap head and allow to penetrate for 10 minutes.
Rinse well. This is a really easy, if somewhat slimly remedy, and it
works.
Fruit Hair Mask
This mask sounds good enough to eat! In a blender mix
1/2 a banana, 1/4 avocado, 1/4 cantaloupe, 1 tablespoon wheat germ oil and
1 tablespoon yogurt. For extra conditioning, squeeze in the contents of a
vitamin E capsule. Leave in hair for 15 minutes.
If you overdo the sun, like I did on my first day off
for weeks, believe me it hurts so try Oatmeal; it’s great for soothing a
sunburn as well as for exfoliating. Fill an old sock with oatmeal and
swish it in your bath water; once it’s softened up, you can then scrub
your body with it, softly if you have sunburn. Another tip for sunburn
relief is natural yogurt.
If you suffer with dry flaky skin, try mixing up a
paste with lemon juice plus salt or sugar. Spread it over your ‘flaky
bits’ and leave it on the skin for 30 minutes then just rinse the dry,
dead skin off.
If you wake up in the morning and your mouth feel likes
the ‘bottom of a birdcage’ try this lemon mouthwash:
3/4-cup vodka! (No it’s not hair of the dog)
20 drops lemon essential oil
1 1/4 cup distilled water
30 drops bergamot essential oil
Combine the vodka with the essential oils in a bottle,
shake well then allow to sit for 1 week (this means you need to plan when
you are going to have that ‘morning after the night before’). Shake
once a day. When it’s ready to use, dilute the mixture with 3 parts
water / 1 part mixture. Use it as a gargle or mouth rinse. Do Not Drink.
Toothache Relief
Dab 1-5 drops of clove oil (a powerful antiseptic) onto
a cotton ball and place over painful tooth or gums. It will numb the area,
giving temporary relief. Clove oil is rich in eugenol, dentists use
eugenol as a local anesthetic. *Avoid during pregnancy. Do not use on
children and babies.
Heart to Heart with Hillary
Dear Hillary,
I know this is an agony column, but believe me I am
really in agony. My maid has left to go back to stay with her mother up
country, and although initially I was quite pleased as she was not all
that good, now I find that I need someone around the house as it is
getting chaotic, and do not know where to turn. The last maid was the
second I have had and neither has been what I imagined a maid should be.
How do you get a good maid in Pattaya?
The Seeker
Dear Seeker,
Seek and ye shall find, Petal. It is not all that
difficult, unless of course you are a difficult person to “do” for.
Contact all your female friends and ask them if they have a good maid. If
they honestly answer yes, then ask them to get their maid to find someone
for you. Be prepared to put the new woman on a month’s trial and make
sure she understands that. When you make your selection then you should
also reward your friend’s maid who found you the new incumbent. With
money, Petal. With money. That’s what makes the world go around in Fun
City.
Dear Hillary,
My girlfriend keeps in touch with me by phone while I
am overseas. I am quite happy to pay the phone bill because she has to
ring me in Saudi Arabia. I am also quite happy to buy the mobile phone for
her, because I know these items are not cheap for Thai people. My problem
is that she keeps on losing the phone. So far this year she has “lost”
or had “stolen” three mobile phones. I have tried ringing the numbers
and the phones are still connected, so they have not been trashed. What
bothers me is that a friend of mine had a similar situation with his girl
and it turned out she was just ripping him off. Is this a cause for
concern, or do Thai women lose things like mobile phones?
Sandman
Dear Sandman,
I am afraid I think you may have a problem. Thai
women do not lose anything, especially anything with a monetary value.
What you have to do is find out where the bills are going. I think you
will find they will still be going to your girlfriend’s address. Check
the dates. Since you wrote this letter to Hillary you must have some
doubts. I would worry too about phony phones.
Dear Hillary,
This probably sounds silly, but even while writing this
email I get mad. My secretary at work is a good employee in every way -
other than never replacing the butter out of the fridge. I like a piece of
toast mid-morning and there is nothing more annoying than going to the
fridge with my hot toasted bread to find an empty butter container! I
wouldn’t care if she told me the butter was all gone, but she leaves the
container there which has about enough butter to cover a small postage
stamp. How do I break her of this habit?
Toast and Marmalade
Dear Toast and Marmalade,
Your letter reminds me of the elephant joke - how do
you know an elephant has been in your fridge? By the footprints in the
butter! Now let’s be sensible about this. So the butter, for use by you
and the staff, does not get replaced. Why? Probably because the staff do
not think it is their responsibility to replace it. Make it somebody’s
job to make sure there is always butter there. Keep two tubs refrigerated
and as soon as one is used up, the responsible person has to go and buy
another tub. See how easy it is to keep the boss buttered up! The solution
is now in your buttery hands.
Dear Hillary,
The other night I went out with the boys and decided I
wanted a massage, and since my girlfriend knows one of the foot massage
girls in the place close to work, I decided to go to a place at the other
end of town. Can you imagine how I felt when the local girl told me
exactly where I’d been and the name of the masseuse? Are all the massage
rooms in on this spy network? I am a little worried.
Massaged Matthew
Dear MM,
Why are you worried my precious poppet? Does Hillary get the idea
that this was a little more than just a toe in the water exercise? Was
this more of a soap and water exercise? Do we have a guilty conscience?
Answer “yes” to any of the above and I can see why you are worried.
What you have to remember, Matthew, is that Pattaya is a very small place,
and foreign males stand out, and ones who get up to mischief stand out
even more (even without “Vitamin V”). So next time you are out with
the boys, just remember that you are not alone. The Pattaya army of
masseuses is waiting, watching, and ready to pounce!
Grapevine
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Casinos ahoy
It looks as if the kingdom may be inching towards
the legalization of casinos, although it’s too early to speak of
likely dates and venues. Actually, Britain had a very similar debate
just before the Gaming Act of 1968 was introduced. Then, as now,
there was widespread tut-tutting and dire warnings that the moral
fiber of society was about to collapse. But the real issue is not
whether to allow gambling to exist in Thailand but whether to lift
it from the shadows to the full light of day. There are several
advantages in so doing. Firstly, the billions of baht now being
spent in border casinos outside the country could benefit the Thai
Exchequer by way of authorized tax. Secondly, legislation could
guarantee some rights to the gamblers themselves who are pretty well
sitting ducks whilst their activities remain outside the law.
Thirdly, the issue of corruption in casino management is easier to
address if there is a framework of law in place.
Spectacular
penthouse dining
GEOC (Grapevine Eating Out Collective) has
enjoyed a couple of fine evenings out at Star’s rooftop dining on
floor 23 of the Pattaya Hill Resort, Pratamnak Road (also see this
week’s dining out column). There’s a quite breathtaking
panoramic view of the resort whether you choose to dine inside or
outside. There’s a varied French - Thai menu which includes quite
the most delicious fish soup we have ever tried. We followed with
sirloin steak and spaghetti options from the a la carte menu.
However, there are daily specials which start at around 200 baht, so
no need to dig deep into your purse or wallet. Newly opened, the
restaurant is already proving to be popular with the in-crowd who
recognize good quality food. Just one gripe - the freshly squeezed
orange juice is overwhelmed by vast quantities of ice slush
presumably for cost reasons. Silly to cause adverse comment when
ideal oranges can be bought for just 20 baht a kilo.
Funny old season
Most publicans and business proprietors in Sin
City believe that the season held up very well until mid March. Then
the slump set in. The resort is still busy but Asian package
tourists, even in their thousands, tend not to be big spenders in
the entertainment outlets. Why this year seems to have fewer
Europeans than last is a bit of a mystery. Some blame 9/11, whilst
others point to reduction or consolidation of flights by airlines
which results in fewer seats being available. It’s certainly true
that flights from Bangkok to London or Frankfurt tend to be very
full at the moment. You could well have to book an indirect routing
if you want to go home in a hurry. Reports from Phuket suggest it
was also on the quiet side over Easter in stark contrast to recent
years. What’s unclear is whether the boom in tourism is beginning
to fade or whether there are fewer plane seats on the market.
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Readers’ queries
Here’s a selection of questions we have been asked of
late. FS is severely myopic and wants to know if it’s safe to get your
eyes tested in Pattaya. It sure is. Opticians here now have the latest
technology from Europe and the USA. Even with posh frames, the costs will
be a fraction of what specs will cost you back home... HG wonders whether
Thailand has trials by jury. No. Anything a farang is likely to get up to
will be assessed by a single judge who, in serious cases, will hear
detailed evidence from prosecution and defence lawyers (assuming you can
afford a lawyer)... WH ponders what happens to the body when a farang dies
here. It will be immediately transferred to Banglamung mortuary. If the
circumstances are at all unclear, police may insist the body is taken to
the Bangkok forensic unit for detailed autopsy. If the deceased is a
foreigner, his or her embassy will need to issue a clearance letter for
the next of kin or friend to be able to reclaim the body for a funeral.
Rewording puns
Energizer Bunny Arrested - Charged with Battery
A man’s home is his castle, in a manor of speaking
A pessimist’s blood type is always b-negative
My wife really likes to make pottery, but to me it’s
just kiln time
Dijon vu - the same mustard as before
Practise safe eating - always use condiments
I fired my masseuse today. She just rubbed me the wrong
way
A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your
mother
Shotgun wedding: a case of wife or death
I used to work in a blanket factory, but it folded
If electricity comes from electrons, presumably
morality comes from morons
A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy
Marriage is the mourning after the knot before .
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Antiques, are they genuine? Modern copies
by Apichart Panyadee
Now that rare pieces of netsuke have fetched tens of
thousands of dollars at auctions, the urge to copy pieces in a
quasi-authentic manner is irresistible to the unscrupulous. There are two
levels at which a forgery may appear. One is in the rarefied atmosphere at
the high end of the market, say over $10,000. Here the forger must provide
his highly skilled carver with a model which is uncommon, or better still,
unknown. He must give the carver as much time as is necessary to carve one
or two meticulous copies and then sell them to collectors long on money
and short on experience. Such an operation is both expensive and risky.
 A
very good ivory copy of a sleeping boar by Kaigyokusai Matsatsugu. The
carving is highly skilled and the less careful handling of the hair
marking suggests that something may be wrong.
The money invested by the forger is genuine and is tied
up for a long time. And the carver will not come cheap either. The dud
piece cannot be released via a major auction house but must wait for
passing trade. With this in mind, the collector must exercise the utmost
caution in buying from galleries and shops on the tourist routes,
including the most expensive of operations, the hotel shop.
Identifying recent restoration of a genuine item can be
sometimes done with the nose. Invisible to the naked eye, restoration, a
crack, chip or added piece, will be done with modern adhesives which have
a lingering smell. Smoke may have been used to darken a part and this too
is detectable for quite a time afterwards. The acidic, vinegary, miasma
that accompanies chemical staining can drift around a piece for a long
time after it has left the workshop.
 The
underside of the same carving supplies a further clue. The first character
of the signature is badly engraved and hesitantly formed.
There is a safeguard, however. A copyist is not a
creative artist. Were he a true artisan, he would have no need to copy and
run the risk of prosecution. He therefore takes a borrowed model from a
bent collector or dealer and in reproducing it almost always loses the
vitality and often the attention to detail of the original is rushed. In
one noted case, a forger copied an instantly recognizable rabbit and
it’s young by Okatomo from Bishell’s catalogue of Netsuke. But since
he did not have an illustration of the reverse side, he left the back of
the carving almost flat. Knowledge of reference books is therefore of
great value when a rare netsuke is being sold for what appears to be a
bargain price.
At the other end of the scale is the “yuppie”
collector, the tourist after a souvenir or the small time dealer hoping
for a windfall. To satisfy this demand, China is supplying quantities of
“hand carved” netsuke, in ivory, but produced in very large numbers.
They make no pretense to having any antiquity or pedigree, although some
are artificially stained. I have not encountered any with signatures that
could lead to confusion with a carving collector.
They can be found in profusion at airports, hotel
shops, fairs, and small dealers and are remarkably cheap. They are,
however, carved from new tusks (old ivory becomes too hard to work) and in
numbers too great to be supplied from the strict quotas now in force to
protect elephants. Purchasing them can only lead to further slaughter.
Animal Crackers: To be or not to be? That is the question!
by Mirin E. McCarthy
Even animals have their mates, although some just
procreate and leave. Some abandon their offspring to take their chances
but many leave their young to the care of their male or female mate and
more rear their offspring together. Some turf their adolescent offspring
out in the cold snow and others allow them to stay around and baby-sit.
Did you know that even male seahorses become pregnant
and give live birth?
 Papa
Emu and his little hatchlings
The female emu has the game sewn up and takes off
immediately after egg laying in search of another mate and gene diversity.
She leaves her last chap to incubate and raise the chicks to independence
alone. Talk about being left with the baby. This is no mean feat for Papa
Emu either as he must build a huge thermo-regulated nest mound from grass
and leaves over the eggs and sit on it with his feathery skirt for two
months without eating until his precious darlings hatch. His duty is to
constantly check the nest mound temperature every day with his beak,
adding or removing more mulch so the heat is just right. He then
accompanies the chicks for 18 months protecting them from wily foxes,
lizards and dingoes while teaching them to collect their own tucker of
grass, herbs and grasshoppers.
Joke: Do you know what a wombat eats? A wombat eats
roots, shoots and leaves.
Elephants have a solution that we humans could all
benefit from. They form a matriarchy, a herd of females led by the
dominant matriarch, who all band together to raise and protect and teach
each other and their young calves. The bull elephants roam alone and the
right of might earns them the opportunity to mate with a female when she
is in season. In other words the biggest, most dominant bull elephant
around is the one which gets to mate and multiply his genes.
When a mama elephant is about to give birth all the
girls in the herd gather around. The younger ones to watch and learn as
apprentices and babysitters and the older ones as midwives and teachers.
In some societies we follow a similar matriarchy, where sisters, aunts,
mothers and grandmothers descend on the house of a birthing first time
mother to help and teach.
In elephant herds the baby would surely die without the
other females’ help. A first time mother is clumsy and does not even
know how to guide her calf to her teats to take its first drink. Likewise
us women. As an R.N. I have taught many mothers how to get their firstborn
to suckle. Often women have to teach each other the tricks of the trade;
it is a pity we do not do this in more generous, supportive and formalised
matriarchal groups like elephants.
Social Commentary by Khai Khem
Only you can prevent clumps
Once, on a road trip long ago, I asked my father why
traffic clumped on highways. Always analytical, he said something about
traffic being governed by the laws of fluid dynamics while (ever the
‘hot head’) he cursed the other drivers anyway.
These days, when I join millions of drivers on
Thailand’s roads for the weekends, I have finally come to know what my
father was talking about. Every few kilometers there are huge clumps of
cars and trucks. Cars in the passing lane have to reduce their speed when
approaching a clump while cars in the left lane have to slow to a crawl.
Every time a clump appears, cars in the left lane have
near-rear-enders as they keep braking and accelerating. Other drivers try
to scoot ahead by speeding in the left lane and then cutting back into the
right lane - causing more braking and clumping. From Pattaya to Bangkok I
watched these same cars speed past, get stuck in clumps and then try to
zoom ahead to the next clump.
About halfway back on the return trip, I finally
realized the truth of what my friend was yelling at me: “Just slow down,
enjoy the mud-flap art of the gravel trucks and tourist buses in front,
don’t get angry and don’t fight it.” Traffic these days is pretty
much the same all over the world unless one lives in Lapland. I am
learning to accept the clump.
A laid-back attitude not only is good for the soul, but
it can dissolve the clumps, at least according to one very independent
investigator. For years, traffic engineers have depicted traffic as liquid
in tubes that all too often get overloaded. Los Angeles, of course,
invented solid-state traffic. Scientists have designed computer models
that combine the physics of traffic flow with the psychology of flawed
drivers. But it took a self-described student of “crackpot physics” to
discover that an individual driver can un-clump the clumps.
In an article called “Traffic Waves” featuring
illustrations of cars clotting and un-clotting this observer discussed
“traffic fluid dynamics” and his experiments on Seattle highways as an
“amateur traffic dynamist.” The basic finding: The power to un-clump
traffic is yours, if you don’t keep speeding up like the other chumps.
He said that years ago he was driving through wave after wave of stop and
go traffic in Seattle at rush hour. He decided to drive slowly rather than
repeatedly rushing ahead with everyone else, only to come to a halt. He
tried to drive at the average speed of traffic. He let a huge gap open up
ahead of him, and timed things so he arrived at the next ‘stop-wave’
just as the last red brake lights were turning off ahead of him.
Of course it felt strange to have all that space ahead
of him, but after a half hour he looked in his rearview mirror and saw
that for miles behind him there was a totally uniform distribution of
traffic moving at 70 kilometers per hour. His car had been “eating”
traffic waves. His single car had erased miles and miles of stop-and-go
traffic. Just one single ‘lubricant’ atom had a profound effect on the
turbulent particle flow within the tube.
This is a profound finding in our modern world in
which, more and more, the individual feels powerless, particularly when
stuck with unhorsed horsepower on an un-free freeway. One does have to be
nice and uncompetitive, though. And we must not curse at the guy who lets
that space develop in front of him. Normal competitive behavior creates
the traffic waves and it is ironic the angry people who drive as fast as
possible might unwittingly participate in amplifying the very conditions
that they hate so much. In other words, it’s the impatient jerks that
create the clumps.
The solution is to quit defending the space in front
and let traffic merge. We need to ignore our raging hormones and leave a
few car lengths ahead of us. In Thailand that space would be filled with
broom sellers, mobile noodle vendors, pushcarts loaded with ceramic
knick-knacks, and packs of maniacal motorcyclists who swarm together like
killer bees. But the theory was great on paper.
Roll over Rover: The self-correcting collar
by C. Schloemer
Yes, I know, it sounds tortuous. But it is perfectly
humane, especially if you fall into the category of those who can’t stop
choking their dogs with the choke-chain collar. The self-correcting collar
works on the quick external pinch-pain principle, which is far less
damaging than a permanently crushed trachea.
Germans developed this collar for many of their
bull-necked breeds. It works wonders for dogs that are pain sensitive or
too powerful to persuade with a chain collar. Although it is officially
termed a prong collar, I refer to it as self-correcting because it
requires little strength to use. When you lock your arm into place, the
collar pinches the dog. Even the rowdiest of canines will feel it and slow
down.
If you decide to give this collar a try, be sure to
have someone with experience help you fit it on your dog and give you a
quick lesson on its use. Here’s a tip. If you do decide to try this
collar, be warned. Occasionally they pop off. To prevent an emergency, buy
an oversized nylon slip collar and attach your leash to both collars when
you are walking in an unconfined area.
The “chin-lead”
Again I have renamed a product because it is more
descriptive. Actually, this product comes in two forms. The pet stores
sell a version known as a Halti. The other brand is called a Gentle Leader
and is usually sold exclusively through veterinarians in many countries.
They are essentially the same thing. I recommend this collar for people
struggling with an overexcited or headstrong dog. If you feel our dog is
either, this may be the perfect solution. It eliminates the need to go
into a choke battle and teaches your dog in a passive way that you are in
charge. It looks like a muzzle! Trust me, it is not a muzzle. Dogs can
eat, chew and play happily while sporting their chin-lead. Taken a step
further, it’s probably the most humane way to handle a dog. It
eliminates the need for collar corrections. Instead of teaching by
applying negative pressure around the neck, it guides dogs gently by their
head, like a halter on a horse.
When left on during play, the pressure on the nose
discourages rowdiness and mouthing. By using the chin lead with the
teaching lead or short lead, when people come to visit you can effectively
curb jumping habits. Barking frenzies are also reduced, as the pressure
across the nose encourages a more submissive outlook. And last but not
least, training is simplified as you guide your dog from one exercise to
the next.
For those owners who can step beyond its muzzle
appearance, the chin lead is a safe, effective, humane training tool that
will give you a real advantage in correcting negative behavior patterns.
One more plus is that leading by the chin demands minimal physical
strength, so nearly everyone can use it, including children.
How long should you
leave the chin lead on?
This question can only be answered by one variable:
your dog. If yours is relatively well behaved, use it exclusively during
training sessions. If the dog is the mouthing, barking, jumping maniac
type, leave it on whenever you are with him. Remove it at night or when
you are away from the house.
Sizing the chin lead and
evaluating your dog’s reaction to it
A sizing scale is included with any chin lead you
purchase. Once you have the proper size you must fit it correctly around
your dog’s neck. If the chin lead is too loose, your dog will pull it
off. You want it to fit snugly about his ears and under his neck. You
should be able to slip two fingers between the lead and your dog. Halti
collar users should fit the neck clasp and tie a knot with the remaining
slack. This prevents the collar from coming loose.
Initially dogs don’t like wearing a head collar. But
they learn to tolerate it. So when you see your dog flopping around like a
flounder, take a breath. Once he realizes he can’t get it off he’ll
forget about it. Some take an hour, a day or two. If you find yourself
wanting to give this collar a try, you may have to tolerate some
resistance. Be patient.
A Slice of Thai History: The Iron Horse in Thailand
Part Three 1896-1930
by
Duncan Stearn
Unfortunately for the Thais, George Campbell and
Railways Department director Karl Bethge were unable to work together,
arguing almost constantly, especially after the appointment of another
German, Luis Weiler, as chief engineer in 1893. Relations deteriorated to
such an extent that Campbell’s contract was rescinded in 1896 and the
Railways Department took over the completion of the line.
However, since Campbell’s contract had been written
subject to British rather than Thai law, he decided to sue the government
of Thailand through the courts. The subsequent litigation and arbitration
came to involve courts in both Asia and Europe and proved an embarrassment
for Thailand.
The Thai government was determined not to allow a
repeat of the Campbell situation and in February 1898 decided that the
Railways Department would in future own, build and operate all railways in
the country.
The Bangkok-Khorat line was officially opened on
December 21, 1900 with a branch line to Lopburi also under construction.
This section, designed to eventually terminate in Chiang Mai, was opened
in April 1901. By 1909, the line had reached Phitsanulok.
Interestingly, the Bangkok-Khorat line was built to the
European standard gauge on the advice of Bethge, who claimed that Malaya
and Burma were also on this gauge. In fact, they were not. The British,
and later the French in Indo-China, were building their railways to metre
gauge. Therefore, the Thais were building a rail system that would be
incompatible with their neighbours.
Whether this was a deliberate ploy or a major oversight
is much debated by historians, although given the political climate of the
late-nineteenth century it would seem a logical tactical move for Thailand
to construct lines that were not compatible with potential enemies.
Interestingly, construction of a southern line, from
Thonburi (the western side of Bangkok) to Phetburi, begun in 1900 and
completed in 1903, was built to metre gauge.
The 1896 Anglo-French agreement on Thai sovereignty,
followed by the 1904 signing of the Entente Cordiale between France and
Britain and the evacuation of the French from their occupation of
Chantaburi that same year, gave Thailand a measure of security for her
political future. Thus, the government agreed to the raising of foreign
loans in order to complete a number of rail links.
The rail lines also proved to be financially rewarding
for investors, with dividends never falling below three percent between
1900 and 1930.
In 1904, Luis Weiler, the German chief engineer, was
appointed head of the Railways Department and remained in that position
until Thailand declared war on Germany and her allies in July 1917.
Weiler, along with other German and Austrian nationals,
was interned but, after being hospitalised due to severe ill-health, the
54-year-old was given passage aboard a steamer to England. He died on
January 17, 1918 during the voyage.
By the 1920s, the overall political situation in
continental Southeast Asia had improved to such an extent that the Thais
felt secure enough to convert their rail lines from standard to metre
gauge, thereby making possible rail links with Malaya, Cambodia and Burma.
It was around this time that the baht replaced the
Indian rupee as the preferred currency of exchange and trade in Chiang Mai
and surrounding areas.
The construction of rail lines across Thailand enabled
the central government to exert a greater economic as well as political
influence on the country. The railways not only served as an efficient,
reliable and relatively quick method of engaging in trade, they also
brought the various provinces together and created a greater sense of
national unity.
The Message In The Moon: Sun in Leo/Moon in Leo
by Anchalee Kaewmanee
The Peacock
Despite the special brand of charisma this combination
possesses, people born into this sign eventually realize that they
themselves are the only thing that holds their interest for very long.
This is not to say they are selfish or self-serving. Natives of this
Sun-Moon combo are loyal, compassionate, and have generosity that knows no
limits. It is just that they never get over their fascination for that
wonderful image they see in their mirror. Well, there are worse faults to
be had amidst the human race. A little vanity can certainly be tolerated.
All Leo-Leos are benevolent egomaniacs and who want
everyone to conform to their vision and their will. They often mistake
friends for vassals, and consider the world they live in their temporal
realm and personal playground. Optimistic, open and fun loving, they only
get upset and confused when for some strange reason people around them
fail to appreciate their divine dictatorship.
Nevertheless, most mortals are continually drawn to the
magnetic and vital presence of these natives and they are popular
individuals with large followings. Occasionally a friend or associate will
realize that once they are befriended by a double Leo they have little
chance of remaining the same and they panic and flee. They saw in a flash
that their behavior and opinions will be changed forever. Fortunately,
only a few truly suffer at the hands of these scintillating personalities.
Rarely is anyone permanently damaged and most close associates end up a
lot better than they were before they were allowed to bask in the sunshine
of that perpetual glow.
The actions of double Leos are often designed to
attract attention. Just look how they dress, for example. Never content to
do things by halves, it is all or nothing with these individuals. Dramatic
and flamboyant, they are capable of upstaging anyone in a room. Instinct
and intuition rule their actions and decisions and reason be dammed! Their
heart always has the last word. If some spur-of-the-moment decision causes
them to get burned, they pick themselves up and brush themselves off and
pretend they were never singed. Courage and a will of iron keep them
forever bouncing back anew, determined to get into more trouble.
Despite their flamboyance and casual air, they also
have a very serious side to their nature. A double Leo is proud and
dignified. He or she will want the recognition and status they deserve and
will work honestly and tirelessly to earn it. Although basically warm
hearted and protective, this native does have a cold streak, and if it is
absolutely necessary to be ruthless in order to get achieve a goal, then
so be it.
All Leo-Leos must work hard in order to support their
extravagant tastes, and if necessary, there are the rare individuals born
into this sign that may betray their own high standards of honesty,
loyalty and integrity to fulfill their material desires. In many respects
they feel they are above the law. After all, an emperor needs to answer
only to himself in the end. Happily these people have high standards and
their pride usually prevents them from sinking to low forms of behavior.
They are so talented in so many areas it is rare to find them cheating
when they don’t have to.
All natives of this Sun-Moon combination are attracted
to glamour, pomp and ceremony. Anything that hints of drama and
showmanship will be irresistible to the double Leo. Shrewd, these natives
can penetrate another person’s gaze and see right through any
superficiality or deceit. But since they are basically idealists, these
natives sometimes prefer to accept surface impressions, even though they
know better. They manufacture a rationale for such fraudulent behavior. As
long as it is grand and glamorous it’s good enough.
There is an innate tendency to systemize their beliefs
and convictions. They must beware of becoming dogmatic and opinionated and
strive to keep an open mind and their opinions flexible. If they can
achieve this they will be capable of great achievements no matter what
careers they pursue or goals they set.
Independent in all things, including their romantic
life, they often dodge the restriction of one permanent relationship. They
favor polygamy. Besides, who could possibly be worthy of their total and
exclusive attention? The double Leo is intensely sensual and flirtatious,
and the status of romance is the index of overall happiness. These natives
have wildly varied and unusual affairs.
Coins of the Realm: WWF conserving nature
by Jan Olav Aamlid
President - House of the Golden Coin (http://www.thaicoins.com)
Last week I wrote about the UNICEF coins from Thailand
with the very low mintage. It has been pointed out for me that in 1998
there were three silver coins issued with an even lower mintage, only
1,000 PC. The Treasury Department of Thailand, in cooperation with the
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), issued the three coins in question. The
coins issued in 1,000 PC were coins struck in PIEDFORT, that is, coins
struck with regular dies, but double the thickness and weight of the
regular coins.
One 100 baht coin and two 200 baht coins were struck
commemorating WWF Conserving Nature. All three coins had on the obverse
the portrait of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and on the reverse of the 100
baht coin there was a tiger’s head and the legend “WWF CONSERVING
NATURE THAILAND 1997” and in Thai “B.E. 2540”.
The reverse of one of the 200 baht coins shows two Thai
elephants and on the other 200 baht coin there are two tigers lying in a
field. The 200 baht coins have the same legend as the 100 baht coin.
The mintage for the PIEDFORT coins was all according to
the certificates: 1000 PC and the whole mintage was issued. The 100 baht
PIEDFORT coins from the Treasury Department first sold for 1,800 baht and
later the price was increased to 2,200 baht. Each of the 200 baht PIEDFORT
coins first sold for 3,000 baht, and later the Treasury Department
increased the price to 3,600 baht.
According to the certificates, the regular 100 baht
coins could be issued in 50,000 PC, but only 5,000 PC were struck
according to “Coinage of the Rattanakosin Era A.D. 1982-1999”.
The mintage for each of the 200 baht coins could be
issued in 15,0000 PC, but only 3,250 were struck according to the same
book. The program is closed, so no more coins will be issued, and the
mintage for all coins is very low.
In 1987 the WWF commemorated their 25th Anniversary.
Thailand participated with striking a 2,500 baht coin in gold and a 200
baht coin in silver. The mintage for the gold coin was 3,218 PC, and the
silver coin was struck in 22,280 PC. All sold out, and today sell above
the issue price.
Why so few bought the Thai WWF issued in 1998 I believe
must be blamed on the financial crises, but the one’s that did buy them
even after the prices were increased should be happy. The second hand
market for the coins today is much higher, especially for the coins struck
in double thickness, PIEDFORT.
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