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Your Health & Happiness:
Spas not just for the well-to-do, says academy head
Locals didn’t get the message, or the massage
Autsadaporn
Kamthai
Spas may be establishments to invigorate body and soul,
but the recent Lanna Spa Festival did nothing to excite locals.
 HRH
Princess Ubolratana visits the displays by spa entrepreneurs after opening
the Lanna Spa Festival.
It failed to arouse public interest in the spa industry
and change people’s attitudes towards the service, according to Tatsanee
Sungkerd, general manager of the Lanna Spa Academy, the main organizer of
the festival.
 Atmosphere
of the festival on the opening day.
Spas and producers of herbal beauty products from the
North and even central Thailand, on the other hand, had paid great attention
to the festival for promoting the industry and their businesses, he said.
“The main obstacle is that most Northern residents have
the attitude that spas are exclusively for the well-to-do,” said Tatsanee.
Because of this misconception, the turnout at the five-day spa festival was
low.
 Traditional
massage in Lanna ways was also available at the festival.
“Most of the festival’s visitors have experienced and
been interested in this service, while relatively few numbers of the general
public attended. This was not the primary intention of entrepreneurs, who
wanted to introduce spa concepts to a wider and new market,” said
Tatsanee.
 A
spa lover is seen having traditional massage at a spa booth.
The Lanna Spa Academy had a plan to organize such a
festival annually to promote the industry to all classes of people, but it
needed to evaluate the result of this year’s festival and public
non-participation to improve the next one, said Tatsanee.
However, the festival had promoted cooperation among spa
entrepreneurs and provided an opportunity for health and beauty service
entrepreneurs to build networks.
The Lanna Spa Festival was officially opened on October 28 by Her Royal
Highness Princess Ubolratana. It took place at the Lanna Spa Academy and
about 20 spa, health service and product entrepreneurs participated.
The Doctor's Consultation:
Capsules with ‘eyes’ report on your inner self
by Dr. Iain Corness
Soon it will no longer be a case of your doctor asking,
“How are you feeling after taking the capsules?” it will be a case of your
doctor telling you what your insides look like, after taking the capsules!
Yes, the stuff of science fiction is here now - small
guided robots that can sail through your gastro-intestinal system (from top to
bottom) and report on how things are looking deep down inside.
In some ways the technology is similar to the current
endoscopic examinations, where we insert long flexible tubes with a ‘seeing
eye’ at the tip into the gut. Usually this is done as an ‘upper’
endoscopy working from the top down, or a ‘lower’ one working from the
bottom (literally) upwards.
The advance is now that we will not need the flexible
tubes. There is a ‘seeing eye’ you can swallow, which will beam the
pictures out of your body, without being physically attached to the monitoring
system.
This fantastic journey in medicine follows the recent
advances in miniaturization by Japanese company RF System Laboratory. They
have produced the Norika 3 RF Endoscopic Robot Capsule which can deliver a
live video of the patient’s gastrointestinal system.
The Norika robot capsule uses an incredibly small colour
camera which is placed inside a micro capsule that is swallowed by the
patient. Image technology allows for magnetic variable focus, so the operator
can look carefully at significant areas.
The capsule camera travels through the digestive system and
its position can be controlled by using a joystick. The amount of light can
also be adjusted and even switched to the infrared spectrum for multiple
analyses.
To receive the signals and send pictures back, a special
vest has to be worn by the patient to provide wireless transmission. Digital
technology allows the communication with the capsule.
It does not even need to be driven manually, as automatic
operation is possible as sequential programs can be easily transferred to the
CPU inside the camera capsule.
The magic capsule is 9 mm in diameter and 23 mm in length,
which is larger than most capsules, but still possible to swallow. The case is
made of resin. Around the camera lens are four white LEDs and magnetic coils
for focus adjustment. Two tanks with air valves are in the centre and a there
is a capacitor to store electric power and a microwave video signal
transmitter. 40 percent of the capsule is free space, which can be used for
surgical purposes such as medication sprays, laser treatment, and pH
estimations.
Now if you think that one is small, the same company has
another of these little whizzers called the Norika Jr Endoscopic Robot Capsule
which performs most of the operations of the first capsule but is even smaller
in size being 5.8 mm in diameter and 15mm in length. To do this, they had to
ditch the internal controlling units, but being so small it can be used for
babies and the elderly.
This ‘space age’ technology actually came from the RF
System Laboratory’s work with the Japanese Experimental Module Project,
initiated by the National Space Development Agency of Japan in 1997. It was
important to measure information from within the body in no-gravity situations
but scientists wanted to obtain data directly from the gastrointestinal system
by using non-invasive techniques.
It has taken several years to get to this far with the
device, but it certainly will not be a bitter pill for the patients to swallow
in the near future!
Agony Column
Dear Hillary,
Do you think it is a good idea to be seeing one girl over here, but have a
little one on the side as well? I know the Thais do it, as all the rich
ones seem to keep a ‘mia noy’ tucked away somewhere. I have a nice
girl, but just need a little extra now and again.
Tim
Dear (two timing) Tim,
You say you know the Thais well, Tim my philandering Petal, but your
letter shows that you don’t know them well at all. The Mia Noi situation
that you describe with the rich Thais is one that is tolerated by the
number 1 wife to keep the peace (and the money) in the marital home. In
the farang situation, you are treading on very dangerous ground. Jai yen
yen (a cool heart) is not always the case here, and retribution for
straying can be very cutting, including the famous Bobbit procedure. So if
you don’t want to be ‘bobbed’, stick with your ‘nice girl’.
Dear Hillary,
I would like to respond to the subject from your recent column. Unlike the
person you answered, I did marry, provided mobiles (2), watches (1 for
every day), cars (2), motorcycles (2) and houses (2). After all these, my
lovely Thai wife still has no concept of time. When we need to go
somewhere and I ask how long it will take; her answer is either going to
be: “not long” or “long time”. Of course her answer depends on her
mood and can change depending on her mood (so not long can become very
long and vice versa). Even going to a gold shop does not work. Since I’m
a time-freak, calculating in seconds, this can be rather frustrating, what
can I do? (Besides changing myself?)
Time-freak
Dear Time-freak,
Petal, you have one great big problem on your hands here. Despite watches
(one for every day of the week), phones and cars and houses, your Thai
wife apparently remains a timeless jewel in your life. You have already
played the final ace - the gold shop, so you are really wound up. However,
I would recommend that it is really time that you have to drop your
time-driven nature and look at ways to adjust your time-frame. What can
you do other than changing yourself, you ask, but you don’t suggest in
your letter what it is you want change yourself into. (The local hospital
can arrange all sorts of wonderful plastic surgery, adding bits here,
snipping off bits there - the choice is yours!) If you don’t change
physically or mentally, there’s only one further change that can be
made. Time for a new wife? Sorry Petal, Hillary can’t help!
Dear Hillary,
Are there no rules of the road here? Just today I saw a young girl on a
step through motorcycle, she couldn’t have been more than twelve,
wobbling her way into the traffic outside Tesco Lotus. She had no crash
helmet and neither did any of her two passengers. Isn’t there a minimum
age for driving and why aren’t car safety belts and motorcycle crash
helmets enforced for all passengers? I don’t scare easy, having driven
lorries in Europe, believe me they are crazy there, but it seems to me
most Thai drivers and passengers have a death wish. They continually cut
down the inside of you on motorbikes and rush in front of you into the
minimal gap you kept for safe driving distance, stop dead in front with no
warning, and sit or stand on the open tailgate of an overloaded pick up.
Don’t they have any regard for their own life and safety? What is more I
believe that in an accident the foreigner is always in the wrong. Can you
explain this?
Craig
Dear Craig,
Yes of course there are road rules here but no-one enforces them very
much. This is Thailand, and isn’t that why you came here in the first
place? As far as the minimum driving age here, looking at the drivers and
riders, I think it is aged eight up-country and aged ten on the highway. I
agree with you that driving or riding here is a hazard for the unwary. The
answer is, “beware”. Thais do value life, but you have to realize they
have a different perspective on it. They also believe they get another go
at it, so easy come easy go, from their point of view. The old one about
the farang always being in the wrong is simple to explain from a Thai
viewpoint, “If you weren’t there in the first place you wouldn’t
have been there for me to run into.” However, this is really just an old
apocryphal tale, I believe the local police do try to apply the law
equally and equitably.
Dear Hillary,
Sorry to go back to the Vitamin V subject again, but while previous
letters have all been full of taking it till it drops off, kind of riding
the horse till it can’t go no further, has anyone done any study on just
how much can you take? This is a serious subject, so a serious answer
please.
Victor
Dear Victor,
Hillary give a serious answer? Just who do you think I am, Petal. This is
a column for the lovelorn, not a kiss and tell in the pharmacy.
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Camera Class: Painting with light
by Harry Flashman
The accepted definition of ‘photography’ is ‘painting
with light’. To be honest, I do not know who originally coined the phrase (or
if I did know, I have forgotten), but it is a good starting off point -
especially the ‘painting’ concept.
Another quote from the savants is “There is art and there
is photography. They are not the same.” This I can go along with, for some
types of photography - but not all. The style of picture which I call
‘record’ photography, is not art. These photographs ‘record’ what is in
front of the lens and that is all. The photographer has precious little input
into the image recorded on film. The person who sets up a camera with an
automatic exposure and photographs the Niagara Falls with a 50 mm lens has just
made a ‘record’ shot. The resulting photograph will show the Niagara Falls,
no more, no less and no ‘art’.
 The
person who goes to the Niagara Falls and gets as close as they can to the base,
and photographs upwards at the water cascading down with a 24 mm lens with
several neutral density filters allowing a two second exposure to blur the water
has put ‘something’ into the picture. That something might be called
creativity. That ‘something’ might even be called art! This is not a record
shot. In fact, Richard Avedon, who died last month said, “All photographs are
accurate. None of them is the truth.” Now we are getting closer to an artistic
input concept.
Recording what is ‘there’ without interpreting it in some
way is never art, but the camera can be a very powerful tool for the artistic
soul. However, sometimes you have to work hard to get it.
Take a look at the picture this week. Unfortunately, in the
newspaper it is in black and white reproduction, while in the original this was
very brightly coloured. Taken by an amateur, Ernie Kuhnelt, it was produced by a
photographic technique that Ernie has been experimenting with for a while. Taken
originally on slide film with a speed rating of 50 ASA, the photographer was
looking for an effect, rather than for an image of any subject in particular.
The effect that was wanted was one by which the viewer looked and said firstly
“How did the photographer produce that?” followed by “What is it?”
I am not usually enamoured of ‘modern art’, but I have to
admit that I was very taken with Ernie’s photograph - and believe me, it is a
photograph, being a rendition (rather than a ‘record’ shot) of a sacred tree
in Pattaya, festooned with coloured ribbons around the trunk. Again I apologize
for the B&W printing (more accurately grey and grey), but use your
imagination and look deeply into it. Suddenly you can see the image, and you can
also sense something else. This image is ‘alive’. It has movement.
The original image was taken on ASA 50 and with a very small
aperture to require a slow shutter speed. During the photograph, the camera was
moved, as if ‘panning’ to shoot a moving object. Different shutter speeds
were tried, as were different angles, as with this type of experimental
photography, it is almost impossible to predict the result.
From his images on the one roll, Ernie selected two for
enlargement, this being the better of the two, in my opinion. He is going to
continue experimentation, as this has given his personal photography a new
dimension and impetus.
The moral in this week’s column is to stop taking ‘record’ shots, no
matter how ‘pretty’ they might be. If I had $10 for every photograph I have
ever seen in competitions of fungi, I would be a rich man. Whilst all very
fascinating, the photographer did nothing to get those shots - just be there and
press the button. Instead, start trying something new. Be it a new film stock,
speed rating, filter, movement - the list is endless. Just try something wild
and you too might have produced a personal piece of art.
Dogs - Man’s best friend:To breed or not to breed?
Nienke Parma
To breed or not to breed? Although, personally not
favoring breeding (already too many dogs in this world) I acknowledge those
who love and devote themselves to a certain breed and desire to improve it.
Without any selective breeding the huge variation of dog breeds will meld
into one general appearance, that of the feral dogs. And that would be such
a waste!
 Breeding?
Selective breeding is more than a mating between female
and male, resulting in a bunch of puppies two months later. It’s a serious
matter, that takes knowledge, much time and effort, and it rather costs
money than anything can be gained from it. Well, at least, for those who
seriously care about the animal’s and their off-spring’s well-being and
are willing to show responsibility. After all, deliberately putting dogs on
this planet has consequences not only for the breeding stock and their
off-spring but also for human society, as dogs having a physical or mental
defect are more likely to show disturbed behavior. They may need extra
medical care, become a nuisance or are quicker in showing aggression. Not to
mention the emotional pain it may cause to its loving owners.
Professional breeders, as well as those responsible for
just one litter, should have a good knowledge of the basics of genetics or,
at least, know whether the bloodlines of both female and male carry mental
or physical hereditary defects, and if so, they exclude that animal from any
breeding program. They are fully aware of the bitches’ and puppies’
mental and physical needs, what it takes to fulfill those needs and will act
accordingly. They have the basic knowledge on dog behavior development and
socialization period. A period that stands at the basis of the dog’s
(mis)behavior later in life. And if, despite all precautions, a puppy still
shows a physical or mental problems or the new owner can’t, for any
reason, keep the dog any longer, this ideal breeder will show responsibility
and care, and help the owner with advice, or help re-house the dog or take
it back.
For more information on dog issues, boarding or training please contact
LuckyDogs: 09 99 78 146 or c_dproject@yahoo.com
Money Matters: Oil gushes higher
High oil prices and heightened political risk likely to remain a feature – The views of one of our analysts
Graham Macdonald
MBMG International Ltd.
Recent weeks have seen resurgence in the price of oil.
MBMG have been overweight in the energy sector on their global sector
overlay for some months, in light of the positive fundamentals for the
sector. The recent increase in investor risk aversion has enhanced the
sector’s attractions. The oil stocks have been beneficiaries of the move
away from riskier areas of the market and have important attractions in
terms of security and the potential for future growth.
Source: Yukos.com
Yukos is responsible for 19% of Russian oil production
and accounts for 2% of the world’s production, equal to the current level
of Iraqi exports. The market fears that the government’s interference in
the running of Yukos could have a significant impact on the company’s oil
production.
 Yukos
Share Price over the last three years
The strong growth of the global economy and the rapid
development of China have fuelled demand for oil. As consumers in China
become more affluent, demand for cars has been expanding at a frenetic pace.
There is very little room to raise current oil supplies, with the result
that prices in the US were recently propelled to a record high of around $44
per barrel. The low level of supply was a factor driving oil prices higher
earlier this year but these have been rebuilt to their historic normal
levels.
Adding to existing concerns over oil supply is the danger
of increased political risk. Oil pipelines in Iraq continue to be subject to
periodic acts of sabotage while there has been a pick-up in terrorist
activity in Saudi Arabia. Elsewhere, there are continuing tribal problems in
Nigeria while in Latin America, Venezuela has seen increasing unrest and
opposition to the current president, which could escalate and affect oil
production as it has in the past. There is also the uncertainty surrounding
the future of the key Russian oil producer, Yukos.
At some point MBMG are likely to re-assess their stance -
a return of investors’ risk appetite is likely to prove unhelpful as the
sector’s more defensive characteristics mean that it is likely to be used
as a source of funds when investors wish to move back into areas such as
technology. However, our view that high BETA markets will continue to fall
until some time between 2007-2010 means that there is still scope for
commodities in the medium term, although price spikes in the short term will
see periods of subsequent price retrenchment and there will be massive
volatility to both the upside and the downside, which can be both extremely
profitable and also somewhat risky for many of our portfolio holdings, such
as Man, OM-IP, JF Natural Resources among others.
Next week: 8 bullet points about the price of Oil
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 graham@mbmg-international.com
Mrs. DoLittle’s Corner:
Fat Cats
Mrs. DoLittle
A lot has been written about cats. Most of it by people who
have been studying the cat, less by people who actually know them. In Mrs.
DoLittle’s experience, cats are not as arrogant and independent as has been
claimed. Nor do they need less attention than dogs. All animals need as much
love you are prepared to give. If you give your all, that’s the best you can
do. Your aura will radiate this towards your beloved animal. You must be
totally devoted to your cat.
 Cats
need as much attention as a dog to become a loving companion. If they have
fleas they need a bath and prevention towards getting more. They need
de-worming on a regular basis, especially since they like to scavenge and eat
raw things. A well fed cat will seldom eat the birds or mice they catch, but
bring them back to their ‘den’ to provide for the family, just like a lion
does. If they do eat it, it is because they lack something in their diet.
Dry cat food is a good staple to have available at all
times. Cats like to nibble, now and then. They do not gulp their food down like
dogs do. Once a day they should be given steamed fresh fish or their favorite
canned food. Let them choose which one they like. It varies from cat to cat.
Let them have as much as they like. Do not leave any remaining food standing
around to go bad. If they get hungry later, they always have their dry food.
Feed them at the same time every day. All animals like routine. When their
routine is broken, they get upset. Cats like to take life easy and chill out,
so they need to know their life is balanced. They need a quiet spot to lie in
the sun and a warm lap to lie on a cold night. Cats need to feel secure at
night and be free from stress to be able to rest.
 Cats
love to be brushed too. It helps to remove loose hair so they don’t end up
with fur balls in their stomachs, or worse, stuck in their intestines. Cats
want to be clean. If you help them do it, they will love you for it. Happy cats
groom themselves a lot. Cats that are dirty have lost their will to clean
themselves. They usually are homeless and are depressed because they have no
one to care for them. Cats groom themselves to be pretty for its friends to
admire them.
They need to have grass to chew on. All felines eat grass to
cleanse their stomachs. Even cats in cages, such as leopard cats, tigers,
lions, civets etc., get fed fresh cut grass with their meat.
Sterilizing your cat, whether it’s a girl or a boy is
important. There are enough homeless animals running around without creating
more. Anyone wanting a kitten can easily find one in the local neighborhood.
Males that are neutered stay home and don’t get into fights. Cats who are
allowed to wander get fleas and injuries from other animals, which can bring
diseases into your home. Because cats can jump over walls, it is difficult to
keep them at home unless they have nothing to leave for. Cats, as well as any
other species, need a companion of their own kind. If they are ‘fixed’, it
doesn’t necessarily have to be of the opposite sex. Mrs. DoLittle has several
cat pairs of the same sex, who adore each other and do everything together.
Many cats get abandoned when people move. The general idea
seems to be that cats can fend for themselves and they will be all right. The
fact is that domesticated cats get into a lot of trouble if left on their own
and life is very difficult for them. If they have to survive on rats and
cockroaches, they will soon die from parasites. They may get attacked by stray
dogs or run over on the streets. In a home environment, cats and dogs get on
fine. At the sanctuary we have a dog named Monster whom is loved by all our
cats. He’s a sweet ‘monster’. When he goes to sleep, there is always a
pile of cats on top of him. They know where the warmth is!
The moral of this story is: Wherever there is ‘heart room’, there is
‘leg room’.
Life in the Laugh Lane: I’m afraid of my stove
by Scott Jones
I had a big gas stove in America. I’ve car-camped across
the country with Colman camping stoves. I’ve carried backpack stoves into the
wilderness. But after three months of living in my Sansai bungalow, I’m still
afraid of my plain, ordinary, everyday Thai propane stove.
 My
first attempt to light it ended with one hairless arm, the smell of my own body
parts in the air and a snapshot in my brain of meter high flames in the
kitchen. I had opened the tank, turned the knob, heard a click and was
immediately transported to Hell, which sounds like FWOOOOOMP, in all capitals.
I wet my pants, but couldn’t get that liquid onto the stove fast enough.
Somehow I, or Buddha, shut off the tank before I made the obituary section of
the newspaper.
After changing pants and a three-week Fear of Being Burned
Alive Therapy Course, I approached the Hell Stove cautiously. The burner I had
chosen to tease was called TURBO. (No manual available, but I assume it stands
for Torch ‘UR Butt Off.) I actually got the STANDARD burner to behave and
fixed a meal for my house-warming party. (It was almost a solo, house-burning
party.) Since that day, I only get hissing and clicking, similar to encounters
with rattlesnakes in the wilderness.
I asked my landlady’s helper for a stove lesson. She did
the same as I, heard the sinister hissing and worthless clicking, backed off in
gentle terror and ordered another stove. Alone again, with my new stove,
summoning all my courage and wearing all the clothes that I own, I gingerly
turned the knob. Hiss, hiss, click, click. SOS, DD. (Same old sound, different
day.) I’m resigned to being the incompetent farang, but I’m also still
alive. The microwave is fine for warming food from the markets: no horrible
hissing and clicking, just safe humming and a bell when dinner’s ready.
The good news? I have hair on both arms again and I’ll never have to clean
the stove.
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