Regular features from October 2005 118th Issue

Looking back & Looking forward

I'd like to look back at an article I did a few issues ago on the advantages of expatriates domiciling their money in Switzerland . Although the main thrust of the article was to explain the many advantages of Switzerland , (If you would like a copy please e-mail) it was sub titled “Is it time to go back to equity markets?” To back up this argument I quoted the performance of seven equity funds and two sector funds. In looking at performance year to date 2005, I gave performance to the beginning of July. I thought it would be an interesting exercise to look again at these funds with an updated performance to the beginning of September.

Quite impressive 2 month performance- (not a loss in sight). I think it helps my case that now is the time to get some of your money back in equity markets and not let it all be squeezed by low bank rates. Over 10%p.a. in a low risk fund For those of you who base their portfolio on fear of loss and let the banks make profits on your money here is an investment that should grab your attention and get you to make a decision to do yourself a favour i.e. make your money work for you. This is a ground rent fund based in Guernsey Channel Islands, which can only be accessed through Friends Provident another multi billion dollar British listed company. It is called the” Brandeaux ground rent income fund” and it has been closed to new premium since October 2000. Now in its 10th successful year it boasts an average annualized performance of 10.03%. It is now open for a short period so get moving now if you don't want to miss out. You need at least 25,000 sterling or currency equivalent to get in. So how does a ground rent fund work? The land owner (Freeholder) leases the land on which the apartment. is built Occupier of apt//house pays ground rent for a fixed term (99/999 years) for use of land Capital Growth- there is an active market in freehold investments. When the opportunity arises the assets are sold to create additional capital gains. Lease extensions- premiums and increased rent arises as a result of extending leases. Development Opportunities-premiums are received where leasehold covenants require consent for alteration or development of a property. Low risk is achieved through Security of fund income-payment of rent assured-building reverts to the freeholder for non-payment. Long Term Stability-typical terms are 99 years to 999 years. Compare that to long dated gilts 15-20 years. Limited supply of assets-unlike physical property, land in populated areas is in limited supply. On expiry of the lease, the freeholder can renew the terms advantageously. Total performance since launch 146%. This particular fund owns approximately 12,000 residential ground rent properties located throughout the UK . There is a concentration of investment in the affluent London boroughs of Chelsea Knightsbridge, Kensington and Mayfair . And finally if this fund doesn't interest you be careful putting your money under the mattress-you might hurt your back. As always if you would like more information contact me at jerry@swissinvestcenter.net

Mag's Page: The UK Perspective

One of the most entertaining features of life in Thailand for a farang must be dealing with communication in what has become known as ‘Thainglish'. Variations in spelling and grammar can make for some very interesting menus for a start, with such delicacies as Bean Crud, Flied Sheem and Morning Gory. After a while your average ex-pat becomes used to these mouth-watering offerings, and wouldn't have his flied sheem any other way. One time at a hostelry on Soi Kanjanomai a customer ordered a burger from a Lestaurant down the Soi. The burger was duly delivered in Thai Time - about an hour as I recall - and was found to contain cheese. The customer politely pointed out that he had ordered a burger, only to be told ‘Burger no have' Undeterred he removed the offending cheese slice and asked ‘what's this?' Answer - ‘Oh, burger no cheese' We know that English is a very difficult language to learn, so we make light of these things, but we expect native English speakers to be fluent. After all, they grew up with it right? Wrong. These days in the U.K. anything seems to go, despite the Governments' continued insistence that the standard of school examinations has NOT fallen. My first inkling that something was amiss was when a telephonist at a Government office told me to ‘hang on and I'll put you through' Excuse me? Hang on to what? Then a standard letter arrived from the local Housing Authority, which appeared to have been written by a native of Kurdistan . To add insult to injury it also looked as though it had been produced on the only remaining Gestetner duplicator in the Western world. A sign in the market for ‘Molly' adorned a box full of mooli, and in a national supermarket chain a very professionally printed price ticket declared ‘Cyclyman' Things finally came to a head at the Post Office, where the clerk was unable to find Thailand on her computer. Several taps on the keyboard later she declared ‘ I can find Taiwan , and err - Tanzania . Thailand isn't there'. She had turned to a colleague for help when I suddenly emerged from the obligatory Post Office Queue Trance Syndrome - ‘ Thailand - it's spelt with a T-H'. My local supermarket provides picture cards at the checkouts, to enable staff to identify all the strange exotic fruit for sale, like bananas and kiwi fruit, and therefore charge the right price. Very pretty they are too. Rather like those illustrated alphabet posters that kids have at school. We have just learned though that even these visual aids will soon be redundant. Some Boffin has discovered a way to ‘tattoo' fruit with brand names and bar codes. Apparently this development has nothing to do with bridging a gap in primary education, but is intended to eliminate those pesky little sticky labels, which some people find so annoying. Fyffes of course have been getting away with labels on their product since Adam was a lad, and to the best of my knowledge without any complaints. Presumably no one in their right mind eats banana skins. Apples are a different matter altogether, and it came as some surprise to find that people actually wash the sticky bit of apple skin after removing the label, rather than rub it on their jeans. The ramifications of fruit tattooing are endless, and there is already talk of advertising. Lemon Green would love it, and it doesn't take much imagination to progress to Greetings Fruit, with messages like ‘You are the Apple of my Eye' - ‘Peachy Keen' - and ‘Sorry I Plum Forgot' No doubt you can think of many more, but before I get completely carried away, please Ed. - can you spell check the Q and Tattoo words? They just don't look right somehow!

Movie/DVD Review

After missing out on an Oscar for Mystic River , director Clint Eastwood hit back with boxing drama Million Dollar Baby. He also stars opposite Hilary Swank in this classic underdog story, which “packs a stunning emotional punch”. On the big night, Eastwood walked away with two gongs for Best Director and Best Picture while Swank and co-star Morgan Freeman scored one each.

In the wake of a painful estrangement from his daughter, boxing trainer Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) has been unwilling to let he get close to anyone for a very long time. His only friend is Scrap (Freeman), an ex–boxer who looks after Frankie‘s gym and knows that beneath his gruff exterior is a man who is seeking the forgiveness that somehow continues to elude him. When Maggie Fitzgerald walks into his gym Frankie is forced into taking her on. In a life of constant struggle, Maggie's gotten herself this far on raw talent, unshakable focus and a tremendous force of will. But more than anything, she wants someone to believe in her. The last thing Frankie needs is that kind of responsibility-- let alone that kind of risk--but won over by Maggie's sheer determination, he begrudgingly agrees to train her. The most important lesson he teaches his boxers is the one that rules his life: always protect yourself. In turns exasperating and inspiring each other, the two come to discover that they share a common spirit that transcends the pain and loss of their pasts, and they find in each other a sense of family they lost long ago. Yet, they both face a battle that will demand more heart and courage than any they've ever known.

There was a lot of talk that this is was not a boxing movie when it was released in the cinema and Warner Brothers did their best to promote the film as such, likely afraid that a story of the brutal sport would alienate audiences. Million Dollar Baby is though very much a boxing film. In fact, it's one of the best boxing films ever made. It's also much more than a boxing film. Rocky is often considered one of the great films of the sport, but many forget that Rocky itself was about much more than what went on in the ring. Heck, Rocky didn't even win in the end! Likewise Million Dollar Baby will appeal to and touch anyone, regardless of an interest level in the sport. It is a boxing movie, but it's not at all reliant on that aspect.

The performances of the three main characters are excellent. Eastwood is incredibly good here, easily his best performance in many years and possibly his best. Period. Hilary Swank has had very few opportunities to really show what a good actress she is, and really sinks her teeth into the part of Maggie. Adding an additional 19 pounds of pure muscle to her already athletic physique, Swank looks chiseled and hard. As she hones her boxing skills in the film and begins to decisively defeat her opponents, you believe that she is knocking these women out. Freeman's distinctive voice provides a nice backdrop for the story and weaves everything together nicely. He delivers a typically accomplished supporting role, and even sports a few extra muscles himself, with some bulging biceps, and puts them to use to teach a young punk, played by Anthony Mackey, a lesson.

DVD Extras:

‘Born To Fight‘: an in–depth look at women in the ring featuring Lucia Rijker who played Billie The Blue Bear but was also a World Champion boxer who relates much of what Maggie goes through in the film to her own experiences in the ring.

‘Producer‘s Round 15‘: producers Al Ruddy, Tom Rosenberg and Paul Haggis tell the story of how the book by F.X. Toole “Rope Burns” made it to the screen. It's almost unheard of in Hollywood , but the very first draft of the script wound up on the screen. “It was ragged,” admits Haggis, “But he [Eastwood] liked the mistakes that were in it.”

‘James Lipton Takes On Three‘: in–depth interviews with director Clint Eastwood and stars Morgan Freeman & Hilary Swank the day after the Oscars. Most engaging of all is Swank who reveals that, “I felt closest to Maggie than any other character I've played.” She goes on to relate her own rags-to-riches story while Freeman plays it typically cool. “I just lifted the character off the page, “ he says. “I always depend on the writer.”

Hua Hin Dog Rescue Center

We at HHDRC are going through a very busy and interesting time at the moment. Although things often seem very chaotic to all of us, especially Dawn & Maureen, we would like to thank everyone in the community who supports us in any way – and this month we'd especially like to thank the Observer, who continue to allow us to update you all on what's going on, and this month, have even made one of our dogs into a canine supermodel!!

Auction –27th July HHDRC would again like to thank everyone who donated items or services for us to auction (as listed in last month's Observer). Thanks to their generosity, 123,500 baht was made on the night. We were so touched by the generosity of the individuals & businesses in Hua Hin. Thank you to everyone who donated or turned up. The evening was a great success! We hope to have one more fundraising event this year – probably nearer Christmas. This time, we'd like to have a party, (maybe fancy-dress) with live music. So, if you like the sound of that, watch out for further details!

Virtually everyone we contacted donated something, usually far above our expectations. Even the few who refused did so without causing any upset or offence – with one exception, who lectured our volunteer on how he disagreed with our work in front of his staff & customers, causing her great embarrassment. To this person, I'd like to say; “I respect your views and the fact that you don't believe what we do has any value to Hua Hin. However, the way you expressed your views was rather unnecessary & unkind to the volunteer in question. And, I'm afraid that your opinion that the (very few) dogs that we release back onto the street, despite being surgically neutered, (as was pointed out to you) carry on to breed, is biologically impossible!”

Sponsored Walk – 24th September On 24th September (just after Observer going to press), over 40 youngsters from Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok will be coming to Hua Hin to do a sponsored walk. Some of them will be walking with dogs from the center that are trained to walk on a leash. They aim to raise over 100,000 baht, which they plan to donate to us towards our relocation. We'll let you know how it went in November's Observer.

New Dog Center Unfortunately, our plans to move onto land owned by the McKelveys have fallen through. This was because of a financial situation that neither they nor we could remedy, and we are very grateful to them for their offer and support. We have now been offered land by the lovely couple that owns the Time Optic opticians, Pramote & Somsri. They are donating the land, free of charge, on a yearly contract basis. It's a gorgeous, quiet, breezy area & will be ideal – so a huge thank you to them, from all of us!

We are now trying to get the center built as soon as possible (and as cheaply!) We now have nearly 90 dogs, and the center itself only holds half of them. The rest are distributed between Maureen's and Dawn's home – a truly ridiculous situation, which none of us want. The new center will easily be able to house all of these dogs.

If you have any materials we can use for the new center, please contact us. Even 6 or 7 roofing tiles, or 2m of chicken wire fencing or one bag of cement, or an old gate or door will help. So, if you have anything suitable left over from a renovation or construction, we'd love to have it. Please get in touch. We'd also welcome anyone willing to help out in the actual building of the center. Thank you.

Neutering Clinics On 30th and 31st October, HHDRC will be hosting their first neutering clinics. A team of vets, vet students, vet nurses and helpers, coming from Denmark will be travelling around Thailand , neutering street dogs in various areas that have Dog Rescue Stations. 11 of these are going to be coming to Hua Hin to neuter street dogs here.

These wonderful people are using their own money to travel and stay around Thailand and donating their time, expertise and medicine free of charge. Soi Dog Rescue in Bangkok is helping them in the organisation of this epic event.

Whether you are a dog lover, or consider street dogs to be an unsightly nuisance, this clinic will benefit all of us in Hua Hin. We aim to neuter 60 dogs over the course of the 2 days. All of those will come from the streets, temples & beaches, and will go back to their environments on the same day or the next one.

The benefits of neutering are manifest. Obviously, fewer puppies will be born – but there are other benefits. If you have had a female dog in season in your area, you will know of the nuisance caused. Male dogs come from miles around for the chance to mate, fights start & the noise can be unbearable. It can also be worrying to walk past packs of strange & possibly aggressive dogs... Not a problem if the female is neutered!

There are also health benefits for the dogs themselves; hormonal cancers are reduced in both males & females, STDs (yes, dogs get them too!) are eradicated when dogs aren't mating and females don't get worn down by continuous puppy rearing. Also, aggressiveness and wanderlust can be vastly reduced in males.

It is our belief (due to the vast overpopulation of dogs in Thailand ) that all responsible pet owners should neuter their dogs. This would, in one fell swoop, greatly reduce the numbers of strays & the nuisance caused by them.

If you know of a friendly, approachable dog in your area (male or female) that you would like neutered please contact us. The dogs selected for the neutering clinics will be on a first come, first served basis. This is only for street dogs, or those owned by people who truly cannot afford to neuter their dogs themselves. Please only contact us about dogs that will be easy to catch – we will not have the time to try & entice timid or aggressive dogs. Dogs should be at least 6 months of age, generally healthy &, in the case of females, not in season, pregnant, or with an existing litter of young puppies. All dogs neutered will also receive rabies vaccines and be vaccinated against parasites.

To contact us about any of the above issues, please call Dawn on 01 9814406, Maureen on 01 8534586 or email us on info@dogrescuecenter.org

Useful Telephone Numbers for Hua Hin

Railway station
032-512 770, 032-511 073

Bus station of Hua Hin
032-511 654, 032-512 543

Bus station of Prachuabkirikhan
032-601 901

Bus station of Pranburi
032-621 443

Hua Hin Hospital
032-520 401

Dog Rescue Center
0-1981 4406

Wild life Rescue Center (Tayang)
032-458 135

Department of Land Cha-am office:
032- 430 846-7

Department of Land Hua Hin office:
032-536 164, 032-512 407

Department of Land Prachuabkirikhan:
032-611 211

Department of Land Pranburi
032-622 199

Local Government (Hua Hin)
032-521 340, 532 471

Local water supply
032-511 677

The Power Board of Hua Hin
032-512 215, 032 513 165

Observer office:
032-531 078

Red Cross.
032-512 567

San Paolo Hospital
032-532 576-85

Polyclinic International
032-516 424, 032-516 425

Shell Cooking Gas
032-511 144, 032- 515 620

The Communication Authority of Thailand
(Hua Hin)
032-511 351

Rotary Club of Hua Hin
0-1916 6637
Meeting every Thursday 8.pm
at Hua Hin Grand Hotel & Plaza

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