Elephant Dung- Reforestation Project Shows Progress

Khun Premjit and Odd- Boonsak survey the Elephant Dung Reforestation Project site at Sublangka Wildlife Sanctuary. Already there are signs of various plants growing from the dung placed there last year.

Sivaporn visits Nattamon ("Vor") at the Bumrungrad Hospital after she had her gall stones removed. Vor is trying to make a decision which pizza to eat, or both.

Puvanai ("Mon") suffers from inflammation of his leg tendons after falling asleep at his work station. Here he gets to be the first person to try our newly installed bannister at our house while Kay holds his crutches.

Sufficiency Economy Electric Fence

Today we go to Sublangka Wildlife Sanctuary to put the final touch to the "Sufficiency Economy Electric Fence" to keep the elephants and other wildlife from straying out of the sanctuary.
The solar electric panel is made in Thailand as are all the other items. We have designed the unit so that the inverter, energizer and battery fit under the panel for protection from the elements. The electric fence is made from local wire and locally-made Christmas tinsel. The installation has been done with the local knowledge of our field staff using readily available materials: nails, plastic tubes, tape,etc. and trees are utilized as poles, The whole arrangement has minimal impact on the natural environment, except for the Christmas tinsel. However, the tinsel works very well as demonstrated by the fence surrounding the field staff's Camp 1 to keep the wild boars from raiding the kitchen and garbage. Now even when the fence is not eletrified, when the approaching wild boars see the tinsel, they turn and walk away.
The above electric fence was tested several times after completion and it works! At least according to some of the field staff and Boonsak who were willing to touch it.
The electric fence costs about 1/50 of the EGAT designed electric fence.

Sivaporn presents Khun Phavadee with a retirement gift from her friends. The inscription on the back of clock: " To Khun Phavadee ...on her retirement: A lovely timepiece for a timeless beauty - from her TISCO friends. Jan. 19, 2007."

Khun Phavadee's TISCO friends give her a retirement party at the Oriental Hotel after 37 years of hard work at TISCO.

Is Milk a Cause of Obesity?

Starbucks Corp. announced on Tuesday that it was aiming to make the milk and other dairy products it serves in its US coffee houses free of the controversial artificial growth hormone used in dairies to increase milk production. The artificial hormone given as a supplement to dairy cows to increase milk production is known as rBGH. Proponents of the hormone supplement say there are no health concerns for humans or cows. Critics say that rBGH increases the level of another growth hormone in both cows and humans.

I have always had the theory that the present problem with human obesity has started with World War II when women with babies had to work for the war effort and their babies were fed with formulated dairy milk. This was the first time in human history that there was a major shift from breast feeding with human milk to bottle feeding with cow's milk. It is the first time that a living species started to feed its babies with a different species's milk on a broad basis. The first eighteen months of a baby's growth is very important in its development. Asians, like myself, who have not been fed cow's milk in the formative months, have a natural revulsion to cow's milk. The body treats the milk as a kind of poison and creates vomiting to rid the body of the poison. Babies fed with powdered milk get used to it and adapt. The problem is that the formula milk may contain growth hormones given to promote the cow's milk production. Babies who intake this hormone are more likely to grow bigger than children without this hormone. In their adolescence these children will have an inclination to drink or eat more dairy products which also contain this growth hormone. At some point in time they become obese. So if you drink or eat dairy products you become like a cow. "You are what you eat!!!".

Eric Clapton in Bangkok

Eric Clapton, one of the leading guitarists of our generation, comes to give a one night concert at the Bangkok Impact Arena. He plays for two hours non-stop, delivering his classics "Cocaine" and "Layla" after the encore.

Khun Parichat watches Pang Pornchita from the safety of the Toyota Vigo pickup.

Sivaporn gives Rochana some live roses on their 35th wedding anniversary.

My chicken breast dish at Giorgio's Restaurant is very outstanding . The skin is crispy and the sauce is very tasty. It is the best chicken dish I have enjoyed in my life. Highly recommended. It deserves 3 Michelin stars, the maximum. "Giorgio" Restaurant is named after Mr. Giorgio Berlingieri, the Italian partner who set up the Ital-Thai Group with Dr. Chaiyuth Karnasuth. When I did the Nipa Lodge, Pattaya and Oriental Hotel Expansion feasibility study a great many years ago, Mr. Berlingieri invited me to his home and personally made me some pasta dishes to try. He was a good businessman and cook at the same time.

Dinner party for Khun Thanom Chaiaroondeekul's promotion as Head of Private Banking-TISCO Bank at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel's Giorgio Restaurant.

Kanun, Phim and Dr. Benjamas Phisarnsarakit at M.R. Kukrit Pramoj's Thai house where the Thai wedding ceremony was performed. Kanun and Phim have been living together in "sin" in the USA for the past five years. They decided to finally have a formal wedding ceremony and reception now that they have returned to live and work in Thailand.