Thai temple

The world politic condemns any country that is not “democratic.” Yet, when
faced with acts that embody the true essence of democracy: a political
system in which the supreme power lies with the citizens, the world simply
cannot recognize it.

On Sept. 19th a military coup overthrew the Thai government, while the
Former PM Thaksin Shinawatra landed in New York City to give a speech at a
UN assembly. The coup was fast to act, and soon the nations capital was
filled with Tanks and military soldiers. Thailand’s issues with the Prime
Minister stemming the past two plus years have been slow to enter major
newspapers around the world, but add a few tanks and a coup and we have
headline news. At first glance by those who have simply not followed this
conflict, this would seem violent and undemocratic and simply put “scary.”
Enter US Government. The US was the first country to be “disappointed with
the Coup, who supports the corrupt Thaksin Shinawatra leader, and threatened
to review its relationship with all of Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Thaksin,
who was denied his speaking time at the UN assembly, tried to declare a
state of emergency in his own country, only to have the military cut the
phone lines 10 seconds later. Exiled by his own nation, Thaksin flew to
London where his daughter lived in his one of his mansions, and was forced
to watch his country via the western news stations and newspaper headlines.
Back in Thailand, the people rejoiced and welcomed the soldiers who wore
yellow ribbons symbolizing that the take-over was supported by the revered
King. Thai’s were found handing roses to the soldiers and posing in photo
ops as if the military were pop star celebrities.

Most would ponder at the thought of a ‘perceived’ hostile takeover with
military tanks flooding the streets being a peaceful movement, but in order
to regain control of a country dominated by a “democratic” leader who
refused to step down from power after several huge protests this past April,
it should not be so surprising. After studying and watching the Thai
society over the past few years, I am confident in knowing that these
citizens understand their rights to make decisions for their country. This
is a population that is not afraid to protest, whether it is violent or
peaceful, they will march in the streets for days on end, and they will
continue to voice their concerns until they, as the majority, have won.

The protests began in April shortly after Prime Minister Thaksin sold his
Thai telecom company, Shincorp to Singapore and decided to not tax himself,
making him an obscene amount of money. Thaksin was already the richest man
in Thailand and one of the richest men in Asia. Although Thaksin had made
several big errors including: making huge mistakes in his policies in
Thailand’s Muslim South that has resulted in a huge rise in violence and a
death toll of over 3000 people in the past 3 years, as well as hiding bird flu
epidemics to avoid trade barriers and protect Thai exports, it was not until
the middle class felt betrayed by Thaksin’s tax-free wealth that protests
really began. In April, after over a month of protests, Thaksin decided to
hold another election. He claimed that if less than 50% of the population
voted for him he would step down from power. This enraged the people of
Thailand, who believed his unfair actions were reason enough for him to step
down and be tried without an election. Thai’s filled the streets dressed in
black and yellow and refused to vote. In the end, most major parties in
Thailand as well as 40% of the population boycotted the vote. Although
Thaksin had won the election wining 51% of the votes, he chose to step down
temporality to avoid any further conflict. Months later he returned just in
time to declare another election.

The people have retained their power. The military has fulfilled their duty
to protect the people from harm (Thaksin), and the country is currently
peaceful. This is simply a ’silk’ revolution that clearly follows the
democratic doctrine. It is we Westerners who should be scrutinized. Could
this type of revolution happen in the US? Would our will and morale evoke us
to seize our democratic rights? If a leader was corrupt, the product of
mass death tolls, and hid the truth from its people, would the people bind
together to demand a change? Not Likely. Yet we continuously claim that
these ‘uncivilized’ people do not understand the meaning of democracy. Shame
on us.

Note:
I decided to write this article after reading a popular forum on the internet. The forum had a thread entitled “Breaking: Thailand Coup?” The comments from several posters where as follows, ” I wonder how many Muslim clerics were involved”; Not to Demean this, but aren’t Coups common in the 3rd world?”; and finally ” Muslims (most likely) have seized Thailand.” This is the type of response that fuels me. People, can we be this naive? Our media and governments and now even the Pope has out lashed on the Muslim population blaming them for everything. Soon we will be blaming the Muslims for our wives and husbands leaving us, and for our bikes being stolen. Thailand is also NOT a 3rd World country and Muslims di not take over Thailand! We should be ashamed of ourselves and of our neighbors as this is 2006 and we still have not moved past an era of extreme discrimination.

Nicole Sorochan is an aspiring Film Maker. She has an Asian Studies and Film Degree from the University of Victoria and has a strong interest in Asian Relations, Religion, and Politics. She is attempting to use Film as a form of social movement and awareness. For more information about her and her current projects please go to her website: http://www.nicolesorochan.com

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Medical tourism also referred to as health tourism or health outsourcing means traveling to other countries to obtain cheap medical, dental, and surgical care. The exorbitant costs of healthcare in industrialized nations has led to the worldwide popularity of medical tourism. More and more people are traveling abroad as an affordable and enjoyable way to undergo plastic surgery and dental procedures.

Practically all medical tourism agencies, most of them located in the US and the UK, promote the dentist and the plastic surgeon abroad on the Internet. All the agencies have contracts with hospitals, doctors, dentists and plastic surgery clinics overseas. Using the service of medical tourism companies includes the fact that cross border medical facilities usually add 10-20% for commissions payable to the agency that refers the patient. That makes medical treatments more expensive than local pricing. Moreover patients cannot choose their own plastic surgeon or dentist. Usually it’s the agency that selects the doctor or a limited group of doctors or medical facilities the patient can choose from.

Of course there is a “do it yourself” alternative. Some try to find clinics in Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand, Hungary, Poland etc. without the use of medical agency services. But, researching an entire health industry in foreign countries seems to be time consuming, confusing and could be risky. Despite higher than local pricing of medical procedures it seems better to take advantage of the experience and expertise medical tourism agencies have.

However there is a new medical tourism trend finding its way on the Internet: do it half yourself after the agency has taken care of the other half first. This alternative is offered by the companies “Dentist Abroad SA” and “Plastic Surgery Abroad SA” both operating from Tijuana Mexico. For $15 the companies provide a thoroughly screened exclusive list of dentists, plastic surgeons, doctors, hospitals, cosmetic surgery clinics, dental surgeons, and clinics in Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand, Hungary, Poland and several other countries. The service includes contact info, pricing, years of experience, working procedures, specialties and the necessary background information. Since there are no contracts, the companies claim not to receive any commissions. If this is true, then it makes treatments much cheaper and patients may have 100% freedom to choose their own doctor or dentist.

“Plastic Surgery Abroad” and “Dentist Abroad” were launched with the aim of assisting people around the world in exploring global healthcare options available to them. The companies claim that their two websites will help individuals to find medical possibilities and pricing abroad that they might otherwise never realize. The address of the companies is: Plastic Surgery Abroad SA and Dentist Abroad SA, Av. Madero 1120A, suite 1+2, Tijuana, Baja California 22000, Mexico.
Websites: www.plastic-surgery-mexico-costa-rica-thailand-india-cosmetic.com and www.dentist-mexico-costa-rica-thailand-hungary-poland-dentistry.com

Sammie Justesen is a full-time literary agent, medical writer and editor, having worked with the publishers Mosby Inc., Addison Wesley Longman, Prentice Hall, and Springhouse Corporation. She writes professionally for print media and the Internet. Sammie has published business, technical, nonfiction, poetry, and short stories. Sammie is also a registered nurse with 25 years’ experience in the health care industry. She lives on Rooster Ranch in northern Idaho with her husband Dee, who is a home and small business consultant, e-commerce specialist, and webmaster. Her website can be found here: www.northernlightsls.com/aboutus.htm

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For lovers of the huge Burmese pythons we all know and care about, who cannot afford the space that they need, a fantastic alternative has arrived. Dwarf Burmese Pythons were imported into the UK and USA for the first time in 2003. They occur from a small off-shore Island in South East Asia and grow to a maximum of 7feet. Adult males have bred at just 4feet, and females at 5feet. They have an almost identical appearance to their larger cousins, and youngsters will tame easily. The unfortunate side however, is their current price range. This has become the leading project in Python molurus for many breeders, aiming to breed this Dwarf into colour and pattern variants of its larger cousin, to ultimately achieve Dwarf Burmese Pythons in a wide array of colours and patterns.

Housing

When keeping any snake as a pet, you generally want to be able to view the snake from the outside of its enclosure, in the most natural surroundings you can offer. This will be more aesthetically pleasing and also aid in the general condition of the snake. If the snake likes its surroundings, it will have a better feeding response and generally grow quicker. A larger vivarium also offers more interest to the snake’s life, and by adding branches and other natural products you will enhance the quality of life the snake has, and stop it from becoming lethargic and overweight. Also, being stronger it should have more of a resistance to any viral infections or any other problems that it may encounter later in life.

For an adult Dwarf Burmese python, a vivarium 120cm Length x 60cm Width x 60cm Height is ample. Unlike their larger cousins, these snakes are very shy and prefer a smaller, darker more compact space. Even in this 120cm Length enclosure, a minimum of 2 hiding areas should be offered. I kept a number of Wild Caught adults in enclosures half this size with no light for many months before they became accustomed to captivity. As soon as they fed on a regular basis and became more comfortable with me, I gave them larger enclosures. Some individuals when put in these enclosures, reverted to being more aggressive and refused their food, while others took to it like icing on a cake. Juveniles should be treated in a similar manner, with a small enclosure being offered to begin with, and as time progresses the enclosure should grow with the snake.

Snake enclosures can be made from a number of materials. Most commonly used is a melamine coated wood which covers all sides except the front, which has glass sliding doors. Aquariums can also be used for juvenile Dwarf Burmese Pythons, although a specialist lid should be bought or made rather than the original aquarium lid. It is essential when thinking about what type of enclosure you use, you think about these 6 ‘SSSHHH’ factors:

1) Safety - Can the snake or owner injure itself from the enclosure or any appliances held within?
2) Secure - Can the snake escape through any small hole or cavity?
3) Size - Will the enclosure be appropriately sized?
4) Heating - Is the enclosure able to regulate the temperature properly?
5) Humidity - Will the enclosure last well in humid conditions? Is there enough ventilation for the moisture to escape?
6) Hygienic - Will the enclosure build up a lot of bacteria in small cavities? Is it easy to clean?

By following the steps above, you can have a suitable enclosure made from a variety of materials.

D