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Bangkok Post?

Last week it was reported that debt collectors would visit the homes of students who had failed to repay their education loans to the Krung Thai Bank. The decision follows the discovery by the Education Ministry that about 80% of 28,000 recipients of the National Education Fund had failed to repay their loans.

In order to get this money back, the ministry has agreed that Krung Thai's credit division should start knocking on the doors of students' homes. If they can't track down the students, their guarantors would be asked to settle the debts.

The amount owed is nothing compared to the billions of baht that businessmen, politicians and bureaucrats have borrowed from banks over the years for their businesses and have been unable to repay. I'm sure we all remember the debate over the past two to three years of how these debts should be resolved.

Given this background, one can't help feel sorry for the students. After all, it just reinforces the fact that the wealthy, the powerful and the well-connected can get away with anything in this country.

Their companies may go bust, but the individuals concerned continue to enjoy a charmed and comfortable existence. In the end, taxpayers, their children and grandchildren are presented with the bill.

The decision to track down the outstanding loans of students is correct even though it may seem, by comparison to the billions owed by others, to be unfair.

At the height of the economic crisis, there were outpourings of concern over the breakdown of the credit culture in this country. Prominent businessmen could literally be heard whining about their debts and how they should be bailed out. Many adopted the philosophy of "no money, no pay, no run away".

If our younger generation starts adopting this same attitude then we are in for more serious trouble.

A clear message should be sent to these students: They must face up to their responsibilities and pledges. If they refuse to do the honourable thing, their guarantors must be made to uphold their responsibilities.

Dennis makes landfall but loses its punch

Washington–Tropical storm Dennis made landfall in North Carolina late on Saturday, spawning tornadoes and knocking out power in its wake.

After skimming along the US mainland for nearly a week, with hurricane force winds and thundering waves, a tame Dennis climbed ashore.

Weather expert said the storm had begun to lose some of its force as it progressed northward overland.

Still, remnants of Dennis were expected to pose lingering weather problems along the entire eastern US, including flooding and gale-force winds in some areas.

A tornado spawned by Dennis ripped through an apartment complex and retirement home in Hampton Virginia, injuring several people and leaving scores homeless. The tornado hit wind speeds of 190kph.

It’s a sliding scale ... crash dieting and overdosing on diet supplements might make you lose weight in the short term but it’s unlikely you'll keep the kilos off. If you do things in moderation, take more exercise and eat sensibly you'll lose weight slower – but you'll probably stay slimmer longer.

Weighing in at 125 kilogrammes, Somchai (not his real name) is worried, not only about his health but also his looks. In a bid to get rid of some 30 kg he has tried a whole list of the weight-loss products which are now widely available over the counter.

He has taken dieting products containing the Japanese root konnyaku, the spice Garcinia (known in Thai as som khaek), Chitosan, herbs, fibre capsules and whatever else "they" said were effective. Yet, his weight problem stubbornly remains.

A similar problem confounded a middle-aged woman who took a fibre product after a direct seller told her it could help solve her weight problem. Each day she had to take three glasses of the fibre beverage to replace her three daily meals, so she consumed no natural food at all. She paid about 7,000 baht for a course of two weeks that promised to relieve her of up to 10 kg.

She did lose a couple of kilos, but after she stopped taking the product, the weight returned.

In spite of the high price, a lot of consumers are willing to hand over money for these food supplements which claim to help reduce weight in an easy way without laborious exercise. And unlike many earlier weight control products, these new ones click with customers because they are derived from natural sources – a claim that translates for many as "safe." For instance:

• Glucomannan used in many of the products is a substance found in the root of konnyaku (Amorphophallus konjak).
• Garcinia is an ingredient used in Indian cooking.
• And Chitosan is an absorbent, fibrous material obtained from marine crustaceans like crabs and shrimp.

Considered superficially, all these natural ingredients sound great. But just because something is "natural" doesn’t mean it cannot be harmful if it is not used with care and understanding, according to Dr Kaew Kangsadarn-ampai, a toxicologist at the National Institute of Nutrition at Mahidol University.

He says without understanding how these ingredients work, consumers may actually misuse dietary supplements and do more harm than good.

But is it fun? No second thoughts on that score: The Mummy’s worth the money; a commercial movie which fulfils its purpose, it entertains. And so far this is the most commendable horror/adventure film this year after the catastrophic Bride of Chucky, Species 2 and From Dust till Dawn 2.

Last-minute preparations are made to a Turkish Red Crescent camp in Adapazari for survivors of las month's earthquake. The UN says up to 20,000 people have been left homeless. --Reuters

18. Almost all news photographs are chosen on the basis of their content. But that is not enough. Of the other factors involved in choosing the photos which appear in the Bangkok Post, which one was clearly behind the selection of the photo above? emotion lighting action composition

Mahathir berates Clinton

Kuala Lumpur, Reuters

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad yesterday chided United States President Bill Clinton for commenting about the jailing of a Canadian journalist in Malaysia for contempt of court. He said that while Mr Clinton was entitled to his opinion, "American habits" of arresting nationals of other countries for trial in the US, like Panama's military strongman Manual Noriega, were against international law.

19. The above excerpt is an example of a news story feature commentary review 20. According to the story, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad _____________ President Bill Clinton. praised criticised agreed with misunderstood