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| By Manager Online | 28 January 2010 17:20 |
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Thursday, January 28, 2010
UNHCR looks for 'dialogue' with Laos over Hmong
UNHCR looks for 'dialogue' with Laos over Hmong
Are we alone? We may soon find out
Are we alone? We may soon find out
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| By Manager Online | 28 January 2010 15:33 |
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By Stefano Ambrogi, January 28, 2010 LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Rapid technological leaps forward in the last 10 years mean mankind is closer than ever before to knowing whether extra-terrestrial life exists in our galaxy, one of Britain's leading scientists said on Tuesday. Astronomer and President of the Royal Society (academy of science) Martin Rees said science had made enormous progress in the search for planets grouped around other distant stars -- a discipline he stressed did not exist in the 1990s. "Now we know that most of the stars, like the sun, are likely to have planetary systems around them and we have every reason to suspect that many of them have planets that are rather like our earth," Rees told Reuters in an interview. He said great strides in space search techniques over the last decade had removed one of the big obstacles in finding other worlds, and possibly even complex life forms, in our Milky Way galaxy of 100 million stars. "Indeed, we live in very exciting times," he said. And judging by the 250 eminent scientific minds who have gathered in London to attend a Royal Society conference on the "The detection of extra-terrestrial life," he is not the only enthusiast. The meeting, which ends on Tuesday, is the first in the Royal Society's 350-year history to discuss alien life forms. Hugely significant projects like the launch last spring of NASA's Kepler spacecraft, a space observatory designed to find earth-like planets in the cosmos, as well as the use of more advanced satellites have brought us closer to solving one of the universe's greatest mysteries, Rees said. "Kepler is the first one capable of detecting substantial numbers of planets no bigger than the earth. So we will know within two or three years which are earth-like and in earth-like orbits in the sense of being the right distance from their parent star." | ||||
"I'm certainly pretty confident biologists will understand the origin of life on earth this century. I suspect in 20 years we will have much clearer ideas of how life began," he said. "And that is going to be very important to answering how likely it is to have started elsewhere and where to look." He added: "If we understood how life began on earth, that would give us a clue to how likely it was to originate elsewhere and what the optimum environments were." Those expecting the exotic aliens of sci-fi films should extra-terrestrials be discovered will be disappointed, however. Many top minds say extra-terrestrial life may be totally beyond our sensory abilities and comprehension. "Even those who believe complex life is widespread, aren't especially optimistic about current searches getting positive results," Rees said. "There may be advanced life of a kind we can't conceive, a kind that doesn't reveal itself by electromagnetic radiation -- a kind that isn't communicating at all." (Editing by Steve Addison) |
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
LIFE AFTER WORK
LIFE AFTER WORK
Hobby House is a club offering creative pastimes for all
- Published: 28/01/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Mylife
When elderly people enter retirement, they may get bored - sitting around, watching television and having nothing interesting to do. In particular, those who don't have no children in the family to take care of may also feel isolated and get lonely, leading to depression and lack of sense of value. And it's very sad to know that some of them start experiencing health problems due to their sedentary lifestyle after retirement.
Beading and crystal jewellery class.
Retirement, however, doesn't have to be dull; on the contrary, it can be fun and exciting. To relieve any boredom and to keep active both physically and mentally, it's very important for retirees to find some rewarding activities to do. Taking some inspiring courses is a good idea.
And if you have an artistic and creative streak and are looking for a place where you can learn some new hobbies or do something that you have been interested in for a while, "Hobby House" is ideal. Here, there are a wide range of art and craft classes to serve every need.
A club for connoisseurs
Arts and crafts are Naruvorn Panyarachun's whole life. Her passion for them began when she started learning porcelain painting from M.R. Sujitkun Sarasin.
When Naruvorn was managing director at Air Transport Service Ltd, she spent much of her time travelling the world on business and for pleasure. During her trips, she found the time to take some craft classes. Beading and crystal decoration in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was one of the courses she attended.
After spending so much time as a solitary crafter, Naruvorn saw the need to find an environment where she could be surrounded by other people creating and learning from each other. As a result, she got together with her younger sister and a group of friends, with similar interests, to launch Hobby House in 1990.
Naruvorn Panyarachun
"At that time, it was quite hard to find a studio or school in the city centre where people could learn and acquire artistic skills," Naruvorn said.
The club has developed into a major draw for people who wish to indulge themselves in artistic endeavour. It also serves as a sanctuary where city people can escape the worries of everyday life and get to do something they truly enjoy.
"This studio was specially created to serve the needs of devoted lovers of art and craft. We don't operate this club for business purposes," an associate owner said.
According to Naruvorn, most of its members are housewives and retirees both Thai and foreigners. Some simply want to explore a new side to themselves and create something. Others just want to socialise, make new friends and enjoy some companionship.
"Our club is not restricted to elderly people. Members can bring all their family to join our classes. Our beading and crystal course is popular amongst children," she said.
Catering to all your needs
Having started with a porcelain painting course, Hobby House has now expanded what it has on offer to serve the ever-changing requirements of its members. Here's a list of what's currently on offer:
- American porcelain painting
Participants will be taught the basics on painting including the use of tools, mixing mediums, how to mix the paints and load the mixed colours onto flat brushes as well as how to put the different colours on backgrounds. Shades and shadows are also highlights of the course. The course is conducted in Thai, English and German.
- European porcelain painting
This course offers beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Here, attendees will learn how to mix paint to the right consistency, how to apply the right strokes and different techniques in order to get the perfect end results. Both beginners and experts are welcome.
- Watercolour and oil painting
Both novice and experienced participants can attend this class because the instructor will teach everything you need to know; how to use tools, sketching, drawing and painting.
- Decoupage decoration and teddy bear painting
From choosing the right colours and designs to cutting, sticking, and vanishing, participants are taught everything from start to finish. Special techniques like faux finishing are also included in this course.
- Beading and crystal jewellery
Here, instructors teach participants how to make many different kinds of accessories including necklaces, rings, brooches, key chains, mobile phone hangers and decorative items in the forms of animal figures.
- Teddy bear making
This workshop is well suited for those who love sewing and embroidery. Participants will be taught all the steps in making a fully jointed Mohair teddy bear from cutting to sewing and stuffing. By the end of this course, they are making teddy bears in no time.
- Cooking
Cooking classes in both Thai main courses and desserts are also offered from time to time.
The educational fees start at 4,500 baht for six sessions. Each session takes about three hours. Tools and materials are not inclusive of the fees. Each class is kept to 5-6 attendees. The club also offers imported high quality tools at reasonable prices for members.
For more information, go to http://www.hobbyhousethailand.com
Examples of student masterpieces.
Khao Tom Mud
Khao Tom Mud
Blessed food for the mind and spirit
- Published: 28/01/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Mylife
It took several visits with Lung (uncle) Non before his niece Teoy finally invited me to visit her at her home. She is a Thai dessert maker.
Teoy's old house was in Nonthaburi, built by her ancestors over 100 years ago. It was a modest Thai style wooden house, perched on the edge of a narrow waterway off Klong (canal) Bangkok Noi, with its constant churning currents provoked by the water taxis' noisy and powerful motors. To get there, I had to take an express boat to Tha Chang Pier where I then negotiated with a boatman, with Teoy on the telephone giving him the directions. Another phone call was made just before I arrived, so that Teoy could be at the dock to meet me.
She walked ahead, with me tagging closely behind, along a walkway constructed above the water from old and worn wooden planks. We crossed over a narrow bridge into her neighbour's yard. It was densely covered with trees. Teoy expertly crouched underneath the canopy of tree branches, lifting those hanging low near the ground as she walked along a dirt path towards a large wooden patio. I could smell the sweet scent of jasmine-perfumed sugary syrup in the hot, sticky and humid air.
My first visit was brief, cordial and pleasant. I must have passed the test of Teoy and her family because when I visited Thailand the following year, an invitation was extended for me to spend several nights with them. I was to find out later that Teoy gave up her own bedroom for me, the most private and nicely furnished room in the house.
The dessert makers in Teoy's family consisted of herself, a quiet younger sister, a tough looking cousin, an elderly auntie and a distant relative. Throughout each day, neighbours and other relatives stopped by, stayed to chat, snacked and ended up lending a hand. However, it was these five women's shared work that reminded me of a serene choreographed dance where each knew the part they were to perform and did so effortlessly and with grace.
It began in the stillness of the dark early dawn, when the alarm clock went off at 4am, and the women quietly rustled out of bed. The neighbouring roosters crowed, rousing dogs into a barking chorus. Water was set to boil in a large pot. Within a short time, the smell of steaming sticky rice intermingled with the scent of heated coconut cream enveloped the open-air kitchen. A middle-aged female vendor paddled up to the patio kitchen in her sampan. She brought along several large empty white enamelled basins, set them down and immediately started to help stir the coconut cream. By and by, cooked rice and warmed sweet coconut cream perfumed with fresh pandanus leaves were transferred into the basins, vigorously stirred together and covered as the women then took a brief break with cups of hot instant coffee.
While waiting for the rice to drink in the syrup, the vendor chatted with Teoy and her auntie about the cremation ceremony for a neighbour to take place later that day. Aside from filling orders from other vendors, Teoy had already planned to make khao tom mud for the family of the deceased. After the vendor left with her purchase, Teoy and the auntie wrapped some remaining warmed sticky rice in several banana pouches along with food the auntie made in plastic bags. As the sun rose, lighting up the day, a sampan glided toward their home. The women carried the tray with food and went down to the pier where they pulled the sampan to a stop. They paid respect to the monk who sat quietly in the sampan; put their offerings in his bowl before gently pushing the boat off, sending it along its watery path.
Teoy's mother was renowned for her khao tom mud until she fell ill with cancer and passed away. She did it the old fashioned way by cooking the soaked sticky rice grains in coconut cream and sugar together in a brass wok. A large spoonful of warm and partially cooked rice is put on fresh banana leaves. Sliced sweet ripe banana is added along with several cooked black beans. It is wrapped into an oblong package. Two of these are then tied together with a thin bamboo strip. They are steamed once more to thoroughly cook the rice.
Teoy learned how to make khao tom mud from her mother. Although she was modest in her accomplishment, it was known among the nearby community where she lived that hers were equally wonderful. The deceased family would be honoured to have her khao tom mud as alms to the monks at the temple.
In the olden days, khao tom mud (tied) is called khao tom pad (stir to cook) reflecting the method by which it was made. It is one of the most ancient Thai dishes, religiously made by villagers as alms for Buddhist monks. Regardless of the occasions, when and if alms were to be given, khao tom mud was always included. It was so because it is made with ordinary ingredients available all year round: rice, bean, coconut, palm sugar and banana. Once cooked, it kept well for a couple of days and if necessary, could be easily packed and taken along on distant journeys.
Making khao tom mud is part of Thai family tradition, where family members and friends would get together to cook in preparation for special occasions, as with Teoy and her family. I took part in this custom within their circle of friends and family members later that morning. We sat on the polished wooden floor and folded hundreds of khao tom mud. During the gathering, I mentioned a dish made by the people of several South American countries that use similar ingredients. I marvelled to them about this coincidence and that perhaps the combination of rice and beans has been proven to be the perfect food because of their nutritious values. The women paused. The elderly auntie who had not said anything to me up until then, said something about the spirit and heart also needed nurturing as much as one's stomach. The others nodded in agreement. I didn't quite grasp what she meant until later on that evening when I helped her cook dinner. Squatting quietly next to her as she sliced and pounded, I suddenly became aware of that very moment in time. I had been welcomed by her family to share their humble and modest life richly steeped in simplicity and tradition. During those few and precious days, I lived with them a life of suk-sabai - contented heart and peaceful spirit.
source : bangkokpost.com
Drive for SMEs to embrace IT potential
Drive for SMEs to embrace IT potential
Software incentives to boost competitiveness
- Published: 27/01/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Database
With 2.8 million small businesses in Thailand, various government agencies are collaborating with the private sector to encourage greater adoption of information technology through incentive programs designed to strengthen the kingdom's competitiveness.
Yuthasak Supasorn, Director General, Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion (OSMEP), said Thailand has 2.82 million small medium enterprises (SMEs), contributing around 3.4 trillion baht to the economy, or 3.8 percent of Thailand's GDP. This segment also accounts for 1.69 trillion baht, 29 percent, of overall export value.
The government is seeking to uplift this group's IT use to improve their competitive advantage by creating quality websites or performing e-commerce transactions.
In the US, there is a trend that more and more individuals are using technology as tools to create their own online businesses at home. This shows the importance of IT in doing business at any level.
Dr Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich, Minister of Science and Technology, said the ministry's Software Park recently joined forces with OSMEP, the Department of Industrial Promotion and Microsoft Thailand to implement the WebsiteSpark Program with an investment of 10 million baht.
The three-year program is open to any professional web company that comprises of no more than 10 staff. There is no upfront outlay to take part and companies will be able to download Microsoft software solutions free of charge.
Moreover, participants will receive training from Software Park, while the Department of Industrial Promotion and OSMEP will provide ongoing support by connecting SME web professionals with SME customers in other industries.
Arthit Wuthikaro, Director-General, Department of Industrial Promotion, said every company wants to have their own website, especially SMEs, but they often lack the knowledge or skills required to create them. As such, there is a big demand for web experts within the industrial sector.
Yuthasak added that the program's initial target is to reach 600 independent Thai web companies, creating jobs and generating direct and indirect revenue of around 1.5 billion baht.
Patama Chantaruck, Managing Director, Microsoft (Thailand), added that WebsiteSpark is a global Microsoft project but Thailand is unique because the program collaborates with Government agencies and combines strengths to support a Creative Economy policy to train web designers and programmers to serve vertical sector needs such as tourism and hospitality.
The program will help web developers expand their services to other countries through its global network.
Currently, there are 1.7 billion people worldwide connected to the Internet, of which 42.6 percent are in Asia, illustrating the huge opportunities open to Thailand as a web design hub.
Arthit continued that the department has also allocated 38 million baht in this fiscal year to support the second-year project of "Enhancing SMEs' Competitiveness Through IT", or ECIT, through its partnership with Software Park, the Association of Thai Software Industry (ATSI), Software Industrial Promotion Agency, and ToT .
The three-year project will help SMEs using enterprise resource planning in software as a service model to become "smart SMEs" by improving their business efficiency and reducing costs.
The project also selects Thai ERP software developers with expertise in specific areas such as food, jewellery and automotive to offer their software to be hosted in TOT's data centre.
Vatee Phiravaranuphong, Director, information service at Department of Industrial Promotion, said using hosting models will reduce license costs for SMEs by around 300,000 baht to 3 million baht and overcome shortfalls in skilled IT resources.
SMEs which join this program will use free software for the first year, after which they will pay a fixed monthly fee to the relevant software house and receive a government subsidy of 50 percent towards consultation and implementation costs.
This year the program expects to have 100 factories participating, up from the 78 factories which took part last year. The government's targets is for participating SMEs to reduce their costs by 35 percent within 36 months.
"Over 80 percent of SMEs still rely on manual processes, using only only basic Word and Excel, and still do not use software effectively to improve their business process," Vatee noted.
ATSI president Somkiat Ungaree said the association receives 10 million baht from OSMEP to enhance SME capability through Thai software.
This budget is being put to use from January until mid April to subsidise software costs by 50 percent for SMEs, up to a maximum of 20,000 baht per company.
"We selected 40 companies with customer references and certified quality to help increase confidence in Thai software, and we expect 30 of these companies to become members in this program," he concluded.
source : bangkokpost.com
Dying news media looks to Apple tablet for hope
Dying news media looks to Apple tablet for hope
- Published: 27/01/2010 at 04:53 PM
- Online news: World
Struggling US newspapers and magazines may seek Internet Age resurrection in a so-called "Jesus tablet" -- a computer expected to grab the spotlight Wednesday at a much anticipated Apple event in San Francisco.
Workes apply the Apple logo to a building in San Francisco. Struggling US newspapers and magazines may seek Internet Age resurrection in a so-called "Jesus tablet" -- a computer expected to grab the spotlight at a much anticipated Apple event in San Francisco.
A notebook-sized version of an iPod Touch that Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is expected to show the world could try to do for newspapers what iTunes did for music and what the App Store did for mini-programs for smartphones.
"It will be notable," said Jim Gaines, a former corporate editor at Time Inc. who is now editor-in-chief of FLYPmedia. "I don't think this device is the messiah for print, but it is very possible that its descendents will be."
Apple's winning tactic of tying content delivery to devices could be more significant than the hardware rolled out as the California firm's latest creation.
Newspapers and magazines that have gone digital to stay relevant in an Internet-obsessed culture have seen print advertising revenue evaporate as stories and images are freely indexed and shared online.
Apple has led the way in conditioning people to pay for applications, games, and other content for the iPhone and the iPod Touch.
Apple has reportedly been in talks with online news, magazine and book publishers and Wednesday's event could include the launch of a version of iTunes for content generated by those outlets.
Digitally frustrated newspapers or magazines may choose to focus on "fee-for-service" electronic readers, according to Dan Kennedy, assistant professor of journalism at Northeastern University in Boston.
"It could be there are some publishers feeling as though they have been buying into the new media ecosystem, the blogosphere, for 10 years and haven't gotten one thing out of it," Kennedy told AFP.
Kennedy had in mind media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who advocates reining in how websites and search engines use stories crafted by professional news organizations.
The News Corp. chairman has also been openly critical of the experience of reading a newspaper on the black-and-white Kindle e-reader from Amazon.
Publishers are placing bets on smartphone and e-reader platforms, according to a recent survey by the US Audit Bureau of Circulations, which is entrusted to track paid readership of publications.
More than half of the respondants said they believe that smartphones will be a vital way to distribute their publications within three years.
Nearly 42 percent said the same about e-reader devices.
News publishers are looking to Apple for a tablet that lets people browse and buy content in ways that expand on simply reading by adding interactive multimedia and reference features, said DigitalTrends.com analyst Scott Steinberg.
"There's a real opportunity for Apple to raise the bar here," Steinberg said.
"Not only by making digital publications accessible to the mainstream reader, but also seamlessly interweaving online features, apps and streaming audio/video content to enhance the general reading experience," he added.
Reviving traditional news operations will take more than an Apple miracle device, according to Gaines, whose FLYP magazine incorporates video, animation and other "dynamic" content to adapt to techno-tastes.
"It is not going to be a simple matter of just re-purposing the content of the New York Times or anyone else for this new device," Gaines said.
"It is re-imagining what people want in this new media. We are early in a stage of transformation of what it means to publish or to read," he said.
An Apple tablet will be hampered at the start by "unsatisfying" 3G broadband networks, short battery life, and people's yen for a flexible device that can be rolled up and stuffed in a pocket, according to Gaines.
"I just don't think this will be the killer device just yet," Gaines said of what Apple has in store. "It will certainly point the way. It's all coming."
Efforts to lure people into paying for content on an Apple tablet could be thwarted if the hardware comes with a high price and is coupled with monthly telecom service provider charges.
"I'm minimally excited about it, plus I know I can't afford one," Kennedy said of an Apple tablet. "It seems some publishers are hoping it is an attempt to do the Web all over again and this time make it a closed system."
Such an effort in an Internet world of unfettered content would have very limited success, he said.
"I think the biggest problem with the tablet is that it doesn't replace anything," Kennedy said. "It is just one more thing you have to carry around.
"It is not going to save the world, not by any stretch."
source : bangkokpost.com
Green Dreams
Green Dreams
American billionaire Warren Buffet holds a 10% stake in Chinese automaker BYD. That should already say much about the future of electric cars
- Published: 22/01/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Motoring
Electrifying! It's the vibes sent out by the plethora of electric vehicles and hybrids that took centre stage at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS 2010), also known as the Detroit Motor Show.
Chinese automaker BYD Auto unveils its e6 pure electric car.
Yet the pangs for this green alternative might not fit in the current or near future of Thailand based on the infrastructure, and the overwhelming price tags of any battery-powered vehicle subjected to draconian import tariffs which more than doubles the standard retail price of any EV when compared to its conventional counterpart.
Prior to this event, the writer watched the cult documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? recommended by a Yannix executive _ a really cool computer graphics company nurturing local engineering talent _ which initially led to me leaning towards the idea that electric vehicles is now a politically-correct publicity stunt by automakers.
Then I walked into my first Detroit Motor Show. To my left was the BMW Concept ActiveE based on the BMW 1-series Coupe{aac}, and to my right was the Audi e-tron compact sports car world premiere (not to be confused with the longer Audi e-tron launched in Frankfurt Motor last September.
The electrification process, so to speak, continued with the Tesla electric Roadster which does 0-100kph in 3.9sec. Next to the US$109,000 Roadster was the larger Tesla Model S, priced at about US$55,000 with a range of about 480km and seats seven passengers.
Korea’s CT&T goes small in size but large in variety.
Nearby the "Green Vehicles" booth was the three-wheeled Triac freeway commuter and Moose electric minivan. Next was the Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept which featured a stunning gull-wing door design, Hyundai's Blue-Will plug-in hybrid which tested roof-mounted solar cells and lithium polymer batteries, Volkswagen NCC Hybrid Concept which underlies VW's new aesthetic look powered by a 1.4-litre petrol engine rated at 150hp and 27hp electric motor fueled by a lithium-ion battery and Toyota's small hybrid concept called the FT-CH which is a dedicated hybrid without standard petrol engine.
Up next was what sounded like an American phone company. But instead, it was a Korean venture called CT&T which decked out a whole line of cute-looking compact EVs with applications ranging from pick-ups, wing-body type, police cars, vans and utility cars.
Then, Chinese automaker BYD Auto unveiled its e6 pure electric and DM electric vehicle lineup that is turning a few heads in the American market. There's a rumour that BYD is coming to the Bangkok motor show in March.
The e6 is powered by a permanent-magnetic type synchronous motor, while the F3DM variant uses a solar panel sunroof that powers its Fe battery.
Ford’s Sue Cischke poses with new tech.
Crowds mobbed the Fiat 500 EV and Volvo C30e. Let's just say it was EV galore! In short, if you ain't electric, dedicated or not, you ain't cool.
Over at Ford, there was "Fuel economy for millions of people" which was indeed a profound statement made by Sue Cischke, Vice President for Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering.
Putting the aforementioned statement into perspective, the US citizen's annual carbon footprint is the highest in the world and Ford is trying to provide or be part of the solution.
Ford has set its near-term goal starting since 2007 to begin the migration to advanced technology: improve internal combustion engine (via the Ecoboost engine which is a threesome of smaller engine displacement, turbo technology and improved fuel efficiency), electric power steering, six-speed transmission, hybrids and battery management.
Mid-term goals starting from 2011 till 2030 will include full implementation of the said technology. Long-term goals from 2030 onwards will be the continued leverage of hybrid technologies and deployment of alternative energy.
In the US market during 2004-2008, Ford claimed an industry-leading fleet average fuel economy improvement of 19.2% followed by Nissan (11.3%), Toyota (9.4%), BMW (6.9%), Chrysler (5.6%), GM (5.3), VW (5.1%) and Honda (2.2%).
Wacky concepts always have a place in motor shows.
The writer dreads putting out such figures for obvious reasons, but the CO2 reduction Ford achieved is -16.1 percentage points followed by Nissan (-10.1%) and Toyota (-8.6%).
Automakers have to bake in fuel economy into its DNA by design efficiency, aerodynamic improvement, weight reduction with powertrain downsizing and fuel economy technology.
Nancy Gioia, Director of Global Electrification Planning and Strategy at Ford, said that the holistic strategy for Ford is hybrids, plug-in hybrids and full battery electric vehicles and that by 2020, EVs will make up 10-25% of the Ford fleet.
Automakers will eventually find ways to lose an extra 110-340kg in the mid-term. But is it enough? CO2 is melting away our icecaps as we speak. Then there are the energy price fluctuations which do little to give earth denizens the energy security required for stability and peace in life.
What I saw at Cobo Hall showed that automakers are serious about electric vehicles and hybrids despite what was said in the Who killed the Electric Car? DVD.
In the early 1900s, there were 27 car companies building electric cars. So be it BYD, Ford, Mercedes-Benz or Toyota, automakers better be serious because if roads are flooded, permanently that is, we'd be buying boats instead of cars and that's not good for automakers.
Full electric system for 1-series.
Hyundai Blue-Will has a hybrid with plug-in capability.
source : bangkokpost.com
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