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วันจันทร์ที่ 2 สิงหาคม พ.ศ. 2553
Honda plans plug-in hybrid, electric cars by 2013: report
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July 20, 2010
TOKYO (AFP) - Honda plans to roll out a plug-in hybrid and an all-electric car by 2013, a news report said Tuesday.
Japan's number two carmaker -- which already produces standard hybrid versions of its Civic and other models -- may also build hybrids overseas for the first time, in the United States, the Nikkei business daily said.
Honda president Takanobu Ito, who took the reins of the company in June last year, was expected to announce the plans later in the day, at a 0600 GMT press conference in a suburb of Tokyo.
The announcement would be a turnaround for Honda, which has in the past been sceptical about plug-in hybrids, which share technology with standard hybrids but can be recharged using a household power point.
In 2007 then president Takeo Fukui said that plug-in hybrids offered too few environmental benefits to be worth pursuing and until early last year said that the company wasn't ready to market one.
Honda's plug-in hybrid will be able to travel at least 60 kilometres (37.2 miles) on a litre of petrol, beating Toyota's Prius hybrid which runs 38 kilometres per litre, the Nikkei reported.
Toyota is expected to roll out its own plug-in hybrid in 2012 based on the Prius, which will run at 57 kilometres per litre, the daily said.
Honda plans to release its electric car first in the United States, taking aim at California, which will require three percent of an automaker's sales in the state to be zero-emission vehicles from 2012.
Honda is also planning to manufacture in the United States the Insight and two other hybrids which are now built in Japan. It also aims to expand its hybrid line-up of models to five in three years time, the Nikkei said.
The Prius hybrid, followed by the Insight, have been the best-selling cars in Japan for over a year. Honda sold 100,000 Insights in fiscal 2009, lagging only behind Toyota which sold more than 270,000 Prius vehicles.
The Japanese government aims to raise the share of hybrids in the country from 10 percent now to 20-30 percent, and to have plug-in hybrids and electric cars account for up to 20 percent of sales, by 2020.
Hundreds of dead penguins, birds wash up on Brazil shores
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วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 22 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2553
Samet Ngam Strives to Keep Its Mat Making Traditions Alive
| UPDATE : 5 July 2010 | |||
Nature has provided residents of Chanthaburi province’s Baan Samet Ngam community with an ideal raw material for making mats. When brackish water produces sedge, this material can be put to good use since it a durable form of fiber that has natural mold-prevention qualities. Both the locals who weave the mats and the province in general have benefited from the solid reputation the weavers of the mats have built up over the years. While locals can see the benefit of preserving the tradition, production is likely to ease off and eventually even disappear altogether unless there is a resurgence of interest among younger members of the community. A Source of Pride A group of women from Samet Ngam established a formal mat weaving group in 1979, under the support of the community department, under the ministry of interior.
“Mat weaving was something we used to do for fun, while also providing a source of extra income,” says Jaruwan Chareonngam, who is president of the group. “It used to be fun since during those times everyone would contribute and help out during every part of the process,” she says, adding that the situation has now changed and that some members of the group had become disenchanted.
This could be due to the fact that the weaving process is very time consuming. It can take up to a full day for a skilled weaver to produce a single section of mat measuring about one meter by two meters and this is only able to generate a profit of about 70 baht (US$2.15). So while there is no shortage of demand for the mats, the work itself fails to inspire younger people and the number of active weavers continues to decrease. Many older locals are tempted by more financially-rewarding occupations, such as working at a shrimp farm. Wealth of Resources While the number of skilled weavers is on the decline, the community received a boost in 1997 when the Samet Ngam Handicraft Center was established as a form of support for the weaving group. It is tasked with assisting those involved in weaving for a living, as well as helping out with finance-related matters and sales and marketing. Jaruwan points out that the center has a limited source of funds available as loans to members, while it also provides a form of trading channel, so they needn’t worry too much about sales. Members receive about 70% of the profits generated, while the center takes 30% to support its operations. In spite of these initiatives, the number of members of the group continues to dwindle falling from 52 during the first year to just 32 at present. Jaruwan says that when the center recently organized a weaving course, only a handful of people registered an interest. Nevertheless, she has no intention of giving up. “I’ll continue to struggle while I have the strength. We just hope that our grandchildren will show an interest in order to keep the tradition alive.” | |||
Students Show How 'Life is Beautiful' in Historic Samphraeng
| UPDATE : 13 July 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Life is Beautiful in Samphraeng, an exhibition of architectural drawings and models produced by students from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, showcases many of the impressive buildings located within the historic Bangkok community of Samphraeng. The exhibition, which is being held at People Space Gallery through August 1, features over 80 drawings and models. Including references to the colonial-style buildings that are almost synonymous with the area, the compositions included in the exhibition feature residents taking part in various activities within the community, which was originally established as a commercial area during the early part of the 20th century. Cultural Insights The charm of this collection is provided through the close attention to detail. As well as including buildings' physical characteristics, such as decorative features, the compositions featured often include details referring to residents' various daily activities. For example, one picture shows dinner being prepared in an area located behind a shop house, while another shows residents sipping tea at a local tea house. You can see people buying or selling wares at well known food stalls and stores in one picture, as well as diners enjoying a bowl of noodles in a side street in an other. The attention to detail goes so far as to allow visitors to the exhibition to be able recognize particular goods being sold in a commercial shop house, as well as the vehicles passing by.
Samphraeng includes several important architectural and historical references. The area was once home to no less than three major palaces, which were occupied by three princes who were the sons of King Rama IV (1804-1868). The palaces have long since been replaced with more commercial buildings, which are occupied by members of the Thai-Chinese community. The area is a part of a preservation zone and has been actively promoted as a cultural tourist destination over recent years. The area is best known for its food stores and stalls as previous generations of residents have successfully managed to pass down their special recipes to younger generations, who continue the family traditions to this day. These shops and stalls are located along Tanow Road, Mahannop Road and Dinsor Road. Raising Awareness The exhibition is being held to raise awareness and focus on the historical value of the community among members of the public, while allowing students to showcase the results of their studies into how people interact with their surroundings within a historic community. This should help provide students with some form of guidelines, so that they will be better positioned in terms of considering local communities when preparing their architectural designs in future.
Life is Beautiful in Samphraeng will continue through August 1 at People Space Gallery. The gallery opens from 11 am to 7 pm on Saturdays and Sundays (only). For further information, contact Tel: +66 (0)82 785 5594. Transport Connections: People Space Gallery is located on Phraeng Bhuthorn Road. Phraeng Bhuthorn Road is on a small area of land off Tanow Road, which is off Ratchadamneon Klang Road. Boat: Take a Chao Phraya Express Boat to the Grand Palace Pier (Pier 26). On disembarking, take Taiwang Road and then turn left into Sanamchai Road. From Sanamchai Road, turn right into Kalayanamitr Road, which will lead you to Bamrungmuang Road. From Bamrungmuang Road, turn left into Tanow Road and walk for about 50 meters until you see Phraeng Bhuthorn Road on your left. To make things easier, you may wish to take a taxi or tuk tuk (a three-wheeled auto rickshaw) from the pier to the hotel. Photos used courtesy of the Faculty of Architecture, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang. |
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Siam Cultural Park: A Wealth of Knowledge
| UPDATE : 20 July 2010 | ||||
Set in a serene locale within Ratchaburi province's Bang Phae district, Siam Cultural Park makes for a fascinating destination, which provides visitors with lots of learning opportunities, particularly with regard to architecture and sculpture. The park also provides visitors with some rather more general insights into how residents of the kingdom have lived throughout the country's history. Based within a 42-rai (6.72-hectare) plot, the park features lots of trees, including tropical kinds, along with flowering varieties that are deemed auspicious in accordance with Thai beliefs. The park is divided into six 'stations', which are interconnected by means of some nice, shaded pathways.
The Hall of Fame is a form of waxworks, featuring representations of important Thais and foreigners from throughout history who have been responsible for great achievements for the benefit of humankind as a whole. Among these figures you will find wax-based representations of the late, great classical musician Montri Tramod (1900-1995), the late conservationist Seub Nakhasathien (1949-1990), and the renowned and respected educator ML Pin Malakul (1903-1995). The Hall of Fame also includes waxwork models of the late Vietnamese Communist Revolutionary and respected statesman Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969 [pictured, above]), the late humanitarian Catholic nun and Christian missionary Mother Teresa (1910-1997), as well as the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997), who served as paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from 1978 to 1992. Along a pathway nearby you'll see three large Buddha images, set upon separate plinths, which represent the sculpturing forms known as Ayutthaya, Sukhothai and Chiang Saen, respectively.
At the next station, visitors get to experience a man-made cave area, which features waxwork images from the Vessantara, one of the Jataka tales, which refers to the last reincarnation of the Lord Buddha before he is born as the Buddha. This composition is known as The Great Sacrifice. Thai architecture and design are the principal attractions at the next two stations. The fourth station, for example, features a display of wooden residences used to provide shelter for monks in the northern, northeastern, southern and central regions. Inside each building are waxwork images of highly revered monks from around the kingdom. Lifelike Representations The park's next station includes houses originating from four of the country's regions, each with its own spacious yard. Inside the houses are waxwork models of ordinary Thai folk going about their daily activities. Thanks to the inclusion of various forms of furniture and decorative items and ornaments, visitors can get an insight into people's lifestyles in each of these four regions. There are some features that all these buildings have in common, such as an open-air terrace area, a spacious kitchen that is separate from the main dwelling space, along with the use of raised floors. Before reaching the final section, you'll notice that there is a nice coffee shop up ahead of you where you can enjoy a drink, or just freshen up. The coffee shop includes some log-based seats on its wooden terrace, which overlooks a nice, gentle stream and well maintained landscaped gardens. The final section of the park features a large Bodhisattva ('enlightened being') statue, which illustrates the benefits of Buddhist morality and the cultivation of wisdom. The artistic style reveals characteristics of Mahayana Buddhism, such as a highly ornamental body taking the form of the sitting posture.
Siam Cultural Park opens from Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4.30 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 8.30 am to 5 pm. For further information, call Tel: +66 (0)32 381 401-2. Transport Connections: Minibus: A minibus service to Ratchaburi’s Bang Phae district operates regularly from the area in front of Central Pinklao. | ||||
วันอังคารที่ 20 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2553
South Korean mobile carrier to allow Internet calls
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| By Manager Online | 15 July 2010 14:19 |
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July 15, 2010
SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea's top mobile phone carrier SK Telecom said Wednesday it would allow subscribers to make Internet calls over its cellular network.
Subscribers will be allowed to make phone calls using services from companies like Skype while they are connected to SK Telecom's 3G network, the company said in a statement.
Programmes like Skype allow users to make cheap calls through the Internet without paying charges based on voice minutes. Mobile carriers have limited such services for fear of losing profits.
Currently the use of mobile Internet phone calls is limited to Wi-Fi wireless networks.
SK Telecom also promised to create 15,000 Wi-Fi zones in South Korea by the end of this year, up 50 percent from its initial plan, to boost wireless data usage.
The company said it would launch the next-generation mobile network service known as LTE next year to meet rising demand for high-speed data.
LTE (Long-Term Evolution) is faster and more advanced than conventional third-generation mobile network technology.
The company raised its smartphone sales target for this year to 2.5 million from two million, and vowed to expand its range.
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