Bangkok Traffic, the Never-ending Problem*

Do you know where Bangkok students have to spend a lot of their time?

Of course, almost of people will answer about school, Siam Square, school, and etc. but, actually the answer of Bangkok students is not seem like those answers. The answer is in the car.

Many students in Bangkok have to spend their about 2-3 hours in cars on the way to their school both in the morning and evening. Therefore, totally time they struck in the car is about 4-6 hours in a day.

So, the picture of Bangkok students who are eating their breakfast and lunch become an acquainted picture for Bangkok in their daily life. It reflects to the traffic problem in Bangkok very well.




The traffic problem is not a new problem in Bangkok, because it has happened for a long time. And, it is not end soon. It becomes a hot problem for every government about how to solve the problem. Also, some people conclude the cause of the traffic problem about the number of car on the road more than roads in Bangkok. But, this is not the real cause of the problem.

In fact, the real problem starts from the public transportation first, because the public transportation is not good enough to satisfy Bangkok people both their need and comfort.

For example, the buses in public transportation have not enough to support for crowd people in rush hours. Moreover, many buses condition is not good enough to service the people and have to change with new bus.

So, it makes Bangkok people to buy their own car to travel and avoid the public transportation in their daily life.

Hence, the way to solve to the problem is not to increase the roads, but the governments have to try to solve by adjustment the public transportation such as increasing the BTS sky train line and MRT subway line more, also improve the bus system in Bangkok.

According to the solving above, I believe the traffic problem in Bangkok will be better more than nowadays; even it will not solve the entire traffic problem. Also, it can help and make Bangkok students to not spend a lot of their time in a day more than now.

SMILE!

When is the last time you saw your neighbor smile to you?
And what about your friend?
Also, your family?

"Smile"
It's one of the gesture that you can easily notice. When people smile, you know that they're happy, they have plenty of joy and love. People who often smile can be popular and they will get an attention from the others.

I would say that Thai people have been known for the people that always Smile. Thailand is the coutry for "the land of Smile", where every foreigners can notice from the Thai people, especially in the local people.

There are many reasons that Thai people are always smile. We might in the happy mood, we might meet with the foreigners and don't know what to say (So we smile!) and so on.



But in the past couple of years, Thailand has been changed.

Our country was in the crisis with the conflict of Politics. We hate each other and even killing each other, with the reason that we have the different point of view. We split off into two colors; RED and YELLOW. We saw our capital city, Bangkok, burned down with no reasons.

So what happen?

Do we all forget who we are?
Do we all forget,
how to smile?

It's not easy,
But only thing that will make our country get back to the normal again
is to SMILE.

Smile like you mean it.

SMILE!! :)

Corruption affects Thai tourism*

The Songkran festival is coming soon.

People will be more than happy to have this long holiday break since the 11th-15th April, as this Thai New Year's day will give a chance for Thai people to be back at their hometown, visit their family and go to the temple.

It is also the day that well known to the foreigners for activities such as the water splashing that will appears on every corner of the streets and people will get dirty with the icy powder, in the hottest period of the year in Thailand.

However, the recent news that came out will make the reader, especially Thai people, get a bad feeling for how the political and corruption dragged the country down.

By the research of Political and Economic Risk Consultant (PERC) on 7th April 2009, it's stated that Thailand is in the second place for the Asian countries, along with Australia and USA, that have the problem with Corruption, behind Indonesia who got the worst on this case.

Singapore got the best mark from PERC, followed by Hong Kong and Australia.

The foreign investor said that Thailand still have the problem with the instability of Political situation, which affected to the tourism around the country.

The protest of the United Front Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), who gather up at the Government house during the couple of weeks ago, are getting more serious as the protesters are seeking for the end of the current government, led by PM Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Democrat Party.

The case could be compare to the action of PAD group, who seized the government house and the international airports last year, with the same situation at this moment.

It also leads to the problem of Thai Tourism, for how the foreign group decided not to come to Thailand for what happened recently.

Thai People might wonder that when will this end, as it shows that we never learn from the mistake we did last year, where the airports were seized and many foreigners were suffering from that time.

We might hope that this Songkran festival will make the people cool down, and realize that no matter what happen, the one who will lost in this battle is ourselves...




*photo: www.oknation.net

Songkran day & Thailand~*

Even though the global economic crisis might bring Thailand down recently, with everyone still got struggle to maintain their job and no one can predict for the future.

However, Thailand still one of the places that can attract groups of foreigners, and we will see for thousands of them join us in the Songkran festival day in April.

If we talk about the Songkran festival, you can be familliar for the water splashing around the country, people walk around the roads with the powder on their cheeks and the smile on people's faces with their happiness during the hottest time of the Year.

But in 2009, the economic seems to be in the downturn and it also affect to the Songkran festival. According to the Dailynews, the arrival of foreign tourists might be slightly dropped around 10 percents, with estimate for a hundred thousand foreigners to be in the country during the Songkran festival this year.

Mr. Chanchai Doungjitt, the director of Tourism Authority of Thailand, said to the newspaper that there will be more than a billion baht spending for a week of Songkran festival, and the places for the tourists will be at the beaches from Pattaya, Hua-hin to the Andaman side in Phi Phi island and Phuket.

Thailand still be one of the places for everyone, no matter what happen. We already passed through the Political conflict last year, where the group of protesters seized the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang Airports.

**Sack of Rome**

Empire of Rome was divided by the Emperor into two parts in 2nd century. The first part was West Rome, the capital city was Rome. And, it also was the center of Senate. The second part was East Rome, the capital was Byzantium. Later, it was changed the name to “Constantinople” in the age of Constantine.

The reason that the Rome was divided because the senators tried to avoid the conflict between the soldiers, but the effects of the divided turn bad, with the weakness in socialization, economics and the wars, Rome was invaded by German Colony and the Teutonic that came into the east, which made the Rome city to be abandoned in the 4th century.

Somehow, the Empire of Rome still one of the country that influences to the Western Countries nowadays such as the language, the laws and the architecture.

*Translated From the book History of Greek-Roman Empire
By Atthaya Komolkanjana
Published at Ramkanhaeng University, 1976
*Websites - http://www.vinland.org/scamp/grove/kreich/chapter7.html
- http://www.mmdtkw.org/VAlaric.html
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/greece/paganism/sack.html

*Peeraphat Puspavesa I.D.4907640447
*Narudech Hemkrasri I.D.4907640918

**John Calvin**

Interview to : Mr.Richard A.Muller

P. J. Zondervan Professor of Historical Theology (1992)
A.B. (Queens College, NY, 1969)
M.Div. (Union Theological Seminary, NY, 1972)
Ph.D. (Duke University, 1976)

Dr. Muller is the author of 'The Unaccommodated Calvin,' 'After Calvin: Studies in the Development of a Theological Tradition,' 'Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics' (four volumes), 'God, Creation, and Providence in the Thought of Jacob Arminius,' 'Christ and the Decree,' 'Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms,' and 'The Study of Theology.' He has also written numerous articles and reviews.

What's the change from Protestant to Calvinism??
- Calvinism proved to be adaptable to the current social and political changes in European society.

What is Calvinism present and how it takes effect to society?
- The Calvinism introduced a much disciplined code to the city and its effectively controlled people’s lives. There were people who opposed Calvin and he never secure until he had support from Geneva’s families. Geneva became the most influential city in the Protestant movement.

What is the "Institutes of the Christian Religion” ?
- For John Calvin the only spiritual authority was scripture. According to his interpretation, God’s omnipotence can be seen in what is called “predestination.” Those who believed in predestination held that God had determined, from the beginning of time, who was to be saved and who was to be damned. Calvin believed that all people were sinful by nature, did not deserve redemption, and could not truly know God. Calvin felt that the purpose of life was to strive to know or understand God as well as possible and then to follow God’s will.

What were Calvin’s beliefs ?
-Calvinism was based around the absolute power and supremacy of God.
Calvin believed that Man was sinful and could only approach God through faith in Christ - not through Mass and pilgrimages.

*Prapop Hutayon ID. 4907640983
*Chalermporn Praphapyuenyong ID. 4907641114

**Leonardo Da Vinci**

Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the greatest artists and scientists from Italy (1452-1519).

Leonardo Da Vinci was born on 15 April 1452, in Vinci close to Florence. He showed his painting’s talent since he was young.

He left his home town when he was 18 years old, to serve the Duke of Milan for 17 years. During that time, the Duke assigned him to paint, and design things (For example: weapons, buildings, and machineries). The famous painting "The Last Supper" and "The Virgin on the Rocks," were two of all paints that he had done during this time.

He return to Florence and began the work of Mona Lisa in 1503. But 3 years after that, he was called back to Milan to serve the new government of France, and stayed there for 7 years. During that time his science skill was outstanding from others, his painted just to support his scientific inventions. And then move to Rome after that.

He left Italy in 1516, to work with King Francis of France. He died on May 2, 1519 in Cloux, France, at the age of 62.

*Chanoknart Sitthi-Ampai I.D.4907640637
*Napadporn Santhimaneerat I.D.4907641023