Digital textbooks open a new chapter

By Gary Eason  ­­­­­­

South Korea's classrooms will be switched to digital textbooks over the next four years

 

South Korea, one of the world's highest-rated education systems, aims to consolidate its position by digitising its entire curriculum.

By 2015, it wants to be able to deliver all its curriculum materials in a digital form through computers. The information that would once have been in paper textbooks will be delivered on screen.
South Korea's Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Ju-Ho Lee, said that his department was preparing a promotion strategy for "Smart Education", focusing on customised learning and teaching.
The project, launched during the summer, will involve wireless networks in all schools to allow students to learn "whenever and wherever", as well as an education information system that can run in a variety of devices including PCs, laptops, tablets and internet-connected TVs.
He said the government would support an open content market containing a variety of learning materials, aimed at keeping up quality while keeping down costs.
"Smart Education will change how we perceive textbooks," said Mr Lee.
"The transfer from the traditional paper textbooks to digital textbooks will allow students to leave behind their heavy backpacks and explore the world beyond the classroom."
Tech-friendly teenagers
The intended benefits include extending the choice of subjects for students in rural areas who previously have lacked specialist teachers and to make it easier for pupils to study from home.
South Korea's teenagers should be particularly receptive to such educational technology.

SOUTH KOREA

• South Korea is second in global rankings for reading, fourth for maths and fifth for science
• Family spending on education is the highest in the world, as a proportion of household income
• It has been among the most improved education systems in the world. In 1945, 78% of the population were illiterate. It now outperforms all European countries and the US at reading
• In the 1980s, South Korea banned private tutoring
• This year it introduced a ban on corporal punishment

An Organisation for Economic Co-ordination and Development (OECD) international assessment found that 15-year-olds in South Korea were the most competent users of digital technologies in a survey of 16 developed countries.

They were best at evaluating information on the internet, assessing its credibility and navigating web pages.
South Korea's pre-eminence has not come about by chance.
Unesco has documented the way that South Korea has carefully controlled the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in education.
The government has understood the importance of having formal standards, so that systems can work with each other and quality can be assured.
The United States, alarmed by its relative international educational decline, is now also increasing the resources it devotes to digital learning.
But its move appears to be an acknowledgement of a lack of joined-up thinking in the past.
President Barack Obama's "Digital Promise", announced last month, involves a new national centre to advance technologies that can supposedly transform teaching and learning.
The remit is "to determine quickly what is working and what is not, and transform today's fragmented learning technology market, paving the way for the widespread use of learning technologies that deliver the best results for students, parents, and teachers".
Teaching gap
"With more than 14,000 school districts, and an outdated procurement system, it's difficult for entrepreneurs to break into the market, and it's also tough to prove that their products can deliver meaningful results," the White House said.

DIGITAL CLASSROOMS

• The Indian state of Tamil Nadu is giving 6.8 million free laptops to school pupils
• Uruguay plans to be the first country where all school pupils are given their own laptop
• Apple says 600 US school districts are switching to digital textbooks on iPads
• Amazon has launched a rental service in the US for digital textbooks for students

Given the way education in the US is so highly devolved there are bound to be continuing questions over how much the initiative can achieve.

Another question is whether technology in the classroom is what really makes a difference.
A study by the Department of Educational Research at Lancaster University found that digital technology in the classroom might help to engage pupils in their learning and could save schools money.
But the Achilles' heel - commonplace with educational technology - was the teachers. They felt they needed far greater training in how to integrate the resources into their lesson plans.
"The sad truth is that students can learn just as badly with a class full of computers, interactive whiteboards and mobile technology as they can with wooden desks and a chalkboard," said science and ICT teacher David Weston, founder of the consultancy Informed Education.
There might be enormous potential for software or gadgets to engage and challenge students in new and imaginative ways.
"But unless there is a focus on developing the teaching expertise to support this then you run the risk of wasting time, money and opportunity," he said.
And it may be that technology is seen as a way to achieve cost savings by - to put it crudely - replacing teachers with robots.
Digital tutor
Setting out its Digital Promise ambitions, the White House said: "For years, researchers have been working on developing educational software that is as effective as a personal tutor."

Digital Promise has been launched by US President Obama to keep up with global competitors

Preliminary results from a US military "digital tutor" project suggested the time needed to become an expert in information technology could be reduced from years to months, said the White House.
"Achieving similar results in subjects such as math would transform K-12 [primary] education." It certainly would.
And although children tend to be quicker on the uptake than their teachers where anything with a screen is involved, this cannot be taken for granted.
The OECD's study of the technology-friendliness of 15-year-olds highlighted crucial differences between printed and digital texts, with their non-linear navigation.
"Individuals who develop the skills needed to use these texts efficiently and effectively will be at an increasing advantage in accessing higher education, finding and succeeding in a well-paid job, and participating fully in society."
So policy makers must guard against creating a new "digital divide" between those who could and who could not use these new technologies, it warned.
Big Brother?
But is there a bigger, darker concern about such a centralised digital curriculum? If you put all your educational eggs in one digital basket you might hatch a monster.
An unscrupulous government could relish the fact that everything a child learns is controllable through one, easily manipulated, digital portal.

Do we trust the written word in digital books in the same way as the traditional printed editions?

Such fears have been examined in the novel, The Book, by M Clifford. The US author presents a dystopian civilization in which all information is accessed through an e-reader. The people discover that the digital content has been subtly altered by a corrupt government.
"There is something about paper that commands trust," Mr Clifford said. "And reading is very personal. A bonfire of books used to make us cringe because it represented the destruction of that trustworthy bond."
In an increasingly paperless society, we can trust the technology, but questions need to be raised when governments are involved, he says.
"The scare for me was always the subtlety. The delicate manipulation, one word at a time, to alter someone's perception of the truth.
"Not only is there a fear of changing historical record, but of tailoring someone's perspective on the world. If you think that what you are reading is authentic, then your guard is lowered and you accept it as reality."
He debunks his own dark scenario - but has doubts. "As we've seen, the world is becoming more interconnected on an individual level and so it is unlikely that factual information could be so widely altered. We are probably safe.
"But the fact that it could happen without anyone knowing is the real nail-biter."
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Living in New Orleans.

For all that New Orleans means to her residents, to tourists and to the repeat visitor, from jazz revivals to Greek Revival architecture, it is the city’s uniqueness within the modern United States that make it so exotically appealing. You may not need a passport to get here from the rest of the country, but you certainly can expect a change in latitude — and attitude. Let the good times roll.

What is it known for?
Beignets, beads and Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras, Mississippi mud pie and Creole cuisine, and sadly now Hurricane Katrina. That disaster cut the city’s population in half and displaced a larger proportion of the black population than the white, due to the city’s poorer neighbourhoods taking the brunt of the flooding. However, now the city has returned to three-quarters of its pre-Katrina population. And tourism is flourishing.
The magic of New Orleans is that its pace is tied to Old Man River, the Mississippi that just keeps rolling along. The Creole culture, mixed with Irish and Italian, means spectacular restaurants and inventive cuisine. The jazz tradition, from Preservation Hall to hole-in-the-wall clubs, attracts famous musicians and music lovers from around the world. The New Orleans Museum of Art and the National WWII Museum make the city a cultural hub for the Gulf South. But it is the people of New Orleans that give the place its soul and true joy.

Where do you want to live?
The areas that remain strongly popular are the historic districts, which became known as “the silver on the river” after they did not flood in Katrina. The land they are on is only a few feet above sea level, but it was enough. These districts include Bywater, Garden District and St Charles Avenue, the French Quarter, Faubourg Marigny and the Irish Channel area. “New Orleans is a city of neighbourhoods,” said Sterling Joe Ory, ex-officio of the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors. “The market is like the weather — it’s rarely raining everywhere.” The historic district market is currently brisk, according to Ory, who said they attract the large influx of young professionals who have moved to the city.
New Orleans has a unique mix of housing characteristics where affordable houses are cheek-by-jowl with wealthier blocks, and 19th-century architecture spans different price ranges. Some people are attracted to fixer-uppers or condo units in converted grand Victorian homes. “Even our slums are Greek Revival, so bargains are out there,” said Ory. But rentals are not. The inventory is very scarce at the moment and there are fewer places for rent than for sale.

Side trips
New Orleans proximity to the Gulf Coast in Mississippi, Alabama and even Florida makes the city a popular weekend and second-home destination, and many New Orleanians own condos along the Gulf. South Louisiana is also popular for hunting and fishing, and some people go camping or own boats.
Airfare from New Orleans to Caribbean destinations is usually reasonable and there are direct flights to Toronto and some summer service to Central American destinations. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport was also one of eight approved this year for charter flights to Cuba, but it is unknown when those will begin.

Practical infoNew Orleans bucked the national trend and had fewer foreclosures than many other cities in many other states. “Tourism, the port and the teaching hospitals keep us ‘recession resistant’,” said Ory. “And we’ve experienced a large influx of young professionals with disposable income who appreciate the cultural uniqueness of New Orleans.” But house prices are abetted by low interest rates on long-term mortgages. “With 30-year interest rates hovering at 4%, money is at 1960 prices,” said Ory.
In the city, an 1,800-sq ft house can sell for as low as $240,000 with a monthly payment of under $900, while three-bed rentals can be as high as $2,500 a month. Many people buy to realize the best return on their investment. One quirk of buying in New Orleans, however, is that the city’s legal system operates under the Napoleanic Civil Code, which can mean that some laws governing commercial transactions are different from the rest of the country. Some out-of-state lenders will bail out of the loan process because there are rules and regulations that you do not have elsewhere in the country. It best to work with a local realtor and a local lender who can help you navigate the regional differences.

“We do things differently here,” said Ory. “But that’s why we are a number one destination. The city truly is hitting on all cylinders now.”
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ขอขอบคุณภาพประกอบจาก acidcow.com, roceco.co.uk

           ภาพที่ทุกท่านได้เห็นนี้ ไม่ใช่คนที่ตัวเล็กที่สุดในโลกหรือการตัดต่อภาพใด ๆ ทั้งสิ้น แต่นี่คือภาพของใบไม้ยักษ์ที่เจริญเติบโตตามธรรมชาติ ซึ่งมีขนาดใหญ่ที่ใหญ่ ใหญ่ ใหญ่ แล้วก็ใหญ่มาก ๆ ซึ่งเป็นใบไม้ที่มีขนาดใหญ่เกินกว่า 3 เมตรเลยทีเดียว!!

           ใบไม้ที่สุดแสนจะใหญ่โตมโหฬารนี้ คือใบไม้ของต้น "Gunnera Manicata" ซึ่งปลูกไว้ที่แอ็บบ็อทส์บิวรี่ การ์เด้นส์ (Abbotsbury Gardens) ในประเทศอังกฤษ โดยนายสตีเฟ่น กริฟฟิธ ซึ่งเป็นหัวหน้าผู้ดูแลสวนแห่งนี้ ได้บอกเล่าถึงเจ้าใบไม้ไซส์บิ๊กบึ้มนี้ว่า Gunnera Manicata เป็นต้นไม้ที่มีถิ่นกำเนิดมาจากประเทศบราซิล และได้นำมาปลูกที่สวนแห่งนี้มานานกว่า 30 ปีแล้ว

           ตามปกติแล้วใบของ Gunnera Manicata จะมีขนาดใหญ่แบบสุด ๆ เพียงแค่ประมาณ 2.1 - 2.2 เมตรเท่านั้น แต่มาในปีนี้ มันดันเจริญเติบโตแบบเกินคาดไปหน่อย ซึ่งจากการสันนิษฐานก็น่าจะมาจากสภาพอากาศที่มีการเปลี่ยงแปลงไปพอสมควร เอื้ออำนวยต่อการเติบโตของมัน เลยทำให้มีใบที่ขนาดใหญ่ถึง 3.3 เมตรอย่างที่เห็น

           ทั้งนี้ กริฟฟิธ เชื่อว่านี่จะเป็นใบไม้ที่ใหญ่ที่สุดในเกาะอังกฤษแล้ว อีกทั้ง นี่ยังถือเป็นโบนัสชิ้นโบว์แดงของสวนแห่งนี้ด้วย เนื่องจากเมื่อช่วงฤดูหนาวของปีที่แล้ว ด้วยสภาพอากาศที่หนาวจัดเลยทำให้ต้นไม้หลาย ๆ ต้นไม่ได้ผลิดอกออกผลให้เห็นมากนัก แต่ ณ ตอนนี้หลาย ๆ ต้นรวมถึงเจ้า Gunnera Manicata ก็ออกดอก ออกใบมามากมาย เรียกได้ว่าเป็นเรื่องที่น่ายินดีสำหรับคนที่รักต้นไม้มาก ๆ

In Cambodia. Flow of flood aid speeds up.

The Australian government will provide up to AUS$2.5 million (US$2.53 million) in aid to Cambodia as part of an AUS$5.25 grant to flood hit countries in the Mekong region and the Philippines, it said yesterday.

THE European Union will likely follow suit next week with two million euros (US$2.7 million) in emergency assistance for Cambodia, an official with its humanitarian aid department, ECHO, told the Post yesterday.

Funding from Australia aims at providing food, water, shelter and support for repairs, a statement from Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said. The aid would be disbursed through the  Red Cross, he said.  

The funding from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department follows an assessment made by an ECHO team last week, ECHO’s disaster risk reduction coordinator for Southeast Asia, Cecile Pichon, said.

Pichon said the funding would provide emergency relief for the next six months and would target the most vulnerable families. She said the assessment found there would be long-term effects on livelihoods due to the prolonged flooding.

“Recognising the magnitude of the disaster the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department is very actively examining the mobilisation of a substantial amount of funding to support emergency response in favour of the most vulnerable populations,” Pichon said

“Any funding made available will include financial support to the efforts of NGOs and international organisations in Cambodia,” she said.

Meanwhile, relief agencies and the governmental bodies remained unable yesterday to determine how many people remained in need of emergency relief.

A spokesperson for UNICEF said: “We are not in a position to answer the question on the scope of the flooding … What we do know is that despite efforts already undertaken by government and partners to assess the situation, the extent and severity of impacts resulting from the flooding are still not clear”.

National Committee for Disaster Management president Keo Vy estimated that more than 200,000 families are still waiting for aid, but he could not provide a break down of the numbers by province.

Water levels in Kampong Thom province, the hardest hit province, continued to rise yesterday, shutting down sections of Highway 5, traffic department officials said. In other areas of the country water levels either fell or remained stable yesterday, according to the Ministry of Water Resources and Meterology.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation said that no outbreaks of infectious diseases had been detected in flood-hit areas. Daily surveillance was occurring in flood-hit provinces through the Ministry of Health’s Rapid Response Team of more than 1,000 health volunteers, the WHO said.

“We haven’t detected any outbreaks yet, and believe me we are looking for them,” WHO public health expert Nima Asgari said.

รักษาโรคน้ำกัดเท้าด้วยมังคุด

ในสภาวการณ์เช่นนี้ ผู้ประสบภัยบางรายอาจเจ็บไข้ด้วยการเป็นโรคน้ำกัดเท้า วิธีการรักษาอย่างหนึ่งคือผลไม้ใกล้ตัวที่ชื่อ “มังคุด” เพราะมังคุดมีสรรพคุณ รักษาบาดแผล สมานแผล ใช้ชะล้างบาดแผล แก้แผลเปื่อย แผลเป็นหนอง ทาแผลพุพอง

วิธีรักษาคือ นำเปลือกผลสดหรือแห้ง ฝนกับน้ำปูนใสให้ข้นพอประมาณ ทาแผลน้ำกัดเท้า วันละ 2-3 ครั้ง จนกว่าจะหาย

แต่ข้อควรระวัง คือ ก่อนใช้ยาทาบริเวณที่น้ำกัดเท้า ควรจะล้างเท้าฟอกสบู่ให้สะอาด จากนั้นเช็ดให้แห้ง ถ้ามีแอลกอฮอล์เช็ดแผล ควรเช็ดก่อนจึงทายา

วุ้นว่านหางฯ แก้แผลในปาก

แผลร้อนในที่เกิดขึ้นภายในช่องปากจะไม่ใช่ความผิดปกติที่ส่งผลรุนแรงต่อสุขภาพ แต่ปัญหาที่ว่านี้ นำความรู้สึกเจ็บแสบให้กับช่องปาก ซึ่งเป็นอวัยวะส่วนที่คนเราใช้รับรสชาดอาหารต่างๆ เวลาที่เป็นแล้วจะกินอะไรก็ไม่อร่อย เผลอเอาลิ้นไปโดน ก็เจ็บแปลบแสบขึ้นมา ช่างเป็นแผลที่สร้างความรำคาญเสียจริง

การรักษาแผลร้อนในซึ่งอยู่ในช่องปาก อันที่จริงก็พอเยียวยาได้ด้วยตนเอง โดยเฉพาะบ้านไหนที่ปลูกว่านหางจระเข้ไว้ ให้ไปตัดกาบว่านหางจระเข้ขนาด 2-3 นิ้ว จากนั้นนำไปล้างน้ำทำความสะอาด ใช้มีดปอกเปลือกออกแล้วล้างซ้ำอีกครั้ง ก็จะได้เนื้อวุ้นที่มีลักษณะเป็นก้อนเมือกเหนียวๆ บรรเทาอาการเจ็บและแสบลงได้ ควรทาที่แผลให้บ่อย หรือราว 4 ครั้งต่อวัน

ทั้งนี้เนื้อวุ้นของว่านหางจระเข้นั้นกินได้ไม่อันตราย จึงสามารถหั่นเนื้อวุ้นเป็นชิ้นนำไปอมหรือเคี้ยวให้ละเอียดแล้วให้ไปสัมผัสกับแผล ลดอาการเจ็บแผล ช่วยแผลหายเร็ว

อย่างไรก็ตาม หลังจากตัดกาบว่านหางจระเข้ออกมาแล้ว ควรนำมาใช้รักษาแผลในปากอย่างรวดเร็ว หากปล่อยไว้สรรพคุณจะเสื่อมลง.

ปีแห่งพระราชพิธีมหามงคลเฉลิมพระชนมพรรษา ๗ รอบ ๕ ธันวาคม ๒๕๕๔

ปีแห่งพระราชพิธีมหามงคลเฉลิมพระชนมพรรษา ๗ รอบ ๕ ธันวาคม ๒๕๕๔ ในโอกาสที่พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวทรงเจริญพระชนมพรรษาแปดสิบสี่พรรษานั้น นำความปลื้มปีติอย่างท่วมท้นมาสู่ประชาราษฎร์ รวมไปถึงประชาคมคาทอลิกในราชอาณาจักรไทย ซึ่งต่างน้อมเกล้าน้อมกระหม่อมถวายพระพรชัย ด้วยสำนึกในพระมหากรุณาธิคุณและพระราชจริยวัตรที่ทรงสืบสานและเกื้อกูลสัมพันธไมตรีระหว่างราชอาณาจักรไทยและสำนักวาติกัน ที่นับเนื่องมาถึงสี่ศตวรรษ ให้ยั่งยืนสถาพรจวบจนปัจจุบัน
   
คณะผู้แทนของพระศาสนจักรคาทอลิกในสยามประเทศได้ก่อตั้งขึ้น ณ กรุงศรีอยุธยา เมื่อปี ค.ศ. ๑๖๖๙ ในรัชสมัยของสมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช ซึ่งตรงกับสมณสมัยของสมเด็จพระสันตะปาปา อินโนเซนต์ที่ ๙ นับแต่นั้นมาเป็นที่ประจักษ์ว่าความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างสันตะสำนักและราชอาณาจักรไทยได้ดำเนินไปอย่างแน่นแฟ้น จนในปีคริสต์ศักราช ๑๙๖๙ ทั้งสองประเทศจึงได้สถาปนาความสัมพันธ์ทางการทูตขึ้นอย่างเป็นทางการ ด้วยองค์กรหน่วยงานต่าง ๆ ภายใต้พระศาสนจักรคาทอลิกได้ร่วมสรรค์สร้างสาธารณประโยชน์แก่ประชาชนในราชอาณาจักรไทยมาช้านานนับศตวรรษ โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งในด้านการศึกษาและสาธารณสุข
   
เมื่อย้อนรำลึกถึงประวัติศาสตร์การเสด็จพระราชดำเนินเยือนนครรัฐวาติกันขององค์พระประมุขของไทย กล่าวคือการเสด็จฯ ของพระบาทสมเด็จพระจุลจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว ในปี ค.ศ. ๑๘๙๗ และการเสด็จฯ ของพระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวพร้อมด้วยสมเด็จพระนางเจ้าฯ พระบรมราชินีนาถ ในปี ค.ศ. ๑๙๖๐ ตลอดจนเมื่อครั้งที่พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวเสด็จออกรับสมเด็จพระสันตะปาปายอห์นปอลที่ ๒ ในปี ค.ศ. ๑๙๘๔ ณ พระที่นั่งจักรีมหาปราสาท นั้น
   
คริสตชนไทยทุกคนต่างตระหนักเสมอว่า ราชไมตรีขององค์พระประมุขทั้งสองประเทศอันนับเนื่องมายาวนานได้สร้างแรงบันดาลใจและพลังแก่ทุกคนในประชาคมคาทอลิก ตั้งแต่ระดับมุขนายก บาทหลวง บรรดานักบวช ไปจนถึงสัตบุรุษน้อยใหญ่ ให้มุ่งมั่นดำเนินกิจกรรมเพื่อประโยชน์สุขแก่เพื่อนมนุษย์เสมอมา ดังจะเห็นได้จากพันธกิจของพระศาสนจักรคาทอลิกในกิจการด้านการศึกษา สาธารณสุข รวมไปถึงการให้ความอนุเคราะห์แก่ผู้อพยพและผู้ประสบภัยพิบัติ  ซึ่งมุ่งเน้นที่จะธำรงดุลยภาพระหว่างการพัฒนาด้านจิตใจกับการพัฒนาทางวัตถุ ภายใต้เงื่อนไขที่ท้าทายของสังคมโลกาภิวัตน์ พันธกิจเหล่านี้ยังครอบคลุมถึงศาสนสัมพันธ์ ตลอดจนการศึกษาและพัฒนาความรู้ความเข้าใจต่อวัฒนธรรมความเชื่อต่าง ๆ อีกด้วย ทั้งนี้เพื่อยกระดับชีวิตให้ดีขึ้นอย่างถ้วนหน้า
   
สำนักวาติกันและพระศาสนจักรคาทอลิกในประเทศไทยต่างประจักษ์แจ้งเสมอมาว่าพระเมตตาต่อประชาราษฎร์ พระราชจริยวัตรต่อทุกศาสนา พระราชอุตสาหะในพระราชกรณียกิจน้อยใหญ่ และพระปรีชาสามารถในการดำเนินความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างประเทศนี้เอง คือ บ่อเกิดแห่งกำลังใจให้ผู้คนทุกหมู่เหล่าใฝ่บำเพ็ญประโยชน์ต่อสังคมอยู่เสมอ
   
ประเทศไทยและสำนักวาติกันต่างยึดมั่นในอุดมการณ์ในอันที่จะจรรโลงสันติภาพมาสู่ประชาคมโลก อีกทั้งจักส่งเสริมสิทธิมนุษยชน และธำรงศักดิ์ศรีของมนุษย์ ดังปรากฏในเวทีการเมืองระหว่างประเทศและสังคมสากล ว่าสำนักวาติกันและพระศาสนจักรคาทอลิกได้เข้าไปมีส่วนร่วมในโครงการต่าง ๆ อันมุ่งเน้นพัฒนาสภาวะทางจิตใจและจริยธรรม พระราชกรณียกิจน้อยใหญ่ที่พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวทรงปฏิบัติเพื่อความสุขของอาณาประชาราษฎร์ตลอดรัชสมัยนั้น เป็นดั่งต้นแบบแห่งเมตตาธรรม ความเอื้อเฟื้อต่อเพื่อนมนุษย์และความสุภาพอ่อนโยนอย่างเป็นเอกลักษณ์ไทย ดังนั้น พระเมตตาและพระมหากรุณาที่พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวทรงมีต่อพสกนิกรชาวไทย จึงหล่อหลอมดวงใจทุกดวงของคนไทยเข้าเป็นหนึ่งเดียวกับองค์พระมหากษัตริย์ อีกทั้งน้อมนำความจงรักภักดีของคนทั้งชาติต่อสถาบันอันสูงสุดนี้
   
ในฐานะที่ทรงเป็น “องค์อัครศาสนูปถัมภก” พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวพระราชทานโอกาส สิทธิ และเสรีภาพแก่ศาสนิกชนจากทุกศาสนาและนิกายหลายหลาก เพื่อให้ต่างฝ่ายต่างปฏิบัติศาสนกิจตามความเชื่อและรูปแบบจารีตของตน นี่คือเอกลักษณ์ไทยที่ธำรงอยู่มาช้านาน ควบคู่กับขันติธรรมของประชาชาติ ภายใต้พระบรมโพธิสมภารและพระบรมราโชบายที่มุ่งจรรโลงสันติภาพ ความสามัคคีในชาติ และภราดรภาพ ดุจดั่งครอบครัวเดียวกัน คริสตศาสนิกชนในประเทศไทยต่างสำนึกในพระมหากรุณาและพระเมตตานี้ จึงมุ่งดำเนินชีวิตภายใต้ครรลองแห่งพระวาจาของพระเจ้า พร้อมอุทิศตนและงานเพื่อประโยชน์สุขของประเทศและผู้ด้อยโอกาส ประหนึ่งการเดินตามรอยพระยุคลบาท
   
ในโอกาสนี้ ข้าพเจ้าในนามของประชาคมพระศาสนจักรคาทอลิกในประเทศไทยขอเทิดทูนพระมหากรุณาธิคุณแห่งองค์อัครศาสนูปถัมภกไว้เหนือเกล้า พระราชจริยวัตรอันงดงามที่ปรากฏต่อเหล่าศาสนิกของทุกศาสนานั้นก่อเกื้อให้แผ่นดินไทยเป็นราชอาณาจักรที่ยิ่งใหญ่แห่งหนึ่งของโลก
   
ข้าพเจ้าขอร่วมใจกับประชาชนชาวไทยทุกหมู่เหล่า น้อมเกล้าน้อมกระหม่อมถวายพระพร ให้พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวและพระบรมวงศานุวงศ์ ทรงเจริญด้วยพระพลานามัยที่สมบูรณ์ พระบารมีแผ่ไพศาล สถิตอยู่เป็นมิ่งขวัญของปวงประชาราษฎรตราบเท่านาน

ด้วยเกล้าด้วยกระหม่อมขอเดชะ
ข้าพระพุทธเจ้า พระอัครสังฆราชโจวานนี ดานีเอลโล อัครสมณทูต แห่งนครรัฐวาติกันประจำประเทศไทย

สำหรับนครรัฐวาติกัน ตั้งอยู่ภายในเขตกรุงโรม ประเทศอิตาลี มีนครรัฐวาติกันเป็นเมืองหลวง ภูมิอากาศแบบเมดิเตอร์เรเนียน ฤดูหนาวอุณหภูมิปานกลางและมีฝนตก ฤดูร้อนอากาศร้อนแห้ง ภาษาราชการที่ใช้คือภาษาอิตาเลียนและลาติน ประชากรนับถือศาสนาโรมันคาทอลิก

การปกครอง เป็นแบบรัฐเอกราช มีสมเด็จพระสันตะปาปาเป็นประมุข การบริหารกระทำผ่านสำนักเลขาธิการแห่งรัฐ (Secretariat of State) และมีเลขาธิการแห่งรัฐ(Secretary of State) เทียบเท่านายกรัฐมนตรี เป็นหัวหน้าคณะหน่วยงานระดับกระทรวงต่าง ๆ ซึ่งมีทั้งหมด 9 หน่วยงาน เรียกว่า Sacred Congregations

ความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างไทยกับนครรัฐวาติกัน เว็บไชต์ของกระทรวงการต่างประเทศ (www.mfa.go.th) บันทึกว่า ราชอาณาจักรไทยและศาสนจักรวาติกันได้สถาปนาความสัมพันธ์ทางการทูตระหว่างกันเมื่อวันที่ 26 เมษายน ค.ศ. 1969 ฝ่ายไทยได้มอบให้สถานเอกอัครราชทูต ณ กรุงเบิร์น ดูแลความสัมพันธ์ไทย-วาติกัน สมเด็จพระสันตะปาปาจอห์น ปอล ที่ 2 ได้ทรงแต่งตั้งคาร์ดินัลชาวไทยคนแรก เมื่อเดือนกุมภาพันธ์ ค.ศ. 1983 คือ คาร์ดินัล มีชัย กิจบุญชู

อย่างไรก็ตาม ความสัมพันธ์ไทย-วาติกันเริ่มต้นขึ้นตั้งแต่ปี ค.ศ. 1662 เมื่อสมเด็จพระสันตะปาปา Alexander ที่ 7 ได้จัดส่งคณะมิชชันนารีชุดแรกเดินทางมายังกรุงศรีอยุธยา ในรัชสมัยของสมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช นับเป็นคณะผู้ก่อตั้งคริสตศาสนาในไทยเป็นคณะแรก

ต่อมา สมเด็จพระสันตะปาปา Innocent ที่ 11 ได้มีพระราชสาส์นมาถวายพระพรสมเด็จพระนารายณ์ เมื่อ 4 ตุลาคม ค.ศ. 1679 ซึ่งทรงมีพระราชสาส์นตอบในปี ค.ศ. 1680 แต่เรืออัญเชิญพระราชสาสน์ประสบอุบัติเหตุแตกกลางทะเล สมเด็จพระสันตะปาปา Innocent ที่ 11 จึงได้มีพระราชสาส์นมาอีกเป็นครั้งที่ 2 ลงวันที่ 15 กุมภาพันธ์ ค.ศ. 1687 ต่อมา ในปี ค.ศ. 1688 สมเด็จพระนารายณ์ทรงส่งคณะนำโดยเจ้าพระยาโกษาธิบดี (ปาน) เดินทางไปยังกรุงโรม เพื่ออัญเชิญพระราชสาส์นตอบ ไปถวาย ลงวันที่ 23 ธันวาคม ค.ศ.1688 ในปลายศตวรรษที่ 17 เกิดความปั่นป่วนในพระราชอาณาจักรจากการสงครามกับพม่าซึ่งนำไปสู่การเสียกรุงในที่สุด คริสตจักรในกรุงศรีอยุธยาจึงถูกทำลายลง

ในสมัยรัตนโกสินทร์เป็นต้นมา คริสตจักรได้เริ่มฟื้นฟูกลับคืนมาอีกครั้ง พระบาทสมเด็จพระจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว ได้ทรงมีพระราชสาส์นติดต่อกับสมเด็จพระสันตะปาปา Pius ที่ 9 ระหว่างปี ค.ศ. 1851-1861 พระบาทสมเด็จพระจุลจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัวได้เสด็จฯ ประพาสนครรัฐวาติกัน ในระหว่างเสด็จฯ ประพาสยุโรปในปี ค.ศ. 1897 และได้ทรงพบสมเด็จพระสันตะปาปา Leo ที่ 13 นับเป็นการแลกเปลี่ยนการเยือนเป็นครั้งแรกในระดับประมุขของประเทศระหว่างราชอาณาจักรไทยและศาสนจักรวาติกัน ซึ่งต่อมาพระบาทสมเด็จพระปกเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัวได้เสด็จฯ เยือนกรุงโรม และทรงพบสมเด็จพระสันตะปาปา Pius ที่ 11 เมื่อเดือนมีนาคม ค.ศ.1934

พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว และสมเด็จพระนางเจ้าฯ พระบรมราชินีนาถได้เสด็จฯ ประพาสนครวาติกันในเดือนตุลาคม ค.ศ. 1960 และทรงพบสมเด็จพระสันตะปาปา John ที่ 23

สมเด็จพระสันตะปาปาจอห์น ปอล ที่ 2 เสด็จเยือนประเทศไทยเป็นครั้งแรก (State Visit) ระหว่างวันที่ 10-11 พฤษภาคม ค.ศ. 1984 ในโอกาสเดียวกับที่เสด็จเยือนสาธารณรัฐเกาหลี ปาปัวนิวกินี และหมู่เกาะโซโลมอน ระหว่างการเยือน สมเด็จพระสันตะปาปาฯ ได้เยี่ยมค่ายผู้อพยพที่พนัสนิคม และทรงเรียกร้องวิงวอนให้ประเทศต่างๆ ให้ความช่วยเหลือแก่ผู้อพยพเหล่านั้น อีกทั้ง ยังทรงบริจาคเงินสดช่วยเหลือผู้ลี้ภัยอินโดจีนเป็นจำนวน 1 ล้านบาทด้วย

การฉลองครบรอบ 25 ปี ความสัมพันธ์ไทย-วาติกัน ปี ค.ศ. 1994

เมื่อวันที่ 20 พฤษภาคม ค.ศ. 1994 สถานเอกอัครสมณทูตวาติกันประจำประเทศไทยได้จัดให้มีการตีพิมพ์บทความและสาส์น ของ Monsignor Luigi Bressan เอกอัครสมณทูตวาติกันฯ ใน Supplement ของหนังสือพิมพ์บางกอกโพสต์ ในโอกาสการครบรอบ 25 ปีแห่งการสถาปนาความสัมพันธ์ทางการทูตระหว่างไทย-วาติกัน

ในโอกาสการฉลองครบรอบ 25 ปีแห่งการสถาปนาความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างกันนี้ สมเด็จพระสันตะปาปาจอห์น ปอล ที่สอง ได้ประทานเครื่องอิสริยาภรณ์ Knight Grand Cross of the Pian Order ให้แก่นาวาอากาศตรี ประสงค์ สุ่นศิริ รัฐมนตรีว่าการกระทรวงการต่างประเทศ โดยเอกอัครสมณทูตนครรัฐวาติกันประจำประเทศไทยเป็นผู้มอบเมื่อวันที่ 26 สิงหาคม ค.ศ. 1994 และพระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวได้ทรงพระกรุณาโปรดเกล้าฯ พระราชทานเครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์ประถมาภรณ์ช้างเผือกให้แก่ H.E. Archbishop Jean Louis Tauran รัฐมนตรีว่าการกระทรวงการต่างประเทศนครรัฐวาติกัน โดยเอกอัครราชทูตไทยประจำนครรัฐวาติกันเป็นผู้มอบเมื่อวันที่ 17 มกราคม ค.ศ. 1997

Asking Empowering Questions.

Asking Empowering Questions   Chuck Gallozzi   

A Penny for Your Thoughts

You probably heard the expression, "A penny for your thoughts..." Isn't that an offer that is far too little to hear the thoughts, opinions, and beliefs of our friends? For if we were to listen carefully to what they have to say, I'm sure there is a great deal we can learn.

How about YOUR thoughts? How much are they worth? Their value and importance are incalculable. Why? Because your success and happiness depend on them. Do you know that each day winners, champions, and achievers have half the thoughts of ordinary folk? That's because they spend twice the time mulling over them.

A critical part of the mindset of champions is curiosity. Because they are curious, they ask questions. That's why they spend twice as much time considering their thoughts, for they pose questions to themselves and then seek to answer them. No wonder they are successful. After all, questions are keys that unlock answers. They also help to focus the mind on one's goals.

Also, as Francis Bacon (1561 ~ 1626) wrote, "Who questions much, shall learn much, and retain much."

Questions are empowering as their answers help us to solve problems and to advance. Since questioners are on a quest, they find life exciting. And when they find the answers they are looking for, they find life all the more enjoyable. There are no foolish questions. But there are fools. They are the ones who never ask questions.

Well, then, what sort of questions should we be asking ourselves? For starters, here are three important questions: What do I want? What is preventing me from getting what I want? What will I do to remove or overcome the obstacle or obstacles blocking my way? The answers to these questions are no less than the keys to our success.

The renowned author of ''As a Man Thinketh,'' James Allen (1864 ~ 1912), adds "For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?"

A Jewish sage poses three powerful questions: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?"

(Pirke Avot 1:14)

Scholar Joseph Campbell (1904 ~ 1987) posed one question: "The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure (life)."

Now that you have the idea, here are some more helpful questions to ask

Ourselves: What do I know today, that I did not know yesterday? Will what I am doing now bring me closer to my dreams? What can I do now? What SHOULD I do now?

What can I dedicate my life to? How can I infuse my life with meaning? What cause can I live for? How do I spend my time? Am I contributing to life?

What am I doing wrong? What can I learn from my mistakes? What should I avoid doing? What do I need to do more often? Am I going to make the most of this opportunity (life)?

If we want to think like champions, we have to keep asking ourselves questions and then act upon the answers. Here are still more questions that are helpful to ask: What would I do if I knew I wouldn't fail? (Once you know, do it.) What new, positive habit am I starting today? What am I doing better today than I did yesterday?

Now, the natures of our questions determine the nature of our answers. For example, trivial questions produce trivial answers while important questions generate momentous answers. For similar reasons, if you are interested in results, avoid theoretical questions and stick with practical questions.

There are also right and wrong questions. "Do I have what it takes to be successful?" is an example of the wrong question. It is wrong because EVERYONE has what it takes to be successful. The correct question is "Am I willing to pay the price for success?" Everyone wants to be successful, but few are willing to pay the price. So, few succeed.

Also, avoid useless questions and adopt empowering ones. If you're stuck in a traffic jam on the way to an important meeting, asking yourself why this happened to you is useless. Instead, you should be asking yourself questions such as "How can I cope? What are my options? How will I handle the situation once I am finally out of the traffic jam? Is there anything useful I can do while I am stuck here? What can I do to lessen the likelihood of something similar occurring in the future?"

We can also have high or low standards for our questions, which determine whether we lead rewarding or disappointing lives. Perhaps you are familiar with some of these low standard questions: "How can I leave work early today? How can I use sick days to take time off? How can I avoid the company picnic? What is the least I can do and still get paid?"

Examples of high standard questions are: "How can I help my company to reach its goals? What can I do to fully cooperate with my teammates? Who can I encourage today? What is the most efficient use of my time? How can I increase my value to the company? What other responsibilities can I take on?" Can you see how by asking different questions, we get different answers, which lead to different results? Yes, our successes and failures are the results of our questions!

Of course, the purpose of asking questions is not merely to arrive at answers, but to act on them, for questions derive their power from the actions they inspire.

Science cannot answer all our questions. It can teach us our capabilities, but it cannot reveal whether we OUGHT TO do everything we can do. Some questions fall under the purview of philosophy or metaphysics. The answers to such questions often come from deep within. Hermann Hesse (1877 ~ 1962) explains, "I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teachings my blood whispers to me."

Our questions also create our life view. A good example is given by Bobby Matherne, "The way the Buddhist asks the question creates a different view of nature than the way the physicist does. The Buddhist asks wave questions and the physicist asks particle questions. One sees an unbroken whole and the other sees scattered parts."

As we grow in consciousness, we come to realize there are times to refrain from asking questions. Such a time is described by South African author Sir Laurens Jan van der Post (1906 ~ 1996), "I think the most wonderful things in life are beyond reason, that is why I think 'why' is often such an irrelevant question; it is very limited. The real things in life have nothing to do with 'why.' They are just 'so;' they are just 'thus.' Life is a 'thus,' and until you realize this 'thusness' of life, you are stuck."

Egyptian writer and Nobel Prize winner Naguib Mahfouz (1911 ~ 2006) wrote "You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions." What are YOUR questions going to be today?

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Congress Ends 5-Year Standoff on Trade Deals in Rare Accord.

Congress Ends 5-Year Standoff on Trade Deals in Rare Accord

By BINYAMIN APPELBAUM and JENNIFER STEINHAUER

WASHINGTON — Congress passed three long-awaited free trade agreements on Wednesday, ending a political standoff that has stretched across two presidencies. The move offered a rare moment of bipartisan accord at a time when Republicans and Democrats are bitterly divided over the role that government ought to play in reviving the sputtering economy.
The approval of the deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama is a victory for President Obama and proponents of the view that foreign trade can drive America’s economic growth in the face of rising protectionist sentiment in both political parties. They are the first trade agreements to pass Congress since Democrats broke a decade of Republican control in 2007.
All three agreements cleared both chambers with overwhelming Republican support just one day after Senate Republicans prevented action on Mr. Obama’s jobs bill.
The passage of the trade deals is important primarily as a political achievement, and for its foreign policy value in solidifying relationships with strategic allies. The economic benefits are projected to be small. A federal agency estimated in 2007 that the impact on employment would be “negligible” and that the deals would increase gross domestic product by about $14.4 billion, or roughly 0.1 percent.
The House voted to pass the Colombia measure, the most controversial of the three deals because of concerns about the treatment of unions in that country, 262 to 167; the Panama measure passed 300 to 129, and the agreement concerning South Korea passed 278 to 151. The votes reflected a clear partisan divide, with many Democrats voting against the president. In the Senate, the Colombia measure passed 66 to 33, the Panama bill succeeded 77 to 22 and the South Korea measure passed 83 to 15. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, voted against all three measures.
The House also passed a measure to expand a benefits program for workers who lose jobs to foreign competition by a vote of 307 to 122. The benefits program, a must-have for labor unions, passed with strong Democratic support. The Senate previously approved the measure.
Proponents of the trade deals, including Mr. Obama, Republican leaders and centrist Democrats, predict that they will reduce prices for American consumers and increase foreign sales of American goods and services, providing a much-needed jolt to the sluggish economy.
“At long last, we are going to do something important for the country on a bipartisan basis,” said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader.
However, Mr. Obama’s support for the measures has angered important parts of his political base, including trade unions, which fear job losses to foreign competition. Many Democrats took to the House floor Wednesday to speak in opposition to the deals.
“What I am seeing firsthand is devastation that these free trade agreements can do to our communities,” said Representative Mike Michaud, a Maine Democrat who once worked in a paper mill.
Both chambers raced to approve the deals before a joint Congressional session Thursday with the South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak.
The revival of support for the deals, originally negotiated by the Bush administration five years ago, comes at a paradoxical political moment, when both conservative Republicans and the Occupy Wall Street protesters have taken antitrade positions, albeit for different reasons. In a debate among Republican presidential candidates Tuesday night, Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, accused China of manipulating the value of its currency to flood the United states with cheap goods, while populist sentiment on the left opposes the trade agreements because of the potential for American job losses.
Mr. Obama cited similar concerns in criticizing the agreements during the 2008 presidential campaign, but he later embraced the deals as a key part of his agenda to revive the economy. To win Democratic support, the White House reopened negotiations with the three countries to make changes demanded by industry groups and unions, and insisted that the expansion of benefits for displaced workers be tied to passage of the trade agreements.
The benefits program was expanded in 2009 to include workers in service industries as well as manufacturing. The compromise negotiated this summer between the White House, House Republicans and Senate Democrats preserves most of the funding for the program.
Increased protections for American automakers in the South Korea deal won the support of traditional opponents of trade deals, including some Midwestern Democrats and the United Automobile Workers union. But scores of Democrats opposed the deal with Colombia, because they said it did not do enough to address the murders of dozens of union organizers in that country.
“Trade agreements should not be measured solely on how many tons of goods move across the border,” said Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat.
Economists generally predict that free trade agreements, which eliminate tariffs and other policies aimed at protecting domestic manufacturers, benefit all participating nations by creating a larger common market, increasing sales and reducing prices. But such deals also create clear losers, as workers lose well-paid jobs to foreign competition.
The White House and Republican leaders said that the three agreements would provide a big boost to the lagging American economy and put people back to work.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hailed the deals Wednesday as an important victory for American foreign policy. And she said she expected that the South Korea pact alone would create 70,000 American jobs. “By opening new markets to American exports and attracting new investments to American communities, our economic statecraft is creating jobs and spurring growth here at home,” Ms. Clinton said at a Washington event.
But the United States International Trade Commission, a federal agency that analyzed the deals in 2007, reported that that economic impact would be minimal because the three countries combined represent a relatively small market for American goods and services.
The modest projected increase in demand will come mostly from South Korea, the world’s 14th-largest economy, which will join a short list of developed nations that have free trade pacts with the United States, alongside Australia, Canada, Israel and Singapore.
The commission predicted that American farmers would benefit most, because of increased demand for dairy products and beef, pork and poultry. Conversely, it predicted that the pacts would eliminate some manufacturing jobs, particularly in the textile industry.
Opponents, including textile companies, said that the deals would harm the economy by undermining the nation’s industrial base. They argued that South Korean companies would benefit much more than American companies because they were gaining access to a much larger market.
These are the first deals to pass Congress since the approval of an agreement with Peru in 2007. The Bush administration had won approval for trade agreements with 14 countries before the Democrats regained Congress in 2008, but it was then unable to gain traction.
“It’s been five years in the making, but we are finally here,” said Representative Lynn Jenkins, a Kansas Republican, in a speech urging passage of the agreements.
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NGO urges halt to Shwe natural gas project

Monday, 10 October 2011 13:15 Zwe Khant

The Thailand-based Shwe Gas Movement has called for the Burmese government to suspend another huge energy project, the Shwe natural gas project in Arakan State.

“Exporting the huge natural gas reserves from the Shwe Gas fields off Burma’s western coast will perpetuate the chronic energy shortages domestically,” it said in a statement released on Friday.

“The regime will earn an estimated US$ 29 billion from the sale of the gas, yet these revenues will not be used for social improvement. The revenues will disappear into a fiscal black hole that omits gas revenues from the national budget, clearly to the benefit of the regime and investors,” said the statement.

After widespread protests, President Thein Sein ordered a suspension of the US$3.6 billion Myitsone Dam project on the Irrawaddy River. The Shwe Gas Movement wants a similar order regarding the Shwe energy project, which was started in October 2009. The project includes a special economic zone that will be the largest in Southeast Asia, and includes the construction of a Kyaukphyu-Muse electric railway at a cost of US$ 20 billion.

An underwater gas pipeline would carry offshore gas from block A1 and A3 to Kyaukphyu. About 40 per cent of the project is completed and the deep-sea port at Maday Island is about 80 per cent completed, according to the Shwe Gas Movement.

Gas reserves in the two blocks are estimated at 4.5 to 7.7 trillion cubic feet. Burma will earn an estimated US$ 29 billion from the sale of the natural gas to China over a 30-year period starting in 2013.

The deep-sea port project and the joint pipeline for oil and natural gas will be completed in 2013. The electric railway for transporting goods is expected to be completed in 2015.

The huge project is part of a new sea route for oil tankers to and from the Maday Island deep-sea port. The Daewoo Company has dynamited a three-mile coral reef located near Zinchaung Village in May, the Bangladesh-based Narinjara news agency reported. The Maday Island deep-sea port is located six miles southeast of Kyaukphyu in Arakan State.

Win Aung, an official of the Thai-based Shwe Gas Movement, said, “Possible environmental impacts and people-based surveys need to be conducted. They should have transparency to the effect on people, how much the environment will be affected and how much residents will benefit from the project.”

The offshore blocks in the Shwe Gas field, the biggest natural gas field in Southeast Asia, has an estimated 200 billion cubic meters of natural gas. The gas blocks in the Shwe field in the western sea of Burma was discovered in late 2003. The cost of the gas pipeline linking the Kyaukphyu and Maday Island deep-sea port to Yunnan Province in China is estimated at US$ 3.5 billion.

In addition to the natural gas pipeline, an oil pipeline will be built to transport oil from Africa and the Middle East to China through the Kyaukphyu-Maday port passing along a route running through Minbu, Mandalay, Gokteik, Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Lashio, Kutkai, Muse and Kyuhkok. The oil will then be transported to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province.

Since March 2011, the Burmese Army has launched military offensives against ethnic armed groups in resource-rich areas in northern Kachin and Shan states. The conflicts have displaced an estimated 50,000 people, the Shwe Gas Movement’s statement said.

Foreign companies involved in the projects include the China National Petroleum Corporation, Daewoo International (South Korea), ONGC Videsh Company Limited (India), and Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL).

A report, “Sold Out”, released on September 6 by the Shwe Gas Movement, said that regarding construction of the deep seaport and oil storage facilities on Maday Island, the China National Petroleum Corporation has sub-contracted construction to a Burmese company, Hydro China, to supply material (sand, stones, etc.), and Asia World, which is building a reservoir system. Regarding an onshore gas terminal complex on Ramree Island, Daewoo International issued sub-contracts to Burmese companies including Myanmar Golden Crown.

Rakhine Nationalities and Development [RNDP] Party chairman Aung Mya Kyaw said, “This is connected to the interests of all citizens. We strongly object on the grounds that our people will not enjoy any benefits from the project.”

The report said that residents living around the projects in Arakan State have been used as forced labour by the Burmese army and police. In some cases, land has been confiscated by authorities that offered insufficient compensation, the report said.

Myanmar is Becoming Burma.

Myanmar is Becoming Burma

Monday, 10 October 2011 13:30 B.G. Verghese

(Commentary) – Myanmar seems to be returning to Burma. The good news has trickled in after talks between Aung San Suu Kyi and the new civilian president, Thein Sein, established a framework for national reconciliation and graduated democratic reform.

A political amnesty is on the anvil and moves are afoot to liberalise trade and investment regimes. The new government has invited Burmese refugees who fled the country after the military takeover to return and assist the process of national reconstruction.

Perhaps even more significantly, work on the US$ 3.6 billion, 6,000-megawatt Myitsone dam on the upper Irrawaddy River, under construction with Chinese assistance, has been suspended as being  “against the will of the (Kachin) people).” The decision was announced in parliament and suggests that the Burmese leadership is not going to kow-tow to its giant neighbour which has established a major presence in the country during the past 22 years of isolation and Western sanctions, which started after 2003. This does not bring Chinese collaboration to an end by any means as numerous other large hydroelectric, hydrocarbon, port and other infrastructure projects are moving forward.

It does, however, suggest that the new regime is mindful of ethnic minority and ecological sensitivities. After years of  cease-fires  based on a policy of live and let live, the regime sought to integrate ethnic nationality armies into the Myanmar armed forces on the eve of the last elections by declaring them national border guards under the command of the Tatmadaw. Most refused, and four insurgencies have resumed in consequence. Aung San Suu Kyi has appealed for restraint, a further cease-fire and peace talks, to which the regime has not been entirely unresponsive.

This too marks a potentially significant development as its resolution will determine whether Burma is to be a truly federal state, with ethnic nationalities enjoying considerable autonomy, or remain a largely centralised polity at war with itself. Suu Kyi’s father General Aung San, the Father of the Nation and first prime minister, had negotiated the Panglong agreement with the minorities in 1948. The one issue on which it broke was on the interpretation of whether the option to review federal ties after a decade implied a choice of independence or only a re-jigging of the federal arrangement. It was on the identical issue in regard to the 9-Point Hydari agreement that the Naga leader, Phizo, broke with the Indian State.

The Thein Sein government is seeking foreign investment and collaboration in every field. It is a country with enormous land and natural resources (minerals, bio-diversity, hydro power and hydrocarbons) but currently lacking in human capital - administrative, entrepreneurial, institutional, scientific expertise – after decades years of military rule. It is because of this that it has farmed out major development projects, including plantations, to China, its Asean neighbours, Japan, India and others. Only a small fraction of its 40,000-meawatt hydro potential has been harnessed though almost 14,000 megawatts worth of projects have been signed up (especially with China on the Irrawaddy). With little domestic demand as yet, most of this power will be exported to China, Thailand and the Asean grid, and to adjacent Nagaland if the 1,200-megawatt Tamanthi  project, part of the Chindwin cascade, comes to fruition with Indian assistance.   

India’s major project so far has been the Kalewa/Kalemayo-Tamu (Moreh) highway (along which projected Indo-Burma-Asean trade has been stymied for lack of trade facilitation measures on the Indian side). An even larger project under implementation is the multi-modal Southern Mizoram-Kaladan River-Sitwe Port corridor whicb will provide India’s Northeast an ocean outlet. The Kaladan Corridor may, alas, go the way of the Kalewa-Tamu Road unless concurrent  steps are taken here and now by both governments and all concerned actors – transporters, entrepreneurs, bankers, freight forwarders, hoteliers, and others – get their act together.

Around 1998, Burma had offered extensive wastelands to India to grow rice, pulses and palm oil on renewable 30-year leases. Thailand and Malaysia signed up. India was unresponsive. Whether such leases will again be on offer and will be acceptable to the ethnic minorities is uncertain. However, it is something that could be explored on the basis of cooperative partnerships with local ethnic groups, the Burma government and the Indian state or private entrepreneurs as a means of coupling ethic settlements in Burma with income and employment generation and the development of much-needed infrastructure.

Hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation, onshore and offshore, is another area that holds out considerable promise. 

Burma has had a long and close association with India and has applied for Saarc membership, which Delhi supports. The country is also a member of Asean of which it hopes to become rotational chair in 2014. It is in transition and holds a geo-strategic position of high importance as a bridge between Saarc, Asean and China.

Rather than be a passive spectator or late actor, India should move energetically to engage the new Thein Sein administration to assist and encourage its transition to full democracy, ethnic reconciliation and economic and social reconstruction at all levels, governmental and non-official.

Aung San Suu Kyi studied in Delhi and is greatly revered here and has high regard for this country. India’s relations with the military regime have also been maintained at an even keel and the military leadership too trusts India as a non-intrusive neighbour and long-term friend.

Why shouldn’t the government and credible civil society institutions invite delegations of Burmese parliamentarians, trade representatives, ethnic nationality groups and security analysts to visit India and talk to their counterparts and potential collaborators here? Scholarships and seats in training institutions should be readily on offer as this is perhaps Burma’s greatest need.  Charter flights should be organised both ways to promote tourism and understanding. And high level Indian political and trade and investment delegations should visit Burma as early as possible. 

The Indo-Afghan strategic partnership agreement signed last week on the occasion of President Karzai’s visit to Delhi need not be a model but could point a direction. Afghanistan is in flux. America’s AfPak policy has failed and it is now locked in a huge muddle and spat with a defiant but bewildered Pakistan that knows it needs to redefine itself. This again presents India with an opening and an opportunity to further its engagement with Islamabad as much as with Kabul and jointly with both. Pakistan’s concerns about winning strategic depth in Afghanistan against India are unreal in concept and substance. India is no threat to Pakistan which is its own worst enemy.

– BG Verghese has been with the Centre for Policy Research in India since 1986. He started his career in journalism with the Times of India and was later editor of the Hindustan Times (1969-75) and Indian Express (1982-86). For more information, see http://www.bgverghese.com/

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Managing Expectations.

Managing Expectations 

Written by Chuck Gallozzi    

Our Expectations Forecast Our Future 

What kind of day will you have today? How about this week? Will it be filled with excitement or tedium, problems or adventure, happiness or misery? I'm not a psychic, but I can predict your future by the answers you give to these questions. That's because we create what happens to us with our expectations. In other words, our expectations are self-fulfilling prophesies.

What exactly is an expectation? It is a type of belief. We have two types of beliefs, core and moment-to-moment. Our moment-to- moment, or daily, beliefs flow from our core beliefs. For example, Tom believes the world is a hostile place, no one can be trusted, and suffering is inevitable. In other words, Tom is a pessimist. His belief that the world is unfriendly is an example of a core (foundational) belief.

Today, Tom has a job interview. But because of his pessimism he doesn't think he will get the job. This is an example of his moment-to-moment belief, or what he believes will happen today. He EXPECTS to fail the interview. Most likely, he will because the interviewer will detect Tom's negativity and consider him to be a liability for the company. Even if Tom were to get the job, he will later live up to his expectation of failing because his suspicion of others will make it impossible for him to become a team player.

So, our expectations, or moment-to-moment beliefs, forecast our future. But isn't it possible that we can fail despite a positive attitude? Yes, of course, because there will always be things beyond our control. But such failures will occur in the short term only, for positive expectations always lead to success.

Let's look at an example. Mary is skillful, knowledgeable, and cheerful. She goes for a job interview and fails. How come? Well, we live in an imperfect world (not a hostile one, yet imperfect), and the job interviewer is prejudiced. The interviewer doesn't like Mary's gender, color, and religion, so Mary doesn't get the job. Mary may not experience immediate success, but she isn't alarmed by her temporary setback because of her core beliefs that she can do anything, that she deserves success, and that she has a valuable contribution to make. As a result, Mary remains unruffled and keeps going to interviews, which eventually leads to success.

Think of our expectations as a switch. Not an on-off switch, but a positive-negative switch. You see, the switch is always on, but it is set to either positive or negative expectations. When the switch is set to positive expectations, we experience, enthusiasm, excitement, passion, meaning, purpose, serenity, friendship, empowerment, confidence, happiness, and good health. Yet, when it is set to negative expectations, we experience fear, worry, anxiety, depression, unhappiness, failure, powerlessness, anger, resentment, loneliness, stress, and poor health.

Because we will always live up or down to our expectations, it is critical for our success and happiness that we keep the switch set to Positive. But you may have had to sail through stormy seas or been battered about by crushing circumstances and now find yourself with the switch stuck in the Negative position. If so, it is time to start cultivating positive expectations, and here are some steps you can take to do so.

1. Engage in positive talk. That is, say something positive to everyone you meet. There are three reasons to do so. First, it forces you to look for the good, and when you look for it, you will find it. And as you regularly find it, you will become positive. Second, EVERYTHING YOU SAY TO OTHERS, YOU'RE ALSO SAYING TO YOURSELF. So, whenever you speak to others, you are programming yourself to become more or less successful; therefore, watch what you say! Third, when you deal with everyone in a positive way, they will treat you likewise, and their behavior will then reinforce yours, making you even more positive.

2. Awaken to your true nature. Understand that you are a seed meant to grow and flourish. The same energy that radiates throughout the universe flows through your veins. You are meant to be magnificent. But it is not about you or your ego. Rather it is about YOUR NATURE. Your nature is to adorn life. You are here not merely to experience life, but to add to it.

Paradoxically, when you think about how great you wish to become, you create a block, preventing your greatness from appearing. Why is that? Because we only wish for what we think we do not have. So, if you want to be great, you are denying what you already have, and, therefore, cannot use it. It is only when you unclench your teeth, loosen your grip, let go of your desires and allow your nature to shine through that you will discover your powers.

It's okay to dream. In fact, I encourage you to do so. But once you create a dream, don't thwart it by trying too hard. Once you make a plan and take whatever steps you feel are proper, let go of the reins and allow life to take you there.

3. So far, I haven't completely revealed the Expectation Switch to you. I've only told you about two positions on the switch: POSITIVE and NEGATIVE. But there is a third position, the most powerful of all, and it goes beyond Positive Expectations. The third position is called Infinite Possibility. We can use this position only after awakening to our true nature, which is one of unlimited potential, creativity, and power.

If we act from our sense of self or ego, we will see ourselves as puny. No wonder we will be filled with self-doubt and incapable of greatness. But after awakening to our true nature and sensing our power, we will finally dare to dream. At this time we will become a visionary, one who goes beyond positive expectations to search out new possibilities. The Japanese poet Ryunosuke Satoro is speaking about the third position when he says "Let your dreams outgrow the shoes of your expectations."

Dottie Walters (1924~2007) asked, "Anyone can cut an apple open and count the number of seeds. But, who can look at a single seed and count the trees and apples?" The answer to Dottie's question is those who are working from the third position, the position of Infinite Possibility, can. They can see and count the number of trees and apples in each seed because they are visionaries; they can see beyond what is to what can be. Join them.

4. Feed yourself positive thoughts. If we eat a healthy diet we become healthy. Similarly, if we feed on positive thoughts, we grow positive. One powerful way to nurture yourself with positive thoughts is by watching inspirational videos. Since you are already sitting in front of a computer, why don't you try one now? Just click on the link below; pick a video, enjoy, grow positive, and discover what's possible.

5. Don't accept a life of mediocrity. Did you find Step 3 (Awaken to your true nature) difficult? Most people do. They find it hard to believe that we are so powerful. That's why Step 4 is so important. You can easily become immersed in a video that has a mesmerizing melody and moving message. As you watch one video after another, some will resonate with you, pulling at your heart strings and awaken you to your true nature. You will suddenly realize that the acts of greatness that others are performing show what you, too, can do, be, or have.

So, don't believe you were meant to lead a mediocre life. Paul's story will help explain what I mean. Paul, like many of us, found it difficult to awaken to his true nature. He was totally lacking in confidence, so he sought the help of a life coach. Shortly before meeting his coach, Paul bought a new car. Later in the same day he regretted his purchase and realized that he was talked into buying the car by an aggressive salesman. Even though the auto dealer gave a 60-day satisfaction guarantee, Paul was too timid to return the car and ask for his money back.

When his life coach heard about what happened, he explained to Paul that unless we are in control of our lives, we cannot consider ourselves to be successful. He then went on to ask Paul, "Who do you want to be in charge of YOUR happiness, that auto salesman or yourself?" He persuaded Paul to return the car and ask for his money back. He joined Paul to provide moral support, but didn't say a word. Before leaving for the auto dealer, however, the life coached explained to Paul that the car dealership was contractually legally bound to return his money if he asked for it. This buoyed Paul's confidence, so he asked for his money back.

When the aggressive salesman couldn't intimidate Paul into changing his mind, he excused himself and brought over the Sales Manager, who was equally unsuccessful. Finally, the Owner was called, but Paul stuck to his guns and refused to accept any offer other than the complete return of his money. The disgruntled Owner finally relented and agreed. They made Paul wait a week for his check, but he got what he wanted, thanks to the advice and encouragement of his life coach. After a couple of more sessions, Paul stopped seeing the coach.

A year later, they met by accident in the supermarket. After warmly greeting him, the coach said, "Well, Paul, after that episode at the car dealership you must be well in control of your life. I'm sure you don't let others take advantage of you any longer." Paul looked sheepish, and lowering his head said in a barely audible voice, "Well, I'm uncomfortable speaking up. It's not my nature to speak up. That wasn't really me at the car dealer. I'm not aggressive and I think it is important to be authentic. I don't want to pretend to be someone I am not."

The life coach shot back, "It was not you at the car dealer? Who was it that received his money back a week later? Wasn't that YOU? It is not your NATURE to allow others to take advantage of you, it is your WEAKNESS. And weaknesses can be overcome with practice. It is not your nature, but your fears that allow others to walk all over you, and you can learn how to be courageous. It is not your nature, but your lack of experience, and you can gain experience, as you did at the car dealer. Once you gain a successful experience, you have to keep repeating it until it becomes a new habit. You see, it is not your nature to be weak, but your nature to act out of habit. So, if your habit is working against you, change it. Once you develop the habit of standing up for yourself that will become your nature. And your new nature will then be aligned with your TRUE nature, which is one of unlimited potential and power."

6. If you always do your best, you'll always expect the best. It is only by raising our expectations and doing our best that we can tap into our true nature.

7. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, take baby steps. As each step brings you closer to your goal, enthusiasm, confidence, and high expectations develop. One success creates appreciation, many successes create positive expectations.

8. Expect the unexpected. Not only expect it, but welcome it because it is only by facing an unexpected turn of events that we can hone our skills and cultivate flexibility. In a rapidly evolving world, flexibility is a key to success.

9. Don't allow your present problems to get you frozen in time. Look forward to future solutions. Or, as Wayne Gretzky said, "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it is." Focus on where you're headed, not where you are.

10. Take advantage of the power of commitment. Don't merely think about your goals, commit to them! To tap into this power, reach down, deep within yourself, within your true nature.

MANAGING OUR EXPECTATIONS

1. Not everyone sets high standards for themselves, so don't lower your expectations to those of others. Also, you are not here to live up to the expectations of others. Neither are they here to live up to your expectations. Rather, we are all responsible for running our lives in the best way we can.

2. We should never lower our expectations, unless there is no other choice. When problems arise, such as a downturn in the economy, it is better to rely on flexibility than it is to rely on lower expectations. That is, when problems appear, rather than expecting less, expect to find solutions and alternative ways of reaching your goals. Because our expectations are almost always self-fulfilling prophecies, it is better to overreach than expect less. When in doubt, it is best to err on overreaching and correct later, if needed, than to set an overly modest goal.

3. Part of expecting the unexpected is expecting the worse. Not because you are pessimistic, but because you want to be prepared just in case things go awry.

4. Dare to dream big because we can't succeed beyond our wildest expectations unless we start with a wild expectation.

5. Be patient. Don't give up so quickly. As May Sarton (1912~1995) wrote, "What is destructive is impatience, haste, expecting too much too fast."

6. Expect to and be willing to work for your success.

7. Remain optimistic. Remember, an optimist expects his dreams to come true, but a pessimist expects his nightmares to come true.

George Bernard Shaw (1856~1950) told the following story, "A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, `The one I feed the most'"

Which dog do you feed the most, your negative or positive expectations? Where do you choose to set your Expectation Switch, to Positive, Negative, or Infinite Possibility?

For another article on expectations, see: http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/expectations.htm

For two books that will help you raise your expectations, see:

THE WINNER'S BIBLE: Rewire Your Brain for Permanent Change by Dr. Kerry Spackman, Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2009.

DO ONE THING DIFFERENT: Ten Simple Ways to Change Your Life by Bill O'Hanlon, Harper Paperbacks, 2000

I'll end by calling on three gentlemen to share their wisdom:

"If you expect nothing, you're apt to be surprised. You'll get it." (Malcolm S. Forbes, 1919~1990)

"There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow." (Orison Swett Marden, 1850~1924)

"You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win." (Zig Ziglar)

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Bhutan's Dragon King crowns his bride.

Bhutan's Dragon King crowns his bride

• Published: 13/10/2011 at 02:32 PM

Bhutan's 31-year-old king married a student 10 years his junior on Thursday in a colorful ceremony showcasing the rich Buddhist culture of one of the world's most remote and insular countries.

King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (L) and future queen Jetsun Pema stand together during their marriage ceremony in the main courtyard of the 17th-century fortified monastery or dzong in Punakha on October 13, 2011. Bhutan's 31-year-old king married a student 10 years his junior in an isolated valley high in the Himalayas.

Amid clouds of incense and chanting monks, the hugely popular King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck crowned his queen at the end of a series of rituals in the 17th-century fortified monastery chosen for the occasion.

After a brief purification ceremony to start, they walked hand-in-hand and smiling to the inner sanctum of the monastery where an hour of blessings, prostrations and prayers culminated in the queen taking the throne.

The "Dragon King", an Oxford graduate who came to power in 2008 at the start of democracy in Bhutan, married Jetsun Pema, the daughter of an airline pilot widely admired for her beauty and her impact on the love-struck monarch.

"She's very sweet and caring and she loves children," one of the king's cousins who studied with the queen, Yiwang Pindarica, told AFP after the marriage. "I'm sure she will help the king fulfill his duties."

Proceedings were beamed live across the country of 700,000 people and signaled the start of three days of joyful celebrations, with dancing, singing and drinking in towns and villages.

Bhutan banned foreign television until 1999 and is the only nation in the world whose government pursues "Gross National Happiness" for its people instead of economic growth.

"You can be sure that our happiness is increasing," joked Karma Tshiteem, the head of the Gross National Happiness Commission, which vets government policy.

After the ceremony, the new queen and her husband, the fifth in a line of hereditary rulers who have reigned for the last 100 years, was due to greet crowds of well-wishers at a public celebration.

"From the day the king announced his wedding we have been excited," lawmaker Jagar Dorji told AFP as he arrived at the monastery, set at the confluence of two rivers and surrounded by mist-shrouded hills.

"This marriage assures the continuity of the royal family."

Pema, who often looked nervous as the heavily symbolic ceremony unfolded, wore an elaborately weaved outfit of gold, red and black.

She smiled anxiously as she received the crown. Her husband struggled to secure the embroidered headpiece which slipped off her hair several times before finally staying put.

Later the couple posed for photos, holding hands in front of the assembled media.

Security was tight around the monastery, with phone networks jammed and police enforcing strict controls on vehicles in a wide area.

On Monday, two small bombs went off in a town on the border with India injuring four people, in attacks claimed by an insurgent group based in Nepal fighting for the rights of ethnic Nepalese in Bhutan.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (left) and future queen Jetsun Pema (Photo BHUTAN'S ROYAL OFFICE FOR MEDIA)

The king, who is known to invite his subjects round for tea, had requested a simple and traditional ceremony. No foreign VIPs or fellow royals were among the assembled dignitaries and friends of the couple.

The Bhutanese royal family are credited with bringing stability to the formerly war-wracked nation and ensuring its independence despite giant neighbors India and China to the north and south.

Bhutan, which has never been colonized, remained in self-imposed isolation for centuries and is still wary of outside influence and the impact of globalization.

The country had no roads or currency until the 1960s and continues to resist mass tourism to this day. Foreign tourists are encouraged to travel in groups with official guides and pay fees of up to $200 a day.

The announcement of the nuptials in May broke the hearts of the monarch's many admirers. The "prince charming of the Himalayas" was once mobbed on a trip to Thailand by weeping teenagers.

The Elvis fan, who wears his jet-black hair gelled back, is not expected to marry again in a break from previous tradition.

Polygamy is legal in Bhutan and the king's father has four wives, all sisters. Monogamy is increasingly the norm as Bhutan modernizes.

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