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Kids' Corner
Marvin has been on holidays this week and
he has had a very nice time staying at home. He got a little bit bored the
other day and he said that he had nothing to do. I told him that he could
write a letter to his Grandma and Grandpa in Australia because they would
really like that. He wrote a very nice letter and then he wrote some more
letters to other friends in England. He drew some lovely pictures to go with
them too. Do you like to write letters? Maybe you could write one to Marvin
and he could write back to you. You can send some pictures that you have
drawn, too, because Marvin likes to collect drawings. You can send your
letters to:
Marg and Marvin
Chiangmai Mail : 156-158 Im-boon Housing Estate, Muangsamut Road, T.
Changmoi, A. Muang,
Chiang Mai 50300, Email: kids@chiangmai-mail.com, Fax: 053 234 145
 JOKES
1) Why can you never be lonely at the beach?
2) How do you put a baby astronaut to sleep?
3) What do you get if you cross an axe with a stick?
4) What kind of phone makes music?
ANSWERS
1) Because the sea waves at you
2) In a rocket
3) A chopstick
4) A saxophone
Think of a number
Think of a number, from 1 to 9.
Multiply the result by 5.
Add 3.
Double the result.
And you have a 2-figure number ending in a 6. Strike that off.
And you have the number you first thought of!
Girl: I’ve thought of 3.
I multiply it by 5: that makes 15.
I add 3: that makes 18.
I double that: 36
Knock off the 6. Yes!
I’ve got the number I first thought of, 3.
Try it on your friends.
It always works.
Bye from Marg and Marvin
Maths boffin from Chiang Mai representing Thailand in Greece
Hopes for gold medal in 45th International Mathematics Olympiad
Autsadaporn
Kamthai
A former student from Montfort College has been chosen to
represent Thailand in the 45th International Mathematics Olympiad in Greece.
The Olympiad is taking place in Athens, from July 6-18.
Sarun Arhuya, 17, completed his senior high school at the
college in Chiang Mai and is now a first year student at the Faculty of
Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok.
Sarun is brilliant in mathematics. In 2000 he won a gold medal at the
Mathematics Development Project 2000 and a silver medal at the Thailand
Mathematics Olympiad. He also represented Thailand at the 44th Olympiad in
Tokyo, last year. He was the only regional student chosen and walked away
with a certificate. Sarun was also prominent at school with his outstanding
maths skills. He acquired a certificate from Montfort College in 1995. This
certificate is given to only one outstanding student each year.
Sarun
Arhuya (center) with his friends at Chiang Mai International Airport before
leaving for Greece.
The first dogs
Nienke Parma
Although the domestication of wolves had already started
far before the first permanent human settlements the dog breeds were, in the
beginning, more a result of natural selection than intentional breeding.
The weaker, smaller, more docile and sociable individuals
were favored and maybe even fed, while the aggressive ones were chased away
or killed and eaten. The shyer ones would avoid human company.
 This
breeding of Afghans is from our times. Beautiful in black is Lady Jasmin and
the white counterpart is called Ten Baht
Only from the moment more permanent human habitation
developed, around 12,000 years ago, more noticeable differences in
appearance, temperament and character started to show. The change in
lifestyle from a nomadic existence of hunter-gatherers to a permanent way of
life had a significant influence on this.
As ecological zones developed around the settlements,
people started recognizing the benefits of certain wolf traits more and
more. With the living quarters in the middle and a heavily exploited zone
around this, where food was cultivated and livestock was held, the wolf’s
natural behavior to warn other pack members for potential danger was a great
benefit and, thus, those individuals with very good hearing and smell and
quick in sounding alarm were favored above the silent ones with lesser
developed senses.
Due to an increased livestock management individuals with
a greater tendency to herd and defend the flocks from predators, were
favored. And with the development of the hunting methods the wolf’s
natural ability to track and retrieve became extremely important, resulting
in that those with well developed sight and scent senses were selected as
hunting companions. Now, the silent behavior became a benefit as were the
natural ‘wild’ characteristics, such as a strong powerful but also agile
body structure.
However, for being able to distinguish these selected
wolves more easily from other animals, individuals with lopped ears, a
different tail carriage or outstanding color, such as white, spotted, red or
pitch black were preferred above the ones with the natural characteristics.
With this favoring of certain traits in the wolf, breed groups started to
develop such as the guarding and defense, herding and hunting group.
Further, the wolves started to show increasingly the typical dog appearances
as we know them in the present days.
But despite of this kind of selection, even then it was
still unlikely that breeding went according a breeding plan as we know it
nowadays; consciously with the intention to favor certain traits above
others. The breeds as we know them now, started to occur only a few hundred
years ago.
For more information on dog issues, boarding or training please contact
LuckyDogs: 09 99 78 146 or c_dproject@yahoo.com
Library for children in need
FERC Gala night funds spent on a beautiful library at Hoy Singh
Annelie
Hendriks
The 6th fund raising Gala of The Foundation for the
Education of Rural Children (FERC), which took place at Le Grand Lanna
February 28 this year, raised 350,000 baht. The money was intended for the
construction of a library/study centre to serve seven schools in the
outskirts of Mae Sariang district.
 They
will understand the significance of the library as soon as they develop
‘fun in reading’ and become curious of the world ‘outside their
world’.
This has happened, as during the last three months, FERC
together with the volunteers of Mae Sariang (teachers, children, parents,
students of technical colleges) have built a beautiful library on the
premises of Hoy Singh School.
 Simple
but practical bookshelves
Hoi Singh School is located in the outskirts of the Mae
Sariang valley. It is a middle school for poor children in that region.
Following Prime Minister Thaksin’s order to extend the compulsory school
age from 12 to 16 years old, many hill tribe children will attend these
middle schools too. Six other schools are also situated in this part of Mae
Sariang.
 The
opening ceremony day
The library/study center will serve all of them as well
as the villagers. The opening hours are extended till long after school
time. The main purpose of this library is to assist the students of the
schools who don’t have their own books to do their homework, to assist the
children in their preparation for entrance examinations at vocational
schools or high schools and assist adults to extend their basic knowledge.
The
opening day of the FERC and Rotary sponsored library at Huay Sing School.
The construction of the library/study center, including
toilets, has cost 350,000 baht. The Rotary Fayetteville from Arkansas in the
US donated 100,000 baht for the furniture (cupboards, tables and benches) as
well as 50,000 baht for the books. Needless to say, even more books are
needed. The Department of Education of Mae Sariang donated a computer and
some skilled labor during the construction process. Local companies helped
with the transportation of the materials to the school. Much of the actual
construction was done by volunteers.
The opening ceremony took place on June 3. A very well
prepared video/slideshow was shown, giving an overview of the history of the
school and the construction of the library. Representatives of the
Department of Education of Mae Sariang, of the schools involved, of FERC and
the Rotary Clubs Chiang Mai West and Chiangmai Chang Puak were present.
Children performed, food was served and presents and certificates were
presented.
It was good to see that the donations raised at the Gala diner were so
well spent. It inspires FERC to organize the 7th Gala next year.
A very special Chiang Mai young musician
Cory
Croymans
Chiang Mai born Dr. Chaipruck Mekara gave a wonderful
clarinet recital at Payap University’s Multimedia Hall. His is a rare
talent.
After graduating as a Bachelor of Arts with major in
Music from Payap University Chaipruck went to study in the United States
where he got his Masters of Music degree at Roosevelt University in Chicago
and his Doctoral degree DMA in Composition from Northwestern University.
This was quite a financial strain on him and his family even though Payap
University did support the hefty tuition fees.
 Chiang
Mai born Dr. Chaipruck Mekara gave a wonderful clarinet recital at Payap
University’s Multimedia Hall.
Like many Asian composers who go abroad to continue their
education, Chaipruck soon realized the value of his native culture. His own
music attempts to combine the aesthetic philosophy of the East with the
compositional techniques of the West is clearly audible in his
“Melancholy” composition (called Wungweyng in Thai) which he composed in
1995 when trying to adapt to his new home in Chicago.
Chaipruck presently teaches music at Chiangmai’s Payap
University. I truly hope that the Music Department will know how to cherish
this young man who went through such difficult times while dedicating his
life to music.
His next performance will be on Friday, July 23, at the
George Gershwin “I Got Rhythm” musical which will take place at Payap
University Multi-Media room (Maeo Kao campus).
Chaipruck has two main projects in mind: the first one is
to teach Thai music students how to work with computers even though Payap
University’s Music department is rather poorly equipped. “In this
project, we would like to have students try out and learn how to use the
computer. Once they know how wonderful this working tool can be, I am pretty
sure that they will fall in love and even surely want to buy one for their
own use, just like I did.”
However, if Payap wants to open many new classes - like
film music, electronic music, composition and computer composition, they
will require much sophisticated software.
Chaipruck’s second main project is to actively contribute in the
setting up of the Lanna Symphony Orchestra which will have its first charity
performance in September this year, bringing together over 80 musicians from
18 different schools throughout the North of Thailand. They played their
first performance recently at Payap University’s 30 year celebration
activities and were welcomed enthusiastically by many music lovers.
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