Fire? Never mind
Re: "PM searching for haze solution", (BP, Jan 16).
While I strongly support the efforts to reduce pollution from diesel trucks and pickups, has anyone noticed the burning on Bangkok's perimeter?
On Monday, while returning to Bangkok on the eastern ring road, there were two very large grass fires with a large volume of heavy white and yellow smoke in Lam Luk Ka area.
This is northeast of the city, and with a northeasterly breeze, the smoke was heading directly to the city. The fires were unattended and apparently not a problem!
This is another case of officials running around looking like they are doing something, when in fact, never mind!
Tony Cittadini
Biodiesel won't fix it
Changing the engine oil for diesel engines will have little or no effect in reducing black smoke coming out the tail pipe of buses or trucks. The black smoke typically comes due to the following reasons:
1) Low-grade diesel fuel. Low-grade fuel does not burn properly and completely during the combustion process.
2) Faulty fuel injectors. Faulty injectors can inject too much fuel and this amount of fuel cannot be fully burnt during the combustion process.
3) Bad injector timing. If the injector timing is either too early or late the fuel will not burn completely during the combustion process.
4) Low engine compression. Low compression will not allow the fuel to burn completely during the combustion process.
If the engine oil was the problem the smoke coming out the tail pipe would be blue or white.
Black smoke coming out of the tail pipes of diesel powered buses and trucks is a clear indication that the fuel is not being burnt properly and completely during the combustion cycle of these diesel engines.
Just changing to B20 biodiesel without addressing and fixing the main causes will do little, if anything, to fix the black smoke problems.
Rob Smith
Tutoring dilemma
Re: "When tutoring overtakes teaching", (Opinion, Jan 17).
The article is very telling. Although completely agreeing with the author that "increasing access to tutoring only works in the short run", I'm convinced that responsible and dedicated tutoring can potentially yield lasting benefits.
The mushrooming of tutoring schools indicates, among other things, that regular classroom teaching does not work because of various reasons, chief among them being the teacher's ill-equipped knowledge of the subject matter.
Besides, at a typical tutoring school, students do not necessarily know one another, which helps prevent them from chitchatting during lectures, whereas in a regular classroom, students are friends.
And friends enjoy talking to each other even during the lecture.
The astronomical expenses incurred at tutoring schools may exacerbate the inequality in access to quality education. But then solely relying on regular classes does a disservice to many students.
Therefore, the government must see to it that educational quality of most public schools should be made on par with that of private schools.
This is a dilemma. Tutoring schools in themselves are not harmful. Tutoring won't overtake teaching until the educational quality is improved.
A Teacher
Chamberlain resigned
Theresa May achieved a slender majority in her vote of confidence. Perhaps she should be reminded that in 1940 Neville Chamberlain had a majority of over 120 in his vote of confidence, but felt he had to resign the next day to make way for Winston Churchill.
Keith Castell
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