17 bombs have been recovered in the Songhkla province of Thailand this week, all prior to detonation. Tips have allowed police forces to stop these threats without injury, though the evidence of danger is ever present.

Across Asia there has been a call for democracy in Burma, with the Burmese junta continuing to detain those involved in pro-democratic peace demonstrations in the past weeks.

Flooding in Thailand took the life of a nine year old boy yesterday, as he was swept away near his home. Provinces across the country have been victim to such flooding this year, and the rains continue.

Asian power companies have undertaken a plan investing over 100 million baht into a Phuket power plant that will run entirely off of sewage. This is yet another step towards an eco-friendly Asia.

Bangkok and its suburbs amass an estimated population of over 10 million people. The city proper is primarily a buisiness district. We can compare it to modern american cities with the center or hub being the financial area, and its surrounding suburbs being predominantly housing areas. There are a few exceptions to this design. Downtown housing is limited primarily to apartment buildings, with some quarters near the palace and other government buildings especially for the workers and/or politicians/royalty employed therein. The center of the city is comprised of numerous commercial markets as well as tourist malls, sometimes in excess of 8 above ground floors. In addition to commercial centers, universities and service related industries (primarily food, entertainment, and night life) exist at the hub. The suburbs are dominated by factories and the production of goods, with less emphasis on the obvious creation and hoarding of capital. In other words, the center (if one truly exists) is where you can find enormous skyscrapers, modern architecture, advanced transportation, and the basis of the urban tourism industry. Outside the city limits there is what seems to be endless urban sprawl, with the majority of buildings less than 5 stories. Here, bars and textile based shopping centers have been replaced by food markets (nearly all outdoor), factories, construction companies, etc. In both the metropolitan and outlying areas there is constant construction. A glance across the skyline from any elevated position will give a view of numerous cranes and frames of buildings high above the city canopy. Bridges and highways are constantly in construction to compensate for the increasing excess of traffic. Downtown, there are subways and skytrains to handle the urban traffic, while the ever-growing suburbs are limited to automotive traffic alone. From my perspective, there is no real break between Bangkok and its surrounding suburban cities, only a sea of humans and concrete.