Showing 81 - 90 of 209
'Built to burn'
News, Postbag, Published on 18/04/2019
» Re: "#Pray for Notre Dame", (BP, April 16). I join the rest of the world in weeping for the disastrous Notre Dame fire -- but The New York Times reported that Vincent Dunn, a fire consultant and former New York City fire chief, said "These cathedrals and houses of worship are built to burn. If they weren't houses of worship, they'd be condemned."
Thailand must take action for cleaner air in Asean
News, Published on 05/04/2019
» When complaints are made about the haze crisis and air pollution in Southeast Asia, most usually think about fires in Indonesia's provinces, which have been a recurrent problem for over two decades. However, the situation this year has been different as Thailand has been at the centre of concerns.
Khon Kaen leads way in haze battle
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 18/02/2019
» As provinces battle with hazardous haze, Khon Kaen shows it knows how to tackle the problem at its root. If successful, the northeastern province can be a role model when it comes to solving PM2.5 -- particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less.
The Thai Blob is spreading its wings
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 27/01/2019
» Many readers will be familiar with the long-running Adventures of the Blob on certain Thai TV channels in the war against cigarettes. When movies are shown, the blob races around the screen in pursuit of rogue cigarettes and attempts to blob them out to protect defenceless viewers. Unsurprisingly, the ridiculous blob only succeeds in irritating the TV audience. The absurdity of it all was highlighted recently during a gangster movie in which nearly everyone in the room was smoking. This prompted a squadron of blobs to go whizzing across the screen, fighting a losing battle and reducing a supposedly serious scene into a foggy farce.
'Yellow vests' just want their aspirations respected
News, Published on 06/12/2018
» Just over 50 years ago, Jacques Tati's Playtime opened in French movie theatres. In the comedy, Tati once again features his iconic character, Monsieur Hulot, the confused but courtly Parisian who confronts the challenges of a rapidly modernising France. This time, Mr Hulot tries to navigate the shining and sleek newly developed periphery of Paris, suddenly bristling with buildings and streets that are indistinguishable from one another. The camera captures the hopelessness of Mr Hulot's quest when it focuses on a rond-point, or traffic circle, around which slow-moving cars and buses, like brightly coloured horses on a merry-go-round, circle endlessly.
Failed alert for tsunami
News, Editorial, Published on 10/10/2018
» The earthquake and tsunami that devastated the capital and surrounding villages of Central Sulawesi should have served as a warning to the region and, indeed, much of the world. It is unfortunate that the reaction to the tragedy has been largely just a shrug. Indonesian and foreign experts have proved that a faulty warning system and unprepared citizens caused many, probably a large majority of the estimated 5,000 deaths. None of it had a noticeable effect in Thailand -- and it should have.
What next after the passing of iconic Ko-ee?
News, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 08/10/2018
» At 107, ethnic Karen elder Ko-ee Mimee had only one wish -- to return to his ancestral land deep in the Kaeng Krachan jungle and die there. On Friday, the icon of indigenous forest dwellers' struggles against state violence and injustice passed, his last wish unfulfilled and the future of his people hanging in the balance.
Bodyguards keep in step in Singapore
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 17/06/2018
» Unless you have been in hibernation, it was impossible not to avoid some exposure to the Big Event in Singapore last week. There has been enough analysis to fill the Grand Canyon, so we'll skip that stuff. Suffice to say it was certainly historic and quite gripping in a theatrical sort of way.
Emergency? Just dial 'M' for mayhem
Oped, Atiya Achakulwisut, Published on 08/05/2018
» Do you know what emergency number to call in case of fire? It's 199. By the way, that number is good if you have unwelcome animals intruding into your house too.