Showing 1 - 10 of 80
Conscription panic isn't the debate Europe needs
News, Published on 06/04/2024
» 'The French are all soldiers and must defend their homeland." So decreed the 18th-century law that made military service mandatory in France, until the end of the Cold War banished it to the history books and replaced it with a kind of glorified recruitment day -- which I dutifully attended as a teenager and promptly forgot about. Nobody under the age of 45 in France has forcibly worn army fatigues or picked up a weapon, including Emmanuel Macron.
Leaping lizards on a Sunday afternoon
Roger Crutchley, Published on 10/03/2024
» Last Sunday I was sitting on the garden porch of my Bangkok abode grappling with the crossword and watching the birds hopping around the garden. My wife, who was away in Chaiyaphum, had just called and I had reassured her that everything was fine and very tranquil... a perfect Sunday afternoon.
There ain't no mountain high enough
Roger Crutchley, Published on 28/01/2024
» In the final weeks of 2023 the old chestnut of introducing a cable car system on Phu Kradeung (Bell Mountain) national park resurfaced. It came as no surprise when a Bangkok Post headline concluded on the very last day of the year that the project "faces uncertainty".
Parnpree to diplomats: 'Don't give up'
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 28/11/2023
» 'Do not take no for an answer" could be the new hashtag for all Thai diplomats from now on. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahidha-Nukara instructed his lieutenants not to give up or allow themselves to be turned down too easily when they are pursuing a "proactive economic policy".
A guide to AI safety debate after Altman's ouster
News, Tyler Cowen, Published on 21/11/2023
» When it comes to artificial intelligence, one of the most commonly debated issues in the technology community is safety -- so much so that it has helped lead to the ouster of OpenAI's co-founder Sam Altman, according to Bloomberg News.
Will Xi Jinping be in charge of China forever?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 14/10/2022
» In the Chinese Communist Party's 20th National Congress, which begins in Beijing on Sunday, President Xi Jinping is expected to be confirmed as president-for-life. If that actually happens, China's ascent to genuine superpower status will be at least delayed. At worst (from the Chinese perspective), it may not happen at all.
Bangkok still tangled up in 'sky spaghetti'
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/08/2022
» Earlier this week I was sitting in the customary traffic jam on Sukhumvit near Phra Khanong Bridge and found myself gazing at the tangled mess of overhead cables which have decorated Bangkok's streets for so long. It was not a pretty sight, especially dangling in front of ageing shophouses and filthy iron grilles that are not exactly a vision of splendour themselves.
An unforgettable taste of romance
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 13/02/2022
» In Thailand the silly season is never far away and things usually get even more daft around Valentine's Day, which happens to be tomorrow. However, the festival has taken bit of a hit in recent years courtesy of Covid. With kissing, canoodling, caressing, cuddling, snogging and hugging generally frowned upon by authorities the occasion has inevitably lost a lot of its romance.
Lost in Translation
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 25/06/2021
» At the risk of sounding nostalgic, I enjoy Googling things from decades gone by (exhibit A: Thai vintage ads in my past editor's notes). The Thai language version of famous Hollywood movie posters is another blast from the past I think is highly underrated, especially if you're a language nerd/film buff. Back then movie posters had to be recreated by Thai artists, who hand-painted them, along with creative copywriters, who came up with catchy titles and taglines in Thai.
The unbearable bleakness of government TV news
Oped, Philip J Cunningham, Published on 17/10/2020
» The outpouring of popular dissent on Wednesday proved to be a flash in the pan; by dawn the next morning, the sit-in at Government House had been disbanded, rank and file protesters were sent packing and the protest leaders were put under arrest.