Showing 1 - 10 of 729
Lop Buri before the monkeying around
Roger Crutchley, Published on 02/06/2024
» One of the first towns I visited in Thailand in the early 1970s was Lop Buri, about 150 km north of Bangkok. Its main appeal was its convenient three-hour train journey from Hua Lamphong. It offered a chance to escape Bangkok for a couple of days and experience a taste of life in a small town.
Govt must do more for heritage
Editorial, Published on 02/06/2024
» The Fine Arts department's decision to register an old wooden house -- a Kudeejeen community landmark -- in Thon Buri district as a historical site is welcome news for many. But this is just the beginning, and like other heritage sites, conservation is still a long way away.
Telling fortunes 'a nice little earner'
Roger Crutchley, Published on 26/05/2024
» A recent Thai news story concerned a man nabbed in an online fortune-telling scam. He would inform customers suffering from misfortune that their situation would dramatically improve if for a small fee he made a few prayers on his "direct line" to the deities in heaven.
Sam Yan shows need to save history
Oped, Published on 23/05/2024
» What distinguishes Thailand from many other countries is our rich diversity in culture and history. Yet slowly but surely, the distinctive heritage of our local communities is disappearing. Often property developers destroy historic buildings in pursuit of profit. But why do their rights always seem to come first? Why do we have to beg to protect our cultural assets?
No longer feeling under the weather
Roger Crutchley, Published on 12/05/2024
» Being woken up by a thunderstorm in Bangkok on Tuesday morning was a most welcome experience. I had been visibly wilting in the heat for a couple of months, but finally dear old Jupiter Pluvius came to the rescue in splendid style. Just the sound of raindrops falling on the leaves felt comforting and the thirsty birds chirped in with a chorus of thanks.
The winner-take-all economy is ruining art, too
News, Published on 06/05/2024
» I was on the whole disappointed by this year's Whitney Biennial -- it was hard for me to tell if one video installation was art or an HR training video -- but as an economist, I have to admit the exhibition was successful in at least one respect: It did what art is supposed to do, which is to hold up a mirror to our society and economy. And this year's biennial shows how America's elite institutions are stifling innovation and creativity.
Understanding 'Animal Farm' in Zimbabwe
Oped, Published on 27/04/2024
» I began to notice Animal Farm references start to proliferate in Zimbabwe in 2008.
The trials and tribulations of Melania Trump
News, Maureen Dowd, Published on 23/04/2024
» Outside my office, there is a picture of the Slovenian Sphinx visiting the Egyptian Sphinx, taken during a 2018 photo shoot in Giza nine months after Melania Trump was blindsided by the steamy news about her husband and Stormy Daniels.
Defusing heritage rows
Oped, Editorial, Published on 18/04/2024
» As the Songkran water-splashing festival draws to a close in Thailand and Cambodia, the war of words among netizens -- sparked by a Thai influencer who made sarcastic comments about the Khmer New Year -- drags on.
Business lessons to be had from the fall of Icarus
Oped, Published on 02/04/2024
» Balancing corporate social responsibility (CSR), which implies a long-term vision of how businesses can contribute to the broader social good, with a company's daily operations is a formidable task.