Showing 31 - 40 of 42
Gorilla in the urban mist
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 01/10/2014
» Bua Noi placidly chews fruits and sucks milk from a UHT carton given to her by a zookeeper. The 28-year-old ape — the only gorilla in Thailand — shoots a glance at visitors and bares her teeth, stands up as a way of greeting and pounds her chest. Her eyes are strikingly similar to a human's, yet they are still difficult to decipher. Does the gesture show her happiness or it is simply an act of repeated showmanship, one which she has been trained to display for over two decades? Does the primate ever dream of Africa, the original habitat of her species?
Plan Bee
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 07/05/2014
» ‘You need to do it smoothly but you need to do it quickly,” Donrohmanh Noomoui, aka Bang Roh, says through the mosquito-net veil that covers his entire head. In his right hand is a knife, and in the left a sticky honeycomb buzzing with live bees. His audience, who appear as nervous and jittery as the bees themselves, are villagers of Ban Koh Kram in Krabi province’s Muang district and are in training to become expert beekeepers. Keepers of the Asiatic honeybee (Apis cerana) to be precise.
Shopping au naturale
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 29/01/2014
» When Tesco Lotus prepared to launch its first two "no plastic bag" stores in Koh Samui and Phuket last December, store clerks were instructed to exercise utmost patience and prepare to take earfuls of complaints.
Tales from the kingdom
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 27/01/2014
» Using one's national language sometimes has a downside. Among the obvious disadvantages are communication barriers and the low exposure of local literature on the international scene.
Top environmental news of 2013
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 08/01/2014
» The Pollution Control Department (PCD) last week released a list of the top 10 environmental new stories of 2013. The list was created from a poll of environmental news reporters. Here's a recap.
Clearing the way
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 16/10/2013
» Forest areas in Thailand have been shrinking at an alarming rate. Between 1973 and 2009, 30.9 million rai of land was cleared of trees, according to a study by Khwanchai Duangsathaporn, assistant professor at the Department of Forest Management, Faculty of Forestry at Kasetsart University.
Paradise lost
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 19/08/2013
» The words "national park" should convey the spirit of conservation and a well-protected space of natural beauty. But in Thailand, sometimes the parks are beset by scandals and controversy that also imply problems: law violation, land disputes, poaching, encroachment and environmental abuses.
Keep calm and help yourself
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 06/05/2013
» Shhhh! Ideally, reading Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking requires a subdued atmosphere, for despite the tongue-in-cheek title the book turns out to be a serious read, a cocktail of self-help, cultural study and business analysis for human resource management.
Thai publishers set their sights on Asia
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 08/04/2013
» Contrary to what many believe, Thai publishers who produce mainly content of local interest are finding it easier to expand their reach to nearby countries, especially to large emerging markets in East Asia such as mainland China, Taiwan and Asean member states like Malaysia and Indonesia. This point was made recently by Chonrungsee Chalermchaikit, vice-president of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (Pubat).
Frankly,my dear, I do give a dam
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 20/04/2012
» I wish I never had to write another whining piece about dam construction. It was just a few months ago that I profusely lamented about the loss of lush teak forests _ and ecological balance _ in Phrae province if the government goes ahead with the controversial Kang Sua Ten Dam, by citing flood prevention as cause. After last year's massive flood, debate about article 112, dubious purchasing of tablets, constant meddling from finance minister Kittiratt Na Ranong and the recent threat or pledge _ you decide _ by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra that he will return home, we do not need another headache.