Showing 11 - 20 of 86
The worldwide population boon
Oped, Published on 31/03/2023
» An easy way to start a long, heated debate is to mention global population. Thomas Malthus famously ignited furious arguments in the 19th century when he warned that, absent fertility-control policies, exponential population growth would outpace improvements in agriculture and cause recurrent bouts of famine and pestilence. Industrialisation would postpone the crisis, but not forever.
The molecular line between life and death
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 01/03/2023
» 'We are but one very small company [among] many hundreds of companies using AI software for drug discovery and de novo design. How many of them have ... the know-how to find the pockets of chemical space that can be filled with molecules predicted to be orders of magnitude more toxic than VX?" This is a warning that requires a little explanation.
'Invisible' brides boost economy
Oped, Published on 08/12/2022
» Mail-order brides are those who register themselves in catalogues to be chosen by men for marriage. Since the mail-order bride industry forms an essential part of the informal economy in several underdeveloped and developing Asian economies, data misses the economic participation of Asian mail-order brides, making them "invisible" recruits in the process.
Is there upside to political polarisation?
Oped, Published on 15/07/2022
» While there are no ironclad laws of politics, two tendencies in the United States -- midterm swings against the incumbent party (the "midterm blues") and the negative electoral effects of inflation and unemployment ("political business cycles") -- come pretty close. US President Joe Biden (whose approval rating has sunk for the past year) and the Democrats should not be surprised if they suffer a massive rout in the 2022 midterm elections.
Have we hit the limits to growth?
News, Published on 23/05/2022
» Fifty years ago this spring, one of the most influential books of the twentieth century was published. Written for the Club of Rome by Donella Meadows and colleagues at MIT, The Limits to Growth used new computer models to forecast an uncontrollable collapse in the global population and economy if prevailing patterns of environmental resource use and pollution continued. Exponential economic growth could not go on forever; at some point in the next 100 years, it would inevitably run up against Earth's finite environmental limits.
In defence of the Yank chimney-sweep
Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 20/03/2022
» A Londoner who lives in Bangkok has made a spirited defence of Dick Van Dyke's much-maligned cockney accent as a chimney-sweep in Mary Poppins, which was mentioned in last week's column.
Will the planet be less crowded?
News, Published on 21/07/2020
» If you wanted evidence that reasonably competent government -- not great, just not awful -- produces good results in the end, here it is.
Core lesson we teach kids? Hypocrisy
News, Published on 18/12/2019
» As the year comes to an end, many of us are looking forward to a bonus, holidays and new resolutions. Looking ahead, two Saturdays after 2020 arrives, we will have yet another celebration -- wan dek or National Children's Day (NCD). Adults take pride in making this day memorable for children. Traditional activities and perks for kids include an opportunity to sit in the prime minister's chair at Government House (which I did years ago), breathtaking airshows by the Royal Thai Air Force, free gifts and privileged entry to zoos and museums. What a day to be a kid!
All being well
Life, Kanokporn Chanasongkram, Published on 09/12/2019
» Out of 89 nations, Thailand came in sixth on CEOWORLD's list of the world's best healthcare systems, announced just in August of this year.
Asean nears its Thucydides trap turning point
News, Published on 14/10/2019
» In the whirlwind of the 554 officially listed events which marked the start of the UN General Assembly debates in New York two weeks ago, the concern raised by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres -- that the world is moving towards a Great Fracture -- was understandably lost in the cacophony.