Showing 1 - 10 of 20
When Labubu dolls transform into a protest symbol
Oped, Jackie Mansky, Published on 17/09/2025
» I was surprised to see Labubus, the mega-popular toy monsters with Puck-like grins, staring at me in the crowd at anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles in June.
Trump's tariffs are not simply about dolls
Oped, Nancy Qian, Published on 20/05/2025
» In a famous scene from the hit American television series Succession, the savvy patriarch of a family-owned media empire is infuriated to learn that none of his children knows the price of a gallon of milk. He understands that such a disconnect between decision-makers and ordinary people is a recipe for failed leadership. Now, the same tension is playing out not on our screens, but in the White House.
How nations can counter Trump's trade trickery
Oped, Koichi Hamada, Published on 10/05/2025
» Much has been written about US President Donald Trump's disastrous "reciprocal" tariffs, which, despite having remained in effect for less than 24 hours, roiled the stock market, drove up Treasury yields, and caused the dollar to depreciate. In fact, the tariffs that have so badly undermined markets' faith in the US were never reciprocal at all: they were entirely unilateral actions betraying a fundamental misunderstanding of economics.
We can always live in a dollhouse
Roger Crutchley, Published on 07/07/2024
» Thai tourism authorities are always quick to make the most of any new fad, which might explain the appearance of a life-sized Labubu doll on the front page of the Bangkok Post this week. Apparently, the mascot is part of a promotion to attract Chinese tourists. I confess to not knowing anything about the Labubu craze although the Post's doll correspondent informs me the designer doll is a "kind-hearted monster with pointed ears and serrated teeth". Hmmm.
How two little piggies saved their bacon
Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/11/2023
» Following last week's gripping yarn concerning the rescue of Fiona, the loneliest sheep in the world, it seems only fair to report on another tale featuring animals in distress. My thanks to reader Paul Drew for alerting me to the saga of two pigs, Butch and Sundance, who became known in England as the Tamworth Two, belonging to the breed of that name.
What our faith says about us
Patcharawalai Sanyanusin, Published on 28/08/2023
» Everyone has the right to worship anything they believe sacred, and what they put their faith in says something about their nature as well.
Theatre of the absurd
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 28/11/2022
» Last week, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and Tourism Authority Thailand announced that 8,745 people from Surin province succeeded in setting a new record of "the highest number of people folding fabric animals simultaneously" in the Guinness World Record. This event was part of the Elephant Festival, an annual event in Surin. Organised by the Surin provincial administration and TAT, the event of folding fabric into elephant dolls aimed to boost tourism since numbers had dropped due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Organisers also hoped the event would promote Surin fabric, which is a signature product of the province.
It seemed a good idea at the time
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 27/11/2022
» The annual elephant festival in Surin attracted more than the usual attention last week after featuring an attempt to enter the hallowed Guinness Book of Records. Alas, the only record achieved was that hundreds of student "volunteers" roasted in the sun, exposed for hours to high temperatures reaching 39C.
Saving the tigers
Oped, Editorial, Published on 16/04/2022
» 'Nong Kwan", a four-month-old tiger cub rescued from wildlife traffickers, has become a darling of animal lovers.
We'll keep protesting however we can
Oped, May Nyein Chan, Published on 25/03/2021
» They are street protesters and keyboard warriors, as well as hospital and bank staff and teachers with the civil disobedience movement. Some are night guards watching over their neighbourhoods, while others have been preparing food for protesters, day after day. They provide shelter to young protesters hunted down by security forces, and they have been arrested, shot and killed.