10 links

by Newley on July 29, 2010

Some Thailand-related, some not:

moto_taxi_drivers.jpg

Image credit: daniel n. reid

  1. Interview with Claudio Sopranzetti: The politics of motorcycle taxis — New Mandala
  2. Temple dispute surfaces againStraits Times
  3. US slips, China glides in Thai crisis — Asia Times Online
  4. Remarkable Stop-Motion Walk Across America — PetaPixel
  5. Soccer’s Growth in the U.S. Seems SteadyNew York Times
  6. Longtime journalist Daniel Schorr dead at age 93 — AP
  7. Leaving Asia’s shade — Banyan/Economist
  8. Atletico to be without star players for Bangkok gameBangkok Post
  9. Sugar trade’s sweet spot turns sour in Thailand — AP
  10. The Best Magazine Articles Ever — Cool Tools

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    A bomb exploded yesterday at a bus stop near central Bangkok’s Rajaprasong intersection, killing 1 and wounded 10. BBC has more info here.

    Here’s an image I snapped about an hour and a half after the explosion. The bus stop is located directly opposite the CentralWorld shopping mall, which was torched on May 19 following the military’s dispersal of red shirt protesters.

    The red shirts’ stage was located just a few hundred meters up Rajadamri Rd. Here’s what the intersection looked like last night.

    Meanwhile, the Bangkok Post has this story about yesterday’s parliamentary by-election, which the Democrats won. Previous BP post about the significance of the by-election is here.

    I’ll likely be posting more about both of these stories on Twitter.

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    A visit to Pheu Thai’s red shirt exhibition (guest post at BP)

    July 25, 2010

    Below is a guest post that appeared yesterday on the Bangkok Pundit blog, which is part of the Asian Correspondent site. Here is a link to the original post.

    By Newley Purnell
    The red shirt protests, as we know, came to a dramatic and bloody conclusion on May 19, when security forces dispersed anti-government demonstrators from central [...]

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    More on Sunday’s parliamentary by-election at BP

    July 22, 2010

    More on the upcoming by-election, which I mentioned earlier today, can be found in this guest post I wrote for the Bangkok Pundit blog.
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    NYT on parliamentary by-election and ongoing divisions in Thailand

    July 22, 2010

    Today’s New York Times has a story that looks at Sunday’s parliamentary by-election and ongoing tensions here in Thailand:
    BANGKOK — In a parliamentary race this weekend that is being seen as a referendum on Bangkok’s recent upheavals, only one of the two leading candidates is campaigning.
    The other is in prison, accused of terrorism for his [...]

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    Two ads of note in today’s Bangkok Post

    July 20, 2010

    Two images1 of ads that — for varying reasons — caught my eye in today’s Bangkok Post:2
    First, a follow up on the AP story I pointed out last week. You’ll recall that the Thai government says it plans to crack down on the parading — and feeding — of elephants in Bangkok. This ad, near [...]

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    Update on Map Ta Phut (guest post at BP)

    July 20, 2010

    Below is a guest post that appeared yesterday on the Bangkok Pundit blog, which is part of the Asian Correspondent site. Here is a link to the original post.
    By Newley Purnell
    With the dramatic political unrest that unfolded here in Bangkok during April and May, it may be easy to lose sight of a pressing business-related [...]

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    7 Links

    July 19, 2010

    Some Thailand-related, some not:

    The Angriest Man In Television — The Atlantic
    Bangladesh, With Low Pay, Moves In on China — New York Times
    The Consultant Was a Spy — Washingtonian.com
    Thailand: the prime minister and the mobile phone texts — Financial Times
    Can Thailand’s state of emergency lead to a ‘reconciliation’? — Washington Post
    Thai politics intrudes on the world [...]

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    Looking back at the 2010 World Cup

    July 17, 2010

    I realize that I’m nearly a week late with this, but following Spain’s 1-0 win over the Netherlands on Sunday, I wanted to share a few brief notes given my previous posts on the World Cup.
    Spain: the tournament’s best team
    The final match was ugly, but Spain deserved to win — and take home their first-ever [...]

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    A brush with George Steinbrenner in 1996

    July 14, 2010

    Note: explicit language used below…
    George Steinbrenner, the longtime New York Yankees owner, died yesterday at the age of 80.
    I had a brush with Steinbrenner back in July, 1996. It was during the Atlanta summer Olympics, and I was in college, working as a bellman at an Atlanta hotel.
    Steinbrenner checked in at the front desk, and [...]

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    New fines for feeding elephants in Thailand

    July 14, 2010

    AP ran this interesting story yesterday:
    BANGKOK — You can still feed elephants in Thailand’s bustling capital — but it could cost you.
    Bangkok authorities said Monday anyone caught handing bunches of bananas or sugar cane to the hulking beasts — proffered by their handlers to make money — faces a $320 (10,000 baht) fine.
    Thailand has [...]

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    More Thailand news

    July 9, 2010

    Irreconcilable differences — Economist
    Former prime minister of Thailand hires trio of lobby and law firms — TheHill.com
    Russian conductor and pianist Mikhail Pletnev faces child sex charge in Thailand — AP

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    Thai government extends state of emergency

    July 6, 2010

    Here are stories from the AP, VOA, and AFP about the news today.
    And here are related pieces from the BBC (“Stark warnings over Thai emergency laws”) and Reuters (“No Thai protests for now”).
    More on this soon, I’m sure.
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    Recent Thailand stories

    July 2, 2010

    Some recent Thailand stories of note:

    Thailand Targets Protests’ Financial Backing — WSJ
    Thailand Attracts Investment Despite Turmoil — NYT/IHT
    Thailand opens hotline for crisis suggestions — ABC News/AFP
    Thai government wines and dines ‘best friends’ (AP)
    Thailand Has `Upside’ Potential as Tourism Rebounds, Finance Minister Says — Bloomberg
    US House urges peaceful end to Thai crisis — AFP1
    Analysis: Thoughts on [...]

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    World Cup: USA beats Algeria in injury time

    June 24, 2010

    I’ve been busy — and won’t be blogging much in the days to come — but given my previous posts, I felt compelled to comment on yesterday’s breathtaking U.S. win over Algeria in injury time. A few thoughts.

    I watched the game with some friends at an English pub here in Bangkok. The England-Slovenia game was [...]

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