Backwards and brilliant

Memento Remember the twists in both The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense? How you had to cast your mind back to rewrite the narrative you had thought was true, armed with your new piece of information? Multiply that twist by a few dozen times, and you begin to approach the heart of the fantastic,…

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Best buys in a shrinking market

As the baht slides against the US dollar, Californian winemakers are feeling the pinch in Thailand. ?We cannot say that Californian wine represents good value for money anymore,? says Uthorn Budhijalananda from The Wine Cellar. ?For good value you cannot compare them to Australian and Chilean wines right now. But compared to many French wines,…

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Getting laid off

Thailand might be clawing its way out of the recent economic crisis, but with the slowing ? and changing – global economy, that doesn?t mean you should take for granted that your job is secure. Restructurings happen; technology alters demand for certain types of skills; personality conflicts emerge. According to research by outplacement specialists DBM…

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Sisters still doing it for themselves

While the participation rate of Thai women in the workforce is higher than average for the region, evidence shows that pay differentials between the sexes persist and various obstacles stand in the way of women getting ahead in their careers ? indeed relatively few Thai women hold significant decision-making positions in either politics, the civil…

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Taming Thailand’s Press

It was a test of strength for Thailand’s Constitution Court, formed under the country’s progressive 1997 constitution. One of the country’s most powerful politicians, Sanan Kachornprasart, was on trial, accused of falsely declaring his assets. Independent Television (iTV), the country’s first and only truly independent free-to-air channel, broadcast the live proceedings in full. On August…

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Time out for tea

While coffee shops are opening in Bangkok almost by the day, teahouses are quietly going about the business of what they?ve always done: serving tea, properly. ?If you compare the present situation to ten years ago when tea was only to be found in Chinatown, then there has been progress, but it remains very slow,?…

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Be good to yourself … but enjoy

The garden is dotted with the deep purples and whites of Thai orchids here and there; a fountain gurgles and a cat lounges on the well-kept lawn. If health stems from a feeling of tranquility, then the Whole Earth is well on its way to keeping customers happy right from the start. Take off your…

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Relaxing with Rika

Rika Dila doesn’t look like the busy businesswoman and mother of two young sons she is. "I tell people I’m 28," jokes the half Filipino, half-Japanese representative of Sotheby’s in Thailand. "And after a while I start believing it!" The white lie wouldn’t be difficult for anyone to believe. Rika wears no makeup, but there’s…

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Thailand in transition

The wastewater industry in Thailand When asked what the main wastewater problems facing Thailand are, Pranee Pantumsinchai, president of the Environmental Engineering Association of Thailand, answers simply. "Look at Bangkok!" Indeed, just metres away from her office is one of the murky khlongs (canals) that crisscross the city and empty into its major waterway, the…

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Battling breast cancer

Twenty-eight year old Penkhra Jitjamnong found the lump in her breast when she was on a cold Phuket beach two years ago. "I touched it by accident, and knew something was wrong," she says. "I had also been eating a lot, but not putting on any weight." Despite her doctor telling her she was probably…

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