Falling asleep at the switch | Bangkok Post: opinion

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EDITORIALFalling asleep at the switch

25 May 2013 : The explanation given for Tuesday's massive power blackout in the South raises more questions than it answers.
POSTBAGGreen space threat is real

25 May 2013 : Re: ''Condo oasis in peril'' (BP, May 21).

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Postbag
Get rid of park chief
17 Apr 2013 : Re:''The problem with elephants'' (BP, April 15).
THINKBOX
Toying with the idea of a return trip
17 Apr 2013 : My first visit to Japan a few weeks ago amused and amazed me. We witnessed the splendour of sweet, pink flowering cherry blossoms that cover Tokyo and grab the attention of local people and travellers alike.
CURRENTS
Google's Ingress to the real world
17 Apr 2013 : There is a new game for Android mobile users called Ingress. It is from Google and based on their popular Google Maps. The game requires you to get out of the lounge and into the real world. It is already being played in Bangkok but is in closed beta mode until the end of April. You'll need a Google+ Community account, sensible shoes, patience and time. You play on one of the two sides doing battle for control and if you want to know more go to www.ingress.com. I'm playing on the side of the Enlightened that is doing well in Bangkok but as I write this the Resistance is currently winning worldwide. Watch out for spies!
After the calm, the storm
16 Apr 2013 : The long Songkran holiday provided a much-needed respite from politics for most of us, but the reality is about to return with a vengeance.
EDITORIAL
Amnesty bill should wait
16 Apr 2013 : Parliament returns on Thursday, but with just two days left in the session, it is unlikely to accomplish more than a few routine cleanup chores. One would think it best to take care of old business, but word is that a group of Pheu Thai Party MPs have ambitious plans for the last two days.
PostBag
Punish drink drivers
16 Apr 2013 : Songkran revellers insist on drinking, then driving, and persist in throwing water from trucks (yes, I know this practice was banned, but enforceable in Bangkok only. Here in my area it goes on in front of the local police). Fines are minimal and laughed at, and offenders continue to repeat the same offences. Only death is final. Confiscating vehicles, revoking the driver's licences for life, 5,000-baht fines, and long jail terms might be the only thing many people understand. It might take a while to catch on, but at least my possible solutions offer more than the government's vague Songkran instructions.
THINKBOX
Donate some respect
16 Apr 2013 : The Thai Red Cross Society has been trying desperately to explain to the public that it has actually never despised people with diverse sexual preferences and has never discriminated against them in the matter of blood donation.
EDITORIAL
The problem with elephants
15 Apr 2013 : Government officials perpetuated a general misunderstanding when they called in the media after the remains of a male elephant were found near Kaeng Krachan National Park in the upper South. On flimsy evidence, they claimed that poachers had killed the animal, and ripped the tusks from its severed head. When animal experts arrived a day later, the story changed. The dead elephant was actually a female in the late stages of pregnancy. There was no ivory, and almost certainly no poaching.
BUSINESS
New entrepreneurs a growing trend
15 Apr 2013 : If you read just one book this spring to understand how the world is changing, it should be Mohsin Hamid's new novel, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia. The central theme of this funny and vivid work is familiar: The great shift in the global economy's centre of gravity from West to East.
PostBag
Lead into temptation
15 Apr 2013 : Eric Bahrt in his letter "Gushing praise sickens", on April 13, misses a very important point. All political leaders are not what they appear to be. Those who smile outwardly can be deep killers and liars beneath the surface.