The ability to supply water to people in the future is intricately linked to the health of the environment, so it wasn’t surprising that both environmental issues and looking to the future were underlying themes of Aquatech Asia 2001. The event was held for the first time in Thailand, at the Bangkok International Trade and…
Read moreA forward-looking enterprise
When Dr Philippe Bergeron, director of the Regional Institute of Environmental Technology (RIET), discussed the process that the jury followed to choose a winner from industry for the Asia Water Management Excellence Awards, he emphasised one thing: that the award was not about recognising innovative technology. "The industry award is not here to award technology…
Read moreSharp ways to stay healthy
While many in the West consider acupuncture to be an "alternative" medical treatment, it has been practised for up to 5,000 years in China. It’s perhaps ironic then, that Samitivej hospital physiatrist Dr Chirapan Vinaikulpong finds that it’s her western patients who request acupuncture rather than her Thai patients. "This might be changing, but most…
Read moreThe wedding yawner
The Wedding Planner A friend of mine once accidentally took her conservative and frail grandmother to see Pulp Fiction; she was so psychologically scarred by the experience that she still always rates movies based on the "grandma-watchability" factor. The Wedding Planner, a highly-formulaic, painfully predictable and clean romantic comedy, pulls in very big on the…
Read moreAlpha hydroxy acids: Good for the skin?
Alpha hydroxy acids, or AHAs, have been used in low quantites for cosmetic purposes for centuries – Cleopatra bathing in milk is one legendary instance of the use of lactic acid – but they only reached the mass Thai market in the mid-90s, where they’re still going strong. What are they? Alpha hydroxy acids are…
Read moreThe bettering of Bangkok
Think of Bangkok and you’ll probably think of sex tourism: the neon of Nana Plaza, the pingpong shows of Patpong, and the sleaziness of Soi Cowboy. But these are merely three modest strips in a massive city maturing as the most cosmopolitan centre of Southeast Asia, a megalopolis that’s gradually donning more of an intellectual…
Read moreSo long and thanks for the mojitos
"It’s over," says Rico, owner/manager of down-to-earth Cuban bar and restaurant, La Havana. He’s talking about Bangkok’s obsession with all things Latin. "The height has certainly already come and gone." Sexy, colorful, and most of all fun, Latin dancing rode into town on the coattails of Ricky Martin and 1997’s World Cup. As the baht…
Read morePlastic surgery for the face
If you’re not happy with the face and body that nature has given you, plastic surgery might make improvements that are more to your taste. As with all surgery, there’s a risk involved, but for some people the outcome can mean greater confidence and a changed outlook on life. According to plastic surgeon Dr Amorn…
Read morePlastic surgery for the body
Plastic surgery is not limited to the face. Two of the most popular procedures carried out on the body are liposuction, a procedure which removes fat from certain locations on the body, and augmentation mammoplasty, the surgical insertion of either saline or silicone implants to increase the size of the breasts. Liposuction is a procedure…
Read moreGive your baby a healthy start
You may not be planning on falling pregnant soon, but if you’re of child-bearing age it’s still worth knowing about folate, one of the B vitamins. In the US, over half of all pregnancies are unplanned, and as folate is needed both before and during the first weeks of pregnancy to help prevent birth defects,…
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