Australia eases Burma Sanctions, but Should the US Follow Suit?

January 11, 2012

Australia’s Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has announced that the Australian government has decided to ease financial and travel sanctions on a number of the country’s former politicians. Mr. Rudd told the press on January 9th that removing such sanctions reflects Burma’s progress towards democracy after several decades of totalitarian military rule. Is it time for [...]

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Trembling for our Country this Holiday Season

December 23, 2011

Planning on a trip home to visit family within the next few days? Traveling might be a little more complicated after the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2012. In addition to long delays, crowded airports, invasive TSA pat downs, and long lines, now you might encounter arbitrary arrest without trial and [...]

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Obama, Broken Promises, and Backlash

December 20, 2011

President Obama’s approval by non-veto of the highly controversial “National Defense Authorization Act for the year 2012” (NDAA) represents, for American citizens across the political sphere, the summation of a series of bipartisan betrayals of American citizens constitutional rights. Policy brutality in Occupy Wall Street protests, the pending of the infamous “Stop Online Piracy Act” (which will [...]

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US Woman Cites Odinist Beliefs to Avoid Deportation from UK

December 20, 2011

In a move that has enraged the UK immigration authorities, British courts have awarded a US woman the right to remain in the UK with her British boyfriend, the child they share, her boyfriend’s wife, and their child. The adults in question, who subscribe to Odinism and worship Thor (among other deities), argued that the [...]

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Drones, Dummies, and the Watchful Eyes of US and Thai Surveillance

December 16, 2011

On December 15th, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released its report “Protecting Privacy from Aerial Surveillance: Recommendations for Government Use of Drone Aircraft”, warning that new rules to be proposed by the Federal Aviation Administration might make it easier for US law enforcement agencies to perform drone-based surveillance on US citizens. The ACLU has [...]

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Billion-dollar Breakups in Asia’s “Divorce Capital”

December 16, 2011

Prenuptial agreements are not specifically authorized by Hong Kong Law. However, Unlike China, Hong Kong’s legal system is based on theU.K.common law model. As the UK moves towards prenuptial agreements, it is possible that Hong Kong’s court may also be more amenable to prenuptial agreements. Prenuptial agreements in Thailand are expressly authorized by Thai law. [...]

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Friday Round Up: Katoey Flight Attendants, Drugs in Dreads, and a Very Expensive “Daughter”

December 16, 2011

Crossing Borders, Literally and Figuratively: Transgender Flight Attendants Thailand’s PC airlines has taken a small step forward in the transgender rights movement by hiring the world’s first-ever transgender women flight attendants. Reportedly, the airline received such an inundation of job applications from Thailand ladyboys, or katoeys, that they decided the demographic needed to be represented [...]

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In Memoriam: the US Bill of Rights?

December 15, 2011

On December 15th, the Obama Administration announced that it would approved the controversial National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a bill that would allow arbitrary arrest and indefinite military detention without trial of US citizens on suspected terrorism charges. The act will legalize military detention of both foriegn and American citizens, in violation of basic constitutional [...]

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Declining Marriage Rates and Increasing Divorces: will bachelor(ette) parties become a thing of the past?

December 15, 2011

If you’ve seen the films The Hangover and The Hangover 2 (and probably even if you haven’t seen them), you know that the movies feature an eclectic group of buddies gathering first in Las Vegas, and then in Bangkok, to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of a friend. Drunkenness, blackouts, and general hilarity ensue, finally concluding [...]

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Wednesday News: Food for Thought

December 14, 2011

Mixed Martial Arts in Thailand: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly If you’re an MMA fan, the year 2012 is going to be a good year for you. A number of MMA stars are signed to participate in Bangkok’s DARE Championship’s MMA tournament in Bangkok in January 2012; those expected to participate include Daiju [...]

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