Good morning,

New evidence from America shows that the CIA secretly brought detainees here to Thailand to torture them (http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=125235). US Congressional Hearings have been heard that the destroyed video tapes of detainees being tortured by water-boarding were taken in Thailand. A lawyer for the CIA provided the evidence, which has been dismissed as ‘groundless’ by the junta-appointed ‘foreign minister spokesman’ Tharit Charungvan (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/01/18/headlines/headlines_30062609.php).

Elderly people, children and people with respiratory problems should stay inside in Bangkok today because of the presence of abnormally large amounts of very small particles in the atmosphere (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/01/18/headlines/headlines_30062601.php). The cool air from China is apparently causing these particles to gather together, while industrial pollution is being tackled, apparently.

Coffee break khanoms, cakes and sandwiches are being blamed for contributing to the increasing problem of obesity in Thailand (http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/18Jan2008_news02.php). Average weight of Thai people has risen by 30% over the past seven years – it is noticeable these days. Perhaps people could serve snacks without such a high-fat content? Or pizza without the intensely sweet sauce. Or hot dogs the same. Even the bread is sweet.

My review of Algernon Blackwood’s The Complete John Silence Stories has been published at Bookideas (http://www.bookideas.com/reviews/index.cfm?fuseaction=displayReview&id=4130). I have been trying to publish an article at Suite 101 but cannot, either because of the network problems we are suffering here or something on their site – I submitted it to Triond instead, since it is a little time-sensitive. Let’s see if it gets picked up from there.

I’m doing a weekend teaching course here so I might post tomorrow or Sunday but, failing that, should be back on Monday.

Kevin Keegan? It would be like bringing back Jimmy Quinn.