Good morning,

Scientists at Kasetsary University have apparently cracked the rice gene and worked out how and why jasmine rice keeps the fragrance which is so widely valued and praised. This means there is a prospect that rice breeders will be able to add fragrance to other varieties and help to retain it for longer.

PM Samak Sundaravej has been talking about amending the junta’s charter, pushed through by cronies and aimed in large part in ensuring continued power for behind the scenes ‘invisible hands.’ He had previously considered deferring constitutional change until towards the end of this parliament but new court decisions have threatened dissolution of some coalition parties on the basis of the murky and opaque provisions contained in the junta’s charter. Change, therefore, has become urgently required if chaos is not to break out with the inevitable, invisibly-inspired dissolution of the People’s Power Party, for which so many millions of voters cast their ballot.

Postmen (the report does not mention postwomen) are being given assistance in reading dogs, to stop them being bitten and possibly susceptible to diseases such as rabies. More than 700 postal workers out of 4000 surveyed reported that they had been bitten by dogs in the course of their work.

A message from Triond that my article on Thai politics, which is a little old now, has been repositioned. Perhaps this will help it find a few new readers. If I spent my time on these articles writing fluff things which attract many thousands of hits (like the one about 10 Eccentric Thai Dishes), then I could probably approach the earnings of some other writers – who make hundreds of dollars a month. Perhaps I should but really where is the fun in doing it? I’d prefer to write about subjects which interest me and about which I believe I can have something useful to say.

My review of The Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko has been published at Bookideas.

Back tomorrow.

BK!